Beware: The world is full of writer zombies seeking to destroy your chances of success. Real zombies—if movies and TV shows are to be believed­—are easy to spot. They don’t walk, they lurch. They hiss. They have terrible skin. Writer zombies, on the other hand, don’t possess such noticeable characteristics and are thus able to blend in—that’s part of what makes them so perilous. It’s entirely likely you may be friends with one and not know it....

Generally, the deal with this column is that each month we tell you about three great film projects that we hope you’ll join us in supporting as part of Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program. And at this point we’ve talked about lots and lots of films. Which, hey. Good for all of us. But what we haven’t talked about nearly as much is that Fiscal Sponsorship is here to support cinema arts projects of all types, from film festivals to upstart production shingles to new media efforts and more—just take a look at the three unique projects below....

But maybe you’re curious how some of those prior subjects have turned out. Today’s your lucky day! Because it’s time for another FiSpo Update highlighting the recent achievements of previous Fiscal Spotlight subjects. Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program opens the door to nonprofit funding for independent filmmakers and media artists. The projects and makers participating in the program express a uniqueness of vision, celebrate diversity and advance the craft of filmmaking through the creation of these special works....

Day Four of the all-online, all-virtual #FiForum20 shifted its focus to the global film community, featuring our first-ever Global Executive Keynote—from Hyde Park Entertainment’s Ashok Amritraj—as well as a panel unpacking the surreal reality of the cancellation of the Cannes International Film Festival; plus a great panel taking a look at strategies for new filmmakers looking for their big break. Read on for Day Four highlights and links. Don’t forget to check out our blog and YouTube channel for continuing event coverage throughout the week....

Time will tell how closely, in the future, the Film Independent Forum might resemble its previous incarnation as a live three-day industry conference. But for now, the Forum’s 2020 virtual edition—now expanded to a full week through August 7—is off to a smashing success, kicking off Friday, July 31 with a great keynotes, panels and Q&A’s aimed at arming indie storytellers for success. See below for Day One highlights and be sure to keep up with Film Independent’s blog and YouTube channel for more great event coverage throughout the week....

The program is ongoing, and throughout the next couple of months we’ll be catching up with some of our 2016 Fellows to see how their projects are advancing, as well as recap what they learned during their May 2016 residency in Los Angeles. Jordanian writer and director Asma Bseiso began her career in 2007 making several short films, which received high festival praise at a number of local and international film festivals....

This photo is the way it happens in your dreams. In your dreams you are pitching a room full of enraptured execs, all leaning forward in their seats, nodding, smiling. The handshakes are firm and sincere. You go down the elevator, step out of the building and onto the sidewalk and the call comes in even before you set foot in the parking garage. You did it. They want it....

This year’s ceremony streamed live on IMDb’s YouTube and across other social platforms, including Film Independent’s own YouTube channel and Twitter. Now! Please join us in congratulating all of this year’s nominees and winners… Ke Huy Quan Everything Everywhere All At Once Award given to the director and producer All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Director/Producer: Laura Poitras Producers: Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John Lyons Ayo Edibiri The Bear Award given to the director Joyland Country: Pakistan/USA Director: Saim Sadiq John Patton Ford Emily the Criminal Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert Everything Everywhere All At Once Pachinko Ensemble Cast: Soji Arai, Jin Ha, Inji Jeong, Minha Kim, Kaho Minami, Lee Minho, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Anna Sawai, Jimmi Simpson, Yuh-jung Youn Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer The Bear Creator/Executive Producer: Christopher Storer Executive Producers: Joanna Calo, Josh Senior, Hiro Murai Co-Executive Producer: Rene Gube TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 28th year, is presented to an emerging director of nonfiction features who has not yet received significant recognition....

It was a moment for the rock-and-roll record books: Robby Krieger, on guitar, and John Densmore, on the tabla, performed together for the first time in over a decade at a Film Independent at LACMA screening of the 2012 documentary Mr. Mojo Risin’: The Story of L.A. Woman. The film chronicles the making of the album film curator Elvis Mitchell called “the most cinematic album of the 20th Century. “ In what was a thrilling surprise for the sold-out crowd of Doors fans, the band’s two surviving members closed out the evening with a set of stripped-down, acoustic versions of People Are Strange, Love Me Two Times, Spanish Caravan, and Riders on the Storm, which segued into Ghost Riders in the Sky, its musical progenitor....

