Day 4 - YSFF 2022: Short and Narrative Film Blocks & a Talk by Award-Winning Filmmaker Liz Rao

On Day 4, the Yale Student Film Festival presents screenings of the Short Shorts Block and the Narrative Block. 

In between these two blocks, we will be presenting a talk by Liz Rao who will speak about different aspects of storytelling and the film industry, and the comprehensive experience of being an independent producer-editor who started off working in a festival.

Liz Rao is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. Growing up between Missouri, Nashville, and Chicago, with long summers in southern China and Beijing, she is drawn to projects that elevate new characters and fresh stories. She loves films that question existing structures — through surprising style, intimate storytelling, and bold imagery.

Her award-winning work focuses on theatrically-released fiction and documentary features. Recent credits include lead editing feature film MATERNA (dir. David Gutnik, Tribeca Film Festival 2020 US Narrative Competition, double award winner for Best Cinematography and Best Actress), lead editing feature documentary MAINELAND (dir. Miao Wang, SXSW winner of special jury award for observational cinema), and producing and co-editing acclaimed fiction film MADELINE’S MADELINE (dir. Josephine Decker, Gotham Independent Film Nominee for Best Feature, Independent Spirit Award-nominee, Independent Editor Award), among other upcoming fiction and documentary features. She is currently on scholarship as a writer and director in the NYU Grad Film program.

She has taught workshops in experimental filmmaking at True/False Film Festival, has given artist talks at The Edit Center, and UnionDocs, and is a member of the collective Brown Girls Doc Mafia. Before filmmaking, she worked for four seasons on the programming team at Tribeca Film Festival.

The screening of the Short Shorts Film Block will take place on Saturday, April 23, at 11am in LORIA 250. 

Liz Rao’s talk will take place on Saturday, April 23, at 1 pm on Zoom: https://yale.zoom.us/j/95357587262

The screening of the Narrative Film Block will take place on Saturday, April 23, at 2:30 in LORIA 250.

This event is sponsored by the Dean’s Discretionary Fund for the Arts and with the help of the Film and Media Department. 

Free tickets for vaccinated Yale ID holders are available at the following link: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/local-voices-yale-student-film-festival-day-4-tickets-317176572667

About the Yale Student Film Festival: 

The Yale Student Film Festival (YSFF) is a student-run short film festival that provides the opportunity for university-level filmmakers across the globe to exhibit their work. Founded in 2015, the festival, through its free submission platform, celebrates emerging student work from those taking the first steps towards a professional career, and aims to provide a platform to encourage conversation and camaraderie across schools and experiences.

This year’s theme is Local Voices. We are committed to highlighting narratives and filmmakers from the New Haven area, as well as engaging with the community at large.