In addition to the website: http://gpjff.org, you can also follow the Festival on  Facebook.com/greaterphxjewishfilmfest or @GPJFF on Twitter.

WHAT:    The 16th Annual Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival

WHEN:    Sunday, February 12^th through Sunday, February 26th

WHERE:  Harkins Camelview 5, 7001 E. Highland Ave., Scottsdale

                 Harkins Chandler Crossroads 12, 2980 E. Germann Road, Chandler

                 Harkins Arrowhead 18, 16046 N. Arrowhead Fountains Ctr. Dr., Peoria

Ticket Prices:   $10.00 for adults/$5 for students

For more information about tickets, ticket packages or group discounts, call Bob Segelbaum at 602.908.8007.

Orthodox Stance                                                                                          AREA PREMIERE

Documentary – 83 minutes, Hebrew/English/Russian, w/ English subtitles

Screenings:

       Harkins Camelview 5, Scottsdale – Sun. Feb. 12^th, 3 PM

       Harkins Arrowhead 18, Peoria – Tues. Feb.21^st,3 PM

       Preceded by Hava Nagila: What Is It? - Short

Dimitriy Salita, Russian, immigrant and Orthodox Jew follows a traditional route out of poverty:  Boxing.  It is truly that sport’s story of “body and soul.”

Guest Speakers:

Camelview 5: Director Jason Hutt

Arrowhead 18: Harvey Prezant, former boxer, now a boxing judge and trainer.

Naomi                                                                                                                      AREA PREMIERE

Drama – 90 minutes, Hebrew/Arabic, w/ English Subtitles

Screening: Harkins Camelview 5, Scottsdale- Sun. Feb. 12^th, 7 PM

All the elements of a psychological thriller are here.  A May-December marriage on the brink.  A mother prepared to do whatever to protect her “boy.”  Unease and uncertainty joined with suspicion.  A surprise conclusion awaits you.

David                                                                                                               ARIZONA PREMIERE 

Drama– 80 minutes, English

Preceded by David & Goliath/Short at all three showings 

Screenings: Harkins Crossroads 12, Chandler – Sun. Feb. 12^th, 3 PM

             Harkins Camelview 5, Scottsdale – Sun. Feb. 19^th, 3PM

             Harkins Arrowhead 18, Peoria – Wed, Feb. 22^th, 7PM 

Two children thrown together: Yoav, Jewish, and David, Muslim, meet in a city environment of religious tensions and suspicions, and ask themselves two enduring questions: “How can I fit in?” and “Can we be friends?” An important film for all ages. 

Guest Speaker at Camelview 5: Rabbi Darren Kleinberg   

The People v. Leo Frank                                                                             AREA PREMIERE

Docudrama – 85 minutes, English

Screening: Harkins Camelview 5, Scottsdale – Mon. Feb 13^th, 7 PM

                 Harkins Crossroads 12, Chandler – Tues. Feb 14^th, 7PM

                 Harkins Arrowhead 18, Peoria – Mon. Feb 20^th, 7PM

A troubling, boldly depiction of murder mere words cannot convey.  It takes this powerful docudrama to convey the shocking and tragic events as they unfolded in 1913 Atlanta.

Guest Speaker:

Camelview 5 and Chandler Crossroads 12 : Writer/Director/Exec Producer: Ben Loeterman

Hidden Children                                                                           ARIZONA PREMIERE           

History/Docudrama – 90 minutes, French w/ English subtitles

Screening: Harkins Camelview 5, Scottsdale – Tues. Feb. 14^th, 7 PM

                 Harkins Arrowhead 18, Peoria – Sun. Feb. 19^th, 3 PM

                 Harkins Crossroads 12, Chandler – Tues. Feb 21^st, 7 PM

Here is fact more poignant, filled with outrage, with pain, and with more twists and turns than fiction. It’s the true saga of two little French Jewish boys, the Finalys, sheltered by a devout Catholic woman when their parents were sent to their deaths in a concentration camp. The film will tug at your heart. 

Guest Speakers:

Camelview 5: Dr. Murray Henner

Arrowhead 18: Rabbi Arthur Abrams

Chandler Crossroads 12: Paul Wieser

Je Taime I Love You Terminal                                                            ARIZONA PREMIERE

Drama, Comedy, Romance – 80 minutes, English

Screenings: Harkins Camelview 5, Scottsdale – Wed. Feb. 15^th, 3 PM

“Love usually happens when God decides He needs a laugh.”  You will, too, in this romantic diversion.  Israeli Ben meets English Emma and the result is outrageous, flaky fun.  Have a good laugh; we all can use one.

