Oscar winning producer Jeremy Thomas will be the keynote speaker at Film Independent’s fifth-annual Filmmaker Forum in Los Angeles from October 9-11.

Film Independent’s festival director Rebecca Yeldham will moderate the conversation with the UK producer, who won the best picture Academy Award in 1988 for The Last Emperor and has just secured US distribution for his Toronto opener Creation.

Thomas’ credits include Naked Lunch, Sexy Beast, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Tideland and Fast Food Nation.

“I believe cinema will continue,” Thomas said. “It is going to be changing, but as long as people want to tell a story with a camera, and as long as audiences are moved by passionate tales of the human experience, it will survive and thrive. This is what I hope to convey to independent filmmakers at the Forum.”

The three-day Forum will start on the evening of October 9 with a special screening of The Weinstein Company’s The Road followed by a Q&A and reception with director John Hillcoat.

As previously announced, the remainder of the weekend will be filled with panel discussions, case studies, and networking opportunities.

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