The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and Sundance Institute will again collaborate to promote and support American independent films and filmmakers as part of the European Film Market (EFM) at the Berlin International Film Festival (February 7-17, 2013).

The jointly …]]> Initiative Highlights American work to international buyers and festival programmers

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and Sundance Institute will again collaborate to promote and support American independent films and filmmakers as part of the European Film Market (EFM) at the Berlin International Film Festival (February 7-17, 2013).

The jointly sponsored “American Independents in Berlin,” presented in partnership with the EFM, will showcase 45 films through combined “IFP Selects” and “Sundance at EFM” Market Screenings, with the objective of highlighting new American work to international buyers, distributors, and festival programmers. In addition, the American Independents stand in the EFM’s Martin-Gropius-Bau serves as a community hub and provides support services to attending American filmmakers, companies and organizations.

“IFP is excited to launch our second year of this initiative with the help of our partners at the EFM and Sundance Institute,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of the IFP. “We are proud to support our talented filmmakers and showcase their work to international audiences, giving them sales and distribution opportunities as well as a homebase at the EFM.”

“We are delighted to offer our filmmakers, fresh from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, access to international sales opportunities in Berlin as well as a place to land at the EFM,” said John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival.

HIGHLIGHTING NEW AMERICAN WORK

The Market Screenings strand of “American Independents in Berlin” includes films by filmmakers coming directly from the Sundance Film Festival and IFP program-supported films which have recently premiered at Sundance Film Festival or other international festivals. Seven of the films in the initiative are also screening in one of the official Berlinale sections.  The films are represented either by the individual producers or sales agents; participation goals include additional international sales opportunities, as well as developing exhibition and festival relationships.

BOOTH #200 MGB: AN INFORMATION AND NETWORKIG HUB FOR U.S. FILMMAKERS AND INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY

“American Independents in Berlin”—Booth #200 in the Martin-Gropius-Bau—serves as a “home-base” for select U.S. filmmakers, sales agents, and distributors.  Open to all international distributors, acquisitions executives, producers, and financiers already attending the EFM, it is a place for networking and discovery.

Events at the stand include two “American Independents” conversations: 

*Saturday, February 9, 4:30 pm – Leading U.S. festival programmers discuss the landscape of US festivals, and what they look for when programming for their audiences. Panellists include Doug Jones (Los Angeles Film Festival), Carl Spence (Seattle International Film Festival), Kim Yutani (Sundance Film Festival), Jacqueline Lyanga (AFI Fest), and Genna Terranova (Tribeca International Film Festival). Moderated by Milton Tabbot, IFP Senior Director of Programming,

*Tuesday, February 12, 4:30 pm – Case studies of Stacie Passion’s Concussion and Matt Porterfield’s I Used to Be Darker will explore the US independent film journey — from early development and production to world premieres at Sundance and on to the Berlinale. Panelists include Stacie Passon and Rose Troche (CONCUSSION), and Matthew Porterfield and Ryan Zacarias (I USED TO BE DARKER). Moderated by Kim Yutani, Programmer, Sundance Film Festival.

In addition, “American Independents in Berlin” will co-present with neighboring stand “Meet the Docs,” an EFM initiative in collaboration with European Documentary Network (EDN), four conversations comparing key aspects of documentaries in the U.S. and EU – pitching, documentary funds, production, and distribution. All of the afternoon conversations from February 9–12, will be followed by networking receptions generously supported by the EFM.

MORE INFORMATION:

For more information about the “American Independents in Berlin” program or participating films, please contact:  Andrew Houchens, IFP, ahouchens@ifp.org

Attending from IFP and Sundance are:

• IFP Executive Director, Joana Vicente
• IFP Senior Director of Programming, Milton Tabbot
• IFP Special Projects Coordinator, Andrew Houchens
• Sundance Film Festival Programmer, Kim Yutani
• Sundance Feature Film Program, International Manager, Matthew Takata

APPENDIX

2013 “AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS IN BERLIN” EFM SCREENINGS

IFP SELECTS

• Alexander Meillier’s ALIAS RUBY BLADE
• Rola Nashef’s DETROIT UNLEADED
• Justin Schwarz’ THE DISCOVERERS
• Jenny Deller’s FUTURE WEATHER
• Daniel Patrick Carbone’s HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES
• Visra Vichit-Vadakan’s KARAOKE GIRL
• Penny Lane’s OUR NIXON

SUNDANCE AT THE EFM / IFP SELECTS

• Stacie Passon’s CONCUSSION
• Zachary Heinzerling’s CUTIE AND THE BOXER
• Matt Porterfield’s I USED TO BE DARKER

SUNDANCE AT THE EFM  

• Chris Nelson’s ASS BACKWARDS
• Richard Linklater’s BEFORE MIDNIGHT
• Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s BLACKFISH
• Robert Berger and Karlyn Michelson’s CHARLIE VICTOR ROMEO
• Carl Deal & Tia Lessin’s CITIZEN KOCH
• Randy Moore’s ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW
• Rama Burshtein’s FILL THE VOID
• Dror Moreh’s THE GATEKEEPERS
• Sebastian Hofmann’s HALLEY
• Bastian Günther’s HOUSTON
• Joshua Michael Stern’s jOBS
• Alicia Scherson’s IL FUTURO
• Jeremy Lovering’s IN FEAR
• George Tillman, Jr.’s THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE
• Eliza Hittman’s IT FELT LIKE LOVE
• Muel O’s JISEUL
• John Krokidas’ KILL YOUR DARLINGS
• Jacek Borcuch’s LASTING
• Liz W. Garcia’s THE LIFEGUARD
• Michael Winterbottom’s THE LOOK OF LOVE
• Greg Barker’s MANHUNT
• Francois Delisle’s THE METEOR
• Sean Ellis’ METRO MANILA
• Andy Heathcote’s THE MOO MAN
• Pablo Larrain’s NO
• Mike Lerner & Maxim Pozdorovkin’s PUSSY RIOT – A PUNK PRAYER
• Calvin Lee Reeder’s THE RAMBLER
• Barbara Kopple’s RUNNING FROM CRAZY
• Mark Albiston & Louis Sutherland’ SHOPPING
• Daniel Hoesl’s SOLDATE JEANNETTE
• David Grohl’s SOUND CITY
• James Ponsoldt’s THE SPECTACULAR NOW
• Jehane Noujaim’s THE SQUARE (AL MIDAN)
• Logan Miller & Noah Miller’s SWEETWATER
• Simon Barrett, Jason Eisener, Gregg Hale, Gareth Huw Evans, Edúardo Sanchez , Timo Tjahjanto & Adam Wingard’s S-VHS
• Hannah Fidell’s A TEACHER
• Giorgio Diritti’s THERE WILL COME A DAY
• Anne Fontaine’s TWO MOTHERS
• Barmak Akram’s WAJMA, AN AFGHAN LOVE STORY
• Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s THE WAY, WAY BACK
• Jim Mickle’s WE ARE WHAT WE ARE
• Sebastian Junger’s WHICH WAY IS THE FRONT LINE FROM HERE? THE LIFE AND TIME OF TIM HETHERINGTON

Expands Self-Distribution Opportunities

to Filmmakers Supported by Six Additional Organizations

 The Bertha Foundation │ BRITDOC │ Cinereach │ Film Independent

Independent Filmmaker Project │ San Francisco Film Society

 Artist Services Announces Collaboration with REELHOUSE, VHX, VIMEO and TUGG,

Offering Filmmakers Additional Platforms and Tools

 Los …]]> Sundance Institute Artist Services Program

Expands Self-Distribution Opportunities

to Filmmakers Supported by Six Additional Organizations

 The Bertha Foundation │ BRITDOC │ Cinereach │ Film Independent

Independent Filmmaker Project │ San Francisco Film Society

 Artist Services Announces Collaboration with REELHOUSE, VHX, VIMEO and TUGG,

Offering Filmmakers Additional Platforms and Tools

 Los Angeles, CA— Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, today announced that the Institute’s Artist Services program – which provides Institute artists with exclusive opportunities for creative self-distribution, marketing and financing solutions for their work –has expanded to include selected films supported by one foundation and fivenonprofit organizations.Additionally, these organizations will join with Sundance Institute in continuing to shape the program and the services it offers.

The Bertha Foundation,BRITDOC, Cinereach, Film Independent, the Independent Filmmaker Project and the San Francisco Film Society will each selectfilms that they have supported to receive access to best-in-class digital distribution arrangements that have beennegotiatedby SundanceInstitute Artist Services.These services are targeted for filmmakers who intend to pursue an independent release plan.In support of these filmmakers, the Institute will curate submitted films and work closely each organization, the filmmakers, and exclusive aggregation partner Cinedigm –New Video to develop independent distribution strategies.Furthermore, each organization will work with the Institute to expand educational opportunities to their alumni building on the model of the Artist Services Workshop that takes place each year during the Sundance Film Festival.

“Now more than ever filmmakers need to be creative and entrepreneurial in order to get their stories to audiences.Sundance Institute embraces cross-organizational collaboration in an effort to increase the collective impact on the field; it is in this spiritthat we welcome the input of our colleagues to further help us shape theArtist Services program, “ said Putnam.”Our hope is that it contributes to the long-term sustainability of independent film careers and a greater diversity of films reaching audiences each year.”

With the addition of new partners Tugg, Reelhouse, VHX, and Vimeo,Sundance Institute is expanding its suite of digital platforms and tools offered by Artist Services.Current partners include ten digital retailers as well as Kickstarter , GoWatchIt, and Topspin Media.Tugg is a web-platform that allows filmmakers and fans to create screening events at their local theater.Direct-to-fan platforms Reelhouse, VHX and Vimeo,like longtime Artist Services collaborator Topspin Media, will work with Sundance Institute and its interested supported filmmakers to develop opportunities to sell their films and merchandise directly to end users.All four new partners will participate in the annual Artist Services Workshop on Monday, January 21, at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Since the Artist Services program launched in January 2011, more than $3.2 million has been raised for nearly 100 Institute artists’ projects via Kickstarter and more than 40 films are now accessible by the public on a variety of platforms and storefronts.

The exclusive aggregation partner for distribution participating in the Artist Services program is Cinedigm – NewVideo. The Artist Services initiative is made possible by The Bertha Foundation. These deals were brokered via pro bono legal services generously provided by law firm O’Melveny & Myers LLP, which has built the legal framework for the Artist Services program and participating filmmakers since its inception.

