Lynn True
True Walker Productions
Cinematography (Nov. 16)
Accomplished cinematographers (and editors) will illuminate their techniques for capturing breathtaking visuals, crafting scenes, enhancing storytelling through imagery, and navigating the unique challenges of filming real-life narratives. They will also share their experiences on how to adapt to different environments and conditions to ensure the highest quality footage.
In the Festival Lounge, the day starts with Breakfast (9-10AM) and ends with a Happy Hour (4:30-5:30PM).
10-11:15AM
What Editors Wish Cinematographers Knew
In this eye-opening panel moderated by Emir Lewis (NYU/Tisch), documentary editors Lynn True (Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence), Rachel Shuman (Storm Lake), Carlos Rojas (The Territory), and Geoff O’Brien (Left Right) discuss the dos and don’ts for cinematographers to capture the best possible footage. Hear firsthand what editors love to see and what makes their job more challenging – from the perfect B-roll, framing, shot variety, and capturing essential moments, to the setups they wish DPs would exclude and more.
Lynn True
True Walker Productions
Lynn True is an award-winning filmmaker and co-founder of True Walker Productions. As a director/producer/editor, her films include the feature documentaries LUMO (PBS/P.O.V., Student Academy Award), Summer Pasture (PBS/Independent Lens, Peabody Award), and In Transit (Tribeca Film Festival, Special Jury Prize). Lynn’s editing work has also appeared in a variety of projects for other esteemed filmmakers and production companies; recent credits include No Time to Fail (PBS/America Reframed), Season 11 of Art in the 21st Century (PBS), and Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence (Hulu). Lynn graduated from Brown University with a joint degree in Urban Studies and Architecture, and has long-lived in New York City where she still resides, now with her husband and two young sons.
Rachel Shuman
Understory Films
Rachel Shuman
Understory Films
Rachel Shuman is a documentary editor and director based in the greater New York City area. Her recent editing credits include: Emmy- and Peabody-nominated STORM LAKE (Full Frame 2021); OMARA (DOC NYC 2021); LA PASTORA (Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival 2020); TRUE BELIEVER (Ashland Independent Film Festival 2019); FIVE SEASONS (DOC NYC 2017); BROTHERS (Dok Leipzig 2017); and ONE OCTOBER (Full Frame 2017), which Rachel also directed. Rachel is a longtime board member of the Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship. Originally from Boston, Rachel received a BFA from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York.
Carlos Rojas
The Territory
Carlos Rojas
The Territory
Carlos is a documentary editor based in NYC/NJ. He has a passion for storytelling that connects global issues with personal narratives. Carlos has edited notable films such as They Took Them Alive (Full Frame 2017), Tre, Maison, Dasan (San Francisco Intl FF 2018), for which he received the Karen Schmeer Award for Excellence in Documentary Editing, The Great Hack (Sundance 2019), White Noise (AFI 2020), and The Territory (Sundance 2022), which won both the Audience Award and a Special Jury Award for Documentary Craft.
Carlos has been a creative advisor at the Sundance Art of Editing Lab in 2020 and the Sundance Documentary Edit and Story Lab in 2022.
Geoff O'Brien
Editor/Producer
Geoff O'Brien
Editor/Producer
Geoff O’Brien is a documentary editor and producer. Most recently, he has been leader editor for the Emmy award winning FX documentary series, The New York Times Presents, including episodes Framing Britney Spears, The Killing of Breonna Taylor and The Legacy of J Dilla. His work can also be seen on National Geographic, PBS Frontline, Showtime and Max. Other works include; Fiasco, Killer Lies, James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction, and Ride With Norman Reedus.
11:30-12:45PM
Scrappy Cinematography
Dive into the art of “scrappy” cinematography, where resourcefulness meets innovation. With limited budgets but unlimited creativity, documentary cinematographers often find themselves using unconventional techniques to capture stunning visuals. Join moderator Liz Nord, director of the the Feature Film Development Studio at NYU’s Production Lab, DPs Olivier Sarbil (Viktor), and Ibrahim Nash’at (Hollywoodgate) as they share their stories of improvising with minimal gear, making the most of available light, and finding beauty in unexpected places. Whether you’re working with a tight budget or simply curious about pushing the boundaries of your craft, this panel offers practical insights and inspiring anecdotes for filmmakers who embrace the challenge of doing more with less.
Olivier Sarbil
Director of Photography, Viktor
Olivier Sarbil
Director of Photography, Viktor
Olivier Sarbil, born in Corsica, is a multi-award winning documentary Director and two-times Emmy® winning Cinematographer based in New York. Over the past two decades, Sarbil has worked extensively in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, North America and Asia, on many of the most pressing global conflicts and social issues that the world has faced.
