In what promises to be a lively and informative panel, independent producers Laura Bernieri, Michael Mailer, Gorman Bechard and Donnie Moorhouse will discuss the essential elements of producing an independent feature and all the hats a producer must wear to get the film made. This is a free event.

David Kleiler, moderator

David has over 30 years of experience in the independent-film industry. He was responsible for saving the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, which has become a well-respected venue for independent and art-house films in the Boston area. David is founder and artistic director of the Boston Underground Film Festival; founder, director of local sightings and artistic director of the Woods Hole Film Festival, and former chairman and director of the Northampton Independent  Film Festival.  A filmmakers' collaborator, teacher, and mentor, David enjoys assisting filmmakers and screenwriters in bringing their work to fruition and helping them achieve their personal goals.

Gorman Bechard, producer/writer/director

Gorman Bechard wrote, directed and co-produced the award-winning feature You Are Alone (Best Narrative Feature, NIFF 2005), as well as the award-winning shorts Objects in the Mirror Are Further Than They Appear and The Pretty Girl. He directed The Kiss and the horror cult classic Psychos in Love. His next film, a romantic comedy titled Friends (with Benefits) will be shot in New Haven, his hometown. Gorman has published four novels. His fifth, Unwound, will be published in January under the pseudonym Jonathan Baine.

Laura Bernieri, executive producer, Kettle of Fish

Laura Bernieri, a Hampshire College graduate, brings 25 years of film-development and scriptwriting expertise to her role as producer with Saint Aire Productions. She was co-executive producer of the independent feature Could Be Worse! As vice president of creative affairs for Robbins Entertainment, she brought in their first feature film, Squeeze (nominated for the Independent Spirit Award) and was associate producer of the 1996 Sundance favorite The Darien Gap. Laura co-produced Next Stop Wonderland, which was made for $1.2 million and sold to Miramax, after a bidding war, for $6.5 million.

Michael Mailer, producer, Kettle of Fish

Michael Mailer has been working extensively in the independent film business since graduating from Harvard in 1987. He co-wrote and produced his first feature film, A Fool and His Money, starring Sandra Bullock in 1988. Under his former banner, Bigel / Mailer, he produced ten feature films. Michael Mailer Films was established in 2004 to focus on producing both independent and studio films.

Donnie Moorhouse, writer/producer, Cathedral Pines

Donnie Moorhouse's voice is familiar to residents around the Valley on "The Morning Project" on WRNX, where he is also program director. Donnie's production company, Moorhouse's Highland Shore Media, plans to turn out two low-budget, high-quality feature films a year