The AFM Sessions

Patrick Rizzotti is a seasoned film producer and financing executive with over two decades of experience in the entertainment industry. As the founder of Crossroad Productions, Patrick has made a significant impact on independent filmmaking, producing a variety of successful films that have garnered international acclaim. His impressive filmography includes Pride (Lionsgate), The Collector trilogy (from the writers of SAW franchise), The Super, Malicious, The Free Fall, Maximum Truth, Tiger Mom, and many more. These films have established him as a versatile producer capable of delivering compelling content across genres.

In addition to his work in film production, Patrick is the founding member of Blue Fox Financing, a revolutionary marketplace specializing in debt and gap financing for film and television producers. With Blue Fox Financing, Patrick and his team provide critical financial solutions such as tax credit lending, international presales, union deposit loans, and gap financing, helping filmmakers navigate the complex financial landscape of independent film production. Through this platform, Patrick continues to innovate and support creators by offering accessible and transparent financing options tailored to their project needs.

Patrick’s vision extends beyond financing, as he has launched a Producer Services Division within Blue Fox Financing to assist with project development, leveraging his extensive industry expertise to help filmmakers maximize their financial potential from the earliest stages of production. His deep understanding of both the creative and financial aspects of filmmaking positions him uniquely within the industry, where he bridges the gap between artistic vision and financial execution.

Patrick is also a regular speaker and panel moderator, often leading discussions on the intricacies of film financing in both U.S. and international markets. He has moderated key industry panels such as IFTA’s “Where’s the Money? The Realities of Film Financing Today” and “How to Utilize and Secure Debt/Gap Financing,” where he shares his insights on the evolving landscape of independent film financing.

Through Crossroad Productions and Blue Fox Financing, Patrick Rizzotti remains a driving force in independent film, championing innovative financial models that support creative projects and empower filmmakers to bring their visions to life.

I have led the development of clusters, training programs, and international events, always with the same purpose: to strengthen the AV industry as an engine of innovation and growth. I’m passionate about supporting teams and partners on the journey where strategy turns into tangible achievements.

I believe collaboration is the strongest lever for growth. That’s why I connect talent, institutions, and businesses, bringing global vision, a trusted network, and hands-on execution.

Key competencies: Strategy & partnerships · Cluster development · Film/animation tax incentives · Training & talent development · Public-private financing · Animation/VFX/post-production · Executive communication.

Co-founder and Executive Producer at ADHOKERS and ADHOKERS NAVARRA. Content creator. Emmy Awards jury in non-American short formats at the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Women Owned Enterprise.

Mark Fasano is a Partner and the CEO of Nickel City Pictures. Mark has developed and produced over a two dozen films and recently was a Producer on Land of Bad, starring Liam Hemsworth & Russell Crowe; Marlowe, starring Liam Neeson; Boys of Summer, starring Mel Gibson; and Scott Beck and Bryan Wood’s Haunt. Mark previously was president of production and PalmStar Media, where he developed and produced Netflix’s True Memoirs of an International Assassin, starring Kevin James; Collateral Beauty, starring Will Smith; American Ultra, starring Jesse Eisenberg & Kristen Steward and John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves. Prior to 2012, Mark worked with acclaimed writer/producers such as David E. Kelly, Gary Scott Thompson, and Doug Liman at both Universal and Warner Bros. Mark subsequently worked directly with John Herzfeld at New Redemption Pictures where he helped develop and produce two feature films as well as two television series which were sold to the Starz network and HBO in just over a year. Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television from The University of California, Los Angeles.

Hanna Mason is the PROOF Film Festival Manager, powered by the American Cinematheque. PROOF is a short film festival dedicated to showing the best in proof-of concepts and empowering the next generation of cinematic storytellers. Previously, Hanna was the Operations Manager and Associate Programmer at the BendFilm Festival in Bend, Oregon, where she oversaw all daily operations of the festival and the Tin Pan Theater. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a BA in History and Cinema Studies. Hanna is originally from Denver, Colorado and currently based in Los Angeles.

Imani Davis is film programmer at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles. At the American Cinematheque, a 501c3 nonprofit boasting over 1,600 film screenings a year, Imani has worked to put on events with A-list filmmakers and talent such as Sofia Coppola, Spike Lee, Sean Baker, Jordan Peele, Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Damien Chazelle, Christopher Nolan, and many more. Imani is also the founder and lead programmer of the American Cinematheque’s newest short film festival called PROOF, which is the only festival completely dedicated to proof-of-concept short films.

Felicity Wren is the VP of Development at the ISA and the VP of Development for Creative Screenwriter Prods. An award-winning actor, originally from London, she studied all areas of Performance for her Honors and then Masters degrees. She then formed a Production Company: Unrestricted View and they run a comedy and new writing theatre in London, now in its 25th year, and curate three BIFA accredited film festivals annually.

Since moving to Los Angeles over a decade ago, she has continued acting and producing, winning five performance awards, and producing eighteen film projects to date. She splits her time between Creative Screenwriter Productions and the management of the ISA Development Team, working directly with the Development Slate Writers, ISA Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch, and the ISA community. The Development Team has fostered enduring relationships with many of the industries finest. Through her and her teams’ efforts they have successfully paired several writer/director partnerships with productions underway, introduced writers to their managers and been instrumental in facilitating screenplay options.

Most recently, Felicity founded A Wren Bird Company—a collective of creatives dedicated to innovative storytelling—to work on the adaptation of the evocative book A Thousand Paper Birds, set in London’s iconic Kew Gardens. Through her diverse work across acting, producing, and development, Felicity champions fresh, authentic voices and pushes the boundaries of creative expression in film and theatre.

