Filmmakers Collaborative

Haiti: Where did the Money Go? makes headlines

Filmmakers Collaborative — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:06:43 +0000

FC Filmmaker Michele Mitchell and her team at Film at 11 are making headlines with their latest project, HAITI: WHERE DID THE MONEY GO?.

You can read all about it on the Huffington Post, and in the Chicago Tribune.

LEF Fellowship Program

Filmmakers Collaborative — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:58:01 +0000

The Flaherty is accepting applications for the LEF Fellowship Program, which provides economic support to New England-area filmmakers interested in attending the 2012 Robert Flaherty Film Seminar this June in Hamilton, NY.

Programmed by Josetxo Cerdán, the 2012 Seminar is entitled “Open Wounds”, and will look at changing perspectives on politics, the economy, technology, culture, and ethics over the past century, and explore how filmmakers contribute to new ways of seeing the world based on their own heritage.

The LEF Fellowship covers the filmmaker’s entire registration fee (including room, board and special events) to the Seminar, which will take place at Colgate University from June 16-22 in Hamilton, NY.

The application deadline is Thursday, March 1.

For more information, click here.

“Rebel” screening

Filmmakers Collaborative — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:21:10 +0000

FC board member María Agui Carter presented a sneak preview of her new film Rebel at the American Latino Heritage Forum being hosted by the White House and the U.S. Department of the Interior.

President Barak Obama delivered remarks and guests included Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Members of Congress, Latino community leaders from across the country during this Hispanic Heritage month event celebrating the contributions of American Latinos who have helped
shape America’s rich and diverse history.

Rebel, is a film about a Latina woman soldier who fought in one of the most pivotal events of
American history – the American Civil War.

What you saw (or missed) at Making Media Now 2011

Filmmakers Collaborative — Mon, 23 May 2011 18:00:45 +0000

We had a wonderful day on Friday, May 6th at Bentley College with terrific speakers, trade show vendors and attentive and interesting filmmakers of all types. Check out some of the photos from David Burke from the day and see what attendees had to say:

“Making Media Now is the single most important event to independent filmmakers and producers in New England.” – Joel Gardner

“Excellent, engaging speaker with information presented in an entertaining, fact-filled matter.”

Beth Harrington

“Still the best organization and conference in the area (and maybe the USA).” – Gerri Gagnon

Social Media and Outreach Campaign Panel

“Very compelling speakers and project. Love the community building.”
“I think Helen is so brave for pushing so far into the digital sphere.”

Filmmakers Bob Nesson and Eric Grunebaum

Art of the Pitch

“This was probably the most useful session (Art of the Pitch). We can talk about strategy until we’re blue in the face, but if we don’t know how to get ourselves across effectively once we’re in the room with the investor or broadcaster, then it’s all for naught.”

“Excellent, fun and very quick-paced. Judith is a great moderator.”

“Lively discussion on fundraising issues.”

“This was great – rich, complicated, lively.”

“An excellent look into the new paradigm we are all facing.”

“Great group of attendees.”

“It was a very valuable and informative experience. The community is great and people are very open. I would come again.”

24 hour film race – starts April 29th

Filmmakers Collaborative — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:04:45 +0000

The 24 Hour Film Race 2011 is an international competition that challenges filmmakers everywhere to create short films (4 minutes max.) in just 24 hours.

The 2011 competition is scheduled to kick off at 10PM EST on Friday, April 29th.

Filmmakers are e-mailed a Theme (ex. Revenge, Spare Change, A Trade, etc…) and Surprise Elements (ex. A Prop and/or Action) which must be included in the film. Filmmakers have until 9:59PM EST on Saturday, April 30th to write, shoot, and edit an original short film and upload the finished film here on filmracing.com. The filmmakers have the option of premiering their film at theaters in over 15 cities across North America. The top 24 films from the competition will be invited to a gala screening and awards ceremony in New York on July 16th where they will be competing for thousands in cash and prizes!

