Profiles
Three Approaches to Marketing an Independent Film
Three independent filmmakers discuss how they succeeded in marketing their films.
July 31st, 2009 | Dante A. CiampagliaCompleting a film is a Herculean task—especially for independent filmmakers. So it’s tempting to feel that once the film is in the can and ready to be shown, the hard work is over. But getting a film ready to be seen is only half the battle; one of the biggest filmmaking challenges still lies ahead: marketing your movie. This month, The Independent takes a look at three filmmakers who took different approaches to marketing their films: Gadi Harel, co-director of Deadgirl (view the trailer here); Sterlin Harjo, director of Barking Water (view the trailer here); and Bill Daniel, director of Who is Bozo Texino?(view the trailer here).
Independent filmmakers don’t have the luxury of the publicity divisions employed by studios. Yet smart filmmaker know that a film’s marketing is crucial to its success or failure—and doing it well requires an enormous amount of time and effort.
Digging In: An Interview with Eugene Rosow and Bill Benenson of "Dirt! The Movie"
How two filmmakers turned a book on environmental science into an award-winning documentary.
July 9th, 2009 | Emily CataneoEugene Rosow and Bill Benenson sit down with The Independent's Emily Cataneo to discuss how they were able to transform an environmental science book into a funny, socially relevant and award-winning documentary film. Based on William Logan's book Dirt, the Ecstatic Skin of the Earth Rosow and Benenson sought to create something that would make a difference without sacrificing art and entertainment, and they did just that, going on to win the audience award for the best green documentary at Sundance this year. See the trailer for Dirt! The Movie here.
Independent filmmakers aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.
At least, Eugene Rosow isn’t. Rosow recently teamed up with fellow filmmaker Bill Benenson to create Dirt! The Movie, a funny, socially relevant, award-winning documentary about dirt.
Distributor FAQ: Udy Epstein of Seventh Art Releasing
Ten years since their last interview with The Independent, co-founder Udy Epstein talks about the changing face of Seventh Art Releasing
June 10th, 2009 | Emily CataneoIn June 1999, The Independent asked Seventh Art Releasing where the company would be in ten years (read the original interview here). They answered, “Still open for business doing films we like.” And Seventh Art has done just that. And though there have been some changes, Epstein insists that despite the technological and economic turmoil of the past ten years, the company’s original vision has stayed the same. Exactly a decade after the last interview, The Independent’s Emily Cataneo sits down with co-founder Udy Epstein to find out what those changes are.
Seventh Art Releasing is a distributor and sales company founded in 1994 by Jonathan Cordish and Udy Epstein. The company is known for distributing award-winning documentaries and fiction films, many dealing with Jewish culture, lesbian and gay issues, human rights, music, and popular culture.
Feverish Ambitions: Northern Ireland's First Independent Film Festival
Filmmaker George Clarke starts Northern Ireland’s first independent film festival—and sets out to change his country’s attitude towards independent filmmaking.
May 18th, 2009 | Dante A. CiampagliaThe Independent goes behind the scenes of a start-up film festival in Northern Ireland as the director tries to revive independent filmmaking in the country. The Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival is the first independent festival in Northern Ireland, and founder and filmmaker George Clarke (view the trailer for his kung fu zombie film Battle of the Bone here) faces some large hurdles to get the festival up and running for its August debut. The Independent's Dante A. Ciampaglia discovers Clarke's motivations and hopes for YFIFF and how it can bring change to the indie-deprived nation.
Kung fu zombies are rarely catalysts for film festivals. Rather, they’re the stuff of cult canons and film student fever dreams. Rarely seen together, the two B-movie genre standards are a mother lode of midnight movie possibility and it’s amazing more filmmakers haven’t mined it.
Funder FAQ: Roy W. Dean Film & Video Grants
Carole Dean answers questions about how her nonprofit supports independent filmmakers.
April 24th, 2009Somewhat different than many filmmaking grants, the Roy W. Dean Film & Video Grants provide goods and services, rather than funding, with the goal of helping filmmakers not only complete their film, but gain connections within the independent filmmaking community. The Independent's Enette Ngoei talks with foundation founder, author, and producer Carole Dean to find out exactly what Roy W. Dean grants have to offer independent filmmakers.
