Limited access Past event
Sands 25: Curation in Practice A day to discuss and reimagine the role of the curator - FREE
Sands 25 invites students and industry professionals to come together for some very special conversations.
For students of film and industry professionals only
Programme
10.30am — 11.00am: Coffee and registration
11.00am — 11.45am: Opening conversation: Kim Yutani (Director of Programming, Sundance Film Festival) in conversation with Wendy Mitchell
11.45am — 12.00pm: Coffee break
12.00pm — 12.45am: Aspects of care: role, responsibilities and position of a curator
with Grainne Humphreys (Excecutive Director, Dublin International Film Festival), Indigo Korres (Director, Scottish Queer International Film Festival), Rabih El-Khoury (Curator, Metropolis Association Lebanon, SAFAR Film Festival), Isabel Seguí (Lecturer, St Andrews), moderated by Finn Halligan (Executive Editor, Screen Daily).
The word curate comes from the Latin word Curare which means to take care of. This session will look at how care informs curatorial practice, and how this is incorporated into creating a programme and positioning it for audiences. During the session we will look at the key roles of curators, discussing the responsibilities within and beyond the context in which they are operating. It will look at the impact of positionality, space and representation upon belonging.
12.45 — 1.15pm: Coffee + snacks
1.15pm — 2.00pm: Demystifying festival strategies and practices
with Amman Abbasi (Yasmeen's Element), Jaie Laplante (Director, DOC NYC), Wendy Mitchell (Journalist and Film Curator), Kathleen McInnis (Marketing Producer and Strategic PR Publicist), moderated by Zac Ntim (International Film Reporter, Deadline)
Navigating film festivals can feel like cracking an elusive code — how do films get selected? What are curators really looking for?
This conversation pulls back the curtain on festival strategies and practices, offering insights from industry insiders on programming trends, submission tactics, audience engagement, and the evolving role of festivals in today's cinematic landscape. Whether you're a filmmaker looking to refine your festival approach or a curator seeking to understand how selection processes are shifting, this session will equip you with practical knowledge to make the most of festival opportunities.