“Talk to like minded filmmakers about their festival experiences as there are so many hidden gems to consider which aren’t as hyped up as some of the larger ones. Some of my best alliances were formed through more obscure/niche specific festivals.”
Liz Ortiz
Liz is a NYC based casting director and award winning indie film producer/director credited on projects which have screened at hundreds of film festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, BAM Cinemafest, Toronto, IRIS Prize, GAZE, Brooklyn, Palm Springs, Austin, American Black, HBO Latino, NY Latino, Queen’s World, Reel Sisters, Harlem and Urban World among others. Projects have aired on CBS, HBO, Peacock, Apple TV, Amazon, Showtime, Netflix, and Lifetime Movies. Casting and producing highlights include: Advantageous (Sundance award winner, Independent Spirit nominee), Barrio Boy (Peacock,Amazon,AppleTV, streaming in France and the UK); And… Seen (writer/producer/director) a feature documentary commenting on misperceptions of disability in the entertainment industry.
Current indie film projects include The Black Dog is Nipping at Your Heels, written/directed by Sundance Alumn Moon Molson, The Last Days of Byron Bray, by Michael Borrelli of West 52nd Street Films and produced by Sundance Alumn Harris Doran and Art Matters a short with plans on evolving into a Feature in pre-production. She also casts special projects for various university film departments and festivals. Liz is an in house casting director and on the faculty of Stonestreet Studios/NYU, and enjoys giving live and virtual workshops for Princeton University, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Actors Connection other professional actor training programs.