Deadline for Registration: April 27th
Non-Union ONLY
SCREENING: Kendall Cinema- Cambridge, MA
May 5th, 7PM
Tickets: $12 for public

Website

Questions: filmracingBOS@gmail.com

One-on-One Consultations – Making Media Now

Filmmakers Collaborative — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:51:20 +0000

One-on-One Consultations

These consultations will take place from 11:15-12:15 pm and from 2:45-4:00 pm on Friday May 6th.

Sign up for these 15-minute consultations begins at 8:45 am on Friday, May 6th at Bentley next to the registration area in the LaCava Conference Center (3rd floor). Participants may sign up for only one consultation until 10:30 am and may then sign up for another if there are still vacancies. Sign ups are a first come first serve opportunity.

Registration for Making Media Now is now closed.

Topics include:
* Fundraising
* Investing in social media
* Finding the right broadcaster for your story
* Operating as a one person band
* Distribution
* Story structure
* Legal issues
* Production
* Brand marketing
* Filmmakers working with corporations
* Tax credits
* Broadcasting on PBS
* Dealing with different formats

Consulting experts include:
* Mikaela Beardsley (fundraising)
* Melissa Bradley (Tides Foundation)
* Helen De Michiel (transmedia, webisodes, new modalities of creating and sharing film)
* Sandra Forman (legal issues)
* Nate Garvis (brand and marketing)
* Beth Harrington (new avenues for fundraising)
* Beth Hoppe (story structure, finding the right broadcast home for your film, distribution)
* Sheila Leddy (Fledging Fund)
* David Tames (one man band)
* Irene Wachsler (tax credits)
* Alison WInshel (PBS)

Signe Taylor’s Circus Dreams screens in Boston

Filmmakers Collaborative — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:17:08 +0000

Circus Dreams is a feature-length documentary about a dynamic group of 12 to 18 year olds performing in Circus Smirkus, the only traveling youth circus in the country. And, most importantly, it was accepted to the Boston International Film Festival.

The BIFF screening will take place on April 18 at 3:30 at the AMC Theater on 175 Tremont Street. Tickets are available at Boston Independent Film Festival. http://www.bifilmfestival.com/biffschedule.html. Scroll down to Session 15, click on the yellow ticket, enter Boston as the city and then you can purchase tickets!

Maria Carter’s new film premieres in Sarasota

Filmmakers Collaborative — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:23:23 +0000

María Agui Carter has produced a new feature documentary film NO JOB FOR A WOMAN: Women Who Fought To Report WWII World War II with Director/Producer Michéle Fillion narrated by Julianna Margulles. A film about how war reporting changed when women reporters, previously excluded from war zones, found their way in, the film follows the stories of three courageous women journalists driven to change history by writing it themselves, and whose groundbreaking journalism affected the world’s understanding of the war. No Job For a Woman will have its festival premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival April 10, 2011.

Boston Jewish FF Now Accepting Submissions

Filmmakers Collaborative — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:20:09 +0000

Submissions are open for this year’s Boston Jewish Film Festival, our 23rd, which runs November 2-13, 2011.

Eligibility:

The Boston Jewish Film Festival screens films that highlight the Jewish experience; explore Jewish culture/heritage/history; or are of particular interest to the Jewish community. The Festival presents narrative, documentary, animated and experimental works of any length. Entries must meet these guidelines:
• Must be a Massachusetts premiere (no prior screenings or TV broadcasts)
• Films completed in 2009 or later
• Screening formats: 35mm, Beta SP (NTSC or PAL), Digibeta (NTSC or PAL) and HDCAM (no HDCAM SR)
• Foreign language films must have English subtitles or be dubbed in English
• No resubmissions

Submission deadlines and fees:
• Submissions before May 1, 2011 – $25 entry fee
• Submissions after May 1, 2011 – $40 entry fee
• No submissions after May 31, 2011
• There is no fee for international entries

Entry forms are online at BJFF. Submit to:

Programming Office
The Boston Jewish Film Festival, Inc.
1001 Watertown Street
West Newton, MA 02465 USA

General questions regarding the Call for Entries form can be directed to: programming@bjff.org

Making Media Now 2011

Filmmakers Collaborative — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:55:01 +0000

Featuring five exciting workshops and panels, a trade show, one-on-one consultations and plenty of opportunity for networking.