 Sundance Institute

Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theatre, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform, and inspire, regardless of geopolitical, social, religious, or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights, and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born Into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza, and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

QUOTES FROM COLLABORATING ORGANIZATIONS

The Bertha Foundation

“The Bertha Foundation has been a proud supporter of the Artist Services initiative since it began,” said Rebecca Lichtenfeld of Bertha Philanthropies.“It not only gives films the much-deserved opportunity to reach broader audiences but it also offer resources for the filmmaker and producers that assist with their distribution strategies.We are looking forward to this next phase of the initiative and the support it will provide Bertha Foundation film grantees among others.”http://www.berthafoundation.org/

 BritDocs

“Wow.Thank you, Sundance Institute.”remarked Jess Search, CEO Britdoc Foundation, “BRITDOC is delighted to be joining Artist Services and to be able to get some films we love to audiences who will love them also.Artist Services is just the kind of smart distribution intervention that independent filmmakers, independent organizations like ours and independent audiences need.Kudos to Sundance Institute for having put it together and we look forward to being part of the innovations to come.”http://britdoc.org/

Cinereach

Philipp Engelhorn, Founder & Executive Director, Cinereach, stated,”Artist Services is a tremendous resource for producers who are committed to releasing their films with the same independent spirit it took to create them.We’re thrilled that Sundance Institute has opened this door for filmmakers, and look forward to being part of the dedicated family of organizations coming together to offer collective support.”

Film Independent

Josh Welsh, Co-President Film Independent, commented, “At a time when the biggest challenge isn’t so much making your film as it is getting it out into the world in a meaningful way, the Artist Services program provides a great opportunity for us to continue supporting the filmmakers we work with in our Labs and at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and to help them fully reach their audiences.”http://www.filmindependent.org/

Independent Filmmaker Project

Executive Director, IFP, Joana Vicente said, “It’s been exciting to see how Artist Services has flourished in the past year, and to see how many projects are reaping its benefits. IFP is thrilled to be collaborating with Sundance Institute on this initiative, as Artist Services is the perfect platform for what we have been doing for years: supporting filmmakers’ marketing and distribution efforts, ensuring that great independent work reaches and connects with audiences.”http://www.ifp.org/

San Francisco Film Society,

Ted Hope, Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Society, said, “The Sundance Institute Artist Services program is the most robust set of options for any filmmaker recognizing the full responsibility of independence. It’s an incredible privilege for SFFS to be invited to help guide filmmakers and their work into this new era.” www.sffs.org/

BOILERPLATES FOR COLLABORATING ORGANIZATIONS

Tugg, Inc.

Tugg, Inc. (“Tugg”) is a web-platform that enables people to choose the films that play in their local theaters. Through Tugg, individuals and organizations are empowered to select a film, screening time, and nearby theater, and then spread the word to their immediate and online community. Once a necessary amount of people commit to attending, the event will be confirmed, and Tugg will reserve the theater, manage ticketing and ensure delivery of the film; allowing the audience to sit back and enjoy the show. Tugg is currently working with exhibitors Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, AMC Theatres, Bow Tie Cinemas, Cinemark Theatres, Goodrich Quality Cinemas, Rave Cinemas and Regal Cinemas, as well as additional regional and independently-owned theaters across the country. These exhibitors provide theatrical venues for individually curated events showcasing Tugg’s growing library of hundreds of studio and independent films.

About Reelhouse

Founded in 2011, Reelhouse is an open video sharing community that offers film and video creators a rich toolset to self-distribute their content directly to their viewers via any Internet- connected device. Creators can chose between a series of monetization models while also leveraging customization, marketing, merchandising and media features that provide an engaging experience for their audience, all within a community specifically for quality entertainment content. Co-founded by former Electronic Arts producer Bill Mainguy and executive producer Bill Harrison, Reelhouse is advised by company executive board member and former Electronic Arts Canada General Manager Rory Armes, Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes and former Warner Bros. Records CEO Todd Moscowitz, among others. For more information, please visit http://www.reelhouse.org.

VHX

VHX, founded by Casey Pugh and Jamie Wilkinson, is a platform that allows filmmakers and artists to sell their work directly to fans via their own websites.Recent titles include the live special THE INVISIBLE MADE VISIBLE from This American Life, INDIE GAME: THE MOVIE directed by James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, Aziz Ansari’s DANGEROUSLY DELICIOUS, BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING directed by Neil Berkeley, WE ARE LEGION directed by Brian Knappenberger, Drafthouse Films MIAMI CONNECTION, and SOUND CITY directed by Dave Grohl. http://www.vhx.tv

Vimeo

Vimeo® is the home for high-quality videos and the people who love them. Vimeo’s mission is to empower and inspire people around the world to create, share and discover videos. As one of the world’s largest creative networks, Vimeo has over 14M registered members and reaches a global audience of more than 85M each month. Founded in 2004 and based in New York City, Vimeo, LLC is a subsidiary of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI)

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Director Benh Zeitlin Receives Two Awards

http://gotham.ifp.org

New York, NY (November 26, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, …]]> Top Awards go to MOONRISE KINGDOM and HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE as Best Feature and Best Documentary

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Director Benh Zeitlin Receives Two Awards

http://gotham.ifp.org

New York, NY (November 26, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, announced the winners of the 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at the awards ceremony held at the Cipriani Wall Street, in New York City.

Presented by IFP, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ is one of the leading awards for independent film and the first major honors of the film awards season. The ceremony was streamed live to a global audience at www.ifp.org.

Winners were chosen from a total of 30films that received nominations in seven competitive categories: Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Ensemble Performance, Breakthrough Actor, Breakthrough Director, Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You® and the Audience Award, powered by Festival Genius. In addition to the competitive awards, career tributes were given during the ceremony to actors Matt Damon and Marion Cotillard, director David O. Russell and philanthropist Jeff Skoll of Participant Media.

For the third year, IFP will honored the recipient of the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You award with a theatrical release package including a one-week run at Cinema Village in New York City, advertising support in the New York Times, and a cash award of $15,000 from The Royal Bank of Canada.

For the second consecutive year, IFP presented the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film.

New to the Gotham Awards this year is the Bingham Ray Award, an award bestowed upon an emerging filmmaker whose work exemplifies a distinctive creative vision and stylistic adventurousness that stands apart from the mainstream and warrants championing. The goal is to bring additional attention to new artists whose work could be seen as conceivably joining the ranks of filmmakers championed by industry veteran Bingham Ray, who passed away in January.

With the award comes a camera package from Panavision valued at $60,000 and a cash prize of $10,000.

The 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Award™ Recipients are:

For Best Feature, presented by Willem Dafoe:

MOONRISE KINGDOM

Directed by Wes Anderson

Produced by Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson

Released by Focus Features

The Best Feature jury included: Willem Dafoe, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Jesse Peretz, Jay Rabinowitz and Meg Ryan

For Best Documentary, presented by producer Ira Glass and documentarian Marshall Curry:

HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE

Directed and produced by David France

Produced by Howard Gertler

Released by IFC Films

The Best Documentary jury included: Marshall Curry, Rob Epstein, Laura Poitras, Lori Silverbush and Jean Tsien

For Best Ensemble Performance (awardsponsored by euphoria Calvin Klein), presented by actors Ethan Hawke and Juliet Rylance:

Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt and Mark Duplass in YOUR SISTER’S SISTER

Released by IFC Films

The Best Ensemble Performance jury included: Sacha Gervasi, David Gordon Green, George Tillman, Christine Vachon and Shailene Woodley

For Breakthrough Actor, presented by actors Jack Black and Emily Blunt:

EMAYATZY CORINEALDI in MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

Released by AFFRM and Participant Media

The Breakthrough Actor Jury included: JC Chandor, Neil LaBute, Emily Mortimer and Juliet Rylance

For Breakthrough Director, presented by Mark Standish, CEO of The Royal Bank of Canada (the presenting sponsor of the award) and director JC Chandor:

BENH ZEITLIN for BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures

The Breakthrough Director Jury included: Oscar Isaac, Oren Moverman, Ruba Nadda, John Slattery and Susan Stover

For Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You™,presented by actors Mark Duplass and Rosemarie DeWitt:

AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY

Directed and produced by Terence Nance

Produced by Andrew Corkin and James Bartlett

The recipient of The Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You™ award was determined by the editors of Filmmaker magazine, a publication of IFP, and a curator from The Museum of Modern Art.

For the Gotham Independent Film Audience Award powered by Festival Genius, presented by actorsAlex Karpovsky and Melanie Lynskey:

ARTIFACT

Directed by Bartholomew Cubbins

Produced by Jared Leto and Emma Ludbrook

The Audience Award was voted for on-line by filmgoers worldwide.

For the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ Grant, presented by actor/director Famke Janssen and actor Mickey Sumner:

STACIE PASSONfor the upcoming film, CONCUSSION

The euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers’ ‘Live the Dream’ grant jury included:Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Debra Granik, Mary Jane Skalski and Mickey Sumner.

For The Bingham Ray Award, presented by actor and friend of Bingham Ray, Oliver Platt:

BENH ZEITLIN, director of BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

The recipient of this award was chosen by a close group of Bingham’s friends and colleagues.

The Premier Sponsors of the 22nd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Official Water: FIJI Water, Official Spirit: Russian Standard Vodka, Official Wine Partner: Mionetto Prosecco, Official Partners: charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street.

About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organizations for independent filmmakers. Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization has championed early work by pioneering, independent filmmakers, including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.

IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships and Filmmaker Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology and business of independent filmmaking. The year-round program includes an Independent Film Week, The Gotham Awards, Filmmaking Labs and Seminars, and a range of programs to promote racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender and sexual diversity. IFP, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions, builds audiences by hosting premieres and special screenings.

For more information: www.ifp.org

About the Gotham Independent Film Awards™

The Gotham Independent Film Awards, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition.

Concussion is currently …]]> New York, NY (November 21, 2012) – The Adrienne Shelly Foundation announced yesterday evening that its 6^th Annual IFP Labs Director’s Grant is awarded to Stacie Passon for her film Concussion. The Grant was awarded at the Foundation’s 2^nd Annual “Woman of Vision Salute”, honoring filmmaker Lena Dunham.

Concussion is currently participating in IFP’s 2012 Narrative Independent Filmmaker Labs and is in post-production, looking towards an early 2013 festival premiere.

Concussion follows Abby, a disengaged wealthy lesbian housewife stuck in the suburbs. After a concussion-inducing hit to the face, something inside her ignites; she craves more than her boring, saturated existence. She buys a loft in the city to fix up and sell. Then, she sees a prostitute, and then another, and is drawn into the life herself. Stacie Passon is the writer and director of Concussion; the film is produced by Rose Troche, and executive produced by Anthony Cupo and Cliff Chenfeld. www.concussionmovie.com

Given in memory of actor and filmmaker Adrienne Shelly, the IFP Labs Director’s Grant is a competitive award that grants a female director $5,000 in finishing funds to their Labs project or as seed money towards a new project.  IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs are a unique year-long mentorship program supporting first-time feature directors when they need it most:  through the completion, marketing and distribution of their films.  Focusing exclusively on low-budget features (under $1million), this highly immersive program provides filmmakers with the technical, creative and strategic tools necessary to launch their films – and their careers. (www.ifp.org/programs/labs)

Andy Ostroy, widower of Adrienne Shelly and Founder/Executive Director of the foundation which bears her name, said of Concussion, “It’s an important film that tackles adult relationship themes in a very unique manner, forsaking the traditional clichés and presenting them with an honesty and realism with which many couples will surely identify.”

