Academy Awards Conversation at Hotel Sorrento

Our third installment of Filmmaker's Talk is back, but this time, with a TWIST! We're hosting a panel discussion focused on the upcoming Academy Awards. We'll discuss queer nominees, those who didn't make the list and should have, and how queer and minority representation at the Academy has, or hasn't, changed. Panelists include: Brian Davis, a board member of Gay City Health Project, is a freelance writer on film and LGBT pop culture. His articles have been featured on such sites as The Backlot and LogoTV's NewNowNext. Jen Kilchenmann, Three Dollar Bill Cinema Board Member, film enthusiast, and member of the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association. Beth Barrett, the Interim Artistic Director of SIFF (organizers of the Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Cinema, and SIFF Education) and has been working with SIFF programming since 2003. An aficionado of short films, she secured SIFF’s status as an Academy Award® qualifying festival in 2008. Responsible for all aspects of SIFF programming, Beth has been in Seattle for 23 years and holds an MA in Northern Renaissance Art History. Ryan Crawford is a staff writer at Jetspace Magazine and a marketing professional. His film reviews with Jetspace and Seattle Gay Scene have been published in film press kits and on IMDb, and his fiction work can be found in several literary anthologies. Sara Michelle Fetters is the editor-in-chief of Moviefreak.com, the lead film critic for the Seattle Gay News and a founding member and co-host of the popular Cinema Squabble podcast. She's been writing about film professionally since she was 14, getting her start at the Spokesman Review while still in high school. She also eats a lot of tacos. Special thanks to Hotel Sorrento for hosting us and providing nibbles and a cash bar.