Accelerator - South East European Film Festival in Los Angeles

Toni Bell

Toni Bell is a documentary consultant, archival researcher, and impact producer for films like The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales and Fruits of Labor. She’s been a mentor and industry representative at Berlinale, Doc Society’s Good Pitch Local, Hot Docs, Sheffield, Korea Communications Agency, Big Sky, and more. She’s the former Filmmaker Services Manager at the IDA, overseeing the fiscal sponsorship program. She’s the creator/host of the u0022What’s Up with Docsu0022 Podcast and holds an M.A. in Visual Anthropology from USC, M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Naropa University, and a certificate in professional screenwriting from UCLA.

Christopher Fink

Christopher Fink is a writer, director, and producer, a member of the Writer’s Guild of America, having written films and television projects for companies including Disney Studios and Paramount Pictures. He has written, produced, and directed two feature films, Moving August and None, as well as commercials, an award-winning political ad, and promotional trailers for film and tv projects.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eChristopher has been working recently for an international sales company to help set up a film financing fund and oversee a film development and production division.u003cbru003eu003cbru003ePreviously, while exploring Louisiana for a film production, Christopher discovered a need for infrastructure and co-founded Louisiana’s largest movie studio complex and first Hollywood-class motion picture studio, the $60 million, 23-acre Celtic Studios. In the process, he also gained valuable knowledge about the workings of tax credit programs both in the U.S. and internationally, worked with state and local officials in Louisiana including the Lieutenant Governor and the Mayor of Baton Rouge, and one of his proposals was passed by the Louisiana state legislature in an update to Louisiana’s tax credit law.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eA regular attendee at major film festivals and markets including the Cannes Film Festival, Christopher is very knowledgeable about film finance, sales and marketing of films, and international co-production.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eHe was selected as Mission Leader for an international film mission to Beijing, China to explore coproduction, serves annually as a mentor for a filmmaker’s workshop at SEEfest, and worked on the WGA Constitutional committee, drafting a successful revision to enhance open elections.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eHe can be contacted by email at:u003cbru003eEmail: [email protected] u003cbru003ePhone: 818-501-7663.

Alessandra Tarisi De Jacobis

Alessandra Tarisi De Jacobis – A veteran international entertainment and business affairs attorney, Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis is admitted both to the Italian and California Bar. She has recently founded her own business and legal affairs boutique after having headed the U.S. division of a leading global law firm. Her oversight includes audiovisual financing, production and coproduction negotiations, talent agreements and contracts, licensing and development, and union/guild regulation. Alessandra serves as a governor of the Beverly Hills Bar Association (BHBA) Board of Governors and of IALA (Italian American Lawyers Association) board, chair of the BHBA’s international committee, and chair of the IP Committee of the American Bar Association, International Law Section.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.italiany.us/alessandra-tarissi-de-jacobis/u0022u003ewww.italiany.us/alessandra-tarissi-de-jacobis/u003c/au003e

Lydia Ianni

Lydia Ianni is the VP of Acquisitions and Development at Film Mode Entertainment, where she works to find and license projects with global appeal for the FME slate as well as oversees the development of many of the company’s titles. She has over 10 years’ experience in the industry and prior to joining Film Mode, was the Head of Acquisitions and Operations at Cinema Management Group, an international sales agency that has licensed over 100 titles, and the Manager of Acquisitions at Cohen Media Group, a U.S. distribution company with multiple Academy Award nominations. She holds a B.A. from Emory University and a M.A. from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. She is a proud member of BAFTA North America and has volunteered with their BAFTA Outreach program that works with aspiring filmmakers. In addition, she has been an invited guest to the MIFF 37° South Market at the Melbourne International Film Festival, member of the Jury at the Naples International Film Festival, a panelist at the Telefilm Canada Now event, and advised filmmakers at the Sloan Film Summit, Film Independent’s Indielink Forum, and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers.

Hans-Martin Liebing

Hans is a film and television producer, writer, and lecturer at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, where he is teaching courses in domestic and global film and television development, scripted and unscripted series development, entertainment industry careers and strategies, entertainment industry economics, and marketing and distribution. He has produced and co-produced film and television projects in Europe, Asia, Asia-Pacific, and North America. Narrative and documentary films he has produced and co-produced have screened theatrically, on PBS Independent Lens, PBS, ABC Australia, Televisa, Netflix and Amazon and have won numerous awards at film festivals around the world. He has worked with Academy Award-nominated, Golden Palm, Golden Lion and Emmy Award-winning directors, co-founded SEEfest’s Project Accelerator program, served on numerous film festival juries, including Cine Las Americas, the Newport Beach Film Festival, deadCenter Film Festival, and SXSW, and served as a judge for the News and Documentary Emmys. Hans holds a Masters degree in Film Production and International Communication and a PhD in Media Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA in Film and Television Producing from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television.