The jury for the IFP Labs Director’s Grant consists of board members of the Adrienne Shelly Foundation: producers Adam Brightman (Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist) and Jen Small (The Toe Tactic), as well as Andy Ostroy.

The other finalists for the Director’s Grant are Kat Candler, writer/director of Hellion and Kimberly Levin, writer/director of Cantuckee.

The Adrienne Shelly Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated in loving memory to the uniquely gifted actor and filmmaker Adrienne Shelly, whose highly accomplished life was tragically cut short November 1, 2006. ASF supports the artistic achievements of female actors, writers and directors through a series of scholarships and grants, providing recipients with financial support and consultative access to the Foundation’s advisory board of actors, directors, producers, composers, law, publicity, academic and trade professionals. Reflecting Adrienne’s spirit, generosity, courage and whimsy, its goal is to recognize the tremendous passion and commitment of women artists in creating their own work, and provide them with support and guidance particularly during periods of transition and struggle. More information: www.adrienneshellyfoundation.org

“For the second consecutive year, we are thrilled to be partnered with charitybuzz.com for our silent, on-line charity …]]> Beginning today, the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), in association with online partner charitybuzz.com, has gone live with its 2^nd annual silent auction. The auction will be live from today, Tuesday, November 13 to Tuesday, December 4, 2012.

“For the second consecutive year, we are thrilled to be partnered with charitybuzz.com for our silent, on-line charity auction.  We are incredibly grateful for the generosity from those in and outside of our community who have contributed so many phenomenal, unique and invaluable experiences in support of independent film.” said Joana Vicente, IFP Executive Director of the IFP.

The partnership between IFP and charitybuzz.com will raise funds for the IFP in support of its ongoing programs to support independent filmmakers. These auction items are one-of-a-kind experiences extended by key supporters and celebrities in the independent film world.  Auction items include:

Two tickets to Attend Entertainment Weekly’s Comic-Con Party, Lunch July 2013

Two Exclusive Tickets to Entertainment Weekly’s Pre-Emmy Party in LA September 2013

Set visit to HBO’s Boardwalk Empire

Set visit to of John Turturro’s Fading Gigolo in NYC Starring Woody Allen, Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara

Premiere Tickets and Red Carpet Access to Playing for Keeps on December in NYC, starring Woody Allen, Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara

Two Film Badges to the 2013 South by Southwest Film Conference & Festival

Two tickets packages to the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT

Consultations with Industry luminaries: Sheila Nevins (HBO/Cinemax), producer Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte (Antidote Films), Dylan Leiner (Sony Pictures Classics), Jonathan King (Participant Productions), Avy Kaufman (Avy Kaufman Casting), Cindy Tolan (Cindy Tolan Casting)

A Private Suite for 18 at a Philadelphia 76ers Game

Internships at the Made in NY Media Center, Big Beach Productions, The Weinstein Co., Filmmaker Magazine

Go to charitybuzz.com/Gotham to bid on these and many other auction items.

As the first major awards ceremony of the film season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. Previous winners for Best Feature and Best Documentary include BEGINNERS (2011), THE TREE OF LIFE (2011), BETTER THIS WORLD (2011), WINTER’S BONE (2010), THE OATH (2010), THE HURT LOCKER (2009), and FOOD, INC. (2009). The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention, including recent winners and ultimate Oscar® contenders:  feature winners BEGINNERS (2011), TREE OF LIFE (2011), WINTER’S BONE (2010) and THE HURT LOCKER (2009); Breakthrough Actors  Melissa Leo (2008), Ellen Page (2007), Rinko Kikuchi (2006) and Amy Adams (2005).

Previously announced were the nominees for six competitive awards for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You™. In addition to the competitive awards, Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, David O. Russell and Jeff Skoll will each be presented with a career tribute.  For the second consecutive year, IFP is also proud to present the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film. This year’s  nominees are Leah Meyerhoff for I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS, Stacie Passon for CONCUSSION, and Visra Vichit Vadakan for KARAOKE GIRL.

The Premier Sponsors of the 22nd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Official Water FIJI Water, Official Spirit Russian Standard Vodka, Official Wine Partner Mionetto Prosecco, Official Partners: charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street. Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on November 16th, 2012.

About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organizations for independent filmmakers. Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization has championed early work by pioneering, independent filmmakers, including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.

IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships and Filmmaker Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology and business of independent filmmaking. The year-round program includes an Independent Film Week, The Gotham Awards, Filmmaking Labs and Seminars, and a range of programs to promote racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender and sexual diversity. IFP, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions, builds audiences by hosting premieres and special screenings.

For more information: www.ifp.org

About the Gotham Independent Film Awards™

The Gotham Independent Film Awards, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition.

For information on attending: http://gotham.ifp.org

# # #

PRESS CONTACTS:

FRANK PR | 646.861.0843

Clare Anne Darragh | clareanne@frankpublicity.com

Lina Plath | lina@frankpublicity.com

Tiffany Malloy | tiffany@frankpublicity.com

IFP, in partnership with the …]]> New York, NY (October 22, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization for independent filmmakers, announced today a new partnership with DUMBO, Brooklyn’s reRun Theater, which has been called “one of eight nationwide theaters redefining the moviegoing experience” (Entertainment Weekly).

IFP, in partnership with the editorial staff of its in-house publication Filmmaker Magazine, will program and mentor feature films to play at the reRun, allowing for filmmakers in the process of self-distribution to garner theatrical runs in New York City. The first three titles to receive week runs as part of this deal will be Jacob Krupnick’s Girl Walk // All Day, Sara Blecher’s Otelo Burning, and Susan Youssef’s Habibi.

“In the reRun Theater, IFP has found a partner equally dedicated to our core belief in nurturing diverse voices on the independent scene,” said IFP Executive Director Joana Vicente. “In today’s climate, there are more ways than ever for filmmakers to get their work out into the world. But it’s the reRun’s emphasis on the communal moviegoing experience, and their drive to open New York City’s highly competitive theatrical market to a new community of artists and storytellers, that sets the theater apart.”

Filmmakers will be able to submit their films for consideration via an online form set to launch on www.ifp.org later this month. Alumni of IFP’s core programs are strongly encouraged to apply, as are films that have been covered by Filmmaker Magazine.

All selected films will be provided with marketing and distribution support, as well as a portion of the theater’s weekly ticket sales. IFP will assist with press outreach, and Filmmaker Magazine will cover each film preceding release.

“Our mission is to celebrate daring, vibrant works,” said Vicente. “Our first three weeks of theatrical premieres represent a dedication to this ideal, and we couldn’t be more excited to work with these emerging young talents.”

Opening November 2^nd, Jacob Krupnick’s Girl Walk // All Day is a feature-length dance music video set to the latest album by mash-up artist Girl Talk. The film, which played at SXSW this past March, follows three dancers on a journey across New York City, as they turn the city’s sidewalks, parks, and architecture into an evolving stage.

Opening November 9th for a week of “Buzz Screenings,” Otelo Burning tells the story of a group of South African township kids in 1989 who discover the joy of surfing against the backdrop of brewing political conflict. An alumnus of IFP’s Narrative Filmmaker Labs, the film had its US premiere at this year’s Seattle Film Festival and is being released by The Turner Group and Autonomous Entertainment.

Opening November 16th, Susan Youssef’s Habibi follows two students in the West Bank who are forced to return home to Gaza, where their forbidden love defies tradition. An alumnus of IFP’s Narrative Filmmaker Labs, the film was also an official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival, the Venice International Film Festival, and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Further details, as well as tickets to all screenings, will be available via the reRun Theater website at http://reruntheater.com. To celebrate their new partnership, IFP and reRun will also throw a kickoff party on October 30^th at 6PM at the theater (147 Front St) that is open to the public.

About reRun Theater

The reRun Theater, located at 147 Front St. in Dumbo, Brooklyn, provides a fully immersive theatrical and social experience, featuring an all-digital 1080p HD projector, a JBL 7.1 surround pro-audio sound system, a fully-stocked bar, and a gourmet snack menu. Open for operation since 2010, the theater has been named one of “eight nationwide theaters redefining the moviegoing experience” (Entertainment Weekly), a “DIY trailblazer” (Time Out New York), and one of “The World’s Coolest Movie Theaters,” (Travel and Leisure).

For more information, visit http://reruntheater.com.

About IFP

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organizations for independent filmmakers. Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization has championed early work by pioneering, independent filmmakers, including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.

IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships and Filmmaker Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology and business of independent filmmaking. The year-round program includes an Independent Film Week, The Gotham Awards, Filmmaking Labs and Seminars, and a range of programs to promote racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender and sexual diversity. IFP, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions, builds audiences by hosting premieres and special screenings. The IFP fosters the development of 300 feature and documentary films each year. Recently, the organization licensed the popular Festival Genius software platform through which IFP now reaches over 200,000 film fans worldwide.

For more information: www.ifp.org

Beasts of the Southern Wild, Bernie, Middle of Nowhere, and Moonrise Kingdom Receive Two Nominations Each

New York, NY (October 18, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent …]]> Monday, November 26^th at Cipriani Wall Street

http://gotham.ifp.org

Nominations Honor 26 Films

Beasts of the Southern Wild, Bernie, Middle of Nowhere, and Moonrise Kingdom Receive Two Nominations Each

New York, NY (October 18, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers announced today the nominees for the Gotham Independent Film Awards™.  Signaling the kick-off to the film awards season, IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Awards™ nominations were given to a total of 26 films across six competitive categories for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, and Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near YouÒ.

The Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, November 26th at Cipriani Wall Street.  In addition to the competitive awards, actors Marion Cotillard and Matt Damon, director David O. Russell, and Participant Media founder Jeff Skoll will each be presented with a career tribute.

As the first major awards ceremony of the film season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. Previous winners for Best Feature and Best Documentary include BEGINNERS (2011), THE TREE OF LIFE (2011), BETTER THIS WORLD (2011), WINTER’S BONE (2010), THE OATH (2010), THE HURT LOCKER (2009), and FOOD, INC. (2009). The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention, including recent winners and ultimate Oscar® contenders:  feature winners BEGINNERS (2011), TREE OF LIFE (2011), WINTER’S BONE (2010) and THE HURT LOCKER (2009); Breakthrough Actors  Melissa Leo (2008), Ellen Page (2007), Rinko Kikuchi (2006) and Amy Adams (2005).

