Kris Pearn (Director/ Writer/ Producer) of the Willoughbys will discuss the process of making an independent Feature outside of the traditional studio system for a global audience thanks to the rise of Netfix. From adapting the Newberry award book by Lois Lowry, to building a design language to accommodate the tone of the story as well as the budget, Kris will show art, cut footage and behind the scenes choices that led to the final version of the film. He'll talk candidly about releasing a movie during a pandemic (spoiler: it involves sitting on a couch and waiting for an algorithm to hit a button) and what he learned about filmmaking, the business of animation and himself along the journey. Questions are encouraged and Kris will try as honest as possible. Keep in mind, he IS from Canada, and as such doesn't know how Netfix really works, but he's more than happy to talk about conspiracy theories and perhaps start some new ones. Should be fun.