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More than supporting a “famous” filmmaker, I would support a filmmaker whose work I’ve admired before and who has difficulty bringing interesting and original material due to the pressure of the industry for financial success. —Cristhian Barron, Senior Accountant I think it speaks more towards the times we are in. When our top auteurs like Spike Lee need to resort to Kickstarter to raise funds for their films it points to the dearth in support for risky, provocative projects....

“As someone who considers herself a pretty dependent person, I’m truly honored to host the Film Independent Spirit Awards,” said the comedienne, who in 2016 made history by becoming SNL’s first-ever Latina cast member. Said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent: “The time to laugh has definitely arrived, and not a moment too soon!” Added Welsh: “We’re thrilled to welcome Melissa into the club of smart, funny film lovers to host the Spirit Awards....

But that’s rarely the case for creative, and especially not filmmakers. Ours is an industry in perpetual flux—with new platforms, players and even entire new mediums constantly being invented, iterated upon and disrupted. And while most of the most basic principals of visual storytelling remain the same, the ways in which we capture and convey these stories never sits still for very long. That can seem daunting. But what it really represents is an opportunity for enterprising filmmakers to establish careers for themselves in fresh and innovative ways—something you can explore in greater depth and detail from the pros at the 2019 Film Independent Forum, taking place April 26-28....

Tune in to IFC at 10:00 pm (ET/PT) on March 1, 2014 to find out the winners of the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Who was the first person you contacted when you heard you were nominated for a Spirit Award? Mostly just received incoming texts, tweets and FBs from people who were following along. Every single person I knew seemed to be online at the moment the news was getting reported....

In Part Two, Ribeiro provides a detailed look at how ambitious, action-hungry filmmakers should approach their stunt sequences—skittish line producers, tiny budgets and all. After all, just because you’re making movies outside the studio system doesn’t mean you can’t also deliver thrilling action. Read what Ribeiro—a veteran of 100+ action sequences as an action director—has to say below. HOW AN ACTION SCENE COMES TOGETHER Putting an action sequence together varies from stunt to stunt....

There’s almost nothing I enjoy more than going out to a movie theater to take in a film. Whether it’s a packed theater at the ArcLight in Culver City or the historic Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, I’m in heaven. But even so, these days most of us—myself included—consume the majority of our entertainment at home and online through streaming video on demand (SVOD) platforms. In fact, many of this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards nominees—including Best Documentary—are available through SVOD platforms (check out our where to watch page....

Writing, writing. Trying to write and not think. Just write what I’m thinking. I’m not thinking anything. I’m just so tired and overwhelmed with too much to do and no time. But here I am, writing these stupid pages.” –excerpt from the author’s actual Morning Pages According to Julia Cameron, author of the bestselling book The Artist’s Way, the concept of “Morning Pages”—theoretically, the practice of getting out three pages of longhand prose each and every day immediately upon waking up—is a seemingly pointless but nonetheless vital tool for unlocking creativity....

You’ve finished your movie. You’ve locked in a distributor. Now what? Last month, Film Independent hosted an education event with Business Affairs Inc. entertainment lawyer Nicole Papincak to demystify the complexities of film distribution, specifically the fear-evoking delivery schedule that your distributor will drop on your desk. A delivery schedule, Papincak explained, outlines not only a distribution timeline, but also a breakdown of everything the distributor will need from your team, from artist contracts to key art....

With the recent launch of not one but two Godzilla-sized streaming services further adding to our current glut of “Peak TV” programming, it might seem as though there are more professional opportunities for Hollywood creatives than ever before. But the simple fact remains: there are still far fewer gigs out there than there are aspirants eager to fill them. Add to that the fact that despite great strides made in recent years, many of the institutional factors that limit work for underrepresented voices still remain, and it becomes clear: this is a business that has never been easy—and never will....

Though Apocalypse Now and Lord of the Flies have been two common reference points for discussing the film, Landes says he was largely inspired by ongoing civil conflict in his native Columbia. His goal, he says, isn’t simply to wallow in the tragedy of child soldiers, but to use the framework of war films and coming-of-age narratives to explore more universal aspects of human nature. And things were just as intense behind the camera as in front of it, with multiple near-miss disasters threatening to derail the shoot at every turn....

A good location can be an indie filmmaker’s biggest star or most important special effect. Conversely, slapdash location work can make your project look cheap and unprofessional. But short of bribing the groundskeeping crew at Universal Studios, how exactly do film productions find the best place to shoot? Enter the locations manager—one of the most important (and unsung) positions on any movie crew. Put simply, location managers help to both find and secure public and private spaces for filming....