Primary criteria for nomination consideration includes that the works be independently distributed American feature-length films (US-based or US-born directors and producers) made with a point of view. For a complete list of criteria, see http://gotham.ifp.org.

Since 2004, when IFP increased the number of the Gotham Award categories, expanded the criteria to include filmmakers beyond New York, and moved the awards ceremony to “awards season,” nominees have been selected by groups of distinguished film critics, journalists, festival programmers, and film curators. Separate juries of writers, directors, actors, producers, editors and others directly involved in making films will determine the final Gotham Award recipients.

This year 21 such writers and programmers participated in the nomination process, considering 211 eligible submissions. The Nominating Committees for the 2012 Gotham Independent Film Awards were:

Nominating Committee for Best Feature and Breakthrough Director:

Scott Foundas, Associate Program Director, Film Society of Lincoln Center; Contributing Editor, Film Comment

Ann Hornaday, Film Critic, The Washington Post

Glenn Kenny, Chief Film Critic, MSN Movies

Karina Longworth, Film Writer, LA Weekly & Village Voice

Wesley Morris, Film Critic, The Boston Globe

Nominating Committee for Best Ensemble Performance and Breakthrough Actor:

Peter Debruge, Senior Film Critic/Associate Features Editor, Variety

Ed Gonzales, Film Editor and Co-Founder, Slant Magazine

Eric Kohn, Lead Film Critic, Indiewire

Leah Rozen, Movie Critic, The Wrap.com and freelance writer

Elizabeth Weitzman, Film Critic, New York Daily News

Nominating Committee for Best Documentary:

Cynthia Fuchs, Film-TV Editor, PopMatters

Tom Hall, Artistic Director, Sarasota Film Festival

Rachel Rosen, Artistic Director, San Francisco Film Society

Ronnie Scheib, Film Critic, Variety

Sky Sitney, Festival Director, AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Festival

Nominating Committee for Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You:

Joshua Siegel, Associate Curator, Department of Film, Museum of Modern Art;

and members of the editorial staff of Filmmaker Magazine: Scott Macaulay (Editor-in-Chief), Nick Dawson, Brandon Harris, Ray Pride, Alicia Van Couvering

“From master film artists to richly talented newcomers, this year’s nominees comprise a diverse group of filmmakers and actors that defines the spectrum of independent film today” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP. “In addition to celebrating the work and the community, we also hope that the Gotham Award attention will encourage more audiences to explore the range of vibrant, entertaining, challenging, and innovative films represented here.”

The nominations for the 2012 Gotham Independent Film Awards are:

Best Feature

Bernie

Richard Linklater, director; Richard Linklater, Ginger Sledge, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer, Matt Williams, David McFadzean, Judd Payne, Dete Meserve, producers (Millennium Entertainment)

The Loneliest Planet

Julia Loktev, director; Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Helge Albers, Marie Therese Guirgis, producers (Sundance Selects)

The Master

Paul Thomas Anderson, director; Joanne Sellar, Daniel Lupi, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison, producers (The Weinstein Company)

Middle of Nowhere

Ava DuVernay, director; Howard Barish, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes, producers (AFFRM and Participant Media)

Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson, director; Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson, producers (Focus Features)

Best Documentary

Detropia

Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, directors; Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, Craig Atkinson, producers (Loki Films)

How to Survive a Plague

David France, director; Howard Gertler, David France, producers (Sundance Selects)

Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present

Matthew Akers, director; Jeff Dupre, Maro Chermayeff, producers (HBO Documentary Films and Music Box Films)

Room 237

Rodney Ascher, director; Tim Kirk, producer (IFC Midnight)

The Waiting Room

Peter Nicks, director; Peter Nicks, Linda Davis, William B. Hirsch, producers (International Film Circuit)

Best Ensemble Performance

Bernie

Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey (Millennium Entertainment)

Moonrise Kingdom

Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban (Focus Features)

Safety Not Guaranteed

Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni, Jenica Bergere, Kristen Bell, Jeff Garlin, Mary Lynn Rajskub (Film District)

Silver Linings Playbook

Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher, John Ortiz, Julia Stiles, Shea Wigham, Paulie Herman (The Weinstein Company)

Your Sister’s Sister

Emily Blunt, Rosemarie Dewitt, Mark Duplass (IFC Films)

Breakthrough Director

Zal Batmanglij for Sound of My Voice (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky for Francine (Factory 25 and The Film Sales Company)

Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin for Now, Forager (Argot Pictures)

Antonio Méndez Esparza for Aquí y Allá (Here and There) (Torch Films)

Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Breakthrough Actor

Mike Birbiglia in Sleepwalk with Me (IFC Films)

Emayatzy Corinealdi in Middle of Nowhere (AFFRM and Participant Media)

Thure Lindhardt in Keep the Lights On (Music Box Films)

Melanie Lynskey in Hello, I Must Be Going (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

Kid-Thing

David Zellner, director; Nathan Zellner, Producer

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty

Terence Nance, director; Terence Nance, Andrew Corkin, James Bartlett, producers

Red Flag

Alex Karpovsky, director; Alex Karpovsky, Michael Bowes, producers

Sun Don’t Shine

Amy Seimetz, director; Kim Sherman, Amy Seimetz, producers

Tiger Tail in Blue

Frank V. Ross, director; Adam Donaghey, Drew Durepos, producers

—————

For the second consecutive year, IFP is proud present the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film.

The nominees are:

Leah Meyerhoff, director, I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS

Stacie Passon, director, CONCUSSION

Visra Vichit Vadakan, KARAOKE GIRL

The 3^rd Annual Gotham Independent Film Audience Award will be voted on again by the independent film community, 230,000 film fans worldwide.  To be eligible, a U.S. film must have won an audience award at one of the top 50 U.S. or Canadian film festivals from November 2011 through October 2012.  Voting begins today at http://gotham.ifp.org/audience_award for the 31 films on the eligibility list.  The nominees will be announced November 5^th, and the winner will be revealed at the Gotham Awards ceremony.

The recipient of the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near YouÒ award is determined by the editorial staff of Filmmaker Magazine, a publication of IFP, and a curator from The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). All of these nominees will also be screened for the public at MoMA from November 16-19, 2012.

The Premier Sponsors of the 22nd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Official Water FIJI Water, Official Spirit Russian Standard Vodka, Official Wine Partner Mionetto Prosecco, Official Partners: charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street. Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on November 16th, 2012.

2012 Gotham Independent Film Awards™ – Alphabetical List of Nominated Films

Aquí y Allá (Here and There) Breakthrough Director

Beasts of the Southern Wild Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor

Bernie Best Feature, Best Ensemble Performance

Detropia Best Documentary

Francine Breakthrough Director

Hello, I Must Be Going Breakthrough Actor

How to Survive a Plague Best Documentary

Keep the Lights On Breakthrough Actor

Kid-Thing Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

The Loneliest Planet Best Feature

Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present Best Documentary

The Master Best Feature

Middle of Nowhere Best Feature, Breakthrough Actor

Moonrise Kingdom Best Feature, Best Ensemble Performance

Now, Forager Breakthrough Director

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

Red Flag Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

Room 237 Best Documentary

Safety Not Guaranteed Best Ensemble Performance

Silver Linings Playbook Best Ensemble Performance

Sleepwalk with Me Breakthrough Actor

Sound of My Voice Breakthrough Director

Sun Don’t Shine Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

Tiger Tail in Blue Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

The Waiting Room Best Documentary

Your Sister’s Sister Best Ensemble Performance

About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organizations for independent filmmakers. Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization has championed early work by pioneering, independent filmmakers, including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.

IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships and Filmmaker Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology and business of independent filmmaking. The year-round program includes an Independent Film Week, The Gotham Awards, Filmmaking Labs and Seminars, and a range of programs to promote racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender and sexual diversity. IFP, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions, builds audiences by hosting premieres and special screenings.

For more information: www.ifp.org

About the Gotham Independent Film Awards™

The Gotham Independent Film Awards, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition.

For information on attending: http://gotham.ifp.org

http://gotham.ifp.org

New York, NY (October 5, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization for independent filmmakers, announced today that Oscar Award™ winning Actor, Marion Cotillard will be honored with a career tribute at the 22nd Annual Gotham Independent …]]> Monday, November 26^th at Cipriani Wall Street

http://gotham.ifp.org

New York, NY (October 5, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization for independent filmmakers, announced today that Oscar Award™ winning Actor, Marion Cotillard will be honored with a career tribute at the 22^nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards™ on Monday, November 26th at Cipriani Wall Street, in New York City.

Signaling the official kick-off for the film awards season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ is one of the leading awards for independent film. Along with these three tributes, seven competitive awards for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You and Audience Award will be announced.

Cotillard is a critically acclaimed actor, who has built up an enviable filmography, working with some of the industry’s most renowned directors, domestically and abroad. The French actress joins previously announced Tributes Actor, Matt Damon; Director, David O. Russell and Philanthropist and Social Entrepreneur, Jeff Skoll being honored at the 2012 Gothams.

“Marion Cotillard is not only a delight to watch, she is one of the most talented women working in cinema around the world today,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of the IFP. “Her acting choices are always challenging and rewarding, and her performances show that she is a truly skilled artist, totally dedicated to her craft.  We are so honored to present this Tribute to a woman of her magnitude.”

This November, Cotillard will be seen starring in Jacques Audiard’s “Rust and Bone,” alongside Matthias Schoenaerts, Bouli Lanners and Céline Sallette. The film was co-written by Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain and adapted from the acclaimed book of short stories by Craig Davidson. The film will be released by Sony Pictures Classics on November 23, 2012 and premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Cotillard recently wrapped production on director and co-writer James Gray’s “Nightingale,” starring opposite Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner.  Additionally, she also completed production on Guillaume Canet’s “Blood Ties” opposite Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis and Zoe Saldana.

In 2008, Cotillard became the second French actress to ever win an Oscar®, and the first to win an acting award for a performance in the French language. The world-wide critical acclaim came for her riveting portrayal of legendary French chanteuse, Edith Piaf, in the film “La Vie En Rose.”

Cotillard’s credits include the successful French “Taxi” film series, written by Luc Besson; Yann Samuell’s “Love Me If You Dare;” and Tim Burton’s “Big Fish.” She garnered her first Cesar Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her performance in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “A Very Long Engagement.” Following that, she went on to star in Ridley Scott’s “A Good Year;” Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies” and Rob Marshall’s “Nine,” the screen adaptation of the hit musical. Her performance in the film brought her Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award nominations, and she also shared in a SAG Award® nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast Performance. Additional credits include Christopher Nolan’s “Inception,” Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris,” Steven Soderbergh’s “Contagion,” Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” and Guillaume Canet’s “Little White Lies.”

