WINSTON-SALEM – University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) School of Filmmaking alumna Rebecca Green (B.F.A. 2001) will return to campus this coming Sunday and Monday, Dec. 9 and 10, to present workshops for current film students during “Intensive Arts,” the school’s two-week focus on arts projects.

This fall, Green was one of only 12 filmmakers nationwide to be selected for Film Independent’s 12th annual Producing Lab, for a project written by another Film School alumnus, Brett Haley (B.F.A. 2005).

The intensive five-week program offers promising producers a supportive environment to help move projects into production. Filmmakers for the lab were chosen based on the strength of their submitted script, business plan, and creative vision.

“Film Independent’s Producing Lab is a wonderful opportunity for young filmmakers to enhance their skills and build professional networks,” said School of Filmmaking Interim Dean Susan Ruskin. “We are extremely proud that Film Independent has chosen to recognize the quality of work of our alumni.” 

Green was selected as co-producer of AND THEN I GO, which was written and will be directed by Haley. In the film, junior high student Edwin Hanratty and his only friend, Flake, are at the bottom of the food chain. Branded together as misfits, they are demoralized daily and misunderstood by their parents and peers. As their fury quietly simmers and Edwin’s anxiety begins to overwhelm him, Flake’s unthinkable idea of bringing guns into their school as a form of vengeance offers them a spectacular and terrifying release.

The Producing Lab, which is sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and is supported by the National Endowment for the Artsʼ Art Works program, is provided free to accepted producers. Upon completion, they become Film Independent Fellows, receiving year-round support including access to Film Independentʼs annual film educational offerings, on-staff filmmaker advisor and the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Recent projects developed through the Producing Lab include Maryam Keshavarzʼs CIRCUMSTANCE, which was released theatrically in 2011 after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival; Aurora Guerrero and Charlene Agabaoʼs MOSQUITA Y MARI, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival; Musa Syeed and Nicholas Bruckmanʼs VALLEY OF SAINTS, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival; and Jenny Deller and Kristin Fairweatherʼs FUTURE WEATHER, which premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.

Green is the manager of producing initiatives for the Sundance Institute and is also a member of the extended Sundance family, having been a screener for the festival for two years, as well as an attendee of the Producers Conference in 2007. As an independent producer, Green most recently completed the micro-budget feature film SOMETHING REAL AND GOOD, which will be released by GoDigital in 2013. In addition to AND THEN I GO, Green is developing IT FOLLOWS, a horror script written and to be directed by David Robert Mitchell (MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER); and IF YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES, written and to be directed by Claudia Sparrow, who won a Student Emmy Award for her short film EL AMERICANO. Green also produced TUG, which premiered at the 2010 Newport Beach Film Festival and will be released in 2013.

Prior to her work as a producer, Green was the head of creative development for TicTock Studios, a production company in Michigan, where she played an instrumental role in the grassroots campaign to implement the state’s film incentives program. Green worked at Paramount Pictures as vice president of Lynda Obst Productions, and spent four years at Lionsgate, where she was a creative executive and worked in acquisitions. In addition to her producing and executive experience, Green has also worked as a screener for the Los Angeles Film Festival and has spoken on panels for organizations such as Independent Filmmaker Project and Film Independent. She serves on the steering committee for UNCSA Alumni West, based in Los Angeles.

Brett Haley wrote, directed, produced and edited the critically acclaimed film THE NEW YEAR in 2010, which starred UNCSA alumna Trieste Kelly Dunn (B.F.A. 2004, Drama). It won the Sarasota Film Festival Audience Award and was an official selection of the Los Angeles Film Festival. Haley also wrote, directed, produced and edited A NIGHT OUT in 2010, and he wrote, directed and appeared in THE RIDGE in 2005.

Film Independent helps independent filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry.  The organization produces the Spirit Awards, the annual celebration honoring artist-driven films and recognizing the finest achievements of American independent filmmakers. Film Independent also produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, showcasing the best of American and international cinema.

As America’s first state-supported arts school, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts is a unique stand-alone public university of arts conservatories. With a high school component, UNCSA is a degree-granting institution that trains young people of talent in music, dance, drama, filmmaking, and design and production. Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, the School of the Arts opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of Arts and Innovation”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu.

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Note: If you would like to interview Rebecca Green or attend a workshop, please contact Lauren Whitaker at 734-2891.