Both panels are free to attend, but registration is required; space is limited.
Online registration is now closed; check at the workshop registration table in the museum lobby to see if space is available.
For Filmmakers and Film Fans
Women in Film, North Carolina Style, a panel discussion on the current environment for women in North Carolina’s film community, with filmmakers Kelly Creedon, Lana Garland, Nicolle Jones, and Camden Watts; moderated by Beth Yerxa
Saturday, May 12, 11 a.m. to noon
Demonstration Gallery (lobby level). Bring your questions!
Kelly Creedon is an independent documentary filmmaker and visual journalist whose work uses the craft of intimate storytelling to explore communities and the questions that unite and divide them. Her short documentary In This World—the story of 15-year-old Courvosier “Vosiey” Cox, of Durham, who is determined to make it in show business so he can leave poverty behind and take care of his family—screened widely at festivals around the country and was recognized by Pictures of the Year International and the Alexia Foundation.
Kelly is also a judge for Longleaf 2018; read more about her there.
Lana Garland has worked as a creative director, a director, and a writer/producer, creating content for such networks as BET, ESPN, and Denmark’s TV2. In documentary film, she has worked on Bowling for Columbine with director Michael Moore, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool (Independent Television Service and PBS), and Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives (HBO) with actors Samuel L. Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Don Cheadle, and more. In the realm of short film, her works include Rapture and AfterLife. Lana has received the Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artists Award and a filmmaking grant from the Southern Documentary Fund for a project on African American washerwomen. Her company, Insibah Media, is based in Durham and creates documentaries, webseries, and marketing videos for the Internet and for broadcast and cable TV.
Screenwriter and Filmmaker N.C. Jones was born and raised in Raleigh. She then studied theater, screenwriting, and computer science at East Carolina University, then spent over 15 years in production, marketing, and other positions in the TV and film industry. She has worked on independent film projects, volunteered at film festivals, and completed several original feature-length screenplays—all while working full-time. N.C. has been a semifinalist (2010) and a quarterfinalist (2012) for one of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. She is currently in production on her latest short film project, Merit Badges—and is still working full-time, now as a co-organizer and website/communications manager for the Triangle Filmmaking Communty networking group and as a coordinator for its bimonthly screenwriting workshop, as well as helping organize the annual filmSPARK Film Festival.
Camden Watts is a writer, producer, and director of independent films. Brewconomy, a documentary about North Carolina’s craft beer industry, screened at Longleaf Film Festival in 2016. Since then, her film projects have included Good Thing: A Documentary About Landfill Dogs (in production) and The Innocent AK (2017). After struggling to find resources, connections, and opportunities while making her first feature-length film, Abandoned Allies, in 2009, Camden founded the the TriFilm Society. “I vowed that no one else should suffer through the same mistakes I made. By sharing my lessons learned, I could turn those really dark days into something purposeful. Today we offer membership, real-life events, online training, and many other services to help filmmakers succeed.” Camden is originally from eastern North Carolina and currently lives in Raleigh with her husband, Derek, and their daughter, Samantha.
Beth Yerxa is executive director of Triangle ArtWorks, a nonprofit that works with arts organizations, economic development agencies, and small businesses to ensure artists in the Triangle have resources they need to thrive and to increase the visibility and power of the arts community as a business segment. Prior to helping found Triangle ArtWorks, Beth served on the Raleigh Arts Commission and was chair for an unprecedented three years; she is currently a member of the City of Durham’s Small Business Advisory Committee and speaks frequently on the role and impact of the arts community as a vital business segment in the Triangle. Beth began her career in Washington, DC, as a litigation attorney handling toxic tort claims and advising trade associations regarding emerging environmental laws. In Raleigh, she expanded her practice to include compliance and regulatory matters for businesses of all sizes and providing advice on environmental.
Photo courtesy Indy Week, Durham
For a complete list of other events and meet-and-greet opportunities,
visit our main Longleaf 2018 Registration and Ticket Information page.
Thank you for your support!