Frank Rossi. Jonathan Kent. Jack Byrnes. Darth Vader. All of these characters play a critical part in their respective films adding layers of complexity and emotion to the story as it unfolds—and the connective tissue between them is their shared role as father.

Why are fathers and father-figures so important in film? What can we learn about ourselves as film-makers and film fans from the way we utilize the notion of father as a driving character within these stories we tell on the screen? How should we think about storytelling and what compels us to focus on our relationships with fathers to articulate complex human dynamics?

In this session, Oscar Winning actor Troy Kotsur and director Emma Westenberg join Dad Saves America Podcast host John Papola for a fireside chat exploring fatherhood in film. Together they will cover the evolution of fathers as integral characters, and how family, in all of its varied forms, remains such an important part of the way we tell stories on the screen.

To set the stage for the dialogue, Emergent Order Foundation will screen an exclusive clip from their upcoming short documentary, that is in production at EO.F about Troy Kotsur’s relationship with his dad.