The Premier Sponsors of the 22nd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Official Partners: charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street, Official Spirit Russian Standard Vodka, Official Wine Partner Mionetto Prosecco. Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on November 16th, 2012.

About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organizations for independent filmmakers. Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization has championed early work by pioneering, independent filmmakers, including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.

IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships and Filmmaker Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology and business of independent filmmaking. The year-round program includes an Independent Film Week, The Gotham Awards, Filmmaking Labs and Seminars, and a range of programs to promote racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender and sexual diversity. IFP, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions, builds audiences by hosting premieres and special screenings. The IFP fosters the development of 300 feature and documentary films each year. Recently, the organization licensed the popular Festival Genius software platform through which IFP now reaches over 200,000 film fans worldwide.

For more information: www.ifp.org

About the Gotham Independent Film Awards™

The Gotham Independent Film Awards, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition.

For information on attending: http://gotham.ifp.org

# # #

“We are …]]> New York, NY (September 12, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers announced today that comedian/writer-director/actor Mike Birbiglia will serve as the host of the IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Awards™ show on Monday, November 26, 2012 in New York City.

“We are so thrilled that Mike Birbiglia will be hosting the Gotham Awards this year,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP.   “Coming off an exciting year as a debut director, with a hit film under his belt, Birbiglia’s charm and humor are sure to delight our audience.”

The announcement comes on the heels of the superb theatrical opening of SLEEPWALK WITH ME, Mike Birbiglia’s directorial feature film debut.   An established screen, stage and radio personality has gone on to create three of his own Comedy Central TV specials, after releasing three lauded comedy albums.  He is a veteran comedian having appeared on Letterman, Kimmel, Carson Daly, Conan, Craig Ferguson and Jimmy Fallon.

“I couldn’t be more excited about hosting the Gotham awards,” says Birbiglia.  “I’ve only attended once before; that was as a coat check guy (and I’m not kidding), where I worked with my sister Gina.   I don’t mean to brag, but I must have done a pretty damn good job hanging up coats to be asked back to host the thing.   At first I thought maybe they should have asked Gina to host, but then I remembered that she lost a few coats. The point is, I’m really excited about the Gotham Awards! It’s truly an honor to be asked by IFP.”

SLEEPWALK WITH ME, an IFC Films release from the creators of THIS AMERICAN LIFE, is based on Birbiglia’s one-man show of the same name.  Birbiglia directed, wrote and stars in the film which had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year where it won the Audience Award.   He also had an extended cameo in Lynn Shelton’s YOUR SISTER’S SISTER, another critically acclaimed 2012 film also released by IFC Films.  In 2010, Birbiglia made his literary debut with Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories. It debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List.  This work, along with his “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend”, were both adapted to successful off-Broadway shows which also toured internationally.  Critically acclaimed by Time Magazine, the New York Times and the Associated Press, Birbiglia is a two-time nominee for the Outer Critics Circle and the Drama Desk Awards.  He is the 2011 winner of the Lucille Lortel Award for “Outstanding Solo Show Off-Broadway”, and as an actor he has appeared in the films GOING THE DISTANCE, CEDAR RAPIDS and Lena Dunham’s HBO series “Girls.”

As the first major awards ceremony of the film season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention, including recent winners and ultimate Oscar® contenders:  feature winners BEGINNERS (2011), TREE OF LIFE (2011), WINTER’S BONE (2010) and THE HURT LOCKER (2009); Breakthrough Actors  Melissa Leo (2008), Ellen Page (2007), Rinko Kikuchi (2006) and Amy Adams (2005).

The Premier Sponsors of the Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein, Official Partners:  charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street; Russian Standard Vodka; and Official Wine Partner Mionetto Prosecco.  Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on November 16th, 2012.

About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organization for independent filmmakers. Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization championed the early work of pioneering independent filmmakers Charles Burnett, Todd Haynes, Mira Nair, Michael Moore, Joel and Ethan Coen, Kevin Smith, and Todd Solondz. IFP continues to play a vital role in launching first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Debra Granik (“Down to the Bone”), Miranda July (“Me, You and Everyone We Know”), and Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden (“Half Nelson”).

IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world and fosters the development of 350 feature and documentary films each year. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships, and Filmmaker Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology, and business of independent filmmaking.  The year-round program includes Independent Film Week, Envision, The Gotham Awards, and the Independent Filmmaker Labs. IFP’s programs promote diverse voices in independent film by working to include racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender and sexual diversity. IFP, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions, builds audiences by hosting premieres and special screenings.

For more information: www.ifp.org

About the Gotham Independent Film Awards™

The Gotham Independent Film Awards, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition.

For information on attending: http://gotham.ifp.org

August 10, 2012 (New York, NY) – Today, IFP announced its industry activities for the 34th edition of Independent Film Week, as well as the 2012 slate of 165 new films in development selected for its esteemed Project Forum.

Independent Film Week takes place September 16-20, 2012 at various locations throughout Lincoln Center and is …]]>

August 10, 2012 (New York, NY) – Today, IFP announced its industry activities for the 34^th edition of Independent Film Week, as well as the 2012 slate of 165 new films in development selected for its esteemed Project Forum.

Independent Film Week takes place September 16-20, 2012 at various locations throughout Lincoln Center and is a one-of-a-kind event that brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new voices and projects on the independent scene. The event is purely focused on supporting the future of storytelling by nurturing and providing opportunities for both emerging and established artists to connect with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences.

Expanding from its core mission IFP’s Film Week has been re-focused to ensure that artists, industry and audiences have the educational, networking and access opportunities necessary to create and enjoy work across a variety of platforms.

The Week provides multiple ways for the independent film and media communities to come together. These include:

Project Forum which facilitates over 2,000 meetings for talent with new projects in development;

Future Forward Industry Initiatives allow established professionals to meet to discuss new opportunities in creative media, as well as debate key issues critical to the future of visual storytelling;

FILMMAKER Conference Offering audiences the opportunity to discuss the future of film;

FILMMAKER Magazine - Celebrating tomorrow’s filmmakers today through IFP’s signature publication, celebrating its 20^th Anniversary this year.

“IFP is proud to present this year’s Independent Film Week, which includes a truly original, exciting, and diverse slate of U.S. and international projects that are sure to pique the interest of our attending industry friends,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director, IFP. “Not only does Film Week remain an important space for filmmakers with unique vision to connect with industry and peers, but it is also a destination for aspiring filmmakers and film fans alike to explore the art and business of 21^st century storytelling with the Filmmaker Conference.”

Project Forum

Under the curatorial leadership of Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson & Senior Director of Programming Milton Tabbot, IFP’s Project Forum has had a prolific history in the independent community supporting independent filmmakers at critical stages in their development processes. 165 U.S. and International projects have been selected for the 2012 Project Forum, evenly split between documentary and narrative features. Projects hail from the U.S., throughout Europe and Canada, as well Australia, Colombia, Dubai, Hong Kong, India, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey.

For a full list of 2012 selected projects, click here.

Narrative program highlights include new work from established independent producers John Baker (Dragonslayer), Siddiq Barmak (Osama), Jason Berman (LUV), Anne Carey (The American), P. Jennifer Dana (The Art of Getting By), Howard Gertler (World’s Greatest Dad), Steve Holmgren (Putty Hill), Lucas Joquin (Keep The Lights On), Guneet Monga (Gangs of Wasseypur), Katie Mustard (Night Catches Us), Josh Marston (Maria Full of Grace), Dave Saltzman (Shut Up and Play The Hits), Alicia Van Couvering (Tiny Furniture), Christine Kunewa Walker (Life During Wartime), Brock Williams (You’re Next), Steven Wolfe (500 Days of Summer) and Ryan Zacharias (Septien).

Acclaimed indie directors and festival favorites on this year’s slate include Deron Albright (The Destiny of Lesser Animals), Eleanor Burke & Ron Eyal (Stranger Things), Brian Crano (Bag of Hammers), Dustin Guy Defa (Bad Fever), Clay Jeter (JESS +MOSS), Eric Juhola (Off The Grid: Life On The Mesa), Malcom Murray (Bad Posture), Matthew Porterfield (Putty Hill), Tom Quinn (The New Year Parade), Dror Schaul (Sweet Mud), Martha Stevens (Pilgrim’s Song), Tim Sutton (Pavilion), and Musa Syeed (Valley of Saints).

This year’s selection of docs includes a range of stories equally divided among – and embedded within – the American political and social landscape, the international scene, history, and the arts world – with new projects from Academy Award® winner Daniel Junge (Saving Face), Academy Award® nominee Sam Cullman (If a Tree Falls), Jennifer Grausman (Pressure Cooker), John Walter (How to Draw a Bunny; Theater of War), Grace Lee (The Grace Lee Project), Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt (Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel), Ben Niles (Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037), Academy Award® nominee Jennifer Redfearn (Sun Come Up),  Kelvin Kyung Kun Park (Cheonggyecheon Medley: A Dream of Iron), Emmy® Award winner Tracy Droz Tragos (Be Good, Smile Pretty), producer Josh Penn (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and a greater than usual number of documentaries from exciting new filmmakers.

In addition, SAG Indie’s Emerging Narrative Reading will highlight short excerpts from new work by up-and-coming writer/directors, featuring a live reading from leading independent actors cast by Paul Schnee and Alison Estrin of Barden/ Schnee Casting (Winter’s Bone, The Help). Featured scripts include:

Arrow Written and directed by Emily Carmichael

Brooklyn Flee Written by Devon Kirkpatrick, written and directed by Alexandra Roxo

The Price of Flowers Written and directed by Ashley Charbonnet

Papaw Easy Written by Martha Stevens and Karrie Crouse, directed by Martha Stevens

Taminex Written by William Gerrard, written and directed by Anya Meksin

The organization championed the early work of pioneering independent filmmakers Charles Burnett, Todd Haynes, Mira Nair, Michael Moore, Joel and Ethan Coen, Kevin Smith, and Todd Solondz. Recently, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Debra Granik (Down to the Bone), Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know), Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine), Amongst the many films supported by Independent Film Week alumni playing theatrically, highlights include Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight) and The Queen of Versailles (Magnolia).

Future Forward Industry Initiatives

Film Week also consists of a number of initiatives aimed at expanding the networks and educating established film and media professionals on issues prevalent within the art and business of 21^st Century storytelling and audience engagement. These include:

The launch of IFP and FILMMAKER Magazine’s REINVENT: Media Arts for the 21^st Century – Consisting of a series of short talks by innovators who have radically rethought the art and business of media arts for the 21^st century.

