Love is Love

Join us for a round table discussion with filmmakers Marion Hill (Ma Belle, My Beauty), Mari Walker (See You Then), and Natalia Leite (Bare) as they discuss their craft and portayals of LGBTQIA+ romance stories on screen.

The Queer Cinema movement has been politically and aesthetically innovative, growing to include an entire generation of queer artists, filmmakers, and activists. What does this look like in today’s landscape? How has onscreen representation evolved alongside our understanding of gender? How does identity intersect with art? Is there such a thing as a “Queer Aesthetic”? Filmmakers telling stories of unconventional queer romances discuss their films, their creative process and various forms of “gazes.”

This public event will be accessible with live captioning. The registration link will be shared the day of the event and a video replay will be shared after along with the chat transcript. Please contact us with any questions.See you soon!

Marion Hill (she/they) is a New Orleans based director with roots in Vietnam, England and France. Her direction of the camera is devoted to the nuances of femme power, queer sensibility, and radical sensuality across cultures.

With deep love for music, visual storytelling and cultural fusion, Marion has specialized in grassroots and small-scale production, collaborating with folks around the world to deliver authentic cinematic stories in all forms.

Marion's short films Bird of Prey (2016) and Goddess House (2018) played at festivals including Frameline (San Francisco), Sidewalk (Birmingham, AL), Outfest Fusion (Los Angeles), aGLIFF (Austin), Mardi Gras FF (Sydney, Australia) and the New Orleans Film Festival. Her films now have over 3.5 million views online.

As a fellow of the New Orleans Film Society's 2018 Emerging Voices program, Marion developed her first feature film, Ma Belle, My Beauty, a romantic drama that takes queer characters from New Orleans to the South of France in a polyamorous whirlwind. They went on to receive funding from the Sundance Institute Launch Grant Fund for the project in 2019, and participated in IFP's 2020 Narrative Lab.

Marion also holds a position as the assistant director of video at WWOZ New Orleans, producing music-related content from concert and festival live capture to short documentary with local artists.

Mari Walker (she/her) is an award-winning filmmaker whose work has been accepted into over 250 film festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Frameline, and Outfest, garnering a total of 76 awards & 52 nominations. Mari’s work consistently explores identity through multiple forms and genres, championing the shared humanity of others through narratives that promote empathy and understanding. Her film THE SOUL OF A TREE won Best Short Documentary at the Kerry Film Festival in 2016. SWIM, her first narrative short, won the Audience Award at the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival. Her most recent work SEE YOU THEN premiered at SXSW and received CAAMFEST's Honorable Mention Award.

Natalia Leite is a Brazilian writer/director. Her work has been described as having “a bracing, assertive style” (Variety), “emotional intelligence” (LA Times), and as “cementing the reign over highly stylized, sexually progressive dramas” (Slate). Her feature film M.F.A., starring Francesca Eastwood, premiered at SXSW 2017 where it was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize and a Game Changer Award. Leite’s directorial debut BARE, starring Dianna Agron, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015 where it was purchased by IFC Films. In addition to her narrative work, Leite has also created original content for Vice TV, immersing herself in different subcultures, and directed numerous branded shorts. Most recently, Leite directed episodes of the HBOMax show LOVE LIFE, and the Hulu show LOVE, VICTOR.

Film Fatales organizes panel discussions, educational workshops and networking mixers focused on amplifying marginalized voices in film and television. Capacity is limited. The session will be recorded for those unable to participate in the live program. Your participation constitutes your consent to being recorded and photographed during the event and to Film Fatales sharing those recordings and photos with the world. Please contact us if you require an accessible accommodation.