Think about it for a second: how do you, as a filmmaker, gauge your film’s impact? Is it the box office you generate through screenings? The number of Twitter followers you have? The amount of “fans” you have on Facebook? And what do you do with that information once you have it?  The Harmony Institute believes these are critical keys for decision making not only for your current film but your future films as well. Deputy Director Debika Shome shared amazing insights in her “Blitz Wisdom” talk at the IFP Filmmaker Conference about how the Harmony Institute does their work, […]

I’ve been really eager to hear more about IFP’s newest venture, the Made in NY Media Center by IFP, which is a collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, the  NYC Economic Development Corporation and General Assembly (an organization offering immersive classes in web development, media and business management). I was all ears for Thursday’s Filmmaker Conference profile panel where representatives from each of those organizations spoke a little more about the Media Center and what it will offer for NYC-area filmmakers. Opening in two weeks in a beautiful 20,000 square foot ground-floor DUMBO location (22 John Street), the Media Center aims […]

The IFP Independent Filmmaker Conference’s “Blitz Wisdom” panels are quick, TED-like talks from filmmakers and folks in the industry discussing their projects and/or offering tips and pointers. During Monday’s “Blitz Wisdom” session with Peter Broderick, President of Paradigm Consulting (helping filmmakers develop distribution and social media strategies), we learned some great tips on how maintaining a relationship with your audience after they’ve left the theater can help you develop a sustainable model of revenue. Here are Broderick’s seven key ways your audience can be utilized to help your independent project: 1. Direct Funding – Once you’ve identified your audience and have their […]

One of the great things about Independent Film Week is getting to meet so many other filmmakers who are sharing in the same experience working in independent film. On any given day of the conference you could be sitting next to a producer, director or distributor who might end up helping you on your next project (or maybe you’ll end up helping them!) You also end up hearing about a lot of great projects and films, which is exactly what happened one session this week when I found myself sitting next to Milo Daemgen, independent producer of various short & […]

One of the more lively discussions I’ve seen so far at the Independent Filmmaker Conference, “When Documentaries Disturb the Power Structure,” included a panel of heavy-hitters from the documentary world including both filmmakers (Eugene Jarecki, the director of The House I Live In; Rachel Grady, the director of Detropia; and Tia Lessin and Carl Deal the directors of Citizen Koch) and representatives from public broadcast (Mette Hoffmann Meyer, the head of documentary and co-productions at DR TV/Danish Broadcasting Television and Claire Aguilar, Executive Content Advisor for ITVS/Independent Television Service), all moderated by Deidre Haj, Executive Director of the Full Frame Documentary Film […]

There doesn’t seem to be any disagreement that it’s tough out there in the world of independent film. The country’s financial uncertainty coupled with an over-saturation of films in the marketplace with no real avenues for revenue have made establishing a career as a film director very difficult. Pair that with the unending stream of big-budget, low-revenue, Hollywood-produced tentpole pictures and one could say these are the Dark Days of filmmaking. And most of the speakers on the first day of the Filmmaker Conference did reiterate that. Well…all but one: independent film producer Jon Kilik. Known for his early work […]

The IFP Independent Filmmaker Conference’s “Blitz Wisdom” panels are quick, TED-like talks from filmmakers discussing their projects and/or offering tips and pointers. Here are a few highlights from Malika Zouhali-Worrall’s Blitz Wisdom on the making of the documentary Call Me Kuchu and how they created this successful and highly provocative documentary about the first openly gay man in Uganda: — When researching a topic for your film, find a cause that is topical and personal to you and research, research, research. While the filmmakers had no direct connection to the LGBT situation in Uganda, they had learned a great deal […]

Sunday’s schedule of events at the IFP’s Filmmaker Conference titled “Future Forward” really couldn’t have been more perfectly named. Though each panel could be seen appropriately fitting for the title, two in particular really hit home the idea that our future and our way forward is through new voices and new stories, mainly through new, minority filmmakers (and that much of the success of these new filmmakers is in our hands). First-time writer/director Ryan Coogler, whose film Fruitvale Station is already appearing on Top 10 lists for 2013 with rumors of Oscar nods, spoke candidly about the film’s production, about […]

GLAAD, formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation released its first annual Studio Responsibility Index (SRI) this week, reporting on the representation of LGBT people in major Hollywood films released by six major movie studios in 2012, including 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney, Warner Bros. and Sony Columbia. The results are not very good, and sadly not surprising: – In 2012, of the 101 releases from these major studios, only 14 of them contained characters identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (and not a single movie released contained a character who identified as transgender). – Of […]

Though you may not know the name, you certainly should. Alice Guy-Blaché was the first female filmmaker in history, yet few people know her name today. Thankfully, two filmmakers are seeking to change that. Los Angeles-based directors Pamela Green and Jarik van Slujis are currently raising funds through Kickstarter for Be Natural, the first ever in-depth documentary exploring the life and films of Alice Guy-Blaché. It all started when Green happened to catch a segment of a TV-documentary called Reel Models: The Women of Film, about women pioneers of cinema. They very briefly mentioned Alice Guy among a few familiar names. “I […]