IFP Producer of Marketing & Distribution Labs – IFP & director Jon Reiss (Bomb It!) have created the world’s first Producer of Marketing & Distribution (PMD) Labs, a six month fellowship providing select producers, marketing and digital strategists the tools and networks necessary to create a audience engagement strategy for select feature films from IFP’s 2012 Independent Filmmaker Labs.

IFP’s Festival Forum- Launched in 2010 at IFP’s Independent Film Week, IFP’s Festival Forum network is a bi-annual convening of over 45 top festival programmers and leaders from around the globe. The purpose of this two-day event is to create an infrastructure where festivals around the world can come together to discuss issues and trends affecting their organizations, audiences, and filmmakers, as well as discover new work by up-and-coming filmmakers to include in their upcoming festival slates.

New International Partners & Initiatives

IFP is pleased to announce new international partnerships and initiatives with a variety of funding bodies and cultural around the globe, providing a myriad of new creative and business opportunities for IFP’s emerging and established talent. This includes producers and executives attending on behalf of the Dubai Film Market, Torino Film Lab, Turkey’s Meetings On The Bridge, Proimagenes Colombia will all be presenting partners of IFP’s No Borders International Co-Production Market.

Filmmaker Conference

Held during IFP’s signature Independent Film Week, the Filmmaker Conference brings together the international filmmaking community to explore the art and business of 21st century storytelling. Whether stories are told through film, television, online, or new media, the Filmmaker Conference is the premiere place for to interact with experts on how to connect with audiences to make the most of your films. For the latest Conference schedule and to purchase tickets go here.

Highlights include:

New! Meet the Decision Makers – real meetings for Conference attendees with top distributors, agents & managers, and filmmakers’ grants and fellowships. Limited tickets available!

“Conversations With” legendary producers James Schamus and Christine Vachon, ARTE’s Michel Reilhac  and Ford Foundation’s Orlando Bagwell.

Zeroing in on specific films and storytelling as instructive models for filmmaking success, the Conference will also feature daily Case Studies on the hit indie films of the year, kicking off with Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight).

In addition to these headliners, new media pioneers Steve Coulson (Campfire Media), Nicole Emanuele (YouTube), Eric Brown (Kornhaber Brown), Karol Martesko-Fenster (Cinelan); director Daniel Minahan (“Game of Thrones” “True Blood” “Series 7”); and distribution strategist Jon Reiss will also be on hand to offer advice to aspiring and working filmmaker on how to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Independent Film Week’s Premier sponsors are Royal Bank of Canada and HBO. Gold sponsors are A&E IndieFilms, Eastman Kodak Company and SAGIndie/Screen Actors Guild. Silver sponsors are National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa, Screen Australia and Telefilm Canada. Official Independent Film Week Partner is Film Society of Lincoln Center. Independent Film Week is supported, in part, by funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.

About IFP

After debuting with a program in 1979 New York Film Festival, the nonprofit IFP has evolved into the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, and also the premiere advocate for them. Since its start IFP has supported the production of 7,000 films and provided resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers – voices that might not otherwise have been heard. IFP fosters the development of 350 new feature and documentary films each year through its Project Forum of Independent Film Week, Independent Filmmaker Labs and projects in its fiscal sponsorship program.

Press Contact

FRANK PR – 646-861-0843

Clare Anne Darragh

clareanne@frankpublicity.com

Lina Plath

lina@frankpublicity.com

http://gotham.ifp.org

New York, NY (August 2, 2012) –Independent Filmmaker Project®, the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, today announced that the 22nd  Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards™ will take place this year again at Cipriani Wall …]]> Deadline for Submissions is Friday, September 14, 2012

http://gotham.ifp.org

New York, NY (August 2, 2012) –Independent Filmmaker Project®, the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, today announced that the 22nd  Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ will take place this year again at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, on Monday, November 26^th.

The first award show of the season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ honor independently distributed American feature films made with an economy of means. Established in 1991, the Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ celebrate the authentic voices behind and in front of the camera in the year’s best independent films.

The Gothams provide critical early recognition to worthy independent films. Past winners include BEGINNERS (2011), THE TREE OF LIFE (2011), WINTER’S BONE (2010), THE HURT LOCKER (2009), FROZEN RIVER (2008), INTO THE WILD (2007) and HALF NELSON (2006), all of which went on to numerous awards and Oscar^™ nominations for – Christopher Plummer, Terrence Malick, Debra Granik, Kathryn Bigelow, Melissa Leo, Sean Penn, and Ryan Gosling, respectively.

Each year IFP chooses a jury of 25 innovators and icons in documentary and feature directing, producing, cinematography, and acting to bestow six competitive awards, Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Ensemble Performance, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor and  Best Film Not Playing At a Theatre Near You® on some of the best emerging and iconic filmmakers and actors working today.  All nominees for these honors are determined by a selection committee of critics and programmers.  Additionally the IFP™ Audience Award, now given for the third consecutive year, allows film enthusiasts around the globe to vote online for the winner.

“We are always proud to present the Gotham Awards as a showcase of the year’s best in independent film. As the true home of indie film, it is our goal to shine a light on these projects and all the hard work behind each film,” said Joana Vicente, IFP Executive Director. “And the Gothams are always an exciting opportunity to get a glimpse of the nominees to come throughout award season.”

In addition to seven competitive categories, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ also recognizes those who have made significant contributions to independent filmmaking by selecting individuals to tribute. Last year the organization feted David Cronenberg, Gary Oldman, 20^th Century Fox’s Tom Rothman, and Charlize Theron. The 2012 Tributes will be announced in the Fall.

For the eighth year, IFP will partner with the Museum of Modern Art to present the Best Film Not Playing At a Theatre Near You® public screening series in November 2012. The Best Film Not Playing At A Theatre Near You® series features films which are nominated in this category that have achieved critical acclaim from the festival circuit, but have not yet been acquired theatrically by a distributor.  A grant will be given to the winning filmmaker through Royal Bank of Canada’s Emerging Artists Project.

Submissions are now being accepted in five of the competitive categories, including: Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Actor, Breakthrough Director and Best Ensemble Performance. Applications, along with full criteria, are available at http://gotham.ifp.org.

The deadline for submissions is 5pm EST on September 14, 2012.

Nominees will be announced on October 18, 2012, and winners will be honored at a star-studded ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street on November 26th.

The Premier Sponsors of the 22nd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards^™ are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and The New York Times, Presenting Sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein Collection, Official Spirit Russian Standard Vodka, Official Wine Partner Mionetto Prosecco, Official Partners: charitybuzz; MoMA; Andaz Wall Street. Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times on November 16th, 2012.

About IFP

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organization for independent filmmakers.  Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization championed the early work of pioneering independent filmmakers Charles Burnett, Todd Haynes, Mira Nair, Michael Moore, Joel and Ethan Coen, Kevin Smith, and Todd Solondz. IFP continues to play a vital role in launching first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Debra Granik (“Down to the Bone”), Miranda July (“Me, You and Everyone We Know”), and Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden (“Half Nelson”).

Filmmakers from San Francisco, Brooklyn, Miami, and Vermont

Selected for Year-long Mentorship

New York, NY  (June 11, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced today the ten narrative features selected for the 2012 Independent Filmmaker Labs, IFP’s  …]]>

IFP ANNOUNCES NARRATIVE LINE-UP FOR ITS ANNUAL INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER LABS

Filmmakers from San Francisco, Brooklyn, Miami, and Vermont

Selected for Year-long Mentorship

New York, NY  (June 11, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced today the ten narrative features selected for the 2012 Independent Filmmaker Labs, IFP’s  annual year-long fellowship for first-time feature directors.  The creative teams of the selected films, chosen from a national pool of submissions, join the 8^th edition of the Labs taking place June 11-14 in New York City.

The Independent Filmmaker Labs are a highly immersive, free mentorship program supporting first-time feature directors with projects in post-production as they complete, market and distribute their films. Focusing exclusively on low-budget features (<$1million), the Labs provide filmmakers with the technical, creative and strategic tools necessary to launch their films. Twenty projects (10 documentaries and 10 narratives) are selected for the Lab fellowship each year.

“We are thrilled to welcome another talented class of emerging filmmakers to the Narrative Labs,” says IFP Executive Director Joana Vicente. “With the majority of films from the 2011 Labs premiering at  international festivals and many garnering top awards, the Labs are truly helping filmmakers succeed by providing invaluable marketing, distribution, and engagement strategy resources and by connecting their work to new audiences.”

Alumni projects with recent premieres on the festival circuit include Susan Yousef’s Habibi (Venice 2011), Ryan O’Nan’s The Brooklyn Brothers Beat The Best (Toronto 2011, Oscilloscope), Sara Blecher’s Otelo Burning (Durban 2011, London 2011, Busan 2011),Terence Nance’s An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (Sundance, Rotterdam, New Directors/New Films 2012), Keith Miller’s Welcome to Pine Hill (Grand Prize Narrative Feature Slamdance 2012) Lucy Mulloy’s Una Noche (Berlin 2012, Tribeca 2012), Matt Ruskin’s Booster, Nir Paniry’s Extracted, Tim Sutton’s Pavilion (all SXSW 2012), Jenny Deller’s Future Weather, and Andrew Seaman’s Nancy Please (both Tribeca 2012). Additional independent filmmakers of note who got their start at the IFP Labs include Dee Rees (Pariah), Todd Rohal (The CatechismCataclysm, Nature Calls), Amy Seimetz (SunDon’t Shine), Dia Sokol Savage (MTV’s 16 and Pregnant), and David Lowery (the upcoming Ain’t ThemBodies Saints with Rooney Mara).

“I truly don’t know what I would have done without my IFP angels in my corner. The amazing, family-like staff there poured knowledge into me, attempting to fill any gaps in experience I had, while constantly challenging me to be the most hard working, courageous, creative filmmaker I could be,” says The Brooklyn Brothers Beat The Best director Ryan O’Nan. “And it didn’t stop there. They were invaluable when it came to festivals, marketing and eventually navigating which distributor we would choose to release our film.”

Since 2005, 128 documentaries and narrative features have participated in the Labs, with 78% of the projects completed and premiered at major U.S. and international festivals, with 61% having distribution on a variety of platforms beyond festivals. As part of IFP’s ongoing commitment to diversity, the Independent Filmmaker Labs also seek to ensure that at least 50% of the participating projects have an inclusive range of races, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities and physical abilities in key creative positions.

Former Lab features currently in theatres includes The Brooklyn Brothers Beat The Best (Oscilloscope) Andrew Dosunmu’sRestless City (AFFRM), Alrick Brown’s Kinyarwanda (AFFRM), and John Henry Summerour’s Sahkanaga (Southern Circuit Tour); Additional Lab alumni whose films have been recently distributed include Dee Rees’ Pariah (Focus Features), Brady Kiernan’s Stuck Between Stations, (Wreckin Hill), Zeina Durra’s The Imperialists Are Still Alive! (IFC), Victoria Mahoney’sYelling To The Sky(MPI), and Tariq Tapa’s Zero Bridge(Film Desk).

