Leah Land

Leah is speaking at an Industry Connect session for IFP members at DCTV.

Wednesday October 22 2008
6:30-8:00pm
Industry Connect: Casting For Indies
DCTV
87 Lafayette st.
New York, NY

The talk is a casual master class with top casting associates and directors discussing the art of casting for indies at all budget ranges.

Speaker Bios:

Leah Meyerhoff – Filmmaker
Leah Meyerhoff is a Slamdance Grand Jury prize winner and Student Academy Award finalist currently pursuing an MFA at New York University. Her short film TWITCH has screened in over 200 film festivals, won a dozen international awards and was picked up for distribution by IFC, Reelport and Skandinavia TV. Leah has since completed several music videos, including TEAM QUEEN, a Planet Out finalist airing on LOGO, and ETERNAL FLAME, on MTV Europe. Leah has received press coverage from The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Film Threat, and numerous other publications. She is also profiled in the docudrama series “Film School” which continues to air on IFC. Leah teaches film courses at New York University and the New York Film Academy and has been a featured panelist at a number of film festivals. She often works as a festival consultant and recently served on the Slamdance narrative jury. Leah holds a BA in Art-Semiotics from Brown University and is currently in pre-production on her first feature film. A Sundance Lab finalist, UNICORNS tells the story of an awkward teenage girl who escapes to a fantasy world when her first romantic relationship turns increasingly abusive. Writer/Director Leah Meyerhoff is an award winning MFA candidate at NYU. UNICORNS is executive produced by Allison Anders (Things Behind the Sun, Gas Food Lodging) and produced by Alexis Fish (Shortbus) and Heather Rae (2008 Sundance winner Frozen River). Leah recently participated in the IFP Emerging Narratives program where UNICORNS won a Panasonic grant. Leah is currently working with casting directors Judy Henderson (L.I.E., Before Sunrise), Meg Morman and Sunny Boling (Me and You and Everyone You Know) and UNICORNS is scheduled to go into production next spring.

Jessica Kelly – Casting Director/ Associate
Jessica Kelly is a Casting Director/ Associate at Chrystie Street Casting with Billy Hopkins and Suzanne Smith Crowley. Recent Film Credits include: BROOKLYN’S FINEST dir. Antoine Fuqua starring Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Don Cheadle; THE WRESTLER dir Darren Aronofsky starring Mickey Rourke; THE BOX dir. Richard Kelly starring Cameron Diaz; NAILED dir David O Russell starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Previously worked at Hopkins Smith and Barden Casting. Selected Casting Associate credits include: THE VISITOR, FUNNY GAMES, EVENING, BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT, CHOKE, THE BRONX IS BURNING. She has also cast for the Cherry Lane Theater and other off broadway venues as well as Nickelodeon, commercials, soap operas and regional musical theater.

Zoe Rotter – Casting Director/ Associate
Zoe E. Rotter has worked on films including PINK PANTHER, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, MUSIC & LYRICS, SCHOOL OF ROCK, TWO WEEKS NOTICE and the upcoming PINK PANTHER 2, COLD SOULS, NOTORIOUS and KICKASS.

*This discussion is for IFP members and filmmaker alumni only.