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Filmmaker Dave Boyle’s fifth film, Man From Reno, had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in a screening hosted by the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE). The film is a neo-noir crime thriller that follows a Japanese crime novelist staying in San Francisco who finds herself caught in the middle of a real-life murder mystery. She joins forces with the sheriff investigating it, and the more they discover, the more strange and tangled the case becomes....

It’s such a hot topic that Matthew McConaughey lately has been doing some of the most exciting work of his career that there’s even been a term coined for it: The McConaissance. First there was Killer Joe, Magic Mike and Mud. In January, there’s HBO’s True Detective, whose awesome trailer sparked some major blogosphere buzz. (Best line: “The world needs bad men. We keep the other bad men from the door....

Today, we’re busy thinking about the next 25 quarter-century of Project Involve, Film Independent’s signature mentorship and diversity program, now in its 26th year. 2018 saw the longrunning Artist Development program hit its silver anniversary—just check out our Instagram for special shout-outs from many of our favorite PI Fellows of yesteryear, an illustrious group that includes names such as Effie T. Brown, Jon M. Chu, Justin Simien and more. But that’s done now....

When was the last time you saw an indie movie in Utah not at the Sundance Film Festival? Strange as it may seem to the industry folk parachuting in from the coasts each January to take part in Sundance’s lanyard-laden frenzy, but the Beehive State boasts a robust year-round community of film lovers and filmmakers—centered largely in and around Salt Lake City. For many Salt Lakers, Ground Zero of Salt Lake’s art house movie scene is the historic Tower Theatre, located at the bohemian intersection of 9th South and 9th East....

By Pamela Miller / Website & Grants Manager There are a lot of reasons everyone’s talking about the new Michael Cera film, Crystal Fairy, which screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival and is being released theatrically today. First off, there’s the fact that Cera, who’s been dubbed “the cuddly, tortured indie boy king of Juno and Arrested Development” by The New York Times, breaks free from the sensitive hipster mold to play a drug-obsessed, annoying Ugly American a-hole....

If you’re unfamiliar with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise by now, chances are you’ve been living under a rock or have somehow missed the last 30 years of pop culture. Since the late 1980s, these buff, green, ass-kicking turtles have become a media staple, inhabiting all entertainment worlds—from comic books, to kids’ shows, to big budget blockbusters. However, many would argue that the ultimate representation of these mutant vigilantes is their titular 1990 big screen debut, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, directed by Steve Barron....

Unfolding over two days and featuring six different panels devoted to issues of gay, trans, ethnic minority and female representation on screen, Diversity Speaks boasted a fascinating, humorous and insightful crop of perspectives that were as varied and individual as the panelists themselves. But! Assuming you weren’t able to make it to the historic Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City this June, don’t worry. You can now watch the 2017 Diversity Speaks panels in their entirety on our YouTube channel....

But how do we fix this? Should journalists have greater opportunities to review content related to their own lived experience? Should outlets solely use writers from underrepresented communities to review so-called “diverse” content? These were just two of the questions posed by September 23’s We The People panel “Stimulating Conversation: Entertainment Critics,” which occurred as part of a two-day Inclusion Summit at the 2018 LA Film Festival. Moderated by Gil Robertson of the African American Film Critics Association, panelists included freelance critic Carlos Aguilar, Trish Bendix (Managing Editor, INTO), freelance critic and podcaster Kristen Lopez, Karen Peterson (writer, AwardsCircuit....

Regardless, Film Independent’s commitment to supporting independent visual storytellers remains unwavering—even in the face of quarantine orders and way, way too many binge-watched Office reruns. But the fact is that we’re struggling, just as filmmakers do, to keep our virtual doors open. So, if you’re fortunate enough to find yourself in a position to help, perhaps we might point you in the direction of our current Matching Gift campaign—through the month of April, all (tax-deductible) donations made to Film Independent are matched, up to $80,000....

Such history has only recently begun to be excavated by pop culture, with female astronauts and engineers finally appearing in prominent roles in films as wide-ranging as period piece Hidden Figures (2016) and the sci-fi drama The Martian (2015). Now, Kalpana Chawla’s life is the subject of a new feature currently in development from producer and 2019 Film Independent/Sloan Foundation Fast Track Fellow Rahul Chittella titled, simply, Kalpana. Applications for Fast Track 2021 are currently still open—click here for more details on how to apply....

Adapted from Jim Shepard’s acclaimed 2005 novel Project X and produced by Film Independent Fellows Rebecca Green and Laura D. Smith, the film follows troubled high school pals Edwin (Arman Darbo) and Flake (Sawyer Barth), who find their close bond challenged, with Edwin becoming progressively more detached as the frequent target of bullies. Their relationship morphs as the two concoct a plot to enact violent revenge, which soon picks up a tragic momentum all its own....

That Deadwood ended so abruptly after its third-season cliffhanger was a minor tragedy for the show’s fans—especially since (reportedly) the hit show was canned not for creative reasons or for lack of popular acclaim, but for esoteric business reasons involving actors’ contract options and the expense of rebuilding the show’s elaborate Western town sets after they had been prematurely struck between seasons. And so for a decade-plus, Deadwood existed in limbo....

Likewise, even in the face of government threats to eradicate national arts funding, there are still plenty of creative ways to find the money to make your film. Key among these: Fiscal Sponsorship. Put simply, fiscal sponsorship is a legal arrangement between a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (like say, Film Independent) and an independent artist that makes the artist (you?) eligible to apply for grants and to solicit tax-deductible donations for their project....

Often the independent fare celebrated by the Film Indendent Spirit Awards has been forgotten or unseen by the voting members of the Academy. But that’s not to say that the two have never been in sync. In the final part of this blog series, we highlight our favorite Spirit Award-winning films that also snagged Oscars. Little Miss Sunshine (2007) Directors: Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton Stars: Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin Spirit Award Winner: Best Feature, Best Director, Best First Screenplay, Best Supporting Male Where You Can Watch It: DVD Independent sweethearts Faris and Dayton’s feature debut was a surprise success for the married couple....

Whitfield’s wife, Vashti Whitfield, the Oscar-nominated director Lilibet Foster and producer Sam Maydew were on hand to answer questions about the film and the process of documenting something so painful. “One of the significant things all through the filming,” said Vashti Whitfield, “was every time I spoke to Lil, she would always start our conversation with, ‘I just have to tell you what I’ve learned from you guys this week....

Beginning in 2016, Film Independent has presented Global Media Makers (GMM), a cultural exchange program that fosters relationships between mid-career filmmakers and industry professionals in the U.S. and abroad. Each year the marquee section of this program has been its Los Angeles Residency: a five-week intensive wherein GMM Fellows further develop current projects with a team of US-based Mentors. In 2022, the Residency was held in October. As part of their Los Angeles adventures, GMM Fellows once again took part in the iPhone Collaborative Workshop....

As a filmmaker it helps to have an environment within which to hone your skills; a place to refine what directing means to you, working in collaboration with peers and mentors to determine your own personal approach to creating what we see on screen and communicating with the crewmembers who get it there. One such environment is Film Independent’s Directing Lab—now accepting applications (non-Member deadline is August 28; Members have until September 12....

Middle of Nowhere When: January 13 Where: DVD/VOD Director: Ava DuVernay Starring: Emayatzy Corinealdi, Daniel Oyelowo Why We’re Excited: Ava DuVernay’s acclaimed Selma is generating the biggest buzz of awards season (It snagged five Spirit Award Nominations including Best Director and Best Feature.) This month you can catch her small-budget Spirit Award winning drama, Middle of Nowhere on DVD. The film features strong, breakthrough performances from Emayatzy Corinealdi and Daniel Oyelowo, and tells the story of a woman who undergoes major life changes when her husband is sentenced to eight years in prison....

Recent film projects as wide-ranging as Summer of Soul, Annette, Bo Burnham: Inside and In the Heights have all recently reminded us of how potent the combination of moving pictures and music—be it show tunes, funk jams, prog rock operas, comedy songs, whatever—can be. And music, of course, is both the product of and driving force behind so much of our cultural identities. Music defines our relationship to our communities, both in how we embrace such legacies as well as how we reject, adopt or evolve them....

But maybe you’re curious how some of those prior subjects have turned out? That’s right: it’s time for another FiSpo Update highlighting the recent achievements of previous Fiscal Spotlight subjects. Curious how it all works? See below: 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....