Carole Dean, founder of the the Roy W. Dean Film & Video Grants and From the Heart Productions, talks with The Independent about her foundation.
What are the Roy Dean Film & Video grants?
These grants are designed to support documentary and independent filmmakers by giving them the goods and services to get their films off the ground.
A Little Money, a Long Way: An Interview with Joseph Cashiola
Joseph Cashiola discusses his first feature film, IFP grant, and, “stuff.”
March 20th, 2009 | Jennifer SheffieldDirector Joseph Cashiola sits down for coffee with The Independent's Jennifer Sheffield and hashes out the details behind the making of his first feature-length film, A Thing as Big as the Ocean (view the trailer here), now in post-production and ready to hit up festivals in 2009. Cashiola discusses working with his brother, shooting on the road, and the difference between independent filmmakers and "beginner-level professionals."
Joseph Cashiola says that there has to be “exploration” in his life, or he’s not happy. This is the result of traveling around in an Army family as a kid. Fittingly, Cashiola, 27, continues on a self-taught, road-tested, and successful spiral into independent filmmaking and is not short on ideas.
Distributor FAQ: Vanessa Domico of Outcast Films
Q & A with Vanessa Domico, founder of Outcast Films, an LGBT distributor.
February 19th, 2009 | Nikki ChaseFive years ago Vanessa Domico saw a gap in the distribution of LGBT titles and decided it was time to pull up her sleeves. Using her expertise as a director of distribution, she founded Outcast Films, now one of the foremost LGBT distributors in the country, with critically acclaimed releases like their most recent film She's a Boy I Knew (view the trailer here). Outcast is more than a distributor -- under Domico's leadership it also focuses on education and activism on behalf of the LGBT community.
Vanessa Domico was tired of seeing too few LGBT films, so she drew on her expertise as a film distributor and founded Outcast Films.
After the Oscar: An Interview with Cynthia Wade
Cynthia Wade discusses the evolution of her career, post-Oscar win.
February 8th, 2009 | Amanda AxelsonWhen the paparazzi cleared and the red carpet rolled away, filmmaker Cynthia Wade, winner of the 2008 Academy Award for "Best Documentary Short Subject", rolled up her sleeves and got back to work. The Oscar winner discusses with the Independent, what she's been working on since the statue, how she finds her compelling subjects and gives some advice for aspiring documentarians.
As a sophomore at Smith College, Cynthia Wade found herself witness to a small scandal: a friend discovered she was pregnant and decided leave college, marry her boyfriend and have her child, going against the feminist attitude many of her classmates held. So, in true documentarian form, Wade’s first instinct was to get it on film.
10 Filmmakers to Watch In 2009
The Independent's list of 10 filmmakers to keep an eye out for in 2009.
January 28th, 2009 | Nikki ChaseEven the great directors had to make their start somewhere, and that meant working on short films, applying for grants and filming out of their own pocket all to gain recognition in the film community. This month, The Independent acknowledges 10 filmmakers who have stood out among the crowd. Compiled from a list of suggestions made by critics, peers and organizations, these filmmakers all have projects coming out in 2009 and represent everything from animated shorts to feature-length narratives.
From first-time directors to Fulbright Scholars and Oscar nominees these filmmakers should not be missed in 2009. With a flood of suggestions from peers, film scholars, critics and organizations such as the Sundance Institute and the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, The Independent has compiled a list of "10 filmmakers to watch" with films slated for a 2009 release.
2008 Awards Roundup for Independent Film
A overview of the nominees and winners of some of independent film's most prestigious awards.
January 12th, 2009 | Jericho ParmsA one-stop update on independent film awards for 2008, including a roundup of winners from the Gotham Independent Film Awards, The Alliance of Women Film Journalists: The EDM Awards, Film Independent's Spirit Awards and a list of the nominees for The Cinema Eye Awards. Some standout films among the list include Courtney Hunt's Frozen River (view trailer here) and Carl Deal and Tia Lessin's Trouble the Water (view trailer here).
Each winter as the calendar prepares to turn a new year, the independent film community takes stock. From the vast array of new and established film festivals and theatrical releases large and small, 2008 was a vibrant year in independent film. There is much to celebrate this New Year as the much-anticipated awards season has already kicked off.
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