21st Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank

This roundtable discussion will explore the troubles and victories that black filmmakers face in writing, funding, making, and sharing their films with the world. Catch the films from our panelists in the Black Lens Shorts block on Sunday, August 25, at 5:30 in the ASFA Recital Hall and Iron Grit on Sunday at 3:05 in ASFA’s Dorothy Jemison Day Theatre.

Bryian Keith Montgomery Jr. is a filmmaker and grew up in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California. He studied at California State University Northridge and graduated with a degree in Film Production. He founded the company Alternative Horror that focuses on taking current events and turning them into horror satire.

Ellie Foumbi is an actor/writer/director born in Cameroon, West Africa. She holds an MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts in Directing. Her award-winning short film, “Zenith”, was a 44th Student Academy Awards Semifinalist and a 2018 African Movie Academy Awards Nominee in the Best Short Film category.

Jamel Lajuan: Jamel Lajuan is a Film Director born in Birmingham, Alabama and started out in the film industry as a child actor in regional TV commercials and young model for magazines. Along with being a proud US Army combat veteran, Jamel Lajuan holds Masters Degree in Film & Media Production.

Darrien Michele Gipson is the Executive Director of SAGindie, an educational program that teaches independent filmmakers with limited budgets how to hire professional actors for their films. Darrien is an M.F.A. recipient from the Peter Stark Producers Program at the University of Southern California and was formerly the Vice President of Production for DEF Pictures. As Executive Director of SAGindie, Darrien is responsible for the strategic planning and oversight of the organization and acts as a liaison between filmmakers and SAG-AFTRA, the actors union.

This panel is free and open to the public - you do not need a festival ticket to attend.

Sidewalk’s educational programming is sponsored by Wind Creek Hospitality.