ABOUT BARRY ALEXANDER BROWN

Academy Award–Nominated Film Editor

Barry Alexander Brown is one of the most celebrated film editors of his generation and a key creative force behind some of the most defining works in contemporary cinema. Brown has forged a remarkable career spanning over four decades, marked by a distinctive sense of rhythm, social awareness, and storytelling precision.

Best known for his long-standing collaboration with Spike Lee, Barry’s editing has shaped the visual and emotional language of many of Lee’s most iconic films — including Do the Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992), He Got Game (1998), 25th Hour (2002), Inside Man (2006), and BlacKkKlansman (2018), the latter earning him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing at the 91st Oscars. His editing on BlacKkKlansman was praised for its masterful pacing and political clarity, helping the film win the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.

Barry continued this celebrated partnership through Da 5 Bloods (2020), American Utopia (2020).

Beyond narrative cinema, Brown’s influence extends to the world of music and documentary. He has edited landmark music videos for Michael Jackson, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Public Enemy, and Arrested Development, helping define the political and stylistic edge of 1980s and 1990s pop culture. As a director, his debut The War at Home (1979) — co-directed at just 18 years old — earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature, making him one of the youngest nominees in the category’s history. More recently, he directed Son of the South (2020), produced by Spike Lee, a film praised for its historical depth and humanist vision.

With his work honoured by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Cannes Film Festival, the BAFTAs, and numerous critics’ associations worldwide, Barry Alexander Brown stands as one of cinema’s most accomplished and respected editors. His FEST FILM LAB workshop offers a rare opportunity to learn directly from a master craftsman whose career combines artistic innovation, technical brilliance, and deep political engagement, a filmmaker who continues to shape the art of editing for a new generation.
Barry is one of the most accomplished and sought of editors in activity, and will surely deliver a wonderful workshop based on his extensive knowledge of the subject.


WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Academy Award–nominated editor Barry Alexander Brown (BlacKkKlansman, Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing) returns to FEST FILM LAB to lead a two-day workshop designed for filmmakers seeking to deepen their understanding of the editor’s craft, its creative influence, and its collaborative power within the filmmaking process.

This intensive workshop offers a great opportunity to explore how editing shapes the emotional and narrative architecture of a film, how rhythm, pacing, structure, and tone are discovered rather than imposed. Barry will focus on the instincts, judgment, and storytelling intelligence that define great editing.

Drawing on more than four decades of collaboration with directors such as Spike Lee, Barry will share insight into the creative and practical challenges faced in the cutting room, from shaping performance to navigating studio pressures, from reimagining structure during post-production to managing the balance between artistic intuition and external demands.

Throughout the workshop, participants will engage in open discussion and critical viewing. Each participant is invited to bring short excerpts (up to three minutes each) from their own work, which will be used as material for group analysis and dialogue. The sessions will emphasize process over perfection, exploring how choices are made, how meaning evolves, and how to recognize the moment when a scene finally “breathes.”
Topics to be covered include:

The editor’s narrative intelligence — rhythm, pacing, and structure as storytelling tools.

Collaboration: building a creative dialogue with directors, cinematographers, and producers.

Shaping performance — emotional continuity and the invisible craft of character.

Editing across genres — drama, comedy, documentary, and hybrid forms.

The relationship between image and sound — rhythm, silence, and the role of music.

Finding solutions under production and time constraints.

The editor’s role as a co-author of the film.

Industry realities: agents, contracts, credits, and career sustainability.




PROFILE OF PARTICIPANT
The workshop designed for Editors, Directors, Sound Editors, Film Students, or filmmakers serious about a career in the Film Business on the area of Editing

WORKSHOP LOCATION
Berlin, Germany

Duration: 2 days
10:00 - 18:00
Dates: 21-22 February 2026
Location: Berlin, Germany
Price: 599EUR (399EUR with 35% discount until the 6th of November)
Maximum number of participants: 25
By registering to the workshop you agree with FFL terms and Conditions

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