Taika Waititi and Paul Dano to Keynote at Winston Baker's International Film Finance Forum on May 11

Winston Baker will host its 9th Annual International Film Finance Forum, starting with a keynote conversation with Taika Waititi, director of Marvel's "Thor: Ragnarok" along with Paul Dano, best known for his work as an actor in notable movies such as "There Will Be Blood," "12 Years a Slave" and "Love & Mercy." Dano also joins Cannes this year with his directorial debut of "Wildlife" starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan.

Additional speaker highlights at the forum will include:

Nate Bolotin, Producer and Co-Founder, XYZ Films
Cassian Elwes, President, Elevated Films
Michael Gabrawy, Chief Creative Officer, Arclight Films
Marissa Román Griffith, Partner, Akin Gump
Jonathan King, President of Narrative Film & Television, Participant Media
William Pfeiffer, Executive Chairman & Co-Founder, Globalgate Entertainment
Annabelle Sheehan, Chief Executive Officer, New Zealand Film Commission
Isabelle Stewart, Head of Acquisitions, Protagonist Pictures
Gareth Ellis-Unwin, Head of Film, Creative Skillset
Charlotte Van Weed, President of International Sales, Global Road Entertainment
Tim Zajaros, Co-Founder, Armory Films

Finally, the Winston Baker team will host an intimate gathering of high-level female executives at the American Pavilion on May 12th during the 4th Annual Women in Entertainment Finance Brunch in partnership with The Preaux and Highland Film Group, which are also women-owned businesses. "Bringing together women dealmakers, producers and entrepreneurs has always been a strong initiative for us and we continue to celebrate this growing community through our events around the world," said Katherine Winston, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Winston Baker.

Sponsors of Winston Baker's events include Akin Gump, New Zealand Film Commission, Armanino LLP, Cinelytic, Global Road Entertainment, and StaplesVR.

For more information: www.WinstonBaker.com

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