Editor

Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), the trade association representing independent producers and distributors worldwide, today announced its new Executive Committee and Board of Directors. The elections were held as part of the IFTA’s annual members meeting, which took place today at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The Alliance’s seven person Executive Committee is headed by Chairman Michael Ryan (IAC Film & Television), who was re-elected last September and is serving the second year in his term. Newly elected Executive Committee members are Mark Damon (Foresight Unlimited), Vice Chairman; Lewis Horwitz (Horwitz Entertainment Financial Services), Vice Chairman, Finance; Ehud Bleiberg (Bleiberg Entertainment), Chairman, IFTA Export Alliance; Lloyd Kaufman (Troma Entertainment), Vice Chairman.

Continuing in the second year of their two-year terms are: John Kochman (Unifrance) as Vice Chairman and Paul Hertzberg (Cinetel Films, Inc.) as Vice Chairman, Secretary.

The IFTA’s Board of Directors consists of 20 members. The newly elected members are Richard Guardian (Lightning Entertainment), Tony Kandah (Hollywood Wizard), Brad Kembel (Summit Entertainment), Albert Lee (Emperor Motion Pictures), David Shoshan (ImageWorks Entertainment) and Andrew Stevens (Focal Point Releasing).


Re-elected to the Board of Directors are Glen Basner (The Weinstein Company), Steve Bickel (Aura Entertainment), Nicolas Chartier (Voltage Pictures), Roger Corman (New Concorde International), Pierre David (Imagination Worldwide), Peter Elson (Global Cinema Group), Kimberly Ferguson (Independent), Antony Ginnane (IFM World Releasing), Avi Lerner (Nu Image), Mark Lindsay (Kimmel International), Nick Meyer (Lionsgate), Bobby Meyers (Meyers Film Entertainment), Alison Thompson (Focus Features), and Kevin Williams (Kevin Williams Associates). Reiko Bradley (Foresight Unlimited) and Mark L. Lester (American World Pictures) will serve as alternates.

Regarding the announcement, Mr. Ryan said, “Our newly elected Executive Committee and Board of Directors is comprised of an outstanding cross-section of international film and television industry leaders whose guidance and expertise will be invaluable to the IFTA in the coming year.”

Jean Prewitt, president and CEO of the Independent Film & Television Alliance, added, “We look forward to working with such an accomplished and diverse group on initiatives critically important to our membership, as well as to the independent film constituency at large.”

About the Independent Film & Television Alliance

The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) is the global trade association of the independent motion picture and television programming industry. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization represents and provides significant entertainment industry services to more than 170 member companies from 22 countries, consisting of independent production and distribution companies, sales agents, television companies, studio-affiliated companies, and financial institutions engaged in film finance. Forty percent of the Independent Film & Television Alliance’s membership and thirty percent of the association’s board of directors are from outside the U.S.

Collectively, the Independent Film & Television Alliance’s members produce more than 400 independent films and countless hours of television programming each year and generate more than $4 billion in distribution revenues annually. The organization’s premiere event, the American Film Market, will take place November 1 - 8, 2006 in Santa Monica.

As the voice and advocate for the independent film and television industry worldwide, the Alliance speaks out on matters of critical importance and where appropriate, actively lobbies governments around the world in regard to measures directly affecting the independent industry.
see you all at AFM
Bruno Chatelin