Kevin A. Mardesich

Kevin A. Mardesich began his Hollywood career running the Story Department at three-time Oscar-winner Oliver Stone’s development company. Next, Kevin helped execute corporate communications for Fox’s entertainment channels. These included National Geographic, FX, Fox Movie Channel, and Fox Sports. He currently runs Mardesich Communications u002du002d a full-service communications practice for film, television, and other industry leaders. Kevin specializes in writing and helps each client tell their story u002du002d from press releases, to scripts. Sample global projects include 14 communication campaigns for the marketing agency, Troika (ESPN, E!, HGTV, and Apple.com). Kevin also wrote and co-produced MTV’s Emmy-winning interactive films, “Take A Stand Against Violence.” These films helped decrease youth violence and were praised by The White House. Additionally, Kevin led documentary-short projects for nonprofits in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Cali, Colombia as well as recently in Eastern Europe for US AID (Agency for International Development). Here, he trained young activists and PhDs in documentary-shorts for social media to help stand-up to authoritarianism. Schedule permitting, Kevin teaches these same story and marketing skills part-time at UCLA Extension. Please see sample work and courses at Mardesich Communications.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eu003ca href=u0022https://KevinMardesich.comu0022u003eKevinMardesich.comu003c/au003e

Alexia Melocchi

Alexia Melocchi, a partner in Los Angeles based Little Studio Films has a broad, global sense of the film and television industries. Her experience spans production, consulting, marketing, and distribution. She to Creative Screenwriting Magazine about her career experience in both the producing and selling space. She started Little Studio as a boutique management company before expanding into production.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eLittle Studio Films is about “creating synergies and collaboration between the international marketplace and talent by opening doors into Hollywood and vice versa,” said Melocchi. “We represent 11 major international distributors and facilitate sales and pre-sales in the early stages of film and TV project development.”

Michal Shany

Michal Shany is an associate in the Entertainment, Technology and Advertising Practice Group in the firm’s Century City office.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eMichal’s practice focuses on transactional entertainment matters related to feature films and series (scripted all stages of development She regularly negotiates on behalf of Amazon Studios and served as production counsel to KeshetInternational on the drama series Echo 3 set to premiere on Apple TV+.u003cbru003eu003cbru003ePrior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Michal was an entertainment attorney at Manatt, Phelps u0026amp; Phillips, LLP in Los Angeles. She handled a wide variety of entertainment matters, from motion picture distribution and financing on behalf of independent producers to music rights and live touring on behalf of artists, as well as corporate and CCPA compliance matters. Michal has organized two Film u0026amp; TV Industry panels selected for SXSW (2018 and 2020).

Jeremy Wall

Jeremy Wall, in production, over the past years, has independently developed a slate of commercial film projects and arranged production financing of $60MM for the feature films either privately or as a consultant with other companies. He has closed a South African/UK co- production, a Canadian/New Mexico co-production, shot in Morocco and Chile. He recently closed and produced DEAD FOR A DOLLAR directed by Walter Hill starring Christoph Waltz ad Willem Dafoe, which entered into the Venice Film Festival. He is now working in a Joint Venture to do three films a year in the action/thriller genre.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eJeremy’s rare skill is the ability to combine a working hands on approach with direct budget responsibility. He is able to pivot to detailing a complicated financial structure with senior bankers and contribute creatively with top talent. His in-depth business and creative skill-set and experience in finance, development and production development has uniquely equipped him to excel where others have failed.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eHe led a multi-national team to Morocco to film THE OBJECTIVE which turned profitable before it was shot and was responsible for on time and on budget production.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eHe has structured, raised and closed an $18MM international co-production for ASK THE DUST, starring Colin Farrell with Tom Cruise producing. He led 140 people on location to Morocco on one of his productions, THE OBJECTIVE, directed by Blair-Witch creator Dan Myrick. He has consulted numerous production entities, new media companies and Paul Allen, providing detailed advice, know-how and strategic reports for monetizing digital and/or media opportunities. His films have also returned a profit for investors.u003cbru003eu003cbru003ePrior to forming his own independent production company, Polaris Pictures, in Los Angeles, Jeremy was an executive at Sony Pictures Entertainment in Culver City, where he was involved in all aspects of green lighting Columbia TriStar, Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics films from the inception of the movie to its release. He was an instrumental part of a team that raised $750MM for Sony for an international film acquisition fund and oversaw UK, Argentinean and German co-financing. Jeremy structured talent, director and producer deals at the highest level and has in-depth on-set experiences with direct financial and production responsibilities as producer. After Sony, Jeremy worked for Kevin Tsujihara at Warner Bros. on a plan to development interactive TV via the Time Warner family of companies. He successfully led a multi-company team to broadcast interactive triggers via set-top boxes across cable networks.u003cbru003eu003cbru003ePreviously Jeremy was a producer for BBC business news and directed for several TV shows in the UK.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eJeremy Wall was awarded an MBA at the renowned International Graduate Business School, the Institut Européen d’Administration Des Affaires, or INSEAD, in Fontainebleau near Paris, France, where he specialized in entrepreneurism and advanced finance. He also holds an MA (Honors) from Cambridge University where he specialized in Natural Sciences.