Join industry experts at all levels of their craft, for a dynamic discussion about the state of the entertainment industry; from shifts in audience viewing habits, emerging technologies, representation, and sustainable productions, to making room for the next generation of filmmakers.
The panel will be followed by a guided Q&A and then a candid breakout session for an honest exchange between the panelists, filmmakers in the audience, and those hoping to enter the industry. Moderated panel discussion followed by an open Q+A and breakout working sessions with attendees.
THIS IS A FREE PANEL TO ATTEND // FESTIVAL BADGE NOT REQUIRED
Moderated by Entertainment Marketing Consultant and Strategist, Terry Curtin
Panelist include:
Lisa Bruce, Award Winning Producer
Lisa Bruce is a two-time Oscar nominated, BAFTA winning producer with a career spanning over 25 years with 15 feature and television films to her credit. In 2018, Lisa was Oscar nominated for Best Picture as well as two BAFTA’s for Best Picture for Darkest Hour starring Gary Oldman. In 2015 Lisa won the Best British Film BAFTA and was nominated for both a Golden Globe® and an Academy Award for The Theory of Everything. In 2019, she was the Creative Executive Producer for Amazon Prime’s 8-part anthology TV series entitled Welcome to the Blumhouse. Following this, she helped launch a new EPIX TV anthology series as the Creative Executive Producer on the showcased film American Refugee. Currently, Lisa is the producing partner with actor, producer, director David Oyelowo and his company Yoruba Saxon, developing features, TV series and docuseries. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well as the British Academy of Film and TV Arts and is always in search of a great story to share with the world.
Coco Francini, Producer, Dirty Films
Coco Francini is an Emmy-nominated producer and a partner at Dirty Films, alongside Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton. She recently produced Christos Nikou’s FINGERNAILS, featuring Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed, and has executive produced Iranian-Australian filmmaker Noora Niasari’s feature debut SHAYDA, starring Cannes Best Actress winner Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, which premiered in the World Dramatic Competition at Sundance this past year and went on to win the Audience Award. Previous to her work with Dirty Films, Coco executive produced MRS. AMERICA for FX Networks, written by MAD MEN alum Dahvi Waller. The show premiered in April 2020 and received ten Emmy nominations, including Best Limited Series, Outstanding Writing, and acting nominations for Blanchett, Margo Martindale, and Tracey Ullman, as well as an Emmy win for Uzo Aduba. Coco is also a frequent collaborator of Quentin Tarantino. Beginning with DJANGO UNCHAINED and then on THE HATEFUL EIGHT where she oversaw the global 70MM roadshow tour and the soundtrack/score that won a long-deserved Academy Award for Ennio Morricone. A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Francini earned her master's from the elite Peter Stark Producing Program at USC.
Ricky Rhodes,Writer and Director- Planet Froth Productions
Ricky is an award-winning writer and director known for his films that push the boundaries of cinematic storytelling with original concepts about human rights and biodiversity. With a background in marine biology from Sonoma State University and film production from California State University Northridge, he combines his passions for ocean wildlife and filmmaking in the creation of his latest project Humanatee, a nature documentary about an explorer's 21-year long friendship with manatees. Ricky co-founded Planet Froth Productions, the message-first media production company. His work has received numerous awards and has been featured in publications such as Voyage, Nowness and Forbes. Ricky's heartbreaking social justice short film Not Just Another Day, about the racial disparities of cannabis possession arrests, won multiple awards for Best Documentary at festivals in 2021. His narrative short film Yellow Wallpaper, a period drama and psychological thriller based on the feminist short story from the 1890s, premiered at the Oscar and Bafta qualifying LA Shortsfest in July, 2023. Ricky's latest film Humanatee premiered at the United Nations - World Oceans Week in June, 2023 and is currently being developed into a feature film or mini-series.
Will Mustin,Writer, Director, and Editor.
Will Mustin is a New York-based writer, director, and editor. He graduated from NYU Tisch School of The Arts, where he studied Film and Television Production.
Panel Coordinator: Terry Curtin and Emma Kidd
The Coronado Island Film Festival (CIFF) welcomes makers and lovers of film from all over the world to the storied seaside village of Coronado, California to celebrate the magical art of visual storytelling. Coronado’s enduring love affair with Hollywood began more than a century ago.