Pitching & Writing [Film Festival Masterclass]

Event Details:
Date: Wednesday, March 10th
Time: 6pm PT / 9pm ET
Duration: 1 hr
Location on the Festival Map: ‘The Hall’
Speaker: Lorna Osunsanmi
In partnership with South Asians in Entertainment (SAIE)

This Session
Pitching and writing are two things Lorna Osunsanmi has mastered. She will talk to us about best practices for pitching, and what makes a great story.

Speaker Bio
Lorna Osunsanmi has come a mighty, long way from a tiny island in the middle of the  Caribbean Sea, then to a hick-town in rural Texas, and finally to Los Angeles to pursue a  writing career in television and film.  

Before moving to Los Angeles, Osunsanmi graduated Magna Cum Laude earning a  Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a Pre-law minor from Texas Woman's University. 

Osunsanmi has since had a successful 15-year career working in television starting with a  sci-fi show called DAYBREAK that aired on ABC. Then, becoming a writer on Netflix’s  first original scripted series, a sci-fi/horror titled HEMLOCK GROVE by producer Eli  Roth. That experience paved the way for her to work on Hulu’s, THE PATH, a religious  show about a cult leader. In between, Osunsanmi wrote and produced the Bollywood web  series titled CHADO. Osunsanmi is currently a Producer on the CW’s hit series ALL  AMERICAN, an emotionally grounded drama that rounds out her writing style.  

Outside of film and television, Osunsanmi is the author of a motivational book titled  “Becoming Bold” where she discusses how to maximize your life. She currently resides  in Los Angeles with her adoring husband and two lovely children.

About South Asians In Entertainment (SAIE)
SAIE (and it’s womxn-forward community, South Asian Women In Entertainment SAWIE) are dedicated to using the voices of South Asian’s in entertainment and their experiences, knowledge and power to uplift each other and the next generation of talent in the entertainment industry through education, partnership, and mentorship.

About The South Asian Film Fest of America
Showcasing diversity, creativity and a multi hyphenated identity, the South Asian Film Festival of America (#southasianfilmfest) is an international screening and awards platform for South Asians to showcase their films and digital work. We're a culture-impact film festival for the new generation of South Asian creatives to share their experiences and narratives through feature films, short films, web-series, and music videos with global audiences. We welcome stories from and inclusive of individuals with South Asian heritage, the diaspora, immigrants, and from the sub-continent itself.

**This event is included in the following tickets:
South Asian Film Fest [All Masterclasses]
South Asian Film Fest [ALL Screenings + Q&As + Masterclasses]

My First Short Film [Film Festival Masterclass]

Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, March 9th
Time: 6pm PT / 9pm ET
Duration: 1 hr
Location on the Festival Map: ‘The Hall’
Speaker: Gayatri Bajpai & Nirav Bhakta
In partnership with South Asians in Entertainment (SAIE)

This Session
A guide you through the steps of bringing a short film to life: concept, script, budgeting and scheduling, to shooting, through editing and distribution. Practical answers to questions that every first time filmmaker has.

Speakers Bios
About Gayatri Everitt Bajpai:
Gayatri Everitt Bajpai is a filmmaker based in Vancouver. She earned her  MFA in Film Production at UCLA, where she received the Lynn Weston and  Rabbit Bandini Thesis Awards for her final project, a segment of an  anthology feature produced by Rabbit Bandini Productions. She won  Directors’ Spotlight Awards for two of her other short films, Housewarming and Muck, and produced a documentary about Francis Ford Coppola's live  cinema project Distant Vision. Gayatri and her co-director Nirav Bhakta  have since won HBO’s 2019 APA Visionaries with their short film Halwa,  which has gone on to garner awards at festivals around the world. Gayatri  is developing her first feature.

About Nirav Bhakta:
Nirav Bhakta is an award-winning Director/Actor/Writer. While  growing up as an undocumented immigrant in motels, Nirav utilized the restraints of his environment and  geographical boundaries to create with what he had. Nirav's background in story telling extends from architecture  to the North Indian classical dance form of Kathak. Due to the  lack of authentic roles and experiences as an actor, Nirav began  creating zero budget short films focusing on the immigrant  experience. In 2019, Nirav and his codirector Gayatri Bajpai were announced as the winners of the  HBO Visionaries Short Film Competition for their film 'Halwa',  which is now streaming on HBO. His next project 'Thank You,  Come Again' created at the Armed With A Camera fellowship  with Visual Communications and co-sponsored by The Academy, went on to become a case study for race and ethnic  politics within academic circles such as Rutgers, Brandeis and  UCLA . Nirav is currently working on the animated short film 'The  Last Of The Stars' at CBS in collaboration with the non-profit  

About South Asians In Entertainment (SAIE)
SAIE (and it’s womxn-forward community, South Asian Women In Entertainment SAWIE) are dedicated to using the voices of South Asian’s in entertainment and their experiences, knowledge and power to uplift each other and the next generation of talent in the entertainment industry through education, partnership, and mentorship.

About The South Asian Film Fest of America
Showcasing diversity, creativity and a multi hyphenated identity, the South Asian Film Festival of America (#southasianfilmfest) is an international screening and awards platform for South Asians to showcase their films and digital work. We're a culture-impact film festival for the new generation of South Asian creatives to share their experiences and narratives through feature films, short films, web-series, and music videos with global audiences. We welcome stories from and inclusive of individuals with South Asian heritage, the diaspora, immigrants, and from the sub-continent itself.

