I guess you could say that Filly Brown (at least for me) was conceived at NYLIFF 2006, because I spent the entire week with Youssef. During this time we learned we had similar tastes in film and decided that we should collaborate on something down the line.

Film festivals are unique in so many ways, every festival, every edition brings something new to the table; from the selected films to all sorts of technological advances filling up the ever-expanding cloud, or even the criteria under which films are being screened...

When I started out as a playwright, the quality of your work could get you in almost any door, but things have changed -- now it's the quality of your networking ability that matters -- with very few and rare exceptions.

Sometimes, a movie you absolutely love and thought you couldn't live without suddenly doesn't return your calls. Maybe they are going to hold out for a festival that's bigger, more well-known, wealthier, prettier, skinnier ...