Life comes with a never-ending set of crossroads. Sometimes, the answer to which road you should take is sometimes pretty damn clear: one path is lit with sunshine, filled with rainbows and puppies, while the other path is dark and stormy, full of broken branches and danger signs. Other crossroads feel like a pair of identical twins playing a cruel trick. You know the paths are not the same, but you can’t for the life of you figure out which is the one you should take....

Film, you may have heard, is a visual medium. Which means that, more often than not, a script’s first stop on its way to the big screen to the drafting table of a professional storyboard artist—who in collaboration with the director is tasked with translating a writer’s words into a menu compelling images to be replicated on set. For larger special effects-driven films, storyboarding and pre-visualization are an absolute must....

Contributing to film’s effect is its stark, stately cinematography, courtesy of Film Independent Fellow Andrew Droz Palermo. Somehow, Palermo—whose 2013 Documentary Lab project Rich Hill premiered at Sundance in 2014—manages to make Ghost’s square 1.33 Academy ratio frame seem both expansive and intimate, capturing moments of Keaton-esque comedy alongside genuine scares—all without puncturing Lowery’s gentle directorial touch. The result is a mesmerizing piece of filmmaking guaranteed to haunt in more ways than one....

Bogart—who performs under his own name as well as “Hunx” with the self-described “trashy punk” outfit Hunx and His Punx—first made a name for himself online, creating a series of viral music videos that showcased the flamboyant frontman’s penchant for kitschy, John Waters-inspired visuals and lo-fi production aesthetics (sonic and otherwise). Bogart admits that the prospect of performing live accompaniment to his all-time favorite movie in front of a paying audience will be “a challenge”—but a challenge he’s looking forward to....

Maya Rudolph: The Serious Business of Being Funny By Pamela Ezell / LA Film Fest Guest Blogger From Madeline Kahn to Jan Hooks, Gene Wilder to Bill Murray, Airplane! to Beverly Hills Cop, Mel Brooks to John Hughes, Maya Rudolph named the women, men and movies that inspired her comedy and her career. “Anything you appreciate, you’ve downloaded,” she said during her 90-minute conversation with critic and curator of Film Independent at LACMA, Elvis Mitchell....

But though the process of receiving, reviewing and anointing Festival submissions can be lengthy and contentious, the results are totally worth it. We’re beyond excited to share our entire 2016 LA Film Festival lineup with the world—but just not yet. Patience! As Orson Welles once said, “No wine before its time.” You’ll have to stay tuned until next Tuesday April 26 for the announcement of our full 2016 LA Film Festival programming schedule....

Entertainment attorney Matt Galsor from the firm Greenberg Glusker recently gave an interactive talk to Film Independent Members, including producers, directors, cinematographers and writers. Here are the top take-aways from the Q&A: Can you please explain the difference between optioning a screenplay and buying the rights to a screenplay? “When somebody buys a screenplay, they own it. When somebody options a screenplay, you own it,” said Galsor. The question is how much they pay you to keep it off the market, he added, when it gets optioned....

We’re calling 2022’s DCU our “Spirit Awards 2.0” edition. Why? Because for the second year in a row our panelists are currently nominated for honors at the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards—which will return to the beach and broadcast live on IFC, Sunday, March 6. Plus our to-be-announced, series capping “A Conversation with…” guest on March 16. Series passes are on sale now with discounted rates for Film Independent Members....

Among the talented filmmakers who screened at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month was Film Independent Member Daniel Barnz, director of the film Cake which premiered in the Special Presentations section and has since been getting a lot of buzz—much of it for Jennifer Aniston’s impressive (and decidedly unglamorous) lead performance as a painkiller-addicted woman who suffers from chronic pain. Following the film’s premiere, we spoke with Barnz about the project’s whirlwind production schedule and his collaborative approach to working with actors....

And I’m not alone. For many, film podcasts are an essential part of engaging with film culture as a whole. They’re how we learn about what to see and which behind-the-scenes narratives are critical to contextualizing and understanding the art we see onscreen. But what about the podcasts themselves? Here now is the first in an ongoing series of interviews with the voices behind some of the most interesting, innovative and entertaining film podcasts on the digital dial....

“The secret to dramatically changing something is to change it,” says LA Film Festival Director Jennifer Cochis, who added, “The time for evolution has come. Film Independent is so proud of the work we’ve done in showcasing new American and international cinema that embraces diversity, innovation and unique perspectives. But the fact remains that summer is a challenging time for artist-driven films, and fall is clearly where we belong.” Simply put, moving the Festival—a key fixture of Film Independent’s yearly event calendar and a critical part of the organization’s exhibition arm—to its new home later in the calendar year simply makes better sense for all involved....