Conflict-of-interest note: As most of you know, I produce films in addition to editing Filmmaker. Others on our team do as well. “By filmmakers, for filmmakers,” our marketing tagline has long been, and I like to think that our experience gives the magazine insight as well as strong bullshit detector. Being aware of my multiple hats, however, I generally exclude projects I produce from the magazine and site. That’s why you’ve never read about films like Off the Black, Saving Face and Raising Victor Vargas in Filmmaker. (Sorry, directors!) But when it comes to the following story of interest to […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 20, 2012Did you miss the Filmmaker Conference at Independent Film Week last month? Me too – I managed to catch a few panels, but I spent most of the week running around, working, and attending other IFW events (as evidenced by my photo blogs here, here, and here). Luckily, IFP will streaming the entire conference available to members. One new video will be added to ifp.org every weekday this month. Membership levels start at $35, which for roughly 30 hours of film industry education (and tons of other benefits) is not a bad deal. One video is already online – a […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Oct 14, 2011In 2010 the Sundance Institute began Sundance Film Festival U.S.A. where a handful of films from that year’s fest screened in select theaters nationwide on one day during the festival. Today Sundance announced the theaters that will take part in the 2012 edition on Jan. 26. The cities and theaters participating are: –Ann Arbor, MI – The Michigan Theatre –Boston, MA – Coolidge Corner Theatre –Brooklyn, NY – BAM –Chicago, IL – Music Box Theatre –Houston, TX – Sundance Cinemas Houston –Nashville, TN – Belcourt Theatre –Orlando, FL – Enzian Theater –San Francisco, CA – Sundance Kabuki Cinemas –Tucson, AZ […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 14, 2011The Sundance Institute announced today the participants for its annual Creative Producing Labs and Creative Producing Summit, which will take place in Sundance, Utah starting July 18. From the 18-22, ten projects will participate in the Labs (five narrative, four documentaries) and receive ongoing support throughout the year. Following the Labs, from the 22-24, leaders in the independent film community will partake in the Summit that will include case study sessions, panels, roundtable discussions, one-on-one meetings and pitching sessions. Summit panelists include Josh Braun (Submarine Entertainment), Victoria Cook (Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz), Liesl Copland (William Morris Endeavor), Eric d’Arbeloff […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jul 12, 2011Last summer in L.A. the Sundance Institute presented their first-ever ShortsLab, a day-long workshop for short filmmakers. The success of the event has led the Institute to expand ShortsLab to three cities this year with the first being Chicago on May 7 (NYC will happen on July 9 and L.A. Aug. 6). The Chicago workshop will include seminars, screenings and panels that focus on story, production and distribution. There will also be a panel dedicated to short film programmers, as they’ll talk candidly about what films they’re looking for and give tips on how to get your short noticed. Some […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Apr 12, 2011Here are a few things in my Instapaper this week. In GQ, Mark Harris looks back at “The Day the Movies Died” and the preeminence of easy marketing over original ideas. An excerpt: Such an unrelenting focus on the sell rather than the goods may be why so many of the dispiritingly awful movies that studios throw at us look as if they were planned from the poster backward rather than from the good idea forward. Marketers revere the idea of brands, because a brand means that somebody, somewhere, once bought the thing they’re now trying to sell. YouTube has […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 20, 2011Last week from the Sundance Film Festival Filmmaker ran a series of videos sponsored by Kenneth Cole highlighting the work of volunteers at the festival. Each year, 1,600 volunteers descend on Park City and help make the festival a good experience for both filmmakers and audiences. And each year Cole, a Sundance Institute board member, designs and donates a sleeveless down vest to the volunteers. This year those vests are for sale at Kenneth Cole stores and at Sundance’s online festival store. A percentage of the net profits from the sale is donated to the Sundance Institute. Below, in this […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 3, 2011For the independent film industry, January isn’t just the start of a New Year, it’s also exam season. At this very moment, documentary filmmakers around the world are in edit rooms deep into the night, hoping to ace the Sundance finals. The reward for those late night cram sessions is certainly worth it: the most gifted alumni of previous festival’s have been awarded the best graduation gift of all — a career as a working filmmaker. To find out more about this year’s class, I spoke to David Courier, Senior Film Programmer at the Sundance Institute. Filmmaker: I noticed a lot […]
by Mary Anderson Casavant on Jan 18, 2011The Sundance Institute has announced the films that will be screening as part of Sundance Film Festival USA. On Thursday, January 27, 2011 nine different cities will screen films from the Sundance 2011 slate. The full list of titles and theaters involved in Sundance USA are listed below. Tickets are available through individual theater’s box office. See the complete list of Sundance Film Festival competition titles here and out-of-competition titles here. The festival will take place Jan. 20-30, 2011 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. Sundance Film Festival USA Win Win / U.S.A. — Ann Arbor, […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Dec 8, 2010The Sundance Institute has announced the short films that will be screening at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The full list of titles are below. See the complete list of competition titles here and out-of-competition titles here. The festival will take place Jan. 20-30, 2011 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. U.S. NARRATIVE SHORTS After You Left (Director: Jef Taylor; Screenwriters: Jef Taylor and Michael Tisdale) – A man in his mid-thirties searches for meaning in the aftermath of a relationship. Andy and Zach (Director and Screenwriter: Nick Paley) – When Zach decides to move out, […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Dec 6, 2010