Jill Soloway delivered on her promise at the start of her keynote at this past weekend’s Film Independent Forum to give a talk that would be “inspirey and motivatey”—partly because she did that thing most great speakers do: she was brutally honest about the rock-bottom moments of doubt, failure and humiliation that preceded her celebrated status today. It was also partly due to the kernels of wisdom she was able to pluck from her personal experience and share—the kind of Oprah-esque directives that ring so right and true that just hearing them spoken out loud makes you feel that you’ve imbibed a magic bullet that will transform you into someone who can—and will, goddam it!...

As promised, I wanted to share an update about the rapidly escalating COVID-19 situation and Film Independent’s decision to pause our regular programming. In response to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s statewide guidance urging the cancellation or postponement of non-essential events, we will postpone all events, screenings, classes and programs scheduled for the remainder of the month of March. Our offices will not be open to the public, and our casting rooms and screening room will not be available for rental....

Since its inception, Film Independent’s Fast Track Finance Market has been a powerful ally to filmmakers, providing a structured-and-stacked space within which to pitch projects to independent media’s most adventurous advocates. Each year, Film Independent selects up to 10 fiction and five non-fiction feature projects to participate in an intensive film finance market that takes place over four days in November. Designed to connect producer-director teams with industry leaders and put projects on the fast track, the market consists of meetings with top executives, financiers, agents, managers, distributors, granting organizations and production companies....

Beginning 23 years ago with an inaugural class that included producer (and current Film Independent Board Member) Effie Brown and current LA Film Festival Director Stephanie Allain onboard as a mentor, today PI has become one of the indie film world’s premiere incubators for producers, writers, directors, cinematographers, editors, festival programmers and industry executives. Each year the program becomes more competitive, but one thing remains the same: the mission to cultivate unique and underrepresented voices....

Diana Ward is an emerging producer originally from Australia and now based in Los Angeles. Her work draws on her Chinese Malaysian heritage, exploring the immigrant experience, belonging and diaspora in the stories she chooses to tell. In this interview, Diana speaks about how she went from a kid who was not allowed to watch film or television to becoming a producer with two short films on the festival circuit this year: Liberty—produced through Film Independent’s 2018 Project Involve program (check out the filmmakers’ production diary here), winning Best Narrative Short at SXSW 2019 and the Special Prize of the Generation 14plus International Jury at the 2019 Berlinale Film Festival—as well as 2018 Project Involve project The Coin, an animated short which premiered at SXSW 2019....

STEVE MORROW, SOUND MIXER 2016’s La La Land brought sound mixer Steve Morrow many accolades, pretty much ever since director Damien Chazelle’s throwback rom-com musical exploded onto the awards circuit two years ago. Morrow’s honors for the film have included the CAS award (Cinema Audio Society), a BAFTA nod and an Academy Award nomination for Best Achievement in Sound Mixing at the 2017 Oscars. Morrow’s feature credits include Up In The Air, Crank and Little Miss Sunshine, while his small screen filmography includes the recently Emmy-nominated Netflix comedy GLOW and HBO’s Six Feet Under and Big Love....

A two-time Oscar nominee (not to mention a BAFTA winner for the 2000 historical epic Gladiator), British cinematographer John Mathieson has shot a whopping five films for director/producer Ridley Scott—in addition to titles ranging from Logan and The Man from U.N.C.L.E to 47 Ronin and The Phantom of the Opera. Prior to working in features, Mathieson built a lengthy CV in the ‘90s shooting commercials and music videos for artists including Prince, Madonna and Massive Attack....

Ever since the first French factory worker sullenly waddled out into the sunshine muttering to themselves under their breath and roiling with inner conflict, movies have excelled at telling stories about outsiders. From Charlie Chaplin’s lonely Little Tramp to John Wayne’s old west loners and continuing through the weirdoes, nerds and rebels of post-Sundance indie film, cinema has always been an excellent vehicle for exploring the experiences of those who find themselves, for whatever reason, on the outskirts of mainstream society....

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. To see the full range of projects that are part of our program, visit our Sponsored Projects page. PEAS Project type: Narrative Short Project status: Post Production Filmmakers: Maky Rupert, Kaela Francesca, Emmett Kowalski, Dominique Grund Synopsis: Susan lives a mundane, lonely life in suburban New York with her mother, grandmother and younger sister....