Navigating Film Legalities - INDUSTRY TALK
Step inside the business side of cinema with a candid and insightful industry panel focused on the legal realities of filmmaking. Navigating Film Legalities brings together experienced entertainment lawyers to break down the essential legal frameworks that every filmmaker, producer, and creative professional needs to understand.
From contracts and intellectual property to distribution deals, clearance rights, and festival agreements, this discussion will unpack the critical legal structures that shape how films are made, protected, and brought to audiences worldwide. Whether you are an emerging filmmaker or an established industry professional, this session offers practical knowledge and real-world insight into avoiding common pitfalls and strengthening your creative work through legal awareness.
Expect an engaging conversation filled with case studies, audience Q&A, and actionable guidance from professionals working at the intersection of entertainment law and independent cinema.
Guest Speakers:
**Serene Ateek is an associate in the Entertainment, Technology and Advertising Practice Group at Sheppard in the firm’s Dallas office. Her practice focuses on transactional entertainment and advertising matters, including content licensing, rights acquisitions, endorsement and sponsorship agreements, branded content deals, and product placement and brand partnership arrangements. Across all matters, Serene is focused on providing high-quality, practical solutions to transactional concerns in an efficient manner. She distills and communicates legal concepts to her clients in a way that educates and empowers them to understand the protections and risks that live within each agreement before they sign. Serene is fluent in conversational Arabic, and outside of work she enjoys her mom’s homecooked meals (kusa wa warat easily in the top 5), reading (audiobooks totally count), and playing sand volleyball (less than half her serves clear the net).
**Hala Khalil is a dual-licensed attorney in Lebanon and California, based in the Entertainment, Technology, and Advertising Practice Group in Sheppard’s Century City office. Hala's practice focuses on representing studios, media and tech companies, producers, streamers, and podcast companies on a wide range of transactional matters, with an emphasis on development and production across television, film, digital media, and emerging technologies – including talent agreements and rights acquisitions. Prior to joining Sheppard, Hala began her legal career in Lebanon, where she worked on various development projects and productions across the Middle East, including Arabic adaptations of multiple American and European titles. Hala received her Licence en Droit (J.D. equivalent) from the Lebanese University and her LL.M. (Master of Laws) from UCLA School of Law, where she graduated first in her class.
Knowledge is power — especially in film.
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