Shayna Weber is a screenwriter, producer, and director who writes about defiant characters who refuse to be put in a box. Shayna and her writing partner recently sold their first horror feature, Bruha, which is in post-production. She produced the award-winning horror-comedy short, Lunch Ladies which has been in more than 100 festivals around the world with forty-six wins, and she directed its follow-up short, VIF (Very Important Film).

Shayna has over twenty years of experience in production, having worked on unscripted shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race, So You Think You Can Dance, and VH1’s Bands Reunited among others. Besides a lot of problem solving, her years on reality shows have given her a plethora of weird knowledge about weird things. She is currently a Creative Executive at The International Screenwriters’ Association and in her free time loves playing tennis, taking self-defense classes, and lightsaber battling with her son.

Lee Jessup is a career coach for screenwriters, specializing in guiding emerging and professional scribes toward long-standing and prolific screenwriting careers in both TV and feature writing. Additionally, she has provided consulting services to NBC International, the Universal Writers Program, the Final Draft Big Break Contest and Inevitable Foundation, and is an adjunct professor with the David Lynch Graduate School of Cinematic Arts. Her one-on-one coaching clients include everyone from showrunners and studio writers to contest winners, TV writing fellows as well as writers just starting out. She is the author of the best-selling books Breaking In: Tales From the Screenwriting Trenches and Getting It Write: An Insider’s Guide to a Screenwriting Career.

Cassian Elwes is an expert in producing, arranging financing and finding distribution for independent films. He began his producing career with 1984’s “Oxford Blues” starring Rob Lowe and Ally Sheedy and quickly went on to make another 29 films, including “Men At Work,” with Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen, and “The Chase,” again with Sheen.

In 1994, Elwes joined William Morris and headed William Morris Independent Film for 15 years. He arranged financing for indie hits such as “Slingblade” and “The Apostle,” both of which were nominated for multiple Academy Awards. “Monster’s Ball” was their historic follow up as Halle Berry became the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. In the end he had arranged financing and distribution for 283 films during his tenure at William Morris.

Since leaving William Morris 10 years ago, Elwes has either produced or executive produced more than 70 films such as David Lowery’s “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”, which was nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Feature, Derek Cianfrance’s “Blue Valentine” starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, for which Williams was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, and the hit period drama “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” which featured an all-star cast headed by Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey.

He also executive produced J.C. Chandor’s “All Is Lost” starring Robert Redford and executive produced and arranged financing for the Academy Award winning hit “Dallas Buyers Club” directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, starring Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto and Jennifer Garner.

Most recently, Elwes produced both the multiple Academy Award nominated “Mudbound”, directed by Dee Rees, which Netflix distributed, and Dee Rees’ latest film, “The Last Thing He Wanted,” starring Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck and Willem Dafoe, which Netflix will distribute. “Dreamland,” starring Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer, and Evangeline Lilly, and “Best Sellers,” starring Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza, are in currently in post-production.

Loni Rodgers is an independent producer and international executive passionate about amplifying stories with commercial appeal and cultural impact.

She began her career at Viacom before joining Scott Rudin Productions, quickly growing the ranks and contributing to critically acclaimed films including Uncut Gems, Causeway, Past Lives, and Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Rodgers then joined Amazon Studios’ Local Originals team during its Canadian expansion, helping shape the studio’s international slate with projects such as The Lake, the 2023 reboot of Kids in the Hall, and Three Pines, starring Alfred Molina. This expansion led to working with local talent across Asia, South America, and Europe to establish a program connecting emerging creatives with seasoned showrunners.

Building on her studio experience, Rodgers next served as Director of Development at Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance’s Bassett Vance Productions where her contributions led to the company’s first look deal with 20th Television.

She’s now committed to producing evergreen stories that reflect the evolving landscape of storytelling.

Chris Gore is a comedian and writer who was a regular on G4TV’s Attack of the Show. He is also the founder of Film Threat, the author of several movie books including the Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, writer/producer of the feature comedy My Big Fat Independent Movie.

Chris has appeared as a film expert on MSNBC, E!, CNN, Reelz Channel and has also hosted shows on FX, Starz, IFC as well as G4TV’s Attack of the Show.

As an author, Chris has written “The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made” (St. Martin’s Press) and “The Complete DVD Book” (Michael Wiese Publications). His book “The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide” (Random House) is considered the bible of the industry and is required reading at film school.

His stories have appeared in magazines, online and trades such as The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Video Business, Total Movie, Spin, Details, Men’s Health, ChinaShopMag.com, WaywardNerd.com and Playboy.com.

Tom Malloy has spent over two decades as a trailblazing multi-hyphenate in film—actor, writer, producer, and now director. He has raised millions for indie films, produced 28 titles, written and sold 25 screenplays, and starred in many projects.

His credits include After All (2025), McVeigh (Tribeca 2024), Dark Night of the Soul (2023), Ask Me to Dance (2021, directed by Malloy), Lansky (2020), Love N’ Dancing, The Alphabet Killer, and The Attic. Through his company Trick Candle Productions, Malloy has developed acclaimed indies like Trauma Therapy, #Screamers, Hero of the Underworld, and Fair Haven.

In 2016, he co-founded Glass House Distribution, now a leading international sales and distribution company with over 200 titles, multiple Emmy wins, and presence at AFM, EFM, and Cannes.

Malloy also authored the bestselling film finance book Bankroll and co-founded FilmMakingStuffHQ, a premier training platform for filmmakers.