The Matchmaker                                                                                        AREA PREMIERE

Drama – 112 minutes, Hebrew w/ English Subtitles

Camelview 5, Scottsdale and Arrowhead 18, Peoria: Preceded by Honeymoon Suite – Short

Chandler Crossroads 12: Preceded by Hava Nagila: What Is It? – Short

Screenings: Harkins Camelview 5, Scottsdale  – Wed. Feb 15^th, 7 PM

                    Harkins Arrowhead 18, Peoria – Sun. Feb. 19^th, 7 PM

                    Harkins Crossroads 12, Chandler – Thurs. Feb. 23^rd, 7 PM

The matchmaker is a mystery.  Is he a Holocaust survivor with a hidden past, a shady business man or more on a mission as a mentor to a teenager coming of age than in business?  Watch, enjoy, and perhaps find some answers.

Guest Speaker: Chandler Crossroads 12, Rabbi Dean Shapiro

The Human Resources Manager                                                                       ARIZONA PREMIERE

Drama – 103 minutes, Hebrew, English, Romanian, w/ English subtitles

Screenings: Harkins Camelview 5, Scottsdale – Thurs. Feb. 16^th, 3 PM

Life and death come together in this film.  An Israeli Manager is forced to return the remains of a woman to her native Rumanian village.  He and perhaps you, too, learn much about life from this journey of trials and tribulations.

Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom                                                                   AREA PREMIERE 

Documentary – 96 minutes, English

Preceded by Hava Nagila: What Is It? – Short 

Screening: Harkins Camelview 5, Scottsdale – Thurs. Feb 16th, 7 PM 

Good, bad, never dull, Tony Curtis’ rags to riches, intolerance struggle, fame and infamy, is a story defining a truly original movie
My Best Enemy                                                                                               ARIZONA PREMIERE

Drama/Dark Comedy – 109 minutes, German w/ English subtitles

Camelview and Arrowhead: Preceded by David & Goliath – Short

Screening: Harkins Camelview 5, Scottsdale – Sun. Feb. 19^th, 7 PM

                 Harkins Crossroads 12 , Chandler – Sun. Feb 19^th, 7 PM

                 Harkins Arrowhead 18, Peoria – Thu. Feb 23^st, 7PM

Wonderful acting and directing make this “edge-of-seat” thriller work.

With all its escapades and questions raised you will want to see how it all plays out.

Guest Discussion Leader:

Chandler Crossroads 12 – Bill Goodykoontz, Chief Film Critic, Gannett and Film Critic,  Arizona Republic.

Guest Speaker

Arrowhead 18, Peoria – Paul Wieser, Holocaust Expert

Yoo-Hoo Mrs. Goldberg                                            

Documentary – 92 minutes, English

Preceded by Seltzer Works – Short

Screening: Harkins Crossroads 12, Chandler – Sun. Feb 26^th, 3 PM

First via radio, then by TV, the depressed American public took this warm, loving Jewish mother into their homes and hearts.  See how Gertrude Berg, as Mollie, brought to life an imagined cast of characters. 

We’re looking to cast the following roles for an eight minute short to be shot in the metro Los Angeles area before the end of the year. Please send your headshot and resume to casting (at) launchflix dot com by November 15, 2011.

Henry Oertelt

A German immigrant is questioned during a cocktail party in Minnesota regarding his whereabouts during World War II…and discovers that the world can be a very small place.

Henry Oertelt:

Jewish, Mid-thirties, brown eyes, brown hair . German Immigrant. Thin, below average-height, eye-glasses.

Inge Oerelt:

Henry’s wife. Mid-thirties, Jewish, brown eyes, brown hair . German Immigrant. Thin, below average-height.

Steffi Oertelt:

Henry and Inge’s daughter. 5 years old, blonde brown eyes.

Mrs. Reece:

50’s, Local teacher, little overweight, pushy, but down-home at the same time. Minnesota Native.

Arnold Fink:

Mid to late 30’s. Guest at a cocktail party. Jewish, Minnesota native. Knew Henry in the past.

Mary:

Early twenties female babysitter, Minnesota native.

For more information visit http:6mfor6m.org or join our Facebook page.

Inge Oertelt

Over the course of five consecutive weeks, guests will hear first-hand from prolific film directors whose originality, ingenuity, and talent have set them apart as leaders in their craft. Film Independent’s 2011 Directors Close-Up sponsors include Skywalker Sound, The Landmark Theatres, the Directors Guild of America, SAGIndie/Screen Actors Guild, and Cinedigm Digital Cinema.
“We are incredibly proud to celebrate 10 years of the Directors Close-Up series and are looking forward to another great year. The range of accomplished independent directors, writers, actors and filmmaking talent that have shared their stories and career advice with our attendees is truly amazing,” said Maria Bozzi, Film Independent’s Director of Education.

