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Fuel the Mission: Funding Your Film
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
You’ve got the script, now how do you get the money to bring it to life?
Hear from industry professionals as they share how they’ve funded their own projects and explore the different paths filmmakers can take to finance a film.
Producer, Director, Composer, Singer/Songwriter, Actress
Sheilava
Sheilava is an award-winning producer, director, composer, singer, songwriter, and SAG-E actress based in Austin, TX. She also enjoys writing, modeling, performing live music, hosting indie film & music festivals, teaching private music lessons in her home studio, and working with under privileged and at-risk children with the non-profit organization Anthropos Arts. You can find her work and follow her endeavors on most social media platforms including Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Soundcloud.
Writer, Director, and Producer
Deborah Valcin
Deborah Valcin is a Haitian filmmaker based in Austin, Texas. She recently received her MFA Degree from the Radio, Television & Film program at the University of Texas with a focus in Screenwriting. Her stories focus on mental health within the Black community and the Black diaspora with a focus on the complex emotions and narratives of Black women. Deborah was the recipient of the AFS Grant in 2020 and more recently, the Robert Foshko Scholarship in 2025
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Nonprofit Founder and Media Creator
Laura Donnelly
Laura Donnelly founded, sustained and scaled Latinitas, one of the most successful and culturally relevant nonprofits and online magazines nationwide, focused on girls of color and STEAM education. Her 20+ year career in nonprofit management provided education, health and workforce development services to over 42,000 girls, teens, non-binary students and some parents and grandparents. Prior to nonprofit she worked as a journalist, filmmaker and publicist and public relations manager. Combining all these experiences she is currently working to assist other founders with their vision and mission as the Radical Consultant.
The Network: Building Your Film Festival Strategy
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
With thousands of film festivals happening around the world each year, figuring out where to start can feel overwhelming. Learn how to build a festival strategy that works for your project, from choosing where and how to submit to making the most of your time at a festival. We’ll also cover what comes next after your premiere and how to turn the festival experience into lasting connections and opportunities.
The Film Festival Doctor
Rebekah Louisa Smith
Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith is an award-winning film festival strategist, author, speaker,
and Founder and CEO of The Film Festival Doctor. Since 2011, she has helped
filmmakers worldwide secure more than 3,000 festival awards, contributed to four Oscar
success stories, and supported over 850 creatives in achieving international recognition.
Through her consultancy, speaking engagements, and The Film Festival Doctor
Podcast, she continues to educate and inspire filmmakers across the global film
industry.
Director, Short Film Programming
Jean Lauer
JEAN ANNE LAUER is an Austin-based professor and film festival programmer. Jean completed her Ph.D. in Radio-Television-Film at UT-Austin, and is a professor at Austin Community College in Humanities and Radio-Television-Film. Since 2004, Jean has also worked in promotion of film and media development and exhibition on the festival and independent cinema circuits. Jean began working professionally in the field at the International Pitching Market at the Guanajuato International Film Festival (Gto, Mexico, 2004 through 2013) and as Programmer, Festival Director, and then Executive Director of Cine Las Americas (Austin, TX, 2008 to 2020). She has been a member of the Fantastic Fest (Austin, TX) team since 2013 in various capacities, most recently as Director of Short Film Programming for the 2023 festival to the present.
Director of Programming
Gabby Estringel
Gabby Estringel is a writer and budding filmmaker with a passion for horror and a focus on elevating women's voices in the genre. She co-wrote The Veil She Wore, which won Best Script at the Ethereal Horror Fest in 2024. She is currently developing her new script My Bloody hEX which is expected to film this November. Inspired by bold genre storytellers like Coralie Fargeat and Diablo Cody. A passionate supporter of indie cinema and film festivals, she celebrates the horror community as much as the craft itself.
