Creative Producing Workshop

David Ariniello

Ron Najor

Kelly Thomas

Louay Khraish

Jeremy Aguilera-Gaudette

Start Date:
August 17, 2023

End Date:
August 21, 2023

Times

Workshop Language
English

About the Workshop:

Global Media Makers, Film Independent’s flagship international program, in partnership with the Amman International Film Festival present a Creative Producing Workshop from August 17th and to the 21st as part of the Amman Film Industry Days (AFID) at the Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF). Designed for mid-career filmmakers with a feature film in development, the workshop is led by award-winning US producers, Ron Najor (Short Term 12), Kelly Thomas (Spa Night), and David Ariniello (Stay Awake). Participants will further develop their projects, through a pitching clinic that teaches them how to present their projects, and themselves; to find funding, collaborators, and distribution in the international marketplace.

Target Audience: Directors, Producers, Line Producers, Production Managers, Film Students

In collaboration with

Notes: Workshop Participant Number: Up to 12

Workshop Host(s):

David Ariniello

David Ariniello is a filmmaker and co-founder of Extraordinary Renditions, a media development and production company. Most recently, Ariniello produced Jamie Sisley’s “Stay Awake", which premiered at Berlinale in 2022. He also produced Andrew Ahn’s "Spa Night", which premiered in Dramatic Competition at Sundance Film Festival and received the John Cassavetes Award at the 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Ariniello wrote and co-produced "Arcadia Lost” starring Nick Nolte and Haley Bennett, which premiered at the Oldenburg Film Festival in 2010. Winner of a 50th Annual Samuel Goldwyn Screenwriting Award, Ariniello also wrote and co-directed “The Incident,” a branded entertainment short for Lincoln motors and Vanity Fair. A member of the WGA, SAG, and IATSE, Ariniello holds a BA from Columbia University and a PhD in English Literature from the University of California at Irvine.

Ron Najor

Ron Najor is a first generation Iraqi-American filmmaker. He strives to tell stories with authenticity and to portray the diversity of the human experience. His Iraqi American background has played a strong role in shaping who he is and often finds its way into his creative work.

Najor’s first produced independent feature film "I Am Not a Hipster" was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. "Short Term 12", which won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at SXSW in 2013, was his follow up feature and marks his second collaboration with writer/director Destin Cretton. "Short Term 12" was selected to be on over 30 top-ten lists for 2013 and garnered a Gotham Award for Best Actress for Brie Larson and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Editing. "Short Term 12" was also given the prestigious distinction of being awarded “The Golden Tomato Award” for being the highest critically rated theatrical movie in limited release in 2013 by Rotten Tomatoes.

Kelly Thomas

Kelly Thomas is an independent producer, writer and educator. Thomas received a 2017 Film Independent Spirit Award as a producer for Andrew Ahn’s "Spa Night", a feature that premiered in Dramatic Competition at Sundance Film Festival and was presented at festivals worldwide. Her latest film, “Stay Awake”, premiered at Berlinale in 2022. Thomas’s other producing credits include films with acclaimed directors including Rodrigo Garcia, Phedon Papamichael, Robin Swicord, and Brad Silberling.

Previously, Thomas was the Producer-in-Residence for Film Independent’s Artist Development programs where she produced branded entertainment for Vanity Fair and Lincoln Motors and managed labs for writers, directors, producers, and documentary filmmakers. In addition to producing, Thomas is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Temple University’s Los Angeles Study-Away Program and Affiliated Faculty at Emerson College and Chapman University. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America.

Louay Khraish

Louay Khraish is the Associate Director of International Programs at Film Independent. He oversees a number of international programs with global partners. Khraish is also a writer and producer, currently working on the post-production of his feature film, “Arzé”. In addition to his filmmaking pursuits, Khraish has contributed as a story consultant to award-winning films such as “Solitaire”, a female-centric Lebanese feature, and “Peace by Chocolate”, a Canadian film. In 2018, he produced the Global Media Makers Summit in Cairo and created the educational web-series, “Film Arabi”, aimed at empowering aspiring Arab filmmakers with the tools to tell their own stories.

Prior to his role at Film Independent, Khraish served as the Director of Digital Media at Baynounah Media Group in Abu Dhabi. In this position, he played a key role in creating content for the digital platforms of the group's television stations. Khraish’s educational background includes a Master's in Media Studies from the New School in New York. He pursued his Ph.D. in Humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he focused on creative writing and explored feminine voices in film and literature. Born in Lebanon and raised in Beirut and Dallas, he is fluent in English, Arabic, and French, which enables him to connect with diverse audiences and work effectively on international projects.

Jeremy Aguilera-Gaudette

Jeremy Aguilera-Gaudette is the hospitality and events producer at Film Independent. For the last 15 years, he has managed movie theaters across Los Angeles County, which include the highest grossing theatre in the country. In 2018, he joined Film Independent as the Ticketing Manager and Feature Film Programmer for the LA Film Festival. Since then, Aguilera-Gaudette has worked on the International Programs team, supporting Film Independent’s year-round international education initiatives, including Global Media Makers, spearheading virtual and in-person events, assisting with filmmaker residencies, and overseeing travel and hospitality for mentors and fellows. In addition to his work at Film Independent, Aguilera-Gaudette is also a feature film programmer for the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

Interested to attend the workshop?

Registration Form

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