On March 22, the Eastern Diversity Steering Committee hosted a panel discussion with the East Coast DGA Student Film Award Winners and Jury Award recipients from the African American, Asian American, and Latino categories.
In a conversation moderated by Director Seith Mann (Blindspotting), African American category winner Natalie Jasmine Harris of NYU (Pure) and Jury Award recipient Tramaine “Trey” Gray of North Carolina School of the Arts (Kindred Kings); Asian American category winner Karishma Dev Dube of New York University (Bittu) and Jury Award recipient Constance Tsang of Columbia University (Beau); and Latino category winner Esteban Garcia Vernaza of Columbia University (Silento) each shared clips and discussed how each of their films portrayed the unique vision they had cultivated throughout their studies.
The attendees were able to view the full-length films in advance of the event and had the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists regarding their storytelling choices, production limitations and opportunities, and the teams they chose to share parts of our world that often get overlooked or undervalued.
About the Committee:
The Eastern Diversity Steering Committee represents the concerns of Guild members of African, Asian, Native American, Arab-Middle Eastern or Latino descent residing in the East. Committed to improving the employment opportunities, working conditions and the skills of ethnically diverse Guild members, the Committee sponsors workshops, seminars, round-table discussions and networking events to showcase the talents of its members, recognize their contributions and increase their visibility in the industry. The Committee’s current Co-Chairs are Directors Jono Oliver and Louis Venosta and Associate Director Joyce A. Thomas.