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.
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.
I’ll be in attendance Thursday through Saturday and participating on a panel on Friday afternoon at 2:15 p.m. at the Malco Studio theater. If you’re in driving distance of Oxford I encourage you to check it out. Two of my favorite films on the festival circuit, Stingray Sam and Happy Ending, are playing there.
Also check out the series of “Take 5″ interviews that the festival has been publishing with its filmmakers.
Astoria Indies bills itself as the “new home of indie film in Queens,” which leads me to wonder where the old home of indie film in Queens was, but no matter.
This weekly screening series kicks off 2010 with B-Sidefave Visioneers, the Zach Galifianakis flick that’s been described as “Office Space meets 1984.”
You can also take a gander at the official Astoria Indies site and learn about the other films they’ll be showing – oh hey, look at that. They’re showing yet another B-Side film: Trust Us, This Is All Made Up, which showcases two of the top improv comics in the U.S.
Am I done shilling for B-Side and Astoria Indies yet? I suppose. Now back to the regularly scheduled blog.
The Austin Film Festival begins this Thursday, and as it is the festival where I got my start “on the inside” of fests, it holds a special place in my heart. I’ll be checking out the films, schmoozing at the parties, and of course rattling on about festivals, marketing, and film distribution at a few panels during the accompanying Screenwriters’ (and filmmakers!) Conference. Here’s where you can find me, and when:
Check out the Austin Film Festival schedule for full info on the films and panels to see. You can also pick up a print copy of Film Festival Secrets at the merch table near registration.
IDA’s roundup of a pair of panels from FIND’s Filmmaker Forum:
All agreed that the film festivals are going through a tough time right now. “Film festivals are losing money and they are closing,” lamented Jones. “CineVegas is closing for a year. Jackson Hole [not the Wildlife Film Festival] has closed completely. Sponsors are pulling out, so festivals are dealing with budget cuts in other ways, such as taking fewer films. When the festival outlets dry up, we lose a critical distribution mechanism. I consider film festivals like art galleries–they are the only place where you can see particular films onscreen.”
I’m currently in Memphis, Tennessee for the Indie Memphis film festival. The festival staffers have kindly invited me to speak on two of their “Café Conversation” panels. Both talks take place outside the Malco Studio theater at the Festival Café tent. The events are free to the public so even if you weren’t planning to attend the festival itself (and you should), you can stop by and soak up a little knowledge without spending a dime.
Since 2007 the South by Southwest Film Festival (and its sister Music and Interactive events) have allowed attendees to suggest panel ideas and then vote on them using a web site called the PanelPicker. It’s not the only method by which the SXSW team selects what panels to present, but it formalizes the process of gauging audience interest in particular topics. They’ve continued to use the PanelPicker since its inception, so I’m guessing it’s a fairly useful tool for the programmers and it certainly makes the target audience feel included.
The PanelPicker for 2010 is currently open for audience voting, and for the first time I’ve submitted a panel idea: Short Film Secrets. I get a lot of questions from the creators of short films asking how the concepts in Film Festival Secrets apply to short films in particular. There are also a ton of questions out there about the distribution potential for short films, how they can be used to give your career a boost, and which festivals are best for short filmmakers. So that’s the panel I think SXSW should host, and I hope you like it well enough to vote for it.
LOS ANGELES (August 6, 2009) – Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced today that the 2010 Spirit Awards will be held on Friday, March 5, 2010, and will air live and uncut at 8:00 p.m. PST/11:00 p.m. EST on IFC (Independent Film Channel). The nominations press conference will take place on Tuesday, December 1.
This year’s celebration marks the 25th Anniversary of the Spirit Awards, which honors films made by filmmakers, who embody independence and who dare to challenge the status quo. To celebrate the milestone, Film Independent and IFC will be broadcasting the ceremony live in a special primetime event rather than the organization’s signature Saturday event in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.
“The influence of independent filmmakers on the language of cinema and popular culture during the last 25 years has been phenomenal, and we have been proud to provide a platform for these talented artists at the Spirit Awards,” said Film Independent Executive Director Dawn Hudson. “In planning this yearís significant anniversary, we decided to venture away from our beloved day at the beach to a Friday evening where we hope an even broader audience discovers us as we kick-off the awards weekend.”
Also announced, Film Independent will be accepting submissions beginning on Monday, August 10, with the early deadline of Monday, September 14 and the final deadline of Tuesday, October 6. Submission guidelines, applications, and more information can be found at SpiritAwards.com.
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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.
Astoria Indies bills itself as the “new home of indie film in Queens,” which leads me to wonder where the old home of indie film in Queens was, but no matter.
The Austin Film Festival begins this Thursday, and as it is the festival where I got my start “on the inside” of fests, it holds a special place in my heart. I’ll be checking out the films, schmoozing at the parties, and of course rattling on about festivals, marketing, and film distribution at a few panels during the accompanying Screenwriters’ (and filmmakers!) Conference. Here’s where you can find me, and when: 
Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook for Independent Filmmakers