Lady Filmmakers Festival is under the umbrella of the Lady Filmmakers Foundation, a 501c3 tax exempt charity. Lady Filmmakers Festival is in its 10th year and celebrates women in leadership roles in the entertainment industry. Our Film Festival celebrates women filmmakers, artists, and musicians and the men who collaborate with them. Our festival is an entire weekend of films, music, art, mentoring workshops/panels and of course parties! We promote and support opportunities for artistic and career growth through our many different workshops, panels and networking events. We look for extraordinary visual storytellers for our programming. The festival encourages collaboration between men and women currently in the industry and to instill this idea within future filmmakers. Our speaker series and events are designed to help our filmmakers expand their network and further career goals. Lady Filmmakers is a safe environment to exhibit works and to find future collaborators and mentors. The festival promotes diversity and strong female lead driven content. We wish to INSPIRE & ENTERTAIN!
One Woman has to fill the role of Writer, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Production Designer or Editor to qualify to screen at our festival!
The Lady Filmmakers Foundation is now seeking funds to lacuna new initiatives to create opportunities for women and diversity in the arts, mainly film. Our two new initiatives covered in our fundraising efforts is the Script 2 Screen Program and Scholarships. We can't launch these initiatives without your help.
One Woman has to fill the role of Writer, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Production Designer or Editor to qualify to screen at our festival!
The Lady Filmmakers Foundation is now seeking funds to lacuna new initiatives to create opportunities for women and diversity in the arts, mainly film. Our two new initiatives covered in our fundraising efforts is the Script 2 Screen Program and Scholarships. We can't launch these initiatives without your help.
Mission
* Develop
programs & events that create opportunities
for women
*
Encourage diversity on and off camera
* Produce
Lady Filmmakers Festival
* Produce Script 2 Screen Program
* Develop Industry Relationships
*Promote the programs and events
* Create Mentoring Opportunities
* Provide Scholarships
* Create Distribution Opportunities
Board of Directors
Patricia DiSalvo Viayra
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Patricia has been entertaining people her whole life. At the age of 2 she began dancing on stage and later developed a love of theatre. Patricia earned a BA in Theatre from George Mason University. She also attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in California
She comes from a family of successful small business owners and has the same entrepreneurial spirit as her parents. She has taken her experiences working in various capacities for family companies and since mid 2008 she now dedicates her business & artistic skills to her film and performing arts endeavors. Patricia Translated her passion for performing arts into her pursuit of filmmaking. After hosting, writing, producing, and directing local South Carolina commercials & TV shows, she turned to writing, directing and producing her first short film Naked Sushi (completed in January 2009). Naked Sushi screened at the Cannes Short Film Corner, Italy, Australia, US and has nationwide distribution with the largest college campus TV network. Her second short film (completed in 2010) premiered at the Cannes SFC and has received distribution offers. Patricia has taken "LAFS" to the Lewiston-Auburn Film Festival in 2011 and looks forward to many festivals. Currently she has a TV Pilot, Lovers Lane, in development and short film Dance Before Sunset, which ran the festival circuit in 2013. She is also developing feature film scripts. In addition to being a Co-Owner of Lucky Bag Films, Patricia is the Festival Director and Co-Founder of Lady Filmmakers Film Festival. |
Mike Viayra
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Mike graduated from the United States Naval Academy and after completing his active duty service attended UCLA School of Law. He practiced at a major international law firm for several years and now is the legal manager of a billion dollar corporation.
Mike enjoys collaberating with his favorite lady filmmaker, Patricia, to produce both short and feature length films and the Lady Filmmaker Film Festival. |
ADVISORY BOARD
Sabrina Arnold
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Sabrina Arnold is a California native who graduated from San Francisco State University with a passion for Post Production. She has worked in the film industry since 2002, in Editorial, Stereo Conversion, and Visual Effects, producing projects from all aspects of Visual Effects Production; including gaming, commercials, television, and feature films. She has produced for such noted studios as CBS, FOX, ABC, Dimension Films, Dreamworks, Lionsgate, Sony and Marvel.
