NEWPORT- November 1, 2023 – newportFILM celebrates another successful Cinematography Lab, held Oct. 22-22 at the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown, R.I. The Lab provides creative support and mentorship to emerging documentary cinematographers positioned to have lasting impact within the industry. New this year, newportIFLM focused on cultivating New England-based filmmakers, creating a dedicated platform to amplify regional talent industry-wide.
Robb Moss (Harvard University, Department Chair, Visual and Environmental Studies), Bing Liu (Director of Photography, All These Sons, Minding the Gap), and Alex Pritz (Director of Photography, The Territory, The First Wave) served as mentors. This year’s fellows were MacPherson Christopher, Danielle Bryant, Gideon Elron, Matteo Moretti, Jonathas Nazareth and Satya Sullivan.
Students from the University of Rhode Island, RISD and The Met School East Bay attended select sessions, where they had the opportunity to learn about the craft and career possibilities. A networking reception took place Saturday evening featuring opening remarks by Steven Feinberg, Executive Director of RI Film and Television Office and a panel about living and working in the region with Julia Liu (Cinematographer, STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE), Robb Moss (newportFILM Lab Mentor and faculty at Harvard) and Lisa Ann Wagenbach (Senior Executive Producer, Gnarly Bay Productions).
“It was an exceptional weekend of knowledge sharing, connection and mentorship. Strong relationships were formed, sparking a lasting impact for our creative community of nonfiction storytellers for years to come.”, said Cathleen Carr, Executive Director of newportFILM.
“The newportFilm Cinematography Lab was truly one of the highlights of my year. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to not only closely connect with other cinematographers from New England but also to work with mentors who are role models in the industry, learn from each other and elevate our craft of cinematography and storytelling. A collaborative space for documentary cinematographers is hard to come by and the lab hosted by newportFILM is a hidden gem for this community. The connections I made with the cohort of fellows, mentors and the newportFILM staff are ones I hope to keep alive as I continue throughout my career because of how much inspiration, energy and passion they bring to my own craft.”, said Matteo Moretti, 2023 newportFILM Lab Fellow and cinematographer for Gnarly Bay.