The Labs provide multiple levels of mentorship throughout the process. The 2012 Lab Leaders are producer (Redacted, Coffee & Cigarettes)and IFP Executive Director Joana Vicente, FILMMAKER Magazine Editor In Chief and producer (Gummo) Scott Macaulay, Jon Reiss, director and author (Bomb It!; Think Outside the Box Office); the Lab is produced and overseen by IFP Head of Programming Amy Dotson. Each project will also receive one-to-one feedback and mentorship from top directors and producers throughout the Labs; this year’s mentors include directors Katherine Dieckmann (Motherhood), Larry Fessenden(The Last Winter), Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson), Neil LaBute (In The Company of Men),Joshua Marston (Maria Full of Grace), and David & Nathan Zellner (Kid Thing).

Individual workshop leaders include, amongst others: composer Peter Nashall (The Deep End), editors Sabine Hoffman (The Private Lives of Pippa Lee), Andrew Hafitz(The Last Days of Disco), Lee Percy (Boys Don’t Cry), and Mark Vives (Septien), and case-study producers Gretchen McGowan (Goldcrest Films), Peter Phok (The Innkeepers) and Josh Mond (Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene). The Labs will also include a number of experts on web presence, audience building, outreach, and distribution: Nick Kadner (Google Labs), Marissa Shrum (Mother Advertising), Hal Siegel (Murmur), Lina Plath & Claire Anne Darrah (Frank PR), and Caspar Newbolt (Version Industries).

The Independent Filmmaker Labs program is supported by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Artists Public Domain, Ford Foundation, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, SAGIndie/Screen Actors Guild and Time Warner Foundation. Lab partners include The Adrienne Shelly Foundation, BMI, Eastman Kodak Company, Rooftop Films, 92YTribeca, and the Sundance Documentary Film Program.

The selected projects for the 2012 Narrative Lab and Lab Fellows are:

Bastards of Young

Four early-30s friends meet at what ends up being their last annual Halloween party; but instead of celebrating career success are forced to confront darker realities: adultery, divorce, pregnancy – the basic issues that make adulthood more complicated than anyone expects it will be. Life in your 30s: not old, but definitely not young anymore. Fellows: Josiah Signor (Director/Writer), Robert Profusek (Producer), Ryan Silbert (Producer). Brooklyn, NY

Blue Caprice

Blue Caprice examines of one of the most charged and enigmatic events of the past decade: the 2002 shooting spree that terrorized the Washington, D.C. area and would come to be known as the Beltway sniper attacks. The film tells the story of the two snipers, Lee Malvo and John Williams, during the months leading up to the shootings, piecing together clues in an attempt to understand the circumstances and motives behind their horrific actions. Fellows: Alexandre Moors (Director/Writer), Kim Jackson (Producer), Stephen Tedeschi (Producer). New York, NY

Concussion

Abby is a lesbian housewife from the suburbs. By day, as her kids sit in school, she becomes a prostitute for women. Fellows: Stacie Passon (Director/Writer), Rose Troche (Producer), Anthony Cupo (Editor). Montclair, NJ

El Empantanado

Juan escapes after years in captivity at the mercy of FARC. His wife, Andrea, admits having an affair with his friend, Daniel. Not being free of sin, Juan decides to forgive. He and Andrea accompany Daniel to Key Largo for a diving weekend. There, Juan’s PTSD forces them to confront their darkest secrets.

Fellows: Felípe Echavarría (Director/Writer/Editor), Maggie Drayton (Producer), David Marcus (DP). Miami, FL

Go Down Death

Based on the folktales of Jonathan Mallory Sinus, a man loses his leg to make himself whole, a frail boy learns the meaning of malignant, the village outcast must protect his precious face, ghosts haunt a war hero (but he’ll haunt no one), mysterious explosions kill everyone, and Mr. Severe the Overseer watches the whole thing on film. Fellows: Aaron Schimberg (Director/Writer), Vanessa McDonnell (Producer/Editor).

Brooklyn, NY

Hide Your Smiling Faces

After a neighborhood tragedy, two adolescent brothers confront grief, love, violence, and their own mortality amid a surreal natural landscape. Hide Your Smiling Faces is an atmospheric exploration of rural American life through the often distorted lens of youth. Fellows: Daniel Patrick Carbone (Director/Writer/Producer), Matthew Petock (Producer), Zachary Shedd (Producer). Brooklyn, NY

I Believe In Unicorns

Davina escapes her obligations to her disabled mother by running away with an older boy in a whirlwind of romance and adventure. As their new relationship turns emotionally and then physically abusive, she attempts to escape to a fantasy world but ultimately must learn to face her stark reality and reconnect with the life she left behind. Fellows: Leah Meyerhoff (Director), Heather Rae (Producer), Becky Laks (Editor). Brooklyn, NY

Karaoke Girl

Balancing fact and fiction, dream and reality, Karaoke Girl follows Sa, a young country girl who works at a karaoke bar in Bangkok to support her family back home.Fellows: Visra Vichit Vadakan (Director/Writer), Samina Akbari (Co-Producer), Perry Blackshear (Editor). San Francisco, CA

Land of Tomorrow

Set in a rural community in America’s heartland, Land of Tomorrow tells the story of Betty, a wife and mother who fights to save her family’s farm-supply business. When her husband Frank falls ill and their son Finley gets into college, the financial pressures become too much, and Betty commits an unthinkable crime for the sake of her loved ones. Fellows: Kimberly Levin (Director/Writer), Kurt Pitzer (Producer), Francesc Sitges-Sardá (Editor). New York, NY

The Forgotten Kingdom

Atang Mokoenya is an aimless young man who spends his days idling in the slums of Johannesburg. When his father dies, Atang must give up his selfish ways and fulfill his father’s humble last wishes: to be buried in the rural mountain kingdom of Lesotho, the country they left 15 years earlier in hopes of a better life. Fellows: Andrew Mudge (Director/Writer/Editor), TR Boyce (Producer), Terry Leonard (Executive Producer). Vershire, VT

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About IFP
After debuting with a program in the 1979 New York Film Festival, the nonprofit IFP has evolved into the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, and also the premier advocate for them. Since its start, IFP has supported the production of 7,000 films and provided resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers – voices that otherwise might not have been heard. IFP fosters the development of 350 new feature and documentary films each year through its Project Forum of Independent Film Week, Independent Filmmaker Labs and projects in its fiscal sponsorship program. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization has fostered early work by leading filmmakers including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith. www.ifp.org

###

For more information on IFP, please contact:

Amy Dotson, Deputy Director& Head of Programming, IFP (212) 465-8200 x203

Rose Vincelli, Producer & Program Manager, IFP (212) 465-8200 x226

New York, NY  (May 14, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced today the ten documentaries selected for the 2012 Independent Filmmaker Labs, IFP’s  annual year-long fellowship for first-time feature directors.  The creative teams of the …]]> Filmmakers from Los Angeles, Berlin, Brooklyn, Kentucky, and Washington Selected for Year-long Mentorship

New York, NY  (May 14, 2012) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced today the ten documentaries selected for the 2012 Independent Filmmaker Labs, IFP’s  annual year-long fellowship for first-time feature directors.  The creative teams of the selected films, chosen from a national pool of 200 submissions, join the 8^th edition of the Labs taking place May 14-19 in New York City.

“The Labs are unique in our focus on guiding filmmakers to concretely and constructively plan for their films’ lives beyond post-production, and are tailored to maximizing their opportunities given the particular assets of each film,” says IFP Executive Director Joana Vicente. “With almost 80% of previous Lab projects debuted in festivals and released worldwide, the impact of this has been significant.”

Three former Lab documentaries will premiere on the upcoming season of  PBS’ P.O.V. (The Light in Her Eyes, Sun Kissed, and Give Up Tomorrow ), with other 2011 alums having recently premiered at top festivals – High Tech, Low Life (Tribeca, Hot Docs 2012), Herman’s House (Full Frame, Hot Docs 2012) and Welcome to the Machine (SXSW 2012).

“We had been in production for six years and were deep in the middle of a monster edit,” say Give Up Tomorrow’s producer Marty Syjuco and director Michael Collins. “IFP’s Lab facilitated our film through the postproduction phase – preparing us to give birth at Tribeca - and armed us with the confidence and skills to tackle the complicated world of documentary distribution.  The lab provided us with a solid network of mentors and advisers, and the friendships we made with other filmmakers continue to this very day.  Little did we know that we had formed our very own support group!”

Additional lab alumni include War Don Don (HBO Documentary Films 2010, Emmy nominee 2011), Between the Folds (Independent Lens; Peabody Award 2010), Tibet in Song (Sundance 2009, Special Jury Mention);Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell (Berlin Film Festival, Panorama 2008; Sundance Channel; Plexifilm release), and The Patron Saints (Toronto Film Festival 2011, Rotterdam 2012, BAMcinemaFest 2012).

The Independent Filmmaker Labs are a highly immersive, free mentorship program supporting first-time feature directors with projects in post-production as they complete, market and distribute their films. Focusing exclusively on low-budget features (<$1million), the Labs provide filmmakers with the technical, creative and strategic tools necessary to launch their films. Twenty projects (10 documentaries and 10 narratives) are selected for the Lab fellowship. Narrative Lab selections will be announced in June.

The labs provide multiple levels of mentorship throughout the process. The supervising 2012 Documentary Lab leaders are producer and author Maureen Ryan (The Gates ; co-producer Man on Wire and Project Nim;Producer to Producer), producer Susan Motamed (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room; series coordinating producer, The Blues), and Jon Reiss, director and author (Bomb It!; Think Outside the Box Office).  Individual workshop leaders include, amongst others: composer T. Griffin (Dragonslayer; Utopia in Four Movements ), editors Penelope Falk (Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work), Cindy Lee (No End in Sight; Hot Coffee), Jonathan Oppenheim (The Oath; Paris Is Burning), Fiona Otway (Hell and Back Again; Iraq in Fragments); and Adam Zucker (Carol Channing: Larger Than Life),  and experts on web presence, audience building, outreach, and distribution: Gary Hustwit (director, Objectified, Helvetica), Sara Kiener and Merrill Sterritt of Film Presence, Caitlin Boyle of Film Sprout, and Erin Owens of Long Shot Factory. A dozen additional individual mentors include producers Lori Cheatle (51 Birch Street), Julie Goldman (Buck), and Sam Cullman (The House I Live In, If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Movement).

