ERIC WATSON:

PRODUCER, THE FOUNTAIN

Eric Watson's latest project with longtime collaborator Darren Aronofsky is the highly anticipated feature The Fountain starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, opening November 22 from Warner Brothers. Watson began his career at San Francisco State University majoring in Broadcast Communication Arts. He went on to study Motion Picture Production at the American Fim Institute and was awarded the Mary Pickford scholarship for Excellence in Producing. Watson first met and collaborated with director Darren Aronofsky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique at AFI, marking the beginning of a long and productive partnership. In 1995, Watson moved to New York City to produce his first feature, π directed by Aronofsky. The movie debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998; released that summer, it was warmly received by a wide audience and went on to earn Watson an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature. Watson also produced Requiem for a Dream, Aronofsky's follow up to π, which stars Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon Wayans. Requiem for a Dream was named one of the Top Ten Films of 2000 by a number of national publications, including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Entertainment Weekly. In 1996, Watson and Aronofsky formed the production company Protozoa Pictures. Protozoa is currently developing several projects, including an adaptation of the novel Flicker, written by Theodore Roszak; an adaptation of the novel Song of Kali, written by Dan Simmons; and The Hunt. Watson also served as executive producer on Rob Schmidt's feature debut, Saturn, and on David Twohy's Below.

Panelists:

The current list of 2006 Filmmaker Forum speakers:

• Stephanie Allain (producer, Hustle & Flow)
• Aric Avelino (director, American Gun)
• Peter Broderick (Paradigm Consulting)
• Effie T. Brown (producer, Real Women Have Curves)
• Caldecott Chubb (ChubbCo) [Indie Community Lunch Hour host]
• Howard Cohen (Roadside Attractions)
• Patrick Creadon (director, Wordplay)
• Eric d'Arbeloff (Roadside Attractions)
• Mark Damon (Foresight Unlimited)
• Neill dela Llana (co-writer/co-director, Cavite)
• Kirby Dick (director, This Film is Not Yet Rated)
• Michael Donaldson (lawyer and author, Negotiating for Dummies) [Indie Community Lunch Hour host]
• Lindsay Doran (producer, Stranger Than Fiction)
• Dan Dubiecki (director, Thank You For Smoking)
• Udy Epstein (Seventh Art Releasing) [Indie Community Lunch Hour host]
• Mesh Flinders (lonelygirl15)
  
• Ian Gamazon (co-writer/co-Director, Cavite)
• Richard Gladstein (FilmColony)
• Micah Green (CAA)
• Rebecca Green (Linda Obst Productions) [Indie Community Lunch Hour host]
• Callum Greene (co-producer, Marie Antoinette)
• Matthew Greenfield (Fox Searchlight)
• Robert Greenwald (Director, Iraq for Sale )
• Greg Harrison (director, November) [Indie Community Lunch Hour host]
• Preston Holmes (producer, Waist Deep)
• Craig Kestel (William Morris Agency) [Indie Community Lunch Hour host]
• Sam Kitt (executive producer, Sucker Free City)
• Richard Klubeck (UTA)
  
• Ted Kroeber (producer, American Gun)
• Linda Lichter (Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler, and Goodman)
• David Magdael (TC:DM & Associates)
• Gail Mutrux (producer, Kinsey)
• Christine O'Malley (producer, Wordplay)
• Joe Pichirallo (Overbrook Entertainment) [Indie Community Lunch Hour host]
• John Pierson (keynote speaker)
• Mark and Michael Polish (The Astronaut Farmer)
• Rich Raddon (director, Los Angeles Film Festival)
• Peggy Rajski (executive producer, Bee Season)
• Ben Rekhi (producer/director, Waterborne)
• Danielle Renfrew (producer, November)
• Kendall Morgan Rhodes (producer, Southland Tales)
• Rena Ronson (William Morris Independent)
• Ted Sarandos (Netflix)
• Jeff Schenck (Regent Studios)
• John Sloss (Cinetic Media)
• Victoria Thomas (casting director)
• Nancy Utley (Fox Searchlight)
• Cameron Watson (writer/director, Our Very Own)
• Eric Watson (producer, The Fountain)
• Lance Weiler (producer/writer/director, Head Trauma)
• Wash Westmoreland (co-writer/co-director, Quinceañera)
• Greg Whiteley (New York Doll)
• Caveh Zahedi (director, I Am a Sex Addict)
• Amotz Zakai (Echo Lake Entertainment) [Indie Community Lunch Hour host]
• David Zeiger (producer/director, Sir! No Sir!)