Two excerpts from the discussion after That Kid with filmmaker Ashley Dawson, Nyack NAACP President Nicole Hines, and actors L’Tanya Watkins and Vytarie Sisco, and moderator Norris War Turtle Branham and the audience. The discussion followed a screening of That Kid at Rivertown Film on April 23, 2025.

Director Ellen Kuras discusses her film, Lee, staring and produced by Kate Winslet, at Nyack Center, on March 9, 2025, with filmmaker Susanna Styron. Ellen Kuras is the winner of three awards at the Sundance Film Festival for cinematography, the first woman cinematographer to be honored with a career achievement award by the American Society of Cinematographers, and is now a director of film and television.

Director Nancy Savoca and Producer Richard Guay discuss the recently rediscovered, restored, and rereleased Household Saints (1993), a student film, Renata (1982), and their long partnership, at Rivertown Film on January 17, 2024, with Rivertown Film director Matthew Seig.

Codirector Sam Pollard introduced Lownds County and the Road to Black Power via video at Rivertown Film on Feb. 8, 2023. After the film, local civil rights leaders had a discussion moderated by former Congressman Mondaire Jones (not included).

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Film and television director John Gray (creator of the long running series The Ghost Whisperer) and J.D. Zeik (screenwriter and SUNY play and screenwriting professor) discuss the short films presented in Shades of Gray at Rivertown Film, December 7th, 2022.

Marta Renzi discusses her films with Laura Harrison, President of the Bogliasco Foundation, in the backyard of the Edward Hopper House, on August 24, 2022.

The director of The Automat, Lisa Hurwitz, discusses her film with Chris Spezial, the director of the SUNY RCC Hospitality and Culinary Center. Recorded on Zoom, on May 25, 2022.

Zoom discussion on 2/16/22 with Diana Byer in conversation with guests who learned and danced under George Balanchine. Diana Byer is the founder, president, and artistic director of New York Theatre Ballet and its training school, New York Theatre Ballet School. Her guests include Christine Redpath, a Soloist in the New York City Ballet, and now a Ballet Master; Antonia Franceschi, an alumnus of the New York City Ballet and a Time Out Award Winner for achievement in dance; Jean-Pierre Frohlich, who danced in the role of the Prince in George Balanchine’s Nutcracker for 3 years as a child, as an adult was a Soloist and then Ballet Master, and is currently Repertory Director for the New York City Ballet; and Cameron Grant, who recently retired after 37 years as a pianist with the New York City Ballet and who won an Emmy as a soloist in the Live From Lincoln Center broadcast, Balanchine at 100.

Ira Deutchman discussed his film, Searching for Mr. Rugoff, on Zoom, Monday, January 24, 2022, at 6:00 PM, with two of the founders of Rivertown Film, Director Nancy Savoca and Producer Richard Guay.

ATOMIC COVER-UP was discussed by producer/director Greg Mitchell, co-producer Suzanne Mitchell, and discussion moderator Elliott Forrest, on January 12, 2022.

On Tuesday, April 13, 2021, local artist/writer/historian Bill Batson moderated a discussion with Sam Waymon, who appears in Ganja & Hess as Rev. Luther Williams (both minister and chauffeur to Hess) and who wrote its incredible score, along with Chiz Schultz, the producer of Ganja & Hess, and Gunn’s biographer Nicholas Forster. Learn more about the Rockland County history here: https://nyacknewsandviews.com/2021/04/weekender-recommendations-ganja-hess-and-the-story-of-bill-gunn/

Nina Lorez and Emilio Collins (daughter and son of Kathleen Collins), film score composer Michael Minard, and actress Seret Scott, discussed Kathleen Collins, LOSING GROUND, and THE CRUZ BROTHERS AND MISS MALLOY, with moderator Bill Batson. Joining in were Juliana Roth, daughter of Cruz Brothers writer Henry H. Roth, and film distributors Amy Heller and Dennis Doros of Milestone Films. Wednesday, February 24th, 2021

On Tuesday, February 23, 2021, Rivertown Film Society hosted a conversation about Pratt in the Hat with Frances Pratt, director Susan Hillary, and producer Suzanne Mitchell. The discussion moderator, Maria Luisa Whittingham, is a Nyack NAACP officer and Co-founder of Nyack Merchants United.

Senator Elijah Reichlin Melnick sponsored a New York State Senate Resolution recognizing Frances Pratt for her years of service to her community, including 41 years as President of the Nyack NAACP, which he announced during the discussion. Senator Elijah Reichlin Melnick is introduced at the 05:00 mark.

Director Rick Korn, Tom Chapin, & ArtsRocks’ Elliott Forrest discuss “Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something,” in a discussion on Zoom, on October 27th, 2020.

Filmmakers discuss their films with author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah during Rockland in Motion Part Two.

We hope that Rockland in Motion will remind you that a wide range of filmmakers live and work in our communities, that they contribute to local culture and commerce, and that making and understanding visual media is an important part of a good education. In our Zoom discussions, filmmakers generously shared their approaches to the art form, the ways they’ve creatively adapted to our new virtual world, and how community plays a part in their development as artists, including perspectives from veteran filmmakers alongside first time and early career filmmakers.

Rockland in Motion Part One Filmmakers discuss their films with musician Travis Stever of Coheed & Cambria on September 23, 2020. The filmmakers include Frank Vitale, Marta Renzi, Charles Caster-Dudzick, Norvin and Darian Van Dunk, Myles Aronowitz, Paul Schwartz, Brooklyn Demme, Veronica Murphy, and Max Cea.

Filmmaker Sara Driver discusses BOOM FOR REAL: THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT with artist and Basquiat friend Brett De Palma and artist and moderator Bill Batson. February 27, 2019.

For more Meet the Filmmaker videos, visit page 2!

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