Diablo Cody Among Line-Up for Chapman's Women in Focus Conference

Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, recognized as one of the premier film schools in the United States, proudly presents the 14th Annual Women in Focus Conference on Friday, April 12, 2013, where top female directors, producers, writers, executives and actors will participate in a discussion focused on the topic of comedy.

Continuing to attract some of the most notable females working in the entertainment industry today, this year's participants include such highly accomplished individuals as Oscar winning writer Diablo Cody (Paradise, Young Adult, United States of Tara, Juno), director/choreographer Anne Fletcher (The Guilt Trip, The Proposal, 27 Dresses, Step Up), Universal Pictures Co-Chairman Donna Langley (Identity Thief, Ted, Pitch Perfect, This is 40, Bridesmaids), Academy Award nominated director/screenwriter Nancy Meyers (It's Complicated, The Holiday, Something's Gotta Give, What Women Want, The Parent Trap), actress Maya Rudolph (The Way, Way Back, Up All Night, Bridesmaids, Saturday Night Live), and director Penelope Spheeris (Black Sheep, The Little Rascals, The Beverly Hillbillies, Wayne's World, The Decline of Western Civilization documentary series).

The esteemed panel will be moderated by Dawn Taubin, Professor of Public Relations and Advertising at Dodge College and former Head of Marketing at Warner Bros. Pictures.

Open to the public, Chapman's Women in Focus event has succeeded in building a meaningful dialogue among emerging and established women in the film industry over its 14 year existence. The upcoming event will feature an afternoon of activities including panel discussions with some of the most prominent women in the business, as well as a scholarship presentation, luncheon and networking mixer.

The conference commences at 1:30 p.m., when participants will screen clips from their work, and discuss their experiences breaking into the industry, building the relationships necessary for success, and obstacles they have faced and overcome throughout their careers. The event concludes with a formal mixer beginning at 4:30 p.m.

"The caliber of the women participating in this conference each year is simply astonishing. For students to have the opportunity to experience their interactions with each other as they share and compare insights firsthand is an unmatched learning opportunity," says Dean Bob Bassett. "We are always grateful that women with such incredible experience are willing to give back to the next generation in this very personal way."

The 2013 Women in Focus Conference is sponsored by Twyla Martin, Laurie Rodnick, Eve Kornyei Ruffatto, Harriet Sandhu, Adrienne Brandes, and DiAna Martin.

Past Women in Focus conference panelists include producer and former Walt Disney Motion Picture Group President Nina Jacobson, Dreamworks Studios Co-Chairman and CEO Stacey Snider, writer/producer Leslie Dixon, Academy Award nominated director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, acclaimed producer Debra Martin Chase, writer/director Shana Feste, producer Susan Cartsonis, director Mary Lambert, Academy Award winning producer and President of Mandalay Pictures Cathy Schulman, Fox Searchlight Pictures President Nancy Utley, and producer and Los Angeles Film Festival Director Rebecca Yeldham, to name a few.