Press
CSA Casting Directors Gather in Cannes for Panel Discussion
May 12, 2015
What: “The Casting Process.” A Round Table Discussion with Q+A
When: Friday, 15 May, 2015
Time: 14:00
Where: *American Pavilion, Cannes Film Market
This will be an interesting panel for producers/directors wishing to package cast for their films.
*Non- members of the American Pavilion are welcome to attend. Write to info@castingsociety.com for your name to be placed at reception for the event.
Description of Event:
How can producers and directors collaborate with casting directors to secure the best possible cast?
Topics covered will include:
• when and how to contract a casting director
• how to maximaize opportunities to secure the best talent
• how casting directors can best serve the script to assemble a casting palette
• the do’s and don’ts of the casting process
• how to secure A-list talent to greenlight your project
• the Catch-22 that faces many indie filmmakers: you can’t get money without a cast and you can’t attach talent without money
The Casting Society of America is the premier international organization of theatrical Casting Directors in film, television and theatre. Its members are a united professional organization committed to upholding the highest levels of professionalism in casting, and to being an advocate in the industry and to the general public of the importance of Casting in the artistic equation. We are a global organization of top tier professionals. Visit CSA here: www.castingsociety.com
CONFIRMED INTERNATIONAL PANELISTS:
Nancy Bishop, CSA is an Emmy-ward nominated casting director based in London and Prague who has worked on nearly one hundred projects ranging from large scale studio films such as “Mission Impossible IV,” to independent films such as Peter Greenaway’s “Eisenstein in Guanajuato.” Recent credits include “Snowpiercer,” “November Man,” and “Child 44.” She has penned two books on casting, including the soon to be released “Auditioning for Film and TV.” (Bloomsbury.) http://www.nancybishopcasting.com
Luci Lenox, CSA is a casting director based in Barcelona, Spain. She has cast over fifty films in the last ten years which have won over 150 awards around the world. Recent projects include the Silver Bear winning “Victoria,” and “Traces of Sandalwood” which won the Gaudi (Catalan Film Awards) for Best Picture and the Audience award at Montreal. www.lucilenox.com
Matthew Lessall, CSA is an international casting director based in Los Angeles. He has cast productions from 1⁄2 dozen countries, including co-casting this year's entry, Michel Franco's "Chronic", with Susan Shopmaker. Lessall is Vice-President of the CSA (Casting Society of America) and a 3-time Artios Award nominee. www.lessallcasting.com
Susan Shopmaker, CSA has cast several films that have shown at the Cannes Film Festival. Among them are : John Cameron Mitchell’s SHORTBUS, Antonio Campos’ AFTERSCHOOL, Sean Durkin’s MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE and this years 2015 entry by Michel Franco, CHRONIC (co-cast with Matthew Lessall). She is based in New York City and has worked with companies in Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, Korea, France & Italy. 2013 Artio Award for MMMM.
Damon Wise, currently a Contributing Editor with Empire magazine and an advisor to the BFI London Film Festival's Thrill strand, has had his features, interviews and reviews published in many notable UK publications. He is also known for his book, Come By Sunday (Sidgwick & Jackson), a biography of British film star Diana Dors.http://www.empireonline.com/magazine/
The panel will be moderated by KEITH SIMONTON who is is the Senior Film Editor of IMDb, and a longtime commentator on movies and the arts. His expert film commentary has appeared in notable outlets worldwide including NPR, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, USA Today, CNBC, Time Magazine, BusinessWeek and many others. Keith is featured as one of the “Oscar Experts” on GoldDerby.com and tied for first place in the 2015 critics poll. Follow Keith on Twitter at IMDbKeith