2012 Panelists

 

PANELISTS

Founder and President Michael Moore, winner of an Oscar (“Bowling for Columbine”), an Emmy (“TV Nation”), a Palme d’Or at Cannes (“Fahrenheit 9/11″), and the British Book of the Year award (“Stupid White Men”), was the first 18-year-old elected to public office in Michigan. He operated the art-house film series East Village Cinema in his native Flint, Michigan, for eight years. Moore serves as the board president.
Mark Cousins is a director, writer and cinematography originally from Northern Ireland. In addition to filmmaking, he is also a film critic and author. He spent five years making “The Story of Film: An Odyssey,” a 15-hour documentary based on his book of the same name. During his TV series, “Scene by Scene,” he interviewed popular filmmakers such as David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, and Roman Polanski.
Chapin Cutler is the Principal and Co-Founder of Boston Light & Sound, a company dedicated to delivering high-quality projection for on-location dailies. From museums to churches to movie theaters, Boston Light & Souund transforms any space into a professional screening room. Chapin earned degrees in film and engineering fields from Emerson College and Wentworth Insitute. Through experience in film production and technical management at Emerson, Chapin met business partner Larry Shaw and began Boston Light & Sound.
Alex Karpovsky grew up in Boston but studied visual ethnography at Oxford University before becoming a director, writer, producer and actor. He can currently be seen as Ray in HBO’s hit TV series, “Girls”. As a teen, he was largely impacted by Jonathan Demme’s “Silence of the Lambs” and John Carpenter’s “Escpae from New York.” Prior to making movies, he edited karaoke, industrial and music videos. He has two films at this year’s TCFF, “Supporting Characters” and “Red Flag,” and recently finished filming the Coen Brothers’ upcoming film, “Inside Llewyn Davis.”
Christopher Kenneally is a highly experienced director and production who has worked of major films such “13,” “Cadillac Records,” “The Squid and the Whale,” and “You can Count on Me.” He most recently directed the film “Side by Side,” a documentary about the history, process and workflow of both digital and photochemical film creation. He is currently working on a narrative feature called “Green Dolphin” and developing an episodic series titled, “Chef.”
Wim Wenders is the legendary auteur of New German Cinema, directing such classics as “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Wings of Desire,” and “Paris, Texas.” He attended the University of Television and Film in Munich from 1967-1970 and iscurrently the President and Founding Member of the European Film Academy. He is predominantly known for incorporating American pop culture in his European-based films. In addition to his films, his photography has been exhibited worldwide. At the moment, he is pre-production for his 54th film and teaches film courses at the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg.
Susan Sarandon won an Academy Award in 1996 for her role in “Dead Man Walking” and a BAFTA award in 1995 for her role in “The Cilent.” She is also a four-time Oscar nominee, four-time Emmy nominee, and eight-time Golden Globe nominee. She is also this year’s recipient of the Traverse City Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award. Susan attended the Catholic University of American Drama and has since acted in 122 films to date. She is also a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and a strong supporter of Heifer International.
Larry Charles, a Brooklyn-born writer, director, and producer, directed the largest grossing comedy of 2006, “Borat,” which had its North American premiere in Traverse City at the second annual film festival. “Borat” was named by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best films of 2007. Charles was also one of the original writers of “Seinfeld,” a director of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and a writer/producer of HBO’s “Entourage.” Charles serves as the TCFF board vice-president.
Bob Byington is the award-winning director of “Somebody Up There Likes Me” and “Harmony and Me,” both of which were official selections for the 2009 TCFF. He shoots the majority of his work in the Austin area and enjoys making films about the subtleties of human behavior, using documentary aesthetics for his narrative films. 
Erik Kissack has edited close to 20 works to date including “The Dictator,” “Cedar Rapids,” “A very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas,” and “Brüno.” “Missed Connections,” an official selection at this year’s festival, is his feature film directorial debut. He is also currently developing a heist movie with his “Missed Connections” collaborators. Erik was born and raised in New York City and studied Art-Semiotics at Brown University.
Josh Koury co-founded the Booklyn Underground Film Festival in 2002. He was nominated a Grand Jury Prize Award at the 2012 Slamdance Film Festival and most recently took three years to make his documentary “Journey to Planet X,” a 2012 TCFF official selection. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York and is working on his next documentary about the Cryonics movement.