By Rhiannon HobbinsSo after years of dreaming about being a filmmaker you decided to finally go for it. You begged, borrowed and maxed out your credit cards. The house had to be remortgaged and you even had to bail on the Christmas skiing holiday. You’ve seriously never been so bloody broke.But you’ve got no regrets, you’ve made your film and the rest will be easy. But the fact is that it can be just as difficult to land a distribution deal. And after all the sacrifices and hard work, ther...
By Anita FalusiIn my quest, to collect more information about the situation of Hungarian Cinema today, I came across a talented independent filmmaker, Madarász István. He was brought to my attention because even though he never went to film school his movies win award after award from the U.S. throughout Hungary to Spain. Recently, he even got a grant for pitching a new project to a 15 producer panel at the Central European Pitch Forum. I decided to ask him; what is the secret to be a successf...
8,724 films were submitted to Sundance this year and only 240 got in. Where do the others go? FROM HERE TO AWESOME is a discovery and distribution festival created to celebrate the exciting possibilities of DIY distribution."Less and less films are getting traditional distribution deals. Form Here to Awesome is an attempt to answer some of the largest issues facing filmmakers today - discovery, distribution and sustainability by putting the power to distribute in the hands of the filmmakers and...
Slamdance jury members for 2008 have been selected and are as follows:Since 1983, Skizz Cyzyk has made more than 50 short films and videos, many having won awards and screened at festivals all over the world. He is the Founder/Festival Director for MicroCineFest, the Programming Manager for the Maryland Film Festival, an advisory board member/juror for Alabama's Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, served ten years as technical supervisor/projectionist for the Atlanta Film Festival, and on juries a...
Slamdance jury members for 2008 have been selected and are as follows:Since 1983, Skizz Cyzyk has made more than 50 short films and videos, many having won awards and screened at festivals all over the world. He is the Founder/Festival Director for MicroCineFest, the Programming Manager for the Maryland Film Festival, an advisory board member/juror for Alabama's Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, served ten years as technical supervisor/projectionist for the Atlanta Film Festival, and on juries a...
The Detroit Windsor Int'l Film Festival shows their strong educational and professional development streak, with the inclusion of a "mini trade show" that brings the latest tools and techniques to the attendees who are interested in film and video production. From writing to distribution and everything in between, CineFlow will show new film and video production techniques and capabilities, including HD, animation, visual effects, editing and distribution to web servers, like YouTube...
Institute of Contemporary Arts ( ICA ) www.ica.org.uk/lsff Curzon Soho cinema www.curzoncinemas.com Roxy Bar & Screen www.roxybarandscreen.com Amersham Arms www.amersham-arms.co.ukThe Projector with Teeth returns to 4 major London venues this January, with a new identity and a new name, celebrating 5 uncompromising years of short film and punk attitude.After 4 years, the Halloween Short Film Festival now emerges as the London Short Film Festival, still proud to be the edgiest film festival in th...
The Slamdance Film Festival, the movie showcase with a sole mission to nurture, support and introduce truly independent works, has announced its feature film slate and special program schedule for the 2008 fest, which takes place in Park City, Utah, January 17-25. Now in its 14th year, Slamdance has established a unique reputation for premiering new films by first-time writers and directors working within the creative confines of limited budgets. As always, Slamdance is featuring an interest...
LOVE IN THE TIME OF TECHNOLOGY By JANE MOUNTAIN, Contributing Writer for AFI online dailies Technology has invaded and seized control of our world. Computers are as common as cars, and on the street we listen to our iPods, talk on our cell phones, and punch keys on our PDAs. Technology has also led to a revolution in filmmaking, from special effects-laden blockbusters, to independent shorts, to the thousands of homemade mini-movies shared on YouTube every day. Whether this is a good thing...
Friday, November 2----------The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival has always had a commitment to showcasing the best of the new American independent cinema, and this weekend it offers a diverse and diverting group of films from new American indie talents. For those interested in the technical and thematic innovations that these filmmakers are bringing to the medium, get to the Maniaci Center or Cinema Paradiso for a taste of the new American autuers.On Saturday, the Festival will pre...
Friday, November 2----------The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival has always had a commitment to showcasing the best of the new American independent cinema, and this weekend it offers a diverse and diverting group of films from new American indie talents. For those interested in the technical and thematic innovations that these filmmakers are bringing to the medium, get to the Maniaci Center or Cinema Paradiso for a taste of the new American autuers.On Saturday, the Festival will pre...
Tuesday, October 30----“We realized pretty quickly that the existing system was not going to work in our benefit…..so we decided it was easier to create a new alternative rather than battle the system that was in place”, filmmaker Lance Weiler declared at the Power To The Pixel Conference last Friday at the London Film Festival. And thus, the gauntlet was launched, as a new generation of filmmakers, distributors and marketers discussed the myriad ways that the digital revolution is upend...
In this year’s Spotlight: All you need is talent, the Stockholm International Film Festival focuses on new ways to make film with small means and cutting-edge technology. In a bold experiment, the audience is invited to take part in the ever-evolving filmmaking process, through a project called Let’s make a film. New technological advances constantly make way for creative ways to make film without necessarily being backed by a big production company and large financial resources. More and mo...
