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.
Brian Chirls was kind enough to record our panel at the Independent Film Festival of Boston entitled Followers: How Filmmakers are Building Their Audiences Online in the 21st Century. To blatantly copy and subtly edit his blog entry on the subject:
Normally it’s difficult to get me to shut up about myself, but occasionally I get busy enough that I forget to do even that. As a result you may have missed your golden opportunity to see me speak at the Georgia Big Picture Conference this morning. Never fear! I have two more panels here in Atlanta and one coming up in Massachusetts at the Independent Film Festival of Boston. Here are the gritty details.
The Film Festival Circuit: A discussion with authors Heidi Van Lier (The Indie Film Rule Book) and Chris Holland (Film Festival Secrets). Friday April 17th at 4:00 p.m. Starbucks 931 Monroe Drive Atlanta,GA 30305
Distribution Options and Alternatives Sunday April 19th at 10:45 a.m. Hotel Midtown Atlanta, GA Digital strategies for building and communicating with your audience Sunday, April 26 at 12:00 pm Somerville Theatre 55 Davis Sq Somerville, MA 02144
The other panelists are:
Scott Kirsner (moderator), author of the Cinematech blog and two very cool books.
Brian Chirls, digital film marketing guru extraordinaire
Sean Flynn, producer and cinematographer at Principle Pictures.
Panels are open to festival/conference badgeholders; please inquire to GA Big Picture Conference or IFF Boston if you need more info.
If you’re one of the lucky few, uh– thousands headed to South by Southwest in Austin next month, please stop by the Southby Bookstore in the Austin Convention Center on Sunday, March 15th at 1:30 p.m. Go ahead, mark your calendar, I’ll wait. Bring along your copy of Film Festival Secrets or buy a fresh copy from the bookstore and I’ll sign it on the spot.
I’m really looking forward to this year’s SXSW – they have a strong program this year and it’s always fun to meet the filmmakers and tech types who come into Austin for this surreal celebration of entertainment, music, and technology.
If you’re planning to attend SXSW interactive but think you might want to dip your toe into the waters of the film side of things, Agnes Varnum just posted a great article entitled A Geek’s Guide to SXSW Film. (Did you know there are films that your Interactive badge will get you into even if you don’t have a Gold or Film Badge? It’s true!) Also useful is Jette Kernion’s guide to SXSW film venues over at Slackerwood.
And finally, if you’re lucky enough to be a filmmaker with a film in the program, here’s a series of articles just for you: Last minute filmmaker tips for SXSW.
I will be attending and moderating a panel at the Oxford Film Festival in Oxford, MS this weekend (the festival begins Thursday and runs through Sunday).
I left the IFFS wishing I could stay and do more. I have already made plans to attend in 2009 and would recommend the experience to any film festival worker; It is a terrific opportunity to talk about nuts and bolts away from the pressure of film markets and festival screening schedules.
This is exactly the way I feel about IFFS in general. Though I and many others have thoughts regarding the panels and general format of the annual conference, this year’s event proved invaluable as a chance to touch base with old friends, forge new contacts, and put faces to the personalities I only meet by phone or e-mail. I hope everyone else finds it as useful, and that they’ll keep coming back even as the conference struggles towards the ultimate goal of making all of its component events relevant to a wildly diverse set of attendees.
For the rest of Tom’s thoughts click here. I have more detailed notes (including the notes on my own panel about new media and marketing) that I’ll be posting later this week and early next.
If what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, then we’re all wasting our time.
If, on the other hand, we all retain memories of these three days, then a lot of good could come out of the Film Festival Summit held in Vegas this week. The Summit, positioned in early December when very few festivals are held and just about anyone in the film fest industry could participate, is a chance for festival staffers and other industry types to get together and talk shop. Though there are occasional grumbles about the location, programming, or expense of attending, no one denies that the chance to be in a room with a 200+ other festival directors — from the smallest startup to the biggest of the big boys — is invaluable.
The first day was technically only a half day but when it bleeds into the late night you can definitely say you’ve put in a full day’s work. The keynote speech by Rick Allen of Snagfilms was followed by a panel about the relationship between panels and distribution. These, however, felt secondary to the networking marathon that took place immediately afterwards on the exhibit floor and then migrated to a nearby restaurant.
I’m going to spare you the gory details in favor of getting down to the show in time for the morning panel with programmers Trevor Groth (Sundance, Cinevegas) and Gary Meyer (Telluride) speaking on “The Art and Philosophy of Curating a Film Festival.” I’m guessing that those of you reading will care more about that than about “Board Development for Your Festival” or “Creating Value for Festival Sponsors.”
Ultimately, however, this is good for filmmakers. Smaller festivals will definitely benefit from learning about the conventions created by their larger counterparts (even if they decide to flaunt those conventions) and the larger fests will be reminded that filmmakers have a world of choices (large and small) outside their own events. More to come.
Festival consulting is available at reasonable rates. Whether you just need a few answers or want a complete strategy for your film, I'm here to help. Read more >>
First Time Here?
There's a lot to learn about film festivals. Learn more about Film Festival Secrets and see some of our most popular articles. Read more >>
Brian Chirls was kind enough to record our panel at the Independent Film Festival of Boston entitled Followers: How Filmmakers are Building Their Audiences Online in the 21st Century. To blatantly copy and subtly edit his blog entry on the subject:
If you’re one of the lucky few, uh– thousands headed to 
I will be attending and moderating a panel at the Oxford Film Festival in Oxford, MS this weekend (the festival begins Thursday and runs through Sunday). 
