Friday, January 23, 2026
12:30 PM MST: Making Their Directorial Debut: A Conversation with Four First-Time Filmmakers
Learn more about what it took for four NYU Tisch directors to bring their projects to the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, featuring Undergraduate Film & TV alumni Giselle Bonilla ’20 (The Musical), Stephanie Ahn ’99 (Bedford Park), Adam Meeks ’15 (Union County), and Grad Film alumna Myrsini Aristidou ‘17 (Hold Onto Me) in conversation with Tisch Dean Rubén Polendo.
2:00 PM MST: Legal Tips & Lessons for Filmmakers with Entertainment Attorney Alexa Whiteside ’12 in conversation with Christina DeHaven-Call
Join us as we converse with entertainment attorney and NYU Tisch alum Alexa Whiteside ’12 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) (CEO & Managing Partner, WAM Entertainment Law) as she discusses the path from independent filmmaker to entertainment attorney and the legal tips filmmakers should keep in mind when producing their feature and episodic content, with Kanbar Institute, Undergraduate Film & TV Associate Chair and alumna Christina DeHaven-Call ’99.
Saturday, January 24, 2026
11:00 AM MST: Alumni Film Spotlight: Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! Featuring Director/Writer Josef Kubota Wladyka ’14 & Crew in conversation with Shaka King ’13
Get ready to shake your groove thing with Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!’s director, Josef Kubota Wladyka ‘14 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Grad Film), producers Kimberly Parker Zox ’14 and Mao Nagakura ’98 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film and Television), and editor Benjamin Rodriguez, Jr. ’16 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Grad Film) in conversation with Shaka King ’13 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Grad Film).
3:45 PM: Alumni Film Spotlight: Hot Water Conversation with Director/Writer Ramzi Bashour ’20 & Crew
TISCH ON MAIN is thrilled to welcome back director Ramzi Bashour ’20 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film), producer Max Walker-Silverman ’20 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film), and production designer Juliana Barreto Barreto ’20 (MFA, Design for Stage & Film), along with cinematographer Alfonso Herrera Salcedo ’20 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) and costume designer Stine Dahlman ’20 (MFA, Design for Stage & Film), for a conversation about Bashour’s debut feature film, Hot Water, in conversation with Graduate Film Chair Andrew MacLean.
Sunday, January 25, 2026
3:00 PM: Alumni Film Spotlight: The Gallerist with Director/Writer Cathy Yan ’13/’16 and Editor Brian Kates ’94 in conversation with John Tintori
Close out TISCH ON MAIN with us and Cathy Yan ’13/’16 (MBA, Stern/MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) as she discusses her next blockbuster, The Gallerist featuring Sterling K. Brown ’01, with film editor Brian Kates ’94 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film and Television) and professor & Executive Director of the NYU Production Lab, John Tintori.