Ibrahim Nash'at
Director & Director of Photography, Hollywoodgate
Ibrahim Nash'at
Director & Director of Photography, Hollywoodgate
Ibrahim Nash’at (Director/Co-Producer/Cinematographer) (born June 17, 1990 in Jeddah) is a multi-award-winning Egyptian documentary filmmaker based in Berlin, Germany. In his career in journalism, he has woked with several international channels and online platforms such as Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, Business Insider, AJ+, Voice of America, and others. Ibrahim holds a master’s degree in documentary filmmaking from Met Film School and a BS in Pharmaceutical Science from Misr International University. He co-edited Talal Derki’s latest film Under the Sky of Damascus, which premiered at Panorama – Berlinale 2023 and won the Golden Alexander at the 25th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Ibrahim has directed multiple short films that have been selected for various film festivals around the world. Hollywoodgate is Ibrahim’s first feature film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival 2023. The film has participated in over 50 film festivals and received 13 awards.
Liz Nord
NYU Production Lab
Liz Nord
NYU Production Lab
Liz Nord is an Emmy-winning producer and documentary filmmaker who has created and shown work across the globe. She is Head of Programs and Creative Development at the NYU Production Lab, where she runs the Feature Film Development Studio. She recently served as Director of Content at Sundance, where she helped develop Sundance Collab into the premiere global learning destination for emerging filmmakers. Previously, she served as the Editor-in-Chief and Lead Producer at No Film School. Liz is also an advisor for several artist development programs including Latino Public Broadcasting’s Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship and the Jewish Writers’ Initiative. She has presented extensively on creative practice and the film and TV industry, notably at TEDx and SXSW.
1:45-3:00PM
Business Strategies for Cinematographers
Join moderator Liz Nord, director of the the Feature Film Development Studio at NYU’s Production Lab, cinematographer Vanessa Carr (Free Money), Christine Ng (Between The World and Me), and others to focus on the business side of cinematography, including practical advice for cinematographers on navigating the boom-and-bust cycles in the industry. Panelists will discuss fair payment, industry rates, and how to protect yourself financially at different stages of your career. The session will also dive into actionable strategies for networking and creating career opportunities, plus tips on personal branding through website design, emphasizing the importance of defining a niche and marketing yourself effectively in a competitive field. Additionally, the conversation will highlight the need for a high tolerance level for risk in this dynamic landscape and the importance of prioritizing mental health to sustain a long and fulfilling career.
Vanessa Carr
Cinematographer
Vanessa Carr
Cinematographer
Vanessa Carr is a documentary cinematographer specializing in character-driven cinema vérité. Her long list of credits includes On Pointe (Disney+), Free Money (Netflix), and multiple HBO films. Her work has been on every major platform and screened in festivals including IDFA, Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and TIFF. She is currently directing and shooting her first feature documentary, Nomads (wt). Vanessa helped found the Documentary Cinematographers Alliance and recently launched a new teaching venture that offers in-depth training for rising cinematographers. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from UC Berkeley.
Liz Nord
NYU Production Lab
Liz Nord
NYU Production Lab
Liz Nord is an Emmy-winning producer and documentary filmmaker who has created and shown work across the globe. She is Head of Programs and Creative Development at the NYU Production Lab, where she runs the Feature Film Development Studio. She recently served as Director of Content at Sundance, where she helped develop Sundance Collab into the premiere global learning destination for emerging filmmakers. Previously, she served as the Editor-in-Chief and Lead Producer at No Film School. Liz is also an advisor for several artist development programs including Latino Public Broadcasting’s Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship and the Jewish Writers’ Initiative. She has presented extensively on creative practice and the film and TV industry, notably at TEDx and SXSW.
Christine Ng
Director of Photography
Christine Ng
Director of Photography
Christine Ng is a Hong Kong born, New York raised cinematographer and a graduate from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her cinematography work spans commercials, music videos, documentaries and narrative.
The first commercial she shot was filmed on a Canon 5D MKII and Canon lenses aired during Super Bowl XLVI.
The first feature-length documentary Christine shot was the Emmy nominated and Critic’s Choice winner “Everything is Copy” for HBO.
Her work has screened at festivals worldwide including SXSW, Palm Springs, Outfest, LA Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, NY Film Festival, IFF Boston and many more.
Her latest work can be seen on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock and Showtime.
