SAG-AFTRA Sponsors Panel at Nashville Film Festival

From left, IATSE member Peter Kurland, SAG-AFTRA Nashville Local Board member Mike Montgomery, members Ed Amatrudo and Lari White, and Assistant National Executive Director of Sound Recordings and Nashville Executive Director Randy Himes.

Music, Movies and TV ... SAG-AFTRA Explains It All was our informational and educational panel at the 2014 Nashville Film Festival. Local members Lari White, an actor, singer, songwriter and producer, and Nashville series regular Ed Amatrudo joined IATSE member Peter Kurland, a four-time Academy Award nominee for sound mixing, and Nashville Executive Director Randy Himes for a lively two-hour discussion on all aspects of the entertainment industry. The panel, moderated by SAG-AFTRA Local Board member Mike Montgomery, was attended by producers, directors, actors, voiceover actors and songwriters. It covered a range of subjects, including placing songs in film and television, working as a series regular, how to get started and become a professional, on-set safety and how the union can protect members and their careers. Participants were engaged, energized and expressed interest in follow-up discussions on working with SAG-AFTRA and our contracts.

The NaFF also hosted a mixer for our Nashville Local members on opening night. We were given the use of a theater for conversation and fellowship, followed by a private screening of The Identical, starring Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd. NaFF also provides discount tickets for SAG-AFTRA members and the opportunity to attend the opening and closing night parties at a reduced rate. With over 42,000 attendees, this year’s NaFF shattered attendance records with a 40-percent increase. Film submissions also broke records this year, with over 3,100 entries from 125 countries. NaFF Artistic Director Brian Owens had the thrill of working with some of the world’s leading directors and production houses to bring more than 15 world and North American premieres, along with 17 Southeast premieres, to NaFF this year.