Filmmaker/Fantastic Fest Features Programmer
Austin King
Austin King is a filmmaker and festival programmer in the Austin, TX film community. He screened for the SXSW features program in 2021-22 and was Assistant Programmer for aGLIFF in Austin in the same time period. Austin has been Head of Submissions and a Features programmer for Fantastic Fest since 2022. He has experience writing, directing, and producing films and is currently touring festivals with his debut short film, “One Night Cherub.”
Broadcast: Using Marketing & Promotion to Build Your Audience
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Making the film is only part of the journey, now you need people to see it. Learn how to use marketing, social media, publicity, and creative promotion to build an audience around your project. Our experts will share strategies for creating buzz, connecting with the right viewers, and getting people excited about your film before, during, and after its release.
Producer, Director, Composer, Singer/Songwriter, Actress
Sheilava
Sheilava is an award-winning producer, director, composer, singer, songwriter, and SAG-E actress based in Austin, TX. She also enjoys writing, modeling, performing live music, hosting indie film & music festivals, teaching private music lessons in her home studio, and working with under privileged and at-risk children with the non-profit organization Anthropos Arts. You can find her work and follow her endeavors on most social media platforms including Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Soundcloud.
Signal Boost: All About Distribution
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
Take a closer look at the world of film distribution and what filmmakers need to know when preparing to take their project to market. Learn about different distribution paths, what distributors are looking for, how deals come together, and the decisions filmmakers should consider when choosing the right path for their film.
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Founder, New Ratio Films
Logan Taylor
Logan Ann Taylor founded New Ratio Films, a consultancy providing strategic advice and valuable industry contacts to filmmakers from development through distribution, leveraging over a decade of experience with companies like Screen Media Ventures and Umbrella Entertainment. Outside of acquisitions, Logan has worked on the programming and event management teams for Fantastic Fest, SXSW, ATX TV Fest, and Austin Film Festival, mentored projects at various stages of development for the Frontieres Market at Fantasia Film Festival, provided story consultation for burgeoning film talent with WIFTV Austin and ArtsUp LA, and taught film courses at Austin Community College. Logan is never afraid of any movie and is always afraid of every spider.
The Mothership: A Conversation with David Lawson Jr.
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Pull up a chair for a candid conversation with producer David Lawson Jr. as we explore the journey that brought him from the U.S. Air Force to producing independent films and co-founding Rustic Films. We’ll talk about the experiences, relationships, risks, and lessons that shaped his career, where the journey has taken him today, and what’s waiting just over the horizon.
Producer, Rustic Films
David Lawson Jr.
David’s love of film started at an early age while living in Baltimore, MD. Once he graduated high school, he enlisted in the US Air Force. He served for over 4 years as an Airborne Radio Operator aboard the AWACS E-3 Sentry deploying for both Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). There he not only met many people with the same affinity for cinema, but also took to heart their core values: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all you do. After the Air Force, he attended Michigan State University where he continued his personal growth. He has since brought the values and friendships he made along the way to Los Angeles where, from 2005 until 2024, he worked his way up the commercial and feature film ranks. After years of working as an independent producer, David joined Snowfort Pictures, as their Head of Production, from 2015 until 2017. Then, along with long time collaborators Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, he formed RUSTIC FILMS. His features include SOMETHING IN THE DIRT, TOUCH ME, THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT, SYNCHRONIC, THE ENDLESS, MAN FINDS TAPE, AFTER MIDNIGHT, TRASH FIRE, 68 KILL, 24X36: A MOVIE ABOUT MOVIE POSTERS, SPRING, and RESOLUTION.
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In 2023, he was nominated for the coveted John Cassavetes Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards for his work on SOMETHING IN THE DIRT. Every semester, he guest lectures at USC Film School, Florida State University, and AFI’s Master programs. He is currently an advisor for Sundance’s Collab Producing Class and on the Program Advisory Committee at Full Sail University, in addition to being a mentor for the Startwith8 program.
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In 2024, he moved with his family and Rustic Films to Austin, TX where he continues to make movies with friends.