Paris International Film Festival Director Jenna Suru announced today the panellists for the second event of the 2022 Edition – ‘The Future of Producing’
The Festival runs online between 10th – 20th February 2022.
Tickets and info: https://www.parisintlfest.com/
They are as follows:
Phil McKenzie (Goldfinch)
Phil McKenzie is COO and co-owner of Goldfinch, a group of entertainment companies spread across finance, production and venture investment.
Goldfinch have directly invested over $150m+ in over 300+ projects, they recently launched an in-house production company, provided start-up funds for over 20+ new businesses and they are opening a studio and post facility in Newcastle in Q3 2022.
Prior to joining Goldfinch, Phil worked in marketing, strategy and operations across a variety of sectors, including hospitality, food and drink, professional services and entertainment.
Social Media:
Twitter / Instagram – @pawmckenzie
Linkedin – www.linkedin.com/in/phil-mckenzie-0123882b
Natalie Metzger
Natalie Metzger is a Spirit Award nominated producer whose films have premiered at top festivals around the world including Sundance, Cannes, Berlin, SXSW, Tribeca, and Locarno.
She is best known for critically acclaimed IFC release THE BETA TEST, Josh Ruben’s WEREWOLVES WITHIN (starring Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub), Jim Cummings’ THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW (MGM/Orion), Sundance darling GREENER GRASS, and SXSW Grand Jury Award winner THUNDER ROAD.
She is currently the Vice President of Production & Development at Vanishing Angle. Also an accomplished writer, Metzger’s feature script IMMORTAL won the Grand Prize in Screencraft’s Sci-Fi Screenplay Competition and the Gold Prize at the Page International Screenwriting Awards, and is in the top 1% of Coverfly’s Red List.
She was also selected for CoverFly’s Endorsed Writers Program and Eastern Oregon’s Filmmaker Residency.
Her feature writing/directing credits include LGBTQ sports documentary ALONE IN THE GAME (AFI Docs, Outfest) and medical documentary SPECIAL BLOOD (Dolores Huerta Award for Best Director – Long Beach Indie; Best Feature Documentary – CWFF).
She has directed numerous award-winning commercials and short films, including a short film adaptation of IMMORTAL, which won Best Narrative Short at Eastern Oregon Film Festival, as well as multiple other awards and official selections, including the Oscar-Qualifying HollyShorts.
Her PSA TOPLESS WOMEN TALK NFL was featured in the Washington Post and Huffington Post and won an Aurora Award (Platinum Best of Show) and a Telly Award. Metzger holds an MFA from CalArts and is a Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Emory University, where she received the Sudler Award in the Arts and the Pioneer Award.
Social Media:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/natmetz/
Instagram – @nataliemetzger
Twitter – @metzart
Mehrdad Sarlak
Mehrdad Sarlak‘s left brain/right brian dichotomy has enabled him to achieve an eclectic mix of accomplishments in this life – being a graduate of MIT, a patented engineer, SAG-AFTRA actor who’s been cast by and worked with Ben Affleck and the late Mike Nichols, a TV host and producer for a live International talk show, and most recently a successful, film producer.
Mehrdad’s recent films have been sold to HBO (El Astronauta) and Oscilloscope (Just Hold On) and all of them have played at elite, Oscar qualifying festivals in the world where they have won numerous jury, audience, and programmer’s choice awards.
He’s managed and run two very successful Oscar runs for two of his films (Madaran and El Astronauta) and has produced two films for Oscar-winning director Rayka Zehtabchi (Madaran and Just Hold On).
Mehrdad enjoys working on live-action narratives with deep emotional impact and thought-provoking elements that are based on true stories as well as on documentaries that uplift, inspire, and warm the heart.
His areas of passion continue to be science, engineering, filmmaking and storytelling, and acting, and through all of it, his overarching goal is to use these universal paradigms of understanding and expression to bridge gaps among people and achieve understanding, awareness, and harmony.
Social media:
Instagram – mehrdad_sarlak
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/mehrdad.sarlak
Film And TV Now is proud to continue its’ association with the Paris International Film Festival as an Official Partner. Contributing Writer John Higgins also serves once again as Press Co-Ordinator, who will continue to bring exclusive news releases and some first-hand reviews of some excellent films in the Festival.
Reviews published so far include the World Premiere MUCH ADO, directed by the Shakespeare Sisters, Chris Chan Lee’s surreal drama SILENT RIVER and Nani Li Yang’s cross-cultural drama BENEATH THE BANYAN TREE.
Please continue to subscribe and visit the website for more updates over the coming weeks.
