A short newsletter this week. Our “25 New Faces” issue is on the stands and online, and I hope you settle down with the piece and check out the people we’ve profiled. There’s also a huge amount of new material online. It used to be that I’d put the magazine to bed and then check out of it for a few weeks, but the Internet has changed all that. For example, I just posted Marc Maurino’s epic (5,500 words!) report from the Sundance ShortsLab -- detailed enough to make you feel you were there. Posted yesterday was the latest in the “Microbudget Conversation” series, “Script v. Story.” Filmmaker Nicole Elmer comes up with a very useful way to think about story development and microbudget production; I really like this piece. We’ve got the second installment of our “Foreign Correspondent” series -- reports from the indie scene internationally. (This is a rotating column, so if you have a view from abroad, let us know.) And, next week, the year-long “Blue Velvet Project” from Nick Rombes begins. Now it’s dark.

See you next week.

Best,
Scott Macaulay
Editor

FOX FILMED ENTERTAINMENT'S TOM ROTHMAN TO RECEIVE INDUSTRY TRIBUTE AT 21ST ANNUAL GOTHAM INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS Signaling the official kick-off for the film awards season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards is one of the leading awards for independent film. IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Awards honor the filmmaking community, expand the audience for independent films, and support the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition. This year’s Gotham Awards will take place on Monday, November 28th at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

The 2011 Industry Tribute, which each year honors a career veteran who has significantly influenced the motion picture business, will go to Tom Rothman, Chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment. Mr. Rothman, in addition to overseeing some of the biggest blockbusters in motion picture history, has long been a steadfast supporter of independent cinema. In 1994, Rothman founded Fox Searchlight Pictures, which is one of the most successful producers and distributors of specialized fare in the industry. Additional tributes to a director, actor and an actress are still to be announced .More details on the Industry Tribute read here.

There will be seven competitive awards in 2011 and submissions are now being accepted in the five competitive categories that accept open submissions – Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, and Best Ensemble Performance. The deadline for these submissions is 5pm EST on September 16, 2011. Awards to the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You® for undistributed films and the Gotham Audience Award winner will also be presented. Nominees in all categories will be announced on October 20th. Applications, along with full criteria for all awards, are available here.
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