By James Tella

Film and technology decision-makers are set to network and share ideas with over 300 of the industry’s most innovative digital media insiders at the very first Future of Film conference in Beverly Hills on March 21.Organized by Digital Media Wire, the roundtable features David Wertheimer, the executive director of The Entertainment Technology Center at USC.

“The future of film is no film,” said Wertheimer, who will participate in a panel discussion of such cutting-edge topics including the impact of new technologies and distribution channels, the advent of home theatres and high definition, and the cultural and sociological factors affecting movie watching audiences. “People have been talking about convergence for many years, but with digital technology ranging from production all the way through distribution to digital devices, the world is truly moving forward in a way that I think no one really predicted.”

“So many of today’s hot button issues relate to digital media, and we knew that having this conference was pretty important,” said Digital Media Wire Director of Business Development Scott Goldberg. “Our goal is to have people come together that need to meet each other.”

With the ETC playing a substantial role in demystifying the world of digital cinema and moving it out of the realm of tomorrow, Wertheimer is pleased to be a part of the inaugural conference that has a laser focus on where theatrical type of content is headed.

“There aren’t many places where discussion of these kinds of issues takes place, especially in Los Angeles,” Wertheimer added. “It’s not only about how the medium is changing today, but also how we need to change the way we think about the future. It’s fundamentally more broad and interesting than ever before.”