The 2023 Tribeca Festival has had incredible film premieres thus far, and the producers and directors of five films premiering at this year’s festival were in attendance at a panel presented by the Producers Union to discuss their films and give insightful conversations about the independent film industry.
The event was held at Gigino Trattoria in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City, which is the same restaurant featured in the film “Dinner Rush.” Lola Adesionye moderated the panel consisting of the director and producer of “First Time Female Director, Chelsea Peretti and Deanna Barillari, director and producer of “Parachute,” Brittany Snow and Lizzie Shapiro, director and producer of “The Graduates,” Hannah Peterson and Josh Peters, director and producer of “Boca Chica,” Gabriella Moses and Sterlyn Ramirez, and director and producers of “Eric Larue,” Michael Shannon, Sarah Green and Karl Hartman.
In a statement from The Producer’s Union, “The Producers Union aims to organize fiction, feature film producers in an effort to fight for equitable pay, protect producers’ creative rights, and to define, amplify and advance the role of the producer. We commit to adhere to the highest standards in our profession and prioritize and promote inclusion amongst our Members.”
Lizzie Shapiro, Brittany Snow
Each and every one of the producers and directors on the panel have extensive and impressive backgrounds and experiences prior to working on their films premiering at Tribeca. Brittany Snow, who wrote and directed “Parachute, initially premiered the film at South by Southwest in March and the film took home the Grand Jury Prize for directing and performance. She stressed the need for partnership between the producer and director. “Lizzie was such a champion of keeping me in check. I call Lizzie my better half sometimes,” said Snow. Producer Lizzie Shapiro also gave great advice to aspiring producers, which was to “Trust that you are your own creative person that brings something to the table…and don’t let go of that.”
Chelsea Peretti made her directorial debut with her film, fittingly titled “First Time Female Director” with Deanna Barillari producing. On their partnership, Chelsea spoke on her admiration for “having a partner who is just as ambitious about fixes.”
Overall, the profound conversations from the multi-hyphenate producers and directors were insightful as a fellow producer and we are thankful to the Producers Union and Tribeca Festival for hosting the event.