She shot the film adaptation for Ta-Nehisi Coates’s critically acclaimed “Between The World and Me”. She shot three episodes of Issa Rae’s latest show, “Rap Sh!t” and two seasons of “Ziwe”, a variety show produced by A24 for Showtime. She shot four episodes of Season One of Rian Johnson’s TV series, “Poker Face” starring Natasha Lyonne for Peacock. She is currently in production for Season 2.
She was named a “Rising Star of Cinematography” by American Cinematographer in 2022.
3:15-4:30PM
The Art of Imitation: Cinematic Moments That Spark Creativity
Join a panel of cinematographers featuring Anupama Srinivasan (Nocturnes), and Derek Howard (The Tuba Thieves) as they share their favorite moments in cinema history and reveal how these iconic scenes have shaped their creative approaches. Moderated by Sean Weiner (co-director, UFO), they’ll discuss how mimicking and paying homage to legendary DPs fuels their work and brings fresh perspectives to documentary filmmaking. Discover how nonfiction filmmaking can embrace the full spectrum of cinematic techniques to create more dynamic, visually engaging stories.
Omar Mullick
Cinematographer, Flight Risk
Omar Mullick
Cinematographer, Flight Risk
Omar Mullick is a New-York based writer and director. His work as a writer and cinematographer on the fiction film You Resemble Me led to a 78th Venice Biennale premiere and is set for a theatrical release across North America in October 2022. His screenplay, Cain and Abel, was accepted into both the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and Sundance Directors Lab the same year. In 2022, he directed and shot Flight Risk for Amazon Studios, currently in the top five of Amazon’s most streamed films. In 2021, Omar produced Three Songs For Benazir, the first Afghan directed film to be nominated for an Oscar in 2021 and later acquired by Netflix.
Omar is developing his new non-fiction feature film as a Concordia Studios Fellow.
Derek Howard
Cinematographer, The Tuba Thieves
Derek Howard
Cinematographer, The Tuba Thieves
Derek Howard is a director and cinematographer who earned a BFA from Simon Fraser University. His collaborations on short and feature length documentary and fiction films have led to screenings at the Venice Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Telluride, Sundance Film Festival, HotDocs, IDFA, Clermont-Ferrand, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma (Montreal), Festival des Films du Monde (Montreal), and many others.
Derek has participated in the International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam’s Summer School, IDFAcademy, Reykjavik International Film Festival’s Trans Atlantic Talent Lab, and the Berlinale Talents program. Derek was the assistant director and 2nd camera on renowned director Victor Kossakovky’s Venice Film Festival opening night gala film Vivan Las Antipodas (2011), and Oscar shortlisted Aquarela (2018). He shot Brett Story’s latest feature documentary The Hottest August, (True/False, SXSW, & Hotdocs 2019) as well as Emelie Mahdavian’s Bitterbrush (Telluride 2021) and Lines, about the creative process behind Alonzo King’s ballet company. Most recently he shot Alison O’daniel’s debut feature The Tuba Thieves and directed and shot a short called Underground about sexual harassment on the subway. He is based in New York City.
Sean Weiner
Co-director, UFO
Sean Weiner
Co-director, UFO
Sean Weiner is a film producer and artist community builder based in the Lower Hudson Valley of New York. Sean is the Co-Director of UFO, a filmmaker support organization built upon a philosophy of inclusion and collaboration that provides short film labs, feature film residencies, and grants opportunities to early career and experienced independent filmmakers. He was the Founding Director of Creative Culture at the Jacob Burns Film Center. Sean is an assistant professor in Film & Media Studies at Purchase College. He has produced, edited, and mentored award-winning films selected by Sundance, Berlinale, and SXSW, and acquired by Criterion, Searchlight, HBOMax, POV, The New Yorker, and New York Times’ Op-Docs.
Anupama Srinivasan
Director, Nocturnes
Anupama Srinivasan
Director, Nocturnes
Anupama Srinivasan is a filmmaker, film educator and curator based in Delhi, India. She did her BA in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University and went on to study filmmaking at the Film & Television Institute of India, Pune. She has been making documentaries for over two decades, often shooting and editing her own work. Her films have been screened at various festivals including Sundance, CPH, Hot Docs, IDFA, Thessaloniki, Busan, Cinema Centenary Festival, Sheffield, Yamagata, FIPA Biarritz, MIFF, Film Southasia, and Dokufest Kosovo. Flickering Lights, the feature documentary that she co-directed, shot and edited received the Best Cinematography Award at IDFA international competition 2023. Nocturnes that she co-directed and co-edited, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 in the World Cinema Documentary Competition where it received the Special Jury Award for Craft. Anupama was the Festival Director of the IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival for three years (2013-15).
DOC NYC PRO is co-presented by:
