Film Independent has announced the program for its 10th annual Directors Close-Up series that takes place February 2 to March 2 at The Landmark – West Los Angeles. Writer/directors James Gray (Two Lovers) and Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Los Angeles Film Festival artistic director David Ansen will be moderators. Series panelists include writer/directors Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right) Jay Duplass (Cyrus) William Friedkin (The Exorcist The French Connection) Nicole Holofcener (Please Give) director Matt Reeves (Let Me In Cloverfield) composer Michael Giacchino (Up Star Trek) Skywalker Sound's Douglas Murray (Let Me In Cloverfield) sound designer Will Files (Let Me In Cloverfield) with additional names to be announced. Over the course of five consecutive weeks guests will hear first-hand from prolific film directors whose originality ingenuity and talent have set them apart as leaders in their craft. Film Independent's 2011 Directors Close-Up sponsors include Skywalker Sound The Landmark Theatres the Directors Guild of America and SAGIndie/Screen Actors Guild. Cinedigm Digital Cinema is the official digital advisor and reception host. We are incredibly proud to celebrate 10 years of the Directors Close-Up series and are looking forward to another great year ” says Maria Bozzi Film Independent’s director of education. “The range of accomplished independent directors writers actors and filmmaking talent that have shared their stories and career advice with our attendees is truly amazing. Past panelists include Miguel Arteta John August Lisa Cholodenko Bill Condon Cherien Dabis Jonathan Dayton Guillermo del Toro Valerie Faris David Fincher Ruben Fleischer Marc Forster Rodrigo Garcia Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Susannah Grant Paul Haggis Catherine Hardwicke Amy Heckerling Nicole Holofcener Tamara Jenkins Spike Jonze Miranda July Richard Kelly Neil LaBute Kasi Lemmons Justin Lin Tom McCarthy Alexander Payne Gina Prince-Bythwood Jason Reitman Eli Roth Walter Salles Julian Schnabel Jim Sheridan Kevin Smith Melvin Van Peebles Mike White George C. Wolfe and many more. This year's panels will cover the following topics: February 2nd – Music and Sound Design February 9th – The Creative Team: Bringing the Vision to Life February 16th – Casting and Directing Actors February 23rd – The Spirit of Independence: A Roundtable Discussion March 2nd – Writing and Directing All panels will take place at The Landmark - West Los Angeles on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Series passes are available for a discounted rate of $99 for Film Independent members and $130 for the general public. Film Independent www.filmindependent.org