This year’s panels will cover the following topics:
February 2nd – Music and Sound Design
February 9th – The Creative Team: Bringing the Vision to Life
February 16th – Casting and Directing Actors
February 23rd – The Spirit of Independence: A Roundtable Discussion
March 2nd – Writing and Directing
All panels will take place at The Landmark – West Los Angeles (10850 West Pico Boulevard at Westwood Boulevard) on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Series passes are currently available for a discounted rate of $99 for Film Independent members and $130 for the general public. After January 14, series passes will be $150 for Film Independent members and $180 for the general public. For more information on panel descriptions and participants, and to buy passes, please visit FilmIndependent.org or call 310-432-1222.

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT
Film Independent is a non-profit arts organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent’s Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff, and constituents, are comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry leader, or a film lover.
With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent offers free Filmmaker Labs for selected writers, directors, and producers; provides cut-rate services for filmmakers; and presents year-round networking opportunities. Film Independent’s mentorship and job placement program, Project:Involve, pairs emerging culturally diverse filmmakers with film industry professionals.
Film Independent produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international cinema and the Spirit Awards, a celebration honoring films and filmmakers that embody independence and dare to challenge the status quo.
For more information or to become a member, visit FilmIndependent.org.

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival just wrapped its 10^th annual Producers Lab earlier this week with 14 filmmakers and 9 projects participating. Sponsored by Technicolor and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the seven-week program took place in Los Angeles and was designed to help producers improve their craft, and move their current projects into production in a nurturing, yet challenging creative environment.

Film producers Ted Kroeber (American Gun, Splinter), Meg LeFauve (The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, The Baby Dance), and Ron Yerxa (The Switch, Little Children) were this year’s Lab Instructors and advised the selected filmmakers on the craft and business of producing.  Lab advisors this year included: Effie T. Brown (Rocket Science), Cotty Chubb (Unthinkable), Scott Hamilton Kennedy (The Garden), In-Ah Lee (Yi Ye Taibel), Alix Madigan-Yorkin (Winter’s Bone), Michael Roiff (Waitress), Paula Schmit (Film Finances), and Robin Schorr (Peaceful Warrior).

Filmmakers were chosen based on the strength of their submitted script, business plan, and creative vision.  The Producers Lab is provided free to accepted producers, and upon completion, they become Film Independent Fellows, receiving year-round support including access to Film Independent’s annual film educational offerings, on-staff Filmmaker Advisor, and the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Recent projects developed through the Lab include Suzi Yoonessi’s Dear Lemon Lima, which premiered at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival; Morgan Stiff’s Mississippi Damned, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Outfest Film Festival; Scott Prendergast’s Kabluey, which premiered at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival; Ted Kroeber’s American Gun, which was nominated for three Spirit Awards in 2007; So Yong Kim’s In Between Days, which was released by New Yorker Films in 2007; and Jessica Sanders’ After Innocence, which was short-listed for the 2006 Academy Awards.

The 2010 Producers Lab filmmakers and projects were:

1.   Before You Say Goodbye – A popular high school cheerleader learns how to love when her former childhood friend, an ostracized “promise-ring” kid, falls ill.

Kevin Fitzmaurice Comer graduated from the University of Cincinnati with honors in electrical engineering.  As a project manager for NASA, Comer designed, constructed and launched an experimental rocket.  Upon moving to New York City, he embarked on his post-graduate studies in film at Brooklyn College.  He founded Psychonaut Productions in 2002 in Los Angeles and produced the award-winning short film Parallel Passage, and was invited to participate in the inaugural Marché du Film Producer’s Network at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. A veteran of music video and commercial production, Comer has worked with some of the biggest commercial production houses such as RSA, @radical.media, The Directors Bureau, Streetgang, Paranoid US, Cente Service, Day-O, Filmbug, Duroo, B2 Studios, Firefly, Humble, MTV, and Washington Square Films, amongst others. He has produced and line produced high caliber commercials, promos, music videos, and viral videos for clients such as BMW, Lexus, Hyundai, Honda, GM/Daewoo, Soft Bank (with Brad Pitt and Cameron Diaz), Shiseido, L’Oreal (with Eva Longoria), McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Disney (with Hillary Duff), Samsung, Zoosk and Google; music videos for U2, Green Day, Red Jump Suit Apparatus, The National, as well as F/X promos for The Riches, The Shield, Nip/Tuck and Sons of Anarchy. Comer is also the Head of Production at Evolution LA and oversees viral campaigns produced for studio films, including Bruno, I Love You Beth Cooper, Marley & Me, etc. Comer recently produced Tesla Popped my Cherry, a comedic short film by the McAllen brothers, currently in post-production. In 2009, he line-produced Sparks, a short film directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and written by Elmore Leonard, which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival. In addition to Before You Say Goodbye, Comer has three features in development, and is currently in pre-production on a film based on John Patrick Shanley’s celebrated play, Down and Out.

