$20 Suggested Donation
Join filmmaker Luke Gilford and producers Mickey Schiff and Pete Halvorsen for an intimate discussion about their film National Anthem. Together, they’ll reflect on the film’s exploration of queerness, identity, and chosen family—and how these themes resonate within broader conversations around representation and community in contemporary America.
Through personal insights and behind-the-scenes stories, the team will shed light on the creative process behind National Anthem and the power of storytelling to challenge norms and reimagine belonging.
After the conversation please join us at 9:30 at Water’s Edge Cinema for a screening of Luke Gilford’s National Anthem.
Luke Gilford is a writer, director and photographer from Evergreen, Colorado and currently based in Los Angeles and New York City. Gilford's photography and films have been exhibited around the world; including MoMA in New York and FOAM in Amsterdam. Over the past decade, Gilford's work has been featured in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, showcasing his distinct visual language characterized by a strong sense of intimacy with his subjects. In 2020, Gilford published his first photography monograph, National Anthem, with Damiani Books. The book comprises 100 photographs taken over four years of documenting America's queer rodeo subculture. The work was met with critical acclaim, traveling to museums and galleries internationally. Vanity Fair praised National Anthem as being “rich with Gilford's tenderness for his subjects while imploring us to rethink the hegemony of the American cowboy." Following the success of the book, Gilford wrote and directed a feature film adaptation of National Anthem, premiering at Toronto International Film Festival and South by Southwest in 2023. Roger Ebert hailed the film as "a blend of awe and grace... It's Gilford's work with performers and characters that announces a major talent." In 2024, Gilford received the Critics Choice “Breakthrough Director” Award.
Mickey Liddell and Pete Shilaimon are producers of National Anthem and head the esteemed LD Entertainment. LD Entertainment is an independent studio that finances and produces elevated, cutting-edge films, television, and live theatrical productions. Led by Mickey Liddell and Pete Shilaimon, the company has produced over forty feature films, including Academy Award-nominated titles Judy, Jackie, Albert Nobbs, and Biutiful, as well as fan favorites like Anthropoid, Ben Is Back, Megan Leavey, I Can Only Imagine, Risen, The Grey, and Forever My Girl.Recent projects include Switzerland, directed by Anton Corbijn and starring Helen Mirren, Alden Ehrenreich, and Olivia Cooke. Upcoming releases include Sean Byrne’s Dangerous Animals (Summer 2025), Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s Bone Lake, and the documentaries Sugar Babies (Sundance 2025) and The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel (Tribeca 2025). LD also continues to support breakout talent with films like National Anthem, High Tide, Introducing Selma Blair, and The Biggest Little Farm.On stage, LD is a five-time Tony Award-winning producer of over 30 productions, including Dear Evan Hansen, Hadestown, Angels in America, Little Shop of Horrors, and the cult hit Teeth. Upcoming theatrical projects include Operation Mincemeat, John Proctor Is the Villain, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Just in Time, Call Me Izzy, and Angry Alan. LD is also a proud investor in Studio Seaview, a new Off-Broadway home for daring, artist-driven theatre.
