Awareness Film Festival - Cinematography Panel & Mixer

About this event

Awareness Film Festival - Cinematography Panel & Mixer https://awarenessff-dppanel-canon.eventbrite.com/ YOU MUST REGISTER ABOVE ON EVENTBRITE TO GAIN ENTRY TO THE EVENT Join us for a lively panel followed by networking, desserts and hands‑on time with Canon gear. You're invited! Let's kick off the 2026 Awareness Film Festival with an inspiring evening celebrating the art of visual storytelling with our friends at Canon Burbank! We're excited to present this candid, behind-the-scenes panel discussion with alumni Directors of Photography as we gear up to celebrate another year of impactful cinema. These talented DPs will dive into the heart of their craft, exploring how visual choices elevate powerful messages, and share insights on the craft of bringing meaningful stories to life on screen. After the panel, enjoy desserts, networking with fellow filmmakers, and hands‑on time with Canon cameras and lenses. Moderated by Matthew Irving: Before joining the Canon USA team, Irving was the Director of Photography of 38 feature films including the box‑office top ten hits WAITRESS (starring Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion) and WAITING (starring Ryan Reynolds, Justin Long, and Anna Faris). Five of his films premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Panelists: Mads Fridolin Vejlby, DFF Born and raised in Copenhagen, Mads Fridolin Vejlby earned his MFA in cinematography from the American Film Institute. HIs work has screened at festivals all over the world, including the Cannes Film Festival, FilmQuest, and DOC NYC. BORDERS, his visual essay and final production at AFI, screened at Tallgrass Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short at the Awareness Film Festival in 2025. Prior to AFI, Mads studied documentary filmmaking at the Danish School of Media and Journalism before finishing at the Danish School of Art Photography Fatamorgana. A member of both the Danish Association of Cinematographers (DFF) and the Society of Camera Operators (SOC), Mads is passionate about important human stories that sparks reflection and conversation. Doug Frerichs Doug Frerichs is a Los Angeles–based Director of Photography working across narrative films, documentaries, music videos, and commercial projects. His credits include campaigns for Beats by Dre and Pure Beauty, the narrative feature Muscle Beach, and a feature documentary, The Race of Our Lives, that won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2024 Awareness Film Festival. An avid street photographer, Doug brings an observational, human-centered approach to his cinematography. Hana Kitasei Hana Kitasei is a Japanese and American LA-based cinematographer. She graduated with a BA in mathematics from Harvard and an MFA in cinematography from the AFI Conservatory. She assisted Ellen Kuras, ASC, (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND) while cutting her teeth on a wide range of narrative, documentary and experimental projects. In 2018, she was chosen to participate in the first annual Fox DP development lab. Recently, she has focused on narrative features, feeding her first love, visual storytelling. She also shares this passion regularly with students at the American Film Institutes as a senior faculty member. She is a member of Local 600 and currently represented by Danica Pupa at Liminal. She shot the A 2025 Awareness Festival Award winning film LOVE, DANIELLE