Her television work has garnered her a VES Award and an Emmy Award for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, along with a VES nomination and Emmy nomination in 2014 and 2015, for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She also guest lectures at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects Her credits include Battlestar Galactica, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, 24, FlashForward, Southland, Top Gun, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Priest, and Life of Pi. Sabrina is currently the lead Visual Effects Producer on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. |
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Dillon is an actor, director, teacher, and musician. He is a founding member of the Parlor Room Theater Company of Maryland, has directed at the Seton Keough High School in Baltimore, and is a bassist for pit orchestras around the Baltimore beltway. He has most recently appeared in Neil Simon's Fools as Leon Tolchinsky and will be taking the stage this winter in the cast of A Tuna Christmas.
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Dillon DiSalvo
Programmer & Advisor
Laurie Kirby, Esq
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Laurie B. Kirby, Esq. is currently the Co-President of AboutFest, LLC. She produces FestForward and Best of The Fests, a Festival Convergence, networking event and awards show for music, film, food and wine festival organizers being held at The Fess Parker Resort, Santa Barbara November 22-24, 2015. Speakers from Van's Warped Tour, Goldenvoice, Live Nation, Superfly, Red Light Management, Tag Strategic, Sundance, Slamdance, TIFF, Tribeca, Sundance, Santa Barbara Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival and musicians, film and TV actors as well as managers, agents, industry exec's from Weinstein, Variety, and corporate sponsors looking to partner with festivals will attend. Addressing new technology (and with a two day hackathon), sustainability, innovation, safety & collaboration, the discussion also will focus on solutions, trends, resources in the marketplace and how to improve the fan/attendee/talent experience. Shep Gordon will be given a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Laurie was the former President and Chief Creative Officer of the IFFS (International Film Festival Summit) and the IMFCON (International Music Festival Conference) as well as Lineup Magazine, its official publication. She was the strategic leader for these organizations, (and its digital & print publication) which intersect leaders of film, music and the entertainment industry at its annual conferences in the US and Europe. Laurie is a frequent speaker, interviewer and moderator at dozens of festivals and corporate conferences, including IFEA, Canadian Music Week, IEG, Event Expo, The Mill Valley Film Festival, Pollstar, The Catalina Island Film Festival, The Napa Valley Film Festival and The Lady’s Filmmaker Festival, on all aspects of the industry. Additionally, she is often quoted as an industry thought leader in publications such as Variety and Indiewire and Music Festival Business. She has also been a contributor to Indiewire, Laurie has managed over a half dozen film festivals and consults with festivals, filmmakers and event producers about the festival industry. She is currently Vice- President of the charity “Hands that Rock” and has served on, and presided over, many non-profit boards throughout her career. Laurie has also been an entertainment attorney and has been a senior executive at Ambassador Media Partners, a film production & distribution consulting business based in LA. Her partners consisted of the past-president of Miramax International, ICM International and Orion Pictures. They consulted on all matters relating to production and distribution of films. Prior to that, Laurie was Senior Vice president of HerFlicks formerly WomensFilmNet, a distribution company committed to distributing online films by, for and about women. From 1998-2007, Laurie Kirby served as General Counsel and then Executive Director of the Newport International Film Festival where she tripled attendance and receipts during her tenure. She also served as Executive Director of the Ojai Film Festival and Festival Director of The Barbados International Film Festival. Laurie has also served as the Marketing Director of the Philadelphia Film Festival and Festival Director of the US Sports Film Festival held in Miami, New York and Philadelphia. Laurie Kirby has 30 years of experience as an attorney. She served as senior counsel at the prestigious international law firms of Holland & Knight, LLP and Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge, LLP. Kirby formed the WSGT, the Official Senior Tour of the LPGA (now the Legends Tour) and served as its General Counsel. She handled all sponsorship, licensing and endorsement agreements. Kirby has also been a festival juror at many regional film festivals. She is also a co- producer of the documentary film Kumpania. She has chaired several nonprofits. She currently resides in Ventura County and has three grown children. |