In this year’s Spotlight: All you need is talent, the Stockholm International Film Festival focuses on new ways to make film with small means and cutting-edge technology. In a bold experiment, the audience is invited to take part in the ever-evolving filmmaking process, through a project called Let’s make a film. New technological advances constantly make way for creative ways to make film without necessarily being backed by a big production company and large financial resources. More and mo...
Well, we're REALLY in the homestretch now, and we're looking forward to a great Vermont International Film Festival on Oct. 11-14 in Burlington. The films are strong, we have some great guest speakers coming in, and the volunteers are at the ready. FILM PROGRAM:* BAMAKO (115 min.) (Mali/U.S.A./France) - www.bamako-themovie.com/This narrative film chronicles African civil society proceedings against the IMF and World Bank that take place in the courtyard of Melé, a bar singer, and her out-of-w...
Well, we're REALLY in the homestretch now, and we're looking forward to a great Vermont International Film Festival on Oct. 11-14 in Burlington. The films are strong, we have some great guest speakers coming in, and the volunteers are at the ready. FILM PROGRAM:* BAMAKO (115 min.) (Mali/U.S.A./France) - www.bamako-themovie.com/This narrative film chronicles African civil society proceedings against the IMF and World Bank that take place in the courtyard of Melé, a bar singer, and her out-of-wo...
Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent, announced today the third-annual Filmmaker Forum will be held October 19- 21 at the Directors Guild of America, giving attendees access to some of the most innovative names in indie filmmaking. “Our Filmmaker Forum is not your conventional ‘How to Make it in the Business’ seminar,” said Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent. “It’s an honest, off-the-record discussion about a filmmaker’s options. Our highly respect...
Ann Arbor Film Festival Endangered campaign is just a week old and already we're receiving donations, kudos, and press. Our first wave of bold supporters is now posted online here: www.aafilmfest.org/endangered/supporters. For donations of $25 or higher you can get your name added to publicly show your support of the AAFF, and also get a vote for our next Act of Audacity. Your participation now is critical to help us build momentum for our campaign. In addition to donating here are othe...
If you dare wear short shorts, then wear them to the 2007 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market (ShortFest), held from August 23-29, 2007 at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs, CA. Now in its 13th year, the Festival has announced its roster of 332 films, selected from more than 2,500 worldwide entries. The Festival will showcase 54 World Premieres, 12 North American Premieres and 20 U.S. Premieres. The selection of films for screening and competition feature...
Two local men interested in developing Sarnia’s burgeoning arts culture will host the city’s first short film festival this fall. Entries are being accepted now, says Joe Manafo, who came up with the concept with buddy Nathan Colquhoun. “We want to celebrate local filmmakers, their films, and cultivate the film scene in Sarnia,” Manafo said. “We’re both interested in films and we’re experimenting with our own.” Sarnia’s inaugural Short Film Festival will take place Saturday, Oc...
NomadsLand.com, the online platform for social issue filmmakers, today announced its release of enhanced social networking and distribution tools to assist filmmakers in making films about pressing global issues.NomadsLand (www.nomadsland.com) has been described as "YouTube and MySpace for progressive directors and producers." Designed by filmmakers for filmmakers, NomadsLand is the home for a growing worldwide collective of creative directors, video producers, production companies and...
NomadsLand.com, the online platform for social issue filmmakers, today announced its release of enhanced social networking and distribution tools to assist filmmakers in making films about pressing global issues.NomadsLand (www.nomadsland.com) has been described as "YouTube and MySpace for progressive directors and producers." Designed by filmmakers for filmmakers, NomadsLand is the home for a growing worldwide collective of creative directors, video producers, production companies and distribut...
VoD vs. Cinema?European Audiovisual Observatory Afternoon Workshop in Cannes breaks all recordsLinks to the presentations of the conference:Cinema admissions in EuropeVideo on demand in EuropeLes enjeux de la vidéo à la demande et de la vidéo en ligne Digital rights management systems (DRMs) Audiovisual Archives and the Inability to Clear Rights in Orphan Works Making Possible the Access to Our Film Heritage on VoD Over 350 film professionals crowded into the Palais des Festivals in Cannes to...
Download Devastation?Cannes Film Festival Launch of New Book provides the answers to online film distribution. The Internet and mobile platforms are not a threat to the film industry but represent a huge opportunity to reach new markets and audiences - provided film companies understand how to set up digital deals. The claim has been made by a lawyer who is launching a new book at the 60th Cannes Film Festival which explains the plethora of legal issues relating to Internet and mobile film dis...
The third and final conference on the future of cinema was held this morning at Baron Beach across from the Carlton Hotel, and it proved to be another success for FilmFestivals.com and CFC Media Lab, the companies that together put on the three panels.This panel on the future of online marketing for films was especially interesting, since we are currently at a time when online marketing is exploding and no one really knows how to handle it. The panelists included: Malo Girod de L'Ain, founde...
