Featuring Katie & Ian Bignel (Festival Formula) and Barbara Twist (Film Festival Alliance) moderated by Tim Molloy (MovieMaker Magazine)
BARBARA TWIST
Barbara Twist is the Executive Director of the Film Festival Alliance, a nonprofit for festivals and the people who run them. She has extensive experience in distribution and exhibition, and her previous work includes Director of Partnerships at Vidiots, leading up to the recent re-launch and opening of the Eagle Theater, as well as roles with Art House Convergence, Europa International and others. Barbara is one of the organizers of IND/EX, the largest gathering of independent exhibitors and distributors in North America, and has been a key force behind exciting discussion series and new initiatives to address the distribution crisis – including most recently The Popcorn List, highlighting exceptional films that have yet to secure distribution after a festival premiere.
KATIE BIGNEL
Katie graduated from Bournemouth Media School with a degree in Scriptwriting for Film & TV and is also a graduate of the London Royal Court Young Writer’s and Invitation Only Groups. For 20 years and counting she has provided strategy and submissions support to filmmakers worldwide, resulting in creating the consultancy brand Festival Formula in 2014. As an active member of the Short Film Conference and the Film Festival Alliance, Katie is also a key spokesperson on festival issues with coverage in The Hollywood Reporter and Screen Daily regarding suspect and fraudulent film festivals. During the pandemic she co-created the Filmmaker Lounge in partnership with Film Festival Alliance – an online space for programmers and filmmakers to discuss their roles. Previous guests include: Tribeca, Slamdance, PÖFF Shorts, and many more. Previous speaking engagements include: HollyShorts, Heartland Film Festival, BFI Flare, Encounters Film Festival, Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival, Sundance, SXSW and many more. Selected prior jury service include: Cleveland International, Heartland International, St. Louis International, DC shorts, Young Directors Awards.
IAN BIGNEL
Ian is a Film Festival Strategist at Festival Formula. He watches films that come into the company, providing impartial feedback on how they best fit into the worldwide film festival circuit. Drawing on his wisdom as the companies previous Submissions Coordinator, he has expert insight into the circuit and uses it to create bespoke festival strategies. Behind the scenes, he is the companies go-to nerd for technical help on anything from codecs to subtitles. Away from the desk, you will often find him at film festivals worldwide as an industry guest, sharing his expertise and giving honest advice. Previous speaking engagements include: HollyShorts, Heartland Film Festival, Encounters Film Festival, Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival, Bolton International Film Festival, Norwich Film Festival, Manchester International Film Festival and many more. Selected prior jury service includes: DC shorts, Indy Shorts.
