Join Our Latest Virtual Film School Friday Chat on The Future of Awards

This year’s awards season will be unlike any other. This is hardly surprising considering 2020 is a year unlike any other, and the entertainment industry has had to reshuffle, rethink, and restructure itself on the fly like so many other sectors of our society. Just recently, the Emmy’s announced they’d be producing the show remotely due to COVID-19, with host Jimmy Kimmel and all of the nominees coming together virtually to deliver the show.

With this (and a whole lot more, frankly) in mind, the Motion Picture Association’s latest virtual Film School Friday event is dedicated to the evolving landscape of awards season. And not just from a physical-versus-remote standpoint, but also through the lens of diversity, inclusion, and equity. We don’t just want our awards ceremonies to adapt to changing circumstances due to the pandemic, but also to foster an environment where a much more diverse group of filmmakers and television creators can be heard and celebrated.

Today’s event, which takes place at 4 p.m. ET, features an incredible panel. Academy Award-winning director, writer, and producer Matthew A. Cherry, Emmy Award-winning production designer James Pearse Connelly, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Executive Vice President of Member Relations and Awards Lorenza Muñoz, and co-founder and president of the African American Film Critics Association Gil Robertson. The event will also feature remarks from Rep. Karen Bass, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and MPA Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin. The moderator will be our very own John Gibson, MPA’s Vice President of External and Multicultural Affairs.

Please join us for what promises to be an insightful conversation — sign up and watch the event at FilmSchoolFriday.com. You can RSVP for the event here.  To join the conversation, you can use the hashtag #FilmSchoolFriday.