Lulu Brud moved to Los Angeles at the age of nineteen after realizing her degree in Theater from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill was not going to make a career happen and she needed real life experience. At the age of twenty, Brud launched a theater company, Little Bird Theater Company, which developed and produced the very popular and highly attended one-act festival called MIXTAPE. Her aim was to align herself with new writers and directors, creating a strong talent pool. In January of 2009, Brud bought the rights to an award winning play she starred in called F*cking Art. For the following year and a half, Brud worked closely with the writer, Bekah Brustetter, to develop a feature length version of the play that has now come to be known as Before You Say Goodbye. Brud has also starred in the horror film Cold Blood Canyon and had a small role in Gravedancers, along with many other shorts, independents and web-series. She is currently optioning new properties to develop more projects as she hopes to continue to act, produce, write, and direct for her entire life. She has studied extensively with Lesly Kahn, Marjorie Ballentine, Allen Barton at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, Judith Weston, Warner Loughlin and Nancy Banks. In 2011, Brud will star in the title roll of Tennessee Williams’ play “Baby Doll” on the Main Stage at the Elephant Theater.

2.  Brute Force – The story of Apple Records’ notoriously irreverent recording artist, Stephen Friedland, aka Brute Force.

Andrew Fuller received a degree in Political Science from Colgate University in 2003, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career the film business where he began working in feature development at Village Roadshow Pictures.  Fuller went on to serve as entertainment adviser for The Bahamas Film Studio, where he liaised on deals such as Disney’s Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 & 3, in addition to consulting on localized tax incentives, soft money financing, and alternative insurance products serving as credit enhancing mechanisms both for single pictures and film slates budgeted up to $150 Million.  In 2007, after heading up the creative division at a wireless start-up company, where he acquired numerous properties and produced short form, viral-driven animated and live action content, Fuller formed Razor Films (www.razorfilmsla.com).  Predicated upon the synthesis of classic Hollywood storytelling with the opportunities of a constantly changing industry and marketplace, the company focuses on making artistically appealing, yet commercially viable, independently financed feature films with breakout and award potential.  Razor’s current slate of films in various stages of development and production include Brute Force, a music documentary, The Last Highway, a concert film and several novel adaptations.

3.  Free Ride – Based on a true story, Free Ride is a captivating tale about a single mother and her two daughters trying to survive and make a life for themselves amidst the mother’s rise in the glamorous Florida drug trade in the late 1970’s.

Susan Dynner began her career at the age of fifteen as a band photographer when she started photographing bands such as The UK Subs, Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag as well as UB40, Psychedelic Furs, Squeeze and many more.  Her photos have been published on album covers, in books, on t-shirts, and in magazines.  After earning her degree at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dynner moved to Los Angeles, where she held various positions at Touchstone, Richard Donner Productions, and Wolfgang Petersen’s Radiant Productions.  Later, she joined Charlie Sheen and Nick Cassavetes’ Ventura Films as VP of Creative Affairs, before leaving to join Steve Herzberg as a Producer and VP of Development/Production for Prairiefire Films, who had deals with Sony and AOL.  In 2000, Dynner teamed up with producer Mark Mathis, and together they formed Stillwater Films.  There, they produced the feature film Brick, which won the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, and was released by Focus Features.  Most recently, Dynner formed Aberration Films, and released Punk’s Not Dead, a documentary feature that she directed, produced and shot.  The film, which premiered at the AFI SilverDocs Film Festival, has received much acclaim.  Celebrated by critics from Variety to The Hollywood Reporter to the LA Times, it went on to screen at many more prestigious festivals, including Melbourne, Copenhagen, Buenos Aires, San Francisco, and AFI Dallas, before its theatrical run (32 US cities and worldwide distribution).  Dynner just completed post-production on the feature documentary, Exxxit: Life After Porn (scheduled to be released in winter, 2010), and was recently hired to direct the narrative feature film, Blank Nation. Aberration Films currently has several other projects in various stages of development, including Free Ride, written and to be directed by Shana Sosin.