**This event is included in the following tickets:
South Asian Film Fest [All Masterclasses]
South Asian Film Fest [ALL Screenings + Q&As + Masterclasses]

The Art of Marketing [Film Festival Masterclass]

Event Details:
Date: Monday, March 8th
Time: 6pm PT / 9pm ET
Duration: 1 hr
Location on the Festival Map: ‘The Hall’
Speaker: Nabil Kazi
In partnership with South Asians in Entertainment (SAIE)

This Session
The marketing tools every filmmaker should think about and execute for a successful campaign.  Advertising is more expensive than ever and marketing is changing to meet shorter film windows and finding a voice on streaming platforms and film festivals.  Learn the tips and must have’s even before you start production. 

Speaker Bio
A senior marketing and brand strategist,  Nabil has worked with some of the  industries top filmmakers including Jerry  Bruckheimer, Carlton Cuse, Chris  Melendandri, John Lasseter, Pete Doctor,  Darla Anderson, Andrew Stanton, Byron  Howard, Robert Redford and Wes Craven.  Nabil has built innovative and successful  global campaigns in film, television and  sports through effective campaigns.  

Most recently at Illumination Entertainment,  Nabil worked closely with the Universal  Pictures business units to execute  campaigns for The Secret Life of Pets, Sing  and the billion dollar box office hit  Despicable Me 3 while helping to create  the strategy for The Grinch. 

Prior, he worked at Fox on marketing  properties such as The Simpsons, Family  Guy, New Girl, Arrested Development and  film franchises Ice Age, Rio and Avatar.  

Nabil has spent most of his career at the  Walt Disney Company in various roles. In  his last position at Disney, he was head of  marketing and responsible for developing  the marketing and franchise strategies for  Walt Disney Animation and DisneyToon  Studios. He worked on the successful  execution of Tangled, Tinkerbell and  Gnomeo & Juliet and created the initial  strategy for Wreck It Ralph and Planes.  

Prior to the animation studio, he spent time  at ABC Television Network marketing  LOST, Grey’s Anatomy, Dancing With The  Stars, Castle, Modern Family, The Middle,  Wipeout and The Bachelor and being the  key contact to all sports programming with ESPN on ABC including the World Cup,  NBA Finals and College Football.  

Additionally, he held positions in Disney  Consumer Products in Burbank and Hong  Kong, being the youngest executive in the  company to have P&L responsibility for a  country while helping to open the first  Disney office in India in 1993.  

Personally, Nabil is on a journey to visit  every country in the world (47/197) and  climb the seven summits. He has climbed  Mt. Kilimanjaro and scheduled to climb Mt.  Elbrus in July 2021. He is also a 18  Marathon Finisher and 2 time Ironman  finisher and started and led the Disney  Triathlon team for 8 years with Chairman  and CEO Bob Iger as team captain. 

About South Asians In Entertainment (SAIE)
SAIE (and it’s womxn-forward community, South Asian Women In Entertainment SAWIE) are dedicated to using the voices of South Asian’s in entertainment and their experiences, knowledge and power to uplift each other and the next generation of talent in the entertainment industry through education, partnership, and mentorship.

About The South Asian Film Fest of America
Showcasing diversity, creativity and a multi hyphenated identity, the South Asian Film Festival of America (#southasianfilmfest) is an international screening and awards platform for South Asians to showcase their films and digital work. We're a culture-impact film festival for the new generation of South Asian creatives to share their experiences and narratives through feature films, short films, web-series, and music videos with global audiences. We welcome stories from and inclusive of individuals with South Asian heritage, the diaspora, immigrants, and from the sub-continent itself.

**This event is included in the following tickets:
South Asian Film Fest [All Masterclasses]
South Asian Film Fest [ALL Screenings + Q&As + Masterclasses]

Representation in Hollywood [Film Festival Masterclass]

*Free Event for All*
Date: Monday, March 1st

Time: 6pm PT / 9pm ET

Duration: 1.5 hrs

Speakers: Pavani Srinivasan (Producer) and the stars of Bravo’s Family Karma Amrit Kapai, Bali Chainani, Vishal Parvani, and Brian Benni

In partnership with South Asians in Entertainment (SAIE) and South Asian Women in Entertainment (SAWIE)

This Session

Join Pavani Srinivasan and the stars of Bravo’s Family Karma as they discusses representation in Hollywood and reality TV representation.

Speaker Bio:
Pavani Srinivasan is a television producer and writer based in the Washington, DC area. Originally from New York, she got her start working for the competition nonfiction television series, 24 Hour Catwalk. She then was able to secure work on other popular projects such as Celebrity Apprentice and Ink Master.
As she grew in her career, Pavani was given the opportunity to work as a producer and writer on history-based programming and was able to tell stories about minorities and women. She is passionate about being able to give life to narratives that are not often represented in the mainstream media. 
Proud of her South Indian heritage, Pavani is trained in South Indian Classical dance and music and loves to support the arts whenever possible. She hopes to continue to be able to give a voice to the voiceless and tell compelling and dynamic stories in whatever form they may take.

About South Asians In Entertainment (SAIE)
SAIE (and it’s womxn-forward community, South Asian Women In Entertainment SAWIE) are dedicated to using the voices of South Asian’s in entertainment and their experiences, knowledge and power to uplift each other and the next generation of talent in the entertainment industry through education, partnership, and mentorship.

About The South Asian Film Fest of America
Showcasing diversity, creativity and a multi hyphenated identity, the South Asian Film Festival of America (#southasianfilmfest) is an international screening and awards platform for South Asians to showcase their films and digital work. We're a culture-impact film festival for the new generation of South Asian creatives to share their experiences and narratives through feature films, short films, web-series, and music videos with global audiences. We welcome stories from and inclusive of individuals with South Asian heritage, the diaspora, immigrants, and from the sub-continent itself. SAFFA is funded by Product of Culture, a WOC founded and funded collective that amplifies brown brands and creatives with strategy, content, and experiences rooted in culture.