To register and for more info click here

This is one of the sessions we’re offering:

EMBRACE DISRUPTION: What is the changing nature of funding and what are funders looking for?

During this session we will explore the expectations of film funders and learn how filmmakers and funders can partner successfully in the changing media and market environment. Join us for this exciting interview, moderated by Dawn Fratangelo – correspondent for Dateline NBC and substitute anchor for NBC Nightly News – in which we will explore funder and filmmaker perspectives on finding creative sources of funding and how trans-media, outcome measurement, and other novel strategic initiatives have become critical criteria for a growing number of the funding community.

Featured panelists include Melissa Bradley, CEO of Tides Foundation and Mikaela Beardsley, Executive Producer of HALF THE SKY.

Prior to joining Tides, Melissa had a strong track record of creative and innovative leadership, and a background as a social entrepreneur, including a personal interest in facilitating funding of film and media. Tides has partnerships with film makers and has supported many films over the years, including: Amreeka, Brave New Films, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Prom Night in Mississippi, The Story of Stuff, Taxi to the Dark Side, and Trouble the Water.

Mikaela’s latest project, an ambitious transmedia project inspired by Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, includes a multi-part PBS television series, community engagement campaign, website, social networking game, educational materials, and numerous strategic partnerships. Along with her partners on the project, she has raised funding for the project from many sources including ITVS, The Ford Foundation and USAID.

My Perestroika screens at the Coolidge

Filmmakers Collaborative — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:03:23 +0000

Sunday, April 3, 3:00 pm

My Perestroika follows five ordinary Russians living in extraordinary times; from their sheltered Soviet childhood, to the collapse of the Soviet Union during their teenage years, to the constantly shifting political landscape of post-Soviet Russia.
Together, these childhood classmates paint a complex picture of the dreams and disillusionment of those raised behind the Iron Curtain.

FC Member & Director Robin Hessman will appear in person to discuss her new film for this special screening at Coolidge Corner Theatre on Sunday, April 10 at 3:00pm

Robin Hessman’s intimate and lovingly crafted documentary focuses on the last generation of Soviet children brought up behind the Iron Curtain. Since premiering at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, My Perestroika has screened at some of the world’s top documentary festivals, including Full Frame, where it won the Filmmaker Award, Silverdocs, where it won the Special Jury Award, and the prestigious New Directors/New Films, a collaboration between the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art.

When the USSR broke apart in 1991, a generation of young people faced a new realm of possibilities. An intimate epic about the extraordinary lives of this last Soviet generation, Robin Hessman’s feature documentary debut tells the stories of five Moscow schoolmates who were brought up behind the Iron Curtain, witnessed the joy and confusion of glasnost, and reached adulthood right as the world changed around them. Through candid first-person testimony, revealing verité footage, and vintage home movies, Hessman, who spent many years living in Moscow, reveals a Russia rarely ever seen on film, where people are frank about their lives and forthcoming about their country. Engaging, funny, and positively inspiring, in My Perestroika politics is personal, honesty overshadows ideology, and history progresses one day, one life at a time.

The Prenups – Active Voice

Filmmakers Collaborative — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:50:19 +0000

What filmmakers and funders should talk about before tying the knot.

Check out the link!

Rule Learning Lab Series – March

Filmmakers Collaborative — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:43:42 +0000

March 2, 10am to 12noon

NEW AF-100 LENS CONTROL SYSTEM

Birger Engineering premieres their new lens control system for EF mount lenses on the popular Panasonic AF-100 camera featuring both auto and manual iris control and continuous auto-focus.