Come see the “Short Film Secrets” talk at South by Southwest 2010
If you’re coming to the South By Southwest film festival this weekend, you’ll have the chance to see me speak during the Short Film Secrets panel on Tuesday, March 16th at 2:00 p.m.
The official description from the SXSW guide: There’s more out there for shorts than just YouTube, despite apparently limited sales and distribution avenues. Learn to make the most of festivals, the red flags that might keep you out, how to get away with breaking the rules, and what to do with that opus afterwards.
Joining me will be:
- Todd Luoto, short film programmer for the Sundance Film Festival
- Emily Doe, associate editor & producer of Wholphin DVD
- Will Hartman, director of “Art of Karaoke” and “Food for Thought”
A SXSW Film, Gold, or Platinum badge is required to attend this event.
RSVP on Facebook or just show up!
I will also be serving on the Texas Short Film jury at the festival, and you’ll be able to buy copies of Film Festival Secrets in the bookshop on the expo floor.
Film Festival Secrets Podcast #5 – SXSW and AFI Dall — uh, Dallas International Film Fest.
It’s time for another episode and an embarrassing faux pas: Jesse Trussell and I talk about the upcoming Austin madness that is South by Southwest. Also, I momentarily forget that the Dallas International Film Fest has outgrown its AFI affiliation. I’m sure they’ll forgive me eventually. Listen now.
Links mentioned in the podcast:
- Tribeca Film Fest announces Shrek 4 as its opening night film
- Tim & Eric Season Cinco
- South by Southwest Film Festival
- Coney Island Baby
- Junko’s Shamisen
- Short Film Secrets talk at SXSW | Facebook invite
- Dallas International Film Fest
- Atlanta Film Festival
- Wholphin DVD
- Will Hartman
- Interview with Todd Luoto, programmer at Sundance
Download the MP3 now or subscribe in iTunes.
Photo credit: shankar, shiv
Programmer Profile: Lane Kneedler, AFI Fest
My name: Lane Kneedler
My current festival: AFI FEST
My title: Associate Director of Programming
Other fests I’ve worked for: Sundance, LAFF, Cinevegas
Movies that best represent my personal tastes: Primer, Network, Container, and Chain Camera
When I’m not watching movies I like to: Game, read comics, mainline internet culture.
A movie I recently programmed that I consider to be a great personal discovery: Last year we had the world premiere of the film Playing Columbine by Danny Ledonne. It’s a great film because it highlights how some subject matter requires a long form documentary investigation to be fully understood, some subjects can’t be reduced to a sound bite or 2 minute trailer.
When filmmakers ask me “What’s different about your film festival?” I say: Our new free festival model allows us to support filmmakers that are taking more risks. Audiences risk little in coming to see our free show so they can be a little more adventurous, in turn we are looking for filmmakers who are taking risks and making art on the edge. I see our festival as a safe place where we can challenge our boundaries together, audiences and filmmakers alike.
Our festival audience has come to expect: Challenging world cinema and original voices, I hope that’s what they are expecting because that’s what they are getting!
Saskia Wilson-Brown on the (not) changing role of film festivals
I think we’re assigning and bemoaning this dwindling commercial purpose to small festivals retro-actively in light of a perceived dearth of distribution deals – a dearth which, again, is only really relevant to festivals that were the hosting space for sales in the first place, and entirely irrelevant to the continued purpose of the small festivals who saw no such activity in their meeting rooms. Most annoyingly perhaps, small festivals gamely play along, trotting out their one or two success stories as bait for a system that never functioned for them or their filmmakers in the first place.
This is the first of five thoughts Saskia intends to post on the subject of festivals as they relate to distribution – I can’t wait to read the other four.
Travel webisodes from Oxford Film Festival
Tate English and Lynn Mikeska (writer/director and star, respectively, of The Ballad of Friday and June) spent some time at the Oxford Film Festival recording a series of webisodes to document their festival trip. Rather than making the series a simple travelogue, however, they went out of their way to make each episode funny in a self-deprecating way. Well-made webisodes like these capture some of the local flavor of a festival town and involve fellow attending filmmakers involved whenever possible. (You want to give people a reason to link to your videos, right?) Off-the-cuff video blog entries are a fun, inexpensive way to build a fan base and to draw attention to your film’s festival run.
See more Oxford FF travel videos at the Ballad of Friday and June blog.
Programmer Profile: Jon Gann, DC Shorts Film Festival
My name: Jon Gann
My current festival: DC Shorts Film Festival and Screenplay Competition
My title: Festival Director (and creator)
Other fests and film-related organizations I’ve worked for: I started the DC Film Alliance, a non-profit organization which unifies the Washington, DC regional film and media arts community through the sharing of information, a monthly Film Salon, online resources, and a comprehensive calendar of every film event from Baltimore to Richmond. Before that, I ran a small production house which created short films, commercial and industrial works for hire.
Three movies that best represent my personal tastes: Sunset Boulevard, Big Night, Soapdish.
When I’m not watching movies I like to: Write new screenplays and theatrical pieces, knit, cook, meet with visiting filmmakers, travel.
A movie I recently programmed that I consider to be a great personal discovery: Every season, there is one film that touches me deeply to the point of tears. Last year, Marc Havener’s And What Remains was that film. I must have seen it a dozen times before it hit the bigs screen during the festival — and I still melted into a mess — as did a large portion of the audience. I love short film’s ability to move people and register some deep-seated emotion in only a few minutes. That is the power of good storytelling.
Film Festival Secrets Podcast #4 – Sundance, Oxford, SXSW.
It’s time for another episode: Jesse Trussell and I recap our visit to Park City for Sundance and Slamdance, and speak fondly of the Oxford Film Festival. Plus, South by Southwest is just around the corner.
Links mentioned in the podcast:
- David Basulto’s Filmmaking Central
- Sundance film festival schedule
- Oxford Film Festival
- South by Southwest
- SXSW opening slate announcement
Download the MP3 now or subscribe in iTunes.
(Updated to link to the correct MP3 file – let me know if you have any problems.)
Photo credit: skippyjon
Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook for Independent Filmmakers