If you are looking to raising money for your production, the LA Film Festival is putting on a full day of panels and workshops at the Landmark, to discuss the current trends in film financing, production, and distribution. The list of panelists including writers Carolyn Giardina The Hollywood Reporter and Anne Thompson, Thompson on Hollywood blog, Sacha Gervasi, Director of Indie phenom Anvil: The Story of Anvil and Buzz Hays, a Senior Producer from Sony Pictures Imageworks looks amazing. You can sign up online.

The morning keynote will start with James D. Stern (CEO Endgame Entertainment) Co-producer, co-director Every Little Step, and Producer, An Education, I’m Not There.

Here are the sessions:

10:15 am The World As We Know It: Is it Over?
The independent film world is rapidly changing. With the financial credit crunch production capital has all but disappeared; the printed media that validates and serves to market films is in shambles; and the traditional distribution models are in flux. As the structures that support the film industry’s ecosystem collapse, we ask, is it all gloom and doom, or an opportunity for great change? Key players in the industry give an assessment of the current state of affairs and how they see the industry evolving.

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10:15 am Independent Financing Models: The Old and the New
As the global economy changes, technology advances, and the film industry adjusts, inventive new ways of finding money share the stage with some tried and proven methods of financing movies. This introductory overview includes an explanation of traditional film financing structures and terminology and gives a peek into recent experiences in financing through the internet.

12:00 noon Homegrown: Domestic Film Incentives
Local state governments continue to create competitive incentives to bring film productions into their communities —the latest being California. What is the real impact of subsidies, tax credits, and rebates on your budget’s bottom line? What productions qualify to take advantage of these opportunities? And most importantly, how do you turn soft money into cash? The panel will provide an up to date review on domestic incentives.

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12:00 noon Financing Clinic: Packaging Tips from the Pros
Participants in the Los Angeles Festival Fast Track Program pitch their projects to a panel of experts and get advice on how to leverage their projects’ elements into an attractive package for financiers and investors. The panelists’ specific feedback and practical advice will provide useful packaging and financing tips for all.

1:30 pm LUNCH

2:45 pm Crossing Borders: Global Film Markets
Producers, financiers, and sales agents explore the international economic crisis’ impact on the movie business and give pointers on foreign financing, pre-sales, and co-production opportunities.

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2:45 pm Case Studies: Taking your Film into the Marketplace
Hear independent filmmakers give a first-hand account of how they released their films. With three detailed case studies of how these films were made and found their way into the marketplace we will provide a snapshot of the independent film business in transition.

4:30 pm Digital Distribution: The Future is Here, But Where is the Money?
With the rise of social networking sites and alternative distribution platforms, technology is finally ready to deliver content on demand anywhere in the planet. Filmmakers have taken note and are seizing these tools to distribute their films and establish a direct, ongoing dialogue with their audience. As the distribution gatekeepers seem to lose their power, consumers take the driver’s seat with the click of a mouse, while content creators are still scrambling to figure out the new revenue models. Filmmakers and key players in digital distribution share their experience and provide some insight on how to monetize content on the web.

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4:30 pm In 3D: The Economics of 3D for Independents
The increasing number of studio blockbusters released in 3D and the recent deployment of 3D technology to the multiplex suggest that 3D films have finally come of age and are here to stay. But beyond the tent-pole film, is 3D viable for smaller budget art house and genre fare? With a group of technology experts and independent producers who have dipped their toes in the 3D world, we explore the realistic possibilities of 3D for indies.

6:00 pm Reception

Panelists include:
Stephanie Allain (Producer, Black Snake Moan)
Rick Allen (CEO, Snagfilms)
Laura Bickford (President, Laura Bickford Productions)
Peter Broderick (Paradigm Consulting)
Patrick Creadon (Director, I.O.U.S.A.)
Michael Donaldson (Donaldson & Callif)
Jennifer Dubin (Producer, Good Dick)
Stuart Ford (CEO, IM Global)
Christian Gaines (Director of Festivals, Withoutabox, a division of IMDb.com)
Sacha Gervasi (Director, Anvil! The Story of Anvil)
Carolyn Giardina (The Hollywood Reporter)
Dan Griffiths (Senior VP, Trans-Pacific Media)
Buzz Hays (Senior Producer, Sony Pictures Imageworks)
Sten Iversen (Manager, Montana Film Office)
Brian Kavanaugh Jones (CAA)
Scott Kirsner (Author, Fans, Friends & Followers)
Amy Lemisch (Executive Director, California Film Commission)
Patrick Lussier (Director, My Bloody Valentine 3D)
Trevor Macy (Co-CEO, Intrepid Pictures)
Ted Mundorff (CEO, Landmark Theatres)
Cora Olson (Producer, Good Dick)
Max Penner (CTO & Stereographer, Paradise FX_
Jean Prewitt (President & CEO, IFTA)
Irwin Rappaport (P.C.)
Wendy Reeds (International Home Entertainment Sales, Lionsgate)
Jon Reiss (Director/Producer, Bomb It!)
Hal Sadoff (Head of International and Independent Film, ICM)
Paula Manzanedo Schmit (Vice President, Film Finances, Inc.)
Bob Teitel (Producer, Notorious)
Anne Thompson (Thompson on Hollywood Blog)
Adam Yauch (Principal, Oscilloscope)