Since 2005, 128 documentaries and narrative features have participated in the Labs, with 78% of the projects completed and premiered at major US and international festivals, with 61% having distribution on a variety of platforms beyond festivals. As part of IFP’s ongoing commitment to diversity, the Independent Filmmaker Labs also seek to ensure that at least 50% of the participating projects have an inclusive range of races, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities and physical abilities in key creative positions.

The Independent Filmmaker Lab program is supported by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Artists Public Domain, Ford Foundation, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, SAGIndie/Screen Actors Guild and Time Warner Foundation. Lab partners include The Adrienne Shelly Foundation, BMI, Eastman Kodak Company, Rooftop Films, 92YTribeca and the Sundance Documentary Film Program.

The selected projects for the 2012 Documentary Lab and Lab Fellows are:

Alias Ruby Blade

Alias Ruby Blade is the story of Kirsty Sword Gusmão, former First Lady of Timor-Leste. An aspiring documentary filmmaker, Kirsty instead became a courier for the Timorese resistance movement in Jakarta code named Ruby Blade. Through correspondence, she fell in love with the imprisoned resistance leader Xanana Gusmão. Together they nurtured the tumultuous birth of the world’s newest nation. Fellows: Alex Meiller (Director), Tanya Ager Meillier (Producer). Brooklyn, NY

Big Joy Project: The Adventures of James Broughton 

Told by his angel at age 3 that he’ll be a poet of Big Joy, James Broughton pioneers experimental filmmaking and poetry readings in San Francisco, leading to the Beat Movement.  Jungian analysis forces him to marriage with children, but his heart hurts until he meets a male student 35 years his junior – his soulmate for 25 productive years.

Fellows: Stephen Silha (Director/Producer), Eric Slade (Director/Producer), Dawn Logsdon (Editor). Vashon, WA

For Thousands of Miles

For Thousands of Miles is a story about Larry, a young man split between two lives; tethered to a stranger who still spent their days alone on an open road, a stranger who spoke like he spoke; who looked like he looked; a stranger who still missed the things Larry now found to be without residence. Fellows: Mike Ambs (Director, Writer); Erica Hampton (Production Manager). North Hollywood, CA

The Last Wild Mountain

The Last Wild Mountain follows the inception of rock climbing in 1950s America through stories of the unusual characters who started it. Their world is based on risk-taking and antidisestablishmentarianism, but as their Utopia grows up and so do they, their existence is challenged by growth, reality, and a diminishing landscape.  How long can this world last? Fellows: Oakley Anderson-Moore (Director/Writer), Alexander Reinhard (Producer). Los Angeles, CA

Lucky

Lucky Torres is heir to a South Bronx boulevard of broken promises – untouched by the hope of urban renewal – teetering on a tightrope between dreams and despair. One of millions of Americans living on the brink of invisibility, Lucky’s desperate search for a way out ultimately leads to a search within in this candid portrait of fame, survival and family.

Fellows: Laura Checkoway (Director/Producer), Neyda Martinez (Producer). Brooklyn, NY

Our Nixon

Throughout Nixon’s presidency, three White House aides obsessively filmed their experiences with Super 8 home movie cameras. This unique archive, created by H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman and Dwight Chapin, was seized by the FBI during the Watergate investigation, then filed and forgotten. Our Nixon uses this footage to create an intimate, complex portrait of the Nixon presidency. Fellows: Penny Lane (Director/Producer), Brian Frye (Director). Claryville, NY; Kentucky.

Purgatorio: A Journey into the Heart of the Border

Purgatorio is a travelogue made up of episodes from the border. Murder victims, to children, drug-addicts, grieving mothers, Samaritans, journalists, pastors, police officers, a whole universe of characters and landscapes is skillfully woven together to show us how the US-Mexico border, and in fact all borders, are born from the deepest flaws of human nature. Fellows: Rodrigo Reyes (Director/Producer), Justin Chin (Director of Photography), Manuel Tsingaris (Editor). Merced, CA

Survival Prayer

Survival Prayer is a lyrical journey that celebrates the lifeways of a remote indigenous community against the backdrop of cultural loss and natural calamity. Following individual food harvesters as they gather and prepare for the winter, the film bears witness to a sacred relationship between individuals and the land that sustains them. Fellows: Benjamin Greené (Director/Producer), P. Corwin Lamm (Editor); Michael Beharie (Composer). Bellingham, WA

These Birds Walk

These Birds Walk is about common people who soar in a time of crisis while navigating the gritty reality of their daily lives in Pakistan. Omar, a poor runaway boy, plans his escape from a foundation in hopes to finally return home. A reluctant ambulance driver, Asad, navigates the difficult streets of Karachi, transporting the sick and dead to their fated destinations. Their two lives come together through a dying humanitarian upon whom so much of their daily lives depend. Fellows: Bassam Tariq (Director/Producer), Omar Mullick (Director/Producer), Valentina Canavesio (Producer). Brooklyn, NY.

Where God Likes to Be

The film follows three young American Indians from the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana through the course of one summer as they are faced with the choice to either leave the reservation for the first time in their lives or stay and struggle with life there.

Fellows: Nicolas Hudak (Director/Writer), Anna Hudak (Producer/Writer). Berlin, Germany

About IFP

After debuting with a program in the 1979 New York Film Festival, the nonprofit IFP has evolved into the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, and also the premier advocate for them. Since its start, IFP has supported the production of 7,000 films and provided resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers – voices that otherwise might not have been heard. IFP fosters the development of 350 new feature and documentary films each year through its Project Forum of Independent Film Week, Independent Filmmaker Labs and projects in its fiscal sponsorship program. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization has fostered early work by leading filmmakers including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith. www.ifp.org.

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For more information on IFP, please contact:

Amy Dotson, Deputy Director, IFP (212) 465-8200 x203

Milton Tabbot, Senior Director, Programming, IFP 465-8200 x207

Part of Spotlight on Independent Film, the free screenings …]]> Celebrating excellence in independent film, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) will showcase the best of “Made in NY” film with a curated two-night screening series featuring Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey and Metropolitan.

Part of Spotlight on Independent Film, the free screenings will take place on March 27 and 28 at 7:30pm at the World Financial Center Winter Garden (Three World Financial Center, 220 Vesey Street). The event is presented by Arts Brookfield and sponsored by RBC Capital Markets. No RSVP is required.

The series will kick off with Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, which charts the career of Kevin Clash, the man behind Sesame Street’s iconic furry monster, and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop, as well as an intimate portrait of Clash’s talent and creativity. Being Elmo is directed and produced by Constance Marks, whose documentary production company is based in New York City.

Metropolitan, the second film of the Spotlight series, was shot on location in the City in 1990, and tells the story of a group of rich young Manhattanites who meet each night during debutante season to while away the hours talking and debating. The film’s director and screenwriter, Whit Stillman, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Metropolitan also received the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.

Named one of the “best theaters for cult films” by Time Out New York, the World Financial Center Winter Garden is a New York City landmark that has served as the backdrop to a wide range of films, including Bonfire of the Vanities, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps and Boomerang.

“New York City is the home to some of the most talented and creative people in the world,” said Commissioner Katherine Oliver, Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment. “It’s a pleasure to bring these ‘Made in NY’ features to a new audience as part of our partnership with IFP to highlight local independent filmmaking.

“It is mission critical for IFP to connect filmmakers with new audiences, so we couldn’t be more thrilled about this partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director, IFP. “We are grateful to RBC and Arts Brookfield for making the initiative possible, and for giving the public the opportunity to see the work of these talented local filmmakers.”

Through the RBC Emerging Artists Project, RBC lends year-round support to IFP’s various programs and initiatives. Among these is the Emerging Visions program, a daylong creative symposium for emerging filmmakers held in conjunction with the New York Film Festival. Beginning on the day of the program and lasting throughout the year, filmmakers receive direct, one-on-one mentorship from leading industry professionals. RBC is committed to helping filmmakers develop their skills and bring their visions to life, and supporting IFP and initiatives like Spotlight on Independent Film is but one of many examples of this.

“Investing in the arts is a long-standing priority at RBC, as we believe in the power of the arts to enrich lives and enhance our communities,” said Mark Standish, President and Co-CEO of RBC Capital Markets. “By supporting arts and culture, from film, music and dance to theatre and visual arts, we are committed to helping emerging artists develop and progress along their professional careers. RBC is delighted to sponsor this event, and is proud to support lower Manhattan and promote the arts and culture in New York City.”

“With its iconic glass-vaulted ceiling and towering palm trees, the World Financial Center Winter Garden is a favorite with both filmgoers and filmmakers alike,” said Debra Simon, artistic director of Arts Brookfield. “There’s no better place to enjoy movies that showcase our wonderful city.”

About the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment

The Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment consists of the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, NYC Digital and NYC Media, the official TV, radio and online network of the City of New York. The agency’s mission is to streamline government communications by making information accessible, leveraging technology to aid in the transparency of government and by supporting relevant media and entertainment industries in New York City. Visit nyc.gov/mome to learn more.

About IFP
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organization for independent filmmakers. Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization championed the early work of pioneering independent filmmakers Charles Burnett, Todd Haynes, Mira Nair, Michael Moore, Joel and Ethan Coen, Kevin Smith, and Todd Solondz. IFP continues to play a vital role in launching first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Debra Granik (Down to the Bone), Miranda July (Me, You and Everyone We Know), and Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden (Half Nelson). To learn more, visit ifp.org.

About RBC Capital Markets

RBC Capital Markets is the corporate and investment banking arm of RBC and is ranked as the 11th largest investment bank globally. With over 6,000 employees, RBC Capital Markets is a premier global investment bank and is active from its 75 offices in 15 countries in Investment Banking, Fixed Income & Currencies, Equities, Commodities, and Research. Major hubs include: New York, Toronto, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney. RBC Capital Markets is part of the Royal Bank of Canada, the 4th largest bank in North America by market capitalization and the largest financial institution in Canada, the country deemed the soundest financial system in the world by the World Economic Forum for the past four years. For more information, please visit rbccm.com.

About Arts Brookfield

Since 1988 more than 3.5 million people have enjoyed over 2,500 cultural events at the World Financial Center presented by Arts Brookfield, one of the largest free, year-round, privately funded performing and visual arts programs on the east coast.

As an initiative of Brookfield Office Properties, the owner, developer and manager of premier office properties in the United States, Canada and Australia, Arts Brookfield animates public spaces in major cities across North America including New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Toronto.  Brookfield’s portfolio is comprised of interests in 110 properties totaling 78 million square feet in the downtown cores of New York, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, Denver, Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, making it the global leader in the ownership and management of office assets.

Press Contacts
Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment
Marybeth Ihle, 212-669-7742, mihle@media.nyc.gov
Chris Coffey, 212-669-7322, ccoffey@media.nyc.gov

Arts Brookfield
Patrick Kowalczk, 212-627-8098, patrick@pkpr.com