4.  Half Truth – Two unlikely friends from the rural South – Donell, a black, teenaged outcast, and Johnny, a white, enigmatic runaway – form a tenuous bond as they escape their troubled pasts on a wild cross-country adventure.

Wade Gasque was chosen for Film Independent’s 2009 Directors Lab and 2008 Screenwriters Lab with his feature screenplay, Half Truth. He’s a semifinalist for this year’s Nicholl Fellowship. In 2009, he was one of six finalists out of 2,000 entrants in the Netflix FIND Your Voice Competition. Film directing credits include the teaser trailer for Half Truth with SteakHaus Productions (Weather Girl, By Hook or By Crook) and the short film The Hardest Job in the Business with Marvin Acuna (The Great Buck Howard, Touched).  Other directing credits include the 2006-7 season of City at Peace-LA, a non-profit that uses the performing arts to empower a diverse group of teens from across Los Angeles. As resident director for the stage musical, The Ohmies, he won Best Musical Play of 2006 by the Beverly Hills Outlook. He has directed The Ohmies at the Geffen Playhouse, The Skirball Cultural Center, and the Falcon Theatre, as well as a national tour in 2006. He was also co-director of The Ohmies Live on DVD produced by Herzog Cowen (Anchorman, HBO:First Look Series) in 2005.  Gasque has directed numerous solo shows and short plays in Los Angeles and New York. He wrote/directed the full-length play, The Allegory of Golf, with a run at the Flatiron Playhouse in New York in 2002, and his short plays I Do Not Wish to See the Needle and The Sweater Issue won Buffalo’s Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition and the Cleveland New Works Festival, respectively.  Before working as a stage and commercial actor for over 10 years, he received theatre scholarships to both Marymount Manhattan College and the College of Charleston and won the South Carolina Archibald Rutledge State Scholarship for Playwriting.

Dominic Ottersbach is a co-founder of Steakhaus Productions, an award-winning film production company dedicated to bringing bold, new visions to movie audiences everywhere.  Dominic and co-founder Steak House have more than 20 combined years of experience in production management, line-producing and producing, with a specialty in physical production, and taking projects from paper to festival.  Recent projects include Sunset Strip The Movie (in production), Secret Lives of Dorks for Steven J. Wolfe, and Chain Letter, The Hustle and Night Tales for Deon Taylor and Jamie Foxx (No Brainer Films). Previous production experience includes coordinating on The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions and several Nickelodeon, Sony and WB cartoon series.  Steakhaus Productions produced the indie favorite By Hook or By Crook, a Sundance premiere and five-time best feature winner. Their films have long enjoyed success on the festival circuit, including Los Angeles Film Festival, Tribeca, Outfest and four films at Sundance. Their popular documentary about passionate Dolly Parton fans, For the Love of Dolly, broadcasts on MTV’s Logo. Most recently, their indie romantic comedy, Weather Girl, premiered at Slamdance 2009 and sold to Screen Media, Regent and Lifetime.  Their current film 6 Month Rule is in post-production and they are developing several other projects including: The Summer We Drowned, Half Truth, Dish and Skirt, which were invited to participate in the FIND labs, Fast Track and the Sundance Independent Producers Conference.

5.  Hey, Hey Johnny! – When Will Kennedy finds a dead body outside his bedroom window, the search for the anonymous boy’s identity forces him to become a new man.  As mystery unfurls, Will discovers what it means to be alive, what it means to be in love, and what it means to lose both.

Nicholas Citton is a writer/director/producer currently based in Los Angeles. He recently completed his studies at Columbia University’s Graduate Film Program. While in school, he co-created the comedy series, This Space for Rent, which was developed with the National Screen Institute of Canada and the Canadian Broadcasting Company. The show aired on CBC Television, and was nominated for numerous awards. This past year, Citton’s feature, That Burning Feeling, was selected for The Canadian Film Centre’s Comedy Lab and developed alongside Just for Laughs Canada. The project is currently in pre-production with Resonance Films. Nicolas has several television and film projects presently in development, including Lust for Life, another comedy series with CBC Television.

Jason James is an award-winning producer/director based in Vancouver, BC.  He got his start as an associate producer on the TV drama Da Vinci’s Inquest, and went on to co-create his own comedy TV series for the CBC, This Space For Rent. Most recently, James produced Carl Bessai’s feature film Repeaters, which premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.  Last year, he produced two critically acclaimed features with director Carl Bessai: Cole and Fathers & Sons .  He also produced Unnatural & Accidental, which premiered at the MoMA in New York, played the 2006 Toronto and Vancouver International Film Festