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It’s true—but there’s a reason that the availability and dexterity of lightweight, pocket-sized video cameras hasn’t necessarily led to an explosion in quality independent filmmaking. Telling great stories still requires the effort of talented storytellers, and talent can’t be manufactured. Such was the case with the gritty, LA-set sex worker comedy Tangerine, famously shot on the iPhone 5s. But there’s more to the film than the novelty of its shooting format; Tangerine was the subject of Film Independent’s fifth (and final!...

SHEIKH JACKSON When You Can Watch: February 2 Where You Can Watch: VOD Director: Amr Salama Cast: Basma, Maged El Kedwany, Mahmoud El-Bezzawy Why We’re Excited: Premiering at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, Egyptian director and inaugural Film Independent Global Media Makers Fellow Amr Salama’s soul-searching cross-cultural drama was Egypt’s feature submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2018 Oscars. Khaled is a conservative Islamic cleric whose life is upended when he learns of Michael Jackson’s sudden death in 2009....

May in the Summer When: Now Playing Where: Theaters Director: Cherien Dabis Starring: Cherien Dabis, Bill Pullman, Alia Shawkat Why We’re Excited: A woman with a seemingly perfect life begins to evaluate major decisions and the direction in which she is heading as her wedding day approaches in this dramedy from Film Independent Fellow Cherien Dabis. If you enjoyed Dabis’ debut feature Amreeka, you’ll certainly want to check out the triple threat’s latest, as she writes, directs and stars as May....

And so, with the stateside “Phase One” of the program nearing its end, four of this year’s participants—Amin Dora (Lebanon), Asma Beseiso (Jordan), and Hüseyin Karabey (Turkey)—joined fellow filmmakers Cherien Dabis (Amreeka), Mohamed Diab and Hany Abu-Assad (Paradise Now) at the ArcLight Culver City for a special 2016 LA Film Festival panel entitled Storytelling from the Inside Out. After introductions from Maria Bozzi, Senior Director of Education and International Initiatives at Film Independent, and the State Department’s Evan Ryan, President of Film Independent Josh Welsh introduced the panel and gave the audience some background on the filmmakers and praised their work....

Here are eight filmmakers who dared to dream… and won big. Whether their debut feature or breakthrough, these artists dreamt of rising above and believed their films were worthy of awards attention. Each of these eight titles represent the rawness of the independent spirit and have either been nominated for or have won Spirit Awards, taking us from the inner workings of John Malkovich’s head to the end of the mathematical constant π (3....

For those of us who came up in the entertainment industry through more traditional routes—film school, toiling on set as a PA, etc.—the emerging world of online content creation can be an intimidating one. Even more than the indie film explosion of the 1990s, new tools in technology and distribution have made it possible for visual storytellers to explore new forms, new audiences and build new careers. One of the most exciting of these new pieces of content is the short-form video essay, combining elements of documentary, academic research, cultural criticism, motion graphics and crisp editing to explore everything from the emergence of the open-concept office to Marvel’s lack of memorable film music....

As we’ve said, Film Independent’s mission—in 2016, and every year—is to help diversify the film industry, assist filmmakers with the making of their projects and helping to build an audience for those projects once they’re finished. And as always, none of these things happen without support from folks like you. This time, we want to focus on the “building an audience” part of our mission. And luckily, there’s a lot to talk about....

For the uninitiated, Fi’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. To see the full range of projects that are part of our program, visit our Sponsored Projects page. For more, watch our full discussion with Film Independent’s Artist Development team at the bottom of this article....

Do you want to purse a career writing for film or TV? Well, whether you’re just starting out and looking to jump right in or have been knocking on doors and typing away in Final Draft for years, there’s still a lot to learn about how to actually forge a career writing for film, TV or new media. But here’s a good first step: take into consideration the insights of industry professionals who have had to answer the same questions for themselves—namely: How do I break in?...

On his approach to the fantastic: I come from Mexico, and I have had a couple of weird things happen to me. When you see something or experience something extraordinary, you can’t go back to normal … I have seen once a UFO, and my mind just went “Blahhhh” in a double take, like a Tex Avery double take. I saw it. I know it was not Venus on the horizon or swamp gas or any type of gas....

Los Angeles Film Festival Associate Programmer Steven Jacobson talked with Band of Robbers writer-director-brothers Aaron and Adam Nee about their film, in which Mark Twain’s young heroes Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn spring vividly back to life, this time as modern-day grown men. When Huck is released from prison he hopes to leave his criminal past behind. But his lifelong friend and corrupt cop, Tom, has other plans, having formed the Band of Robbers, a group of misfits dedicated to locating the hidden treasure that eluded the boys in childhood....

Crosby—a founding member of The Byrds and titular third of Crosby, Stills & Nash (occasionally Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)—has figured prominently in the evolution of folk rock ever since its Laurel Canyon heyday. And in a post-screening Q&A, producer Cameron Crowe (yes, that Cameron Crow) and director A.J. Eaton told moderator Tim Grierson (film critic, Screen International and Paste) that Crosby was eager to open up about his life and admit to his failures and shortcomings....

This month’s film: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016 dir. Ang Lee) “We’re a nation of children, Billy. We go somewhere else to grow up. Sometimes die. It’s your time to step up.” –Sgt. Bream (played by Vin Diesel) Adapted from Ben Fountain’s 2012 novel of the same title, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is the arguably half-baked (yet surprisingly poignant, I’d contend) story of a 19-year-old U.S. Army infantryman whose act of heroism is caught on film, turning him into an overnight media sensation....

This month’s film: Loving (2016, dir. Jeff Nichols) “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red. And he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” –Judge Leon Bazile, 1964, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia Waking up in the morning next to the one you love....

For anyone who’s made the leap to the City of Angels from somewhere else, the road can be quite a solitary one. I made my way here from New York armed with a Theater degree and a burning desire to bring to life the stories that danced in my imagination. The looming question for me was whether others would connect with the vivid images I was so passionate about, and if I’d ever find the right collaborators to turn my internal cinematic visions into external reality....

Gren Wells’ directorial debut, The Road Within, premiered last year at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The poignant story follows a young man with Tourette’s syndrome who befriends two other rehab center patients who are suffering from anorexia and OCD. Together they embark on a road trip where they defy their disabilities and break the rules. Despite the sensitive nature of making a film about mental health issues, Wells jokes that her biggest challenge on-set was not being able to wear heels....

After two hours of heart-pounding action, Film Independent Members attending the free Film Independent at LACMA screening of Lone Survivor last night greeted writer/director Peter Berg, star Mark Wahlberg and the film’s real-life subject, Marcus Luttrell, with a roaring standing ovation. The film is based on Luttrell’s own accounts of 2005’s Operation Redwing, in which a Navy SEAL team mission to neutralize a Taliban leader goes horribly wrong. Luttrell kicked off the Q&A by talking about his initial concerns about adapting his story into a film....

May is for Members! This week only: 10% off General Membership. This month, we’re celebrating our Membership experience for filmmakers and film lovers all over the globe. All month-long you can enjoy an array of special discounts on Membership. This week, you can join and save 10% on all levels of General Membership. Join or renew today! There’s something unique about the bond between a man and his cat. At least according to filmmaker, festival programmer and Film Independent Member Mye Hoang, whose new documentary feature Cat Daddies seeks explore themes of evolving gender roles, animal companionship, feline overpopulation and—by necessity—disaster response; to both the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as last year’s devastating California wildfires....

Back in December 2017 under new Chairman Ajit Pai, the FCC voted to scrap Net Neutrality–the regulations prohibiting internet providers from doing things like blocking websites, throttling traffic, or charging higher prices for higher-quality or faster internet service. Many people decried this change, alleging that this would harm consumers, as filmmakers trying to distribute their work online. While it’s true that the FCC did vote against net neutrality, in the immortal words of Monty Python’s dogged Black Knight, “I’m not dead yet!...

As the countdown to Saturday’s big show lunges forward, now’s the time to get up to speed on the nominees, and here’s a perfect place to start: Check out these Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee Interviews sponsored by Bank of America. Here are six of the coolest things we learned from them: The best piece of advice Best Supporting Female nominee, Boyhood’s Patricia Arquette ever got on acting: “When they say action, you don’t have to do anything immediately....