Producer Mark Samels Joins WESTDOC Lineup

SANTA MONICA: Non-fiction producer Mark Samels has joined the lineup of confirmed speakers for the inaugural WESTDOC: The West Coast Documentary and Reality Conference.

Samels (American Experience, Earth Days, Wounded Knee) joins Susan Lacey, Emmy Award-Winning creator and executive producer of American Masters, on a panel that will explore the convergence between fact and fiction and the narrowing border between them in documentary and feature films.

“We are honored to welcome Mark Samels to our growing roster of renowned filmmakers and proud to boast a lineup of speakers and panelists who are associated with no less than 13 Emmy Award-nominated documentaries and reality shows this season,” said Richard Propper, WESTDOC co-founder and partner.

The conference also announced the first new feature documentary scheduled to screen at the conference, 65_RedRoses, from Philip Lyall and Nimisha Mukerji, two filmmakers who recently graduated from the University of British Columbia. The screening is scheduled for September 14 at 9:00 p.m.

“We are thrilled to be exhibiting this exciting new film from two up-and-coming filmmakers," said Chuck Braverman, WESTDOC co-founder and partner. "65_RedRoses is compelling drama told in a cinema verité documentary format that is certain to inspire audiences around the world. This film is worth seeing on every level and I couldn’t be more proud of having it at the event.”