Calling all film programmers! Join us at the New Orleans Film Festival for our second FilmEx Regional, November 2-4, 2023.

This FilmEx Regional will gather programmers, educators, and artist services folks together to discuss strategies and best practices when it comes to the core mission of your festival: bringing people together through film. From building your talent pipeline, to current trends in audiences, to deepening your engagement with filmmakers, FFA and NOFF will showcase new ideas and facilitate discussion through several festival-only sessions as well as NOFF-hosted events during the Opening Weekend. 

FilmEx Regionals are designed to bring together organizations within a region to build community, encourage dialogue on local and regional conditions, and strengthen collaboration between festivals. Through informal gatherings, film screenings, and small, focused groups, festival folks will have the opportunity to deepen their professional relationships and explore current issues affecting the film festival landscape.

Registration for the FilmEx Regional includes:
  • All Access Badge to New Orleans Film Festival, valid for the duration of the film festival
    • Includes in-person and virtual access to the programming
  • Opportunity to attend NOFF Opening Night Party on November 2nd
  • FilmEx sessions geared towards programmers, film ed, & artist services on November 3rd and 4th

Registration Rates:
FFA Members: $75/person
Non-Members: $125/person

Bundle discounts available when registering three (3) or more people!

Members: Log-in to the FFA website to access discount code at top of page!

Register Here 

Schedule

Thursday, November 2nd:

SOLO: Attend one of the opening night films, taking place at multiple venues:

  • 7:00PM Asog - Canal Place 2
  • 7:30PM Commuted - CAC Black Box
  • 7:30PM Musica! - Prytania Uptown
  • 7:30PM The Disappearance of Shere Hite - Broad Theater 4
  • 8:15PM Commuted - Canal Place 1

GROUP: Attend the Opening Night Party at Gallier Hall starting at 10PM

Second line to the beat of The Stooges Brass Band before a special performance by Flagboy Giz and tunes brought to you by DJ FTK. Lite bites provided by Codey's Nola. Sponsored by Film New Orleans and the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy Entertainment sponsored by Positive Vibrations and Backbeat Foundation. Gallier Hall is a historic building on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the former New Orleans city hall, and continues in civic use.

Friday, November 3rd

Morning Coffee

10:00AM - 10:30AM | Hotel Fontenot - Gospel Coffee

Come early and grab a cup of coffee at GOSPEL COFFEE located in the Hotel Fontenot before the first program begins. 

Festival Roundtables

10:30AM - 11:30AM | Hotel Fontenot 

Roundtable discussions with fellow festival organizers on topics including building your brand as a programmer and building an artist services program

Building Programming Practices

11:30AM - 1:00PM | Hotel Fontenot 

Learn about the programming practices and values of the New Orleans Film Festival before engaging in a workshop to dive into your own programming practices and developing sustainable values.

Lunch Break

1:00PM - 3:00PM | On your own

Go for a bite with new friends and colleagues before meeting up again for our afternoon programs.

South Pitch Narrative

3:00PM - 5:00PM | Contemporary Arts Center - Black Box

Come hear six film teams from across the South pitch their fiction projects in development to a panel of industry experts and a live audience. These projects represent some of the most exciting filmmakers and stories coming out of the American South today. The filmmakers will receive on-the-spot feedback and questions related to their timeline, production team, script, budget, and distribution plan. One project will be selected to receive a $10,000 award.

FFA Reception

5:00PM - 6:00PM | CAC Reception

Mingle with programmers, educators, and artist service folks gathering at NOFF2023 for Film Festival Alliance’s FilmEx: New Orleans before the Meet the Programmers Panel at 6:00 PM.

Meet the Programmers

6:00PM - 7:00PM | CAC Black Box

Navigating film festivals can be daunting, especially when deciding which ones align with your artistic and ethical values, and distribution goals. In this panel discussion, we pull back the curtain on film curation practices and speak to programmers committed to community responsibility and curatorial justice.

Saturday, November 4th:

Morning Coffee

10:00AM - 10:30AM | Hotel Fontenot - Gospel Coffee

Come early and grab a cup of coffee at GOSPEL COFFEE located in the Hotel Fontenot before the first program begins. 

Festival Roundtables

10:30AM - 11:30AM | Hotel Fontenot 

Roundtable discussions with fellow festival organizers on topics including developing your screening process and building systems and tools for programming

Break

11:30AM - 12:30PM | On your own

Go for a bite or grab another coffee with new friends and colleagues before meeting up again for our afternoon programs.

South Pitch Documentary

12:30PM - 2:30PM | Contemporary Arts Center - Black Box

Whether you’re a film professional or not, South Pitch is an invaluable opportunity to gain insight into the making of a film and to see first-hand how leading decision makers evaluate projects. This year’s documentary track showcases 6 film teams from around the South, who will present on their documentary features currently in production. One project will be selected to receive a $10,000 award. 

Accessibility at Work

2:30PM - 3:30PM | Contemporary Arts Center - Festival Hub (The Corner Stage)

This panel will reveal how different players in the filmmaking community approach accessibility and show how collaborative work makes for a more equitable and accessible film ecosystem. We will try to understand what barriers keep us from prioritizing accessibility and share our journey to overcome them. NOFS and Sundance Film Institute will present their perspectives as film exhibitors, Full Spectrum Features will discuss how an independent production company prioritized change towards greater access, and Southern directors of the Mississippi River Styx will take us through their path of making their film accessible to audiences.

Speakers: moderator Monika Leska - Founding Member of FEAW and Managing Director at NOFS; Cassidy Dimon, Founder of FEAW and Director of Programs, Events & Accessibility at Full Spectrum Features; Laura Benge - Founding Member of FEAW and Accessibility Manager for the Sundance Institute; Andy McMillan & Tim Grant - co-directors of MISSISSIPPI RIVER STYX. The event is supported by the FEAW (Film Event Accessibility Working Group), which was formed as a collaborative effort by film event representatives seeking to unify and enhance accessibility in film festivals, screenings, and programs across the industry. The CART service will be provided.

Accessibility

Events will take place at the Hotel Fontenot and the Contemporary Arts Center. 

For information on NOFF's accessibility, please visit: https://neworleansfilmsociety.org/attend/

Hotel Fontenot Accessibility Information: https://www.hotelfontenot.com/new-orleans-accommodations/accessible-features/

Contemporary Art Center Accessibility Information: https://cacno.org/accessibility

As needed, FFA will work with participants to provide accessibility accommodations such as but not limited to captioning, ASL interpretation, and quiet rooms. Please reach out directly to the Executive Director, Barbara Twist, to discuss accommodations. She can be reached: barbara@filmfestivalalliance.org.

For additional information about our accessibility plans and mission, please click here (Link to URL: https://filmfestivalalliance.org/about-us/accessibility)

Travel

Flying in? NOFF recommends the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is best. For affordable travel to downtown New Orleans, taxis from the airport are generally cheaper than Uber/Lyft: https://flymsy.com/taxis-2/

If you would like to attend all the FilmEx-related events, we recommend arriving by late afternoon on Thursday, November 2nd, and departing Sunday, November 5th.

Lodging

Hotel:

Nightly Rate

Booking Link:

Q&C Hotel and Bar

$159+tax

LINK

Kimpton: Hotel Fontenot

$239+tax

LINK

Hampton Inn & Suites New Orleans Downtown French Quarter Area

$229+tax | $279+tax

LINK

The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans

$199+tax

LINK

Holiday Inn

$159 King +tax | $169 Double +tax

To book, call Robin Jones at (504) 962-0900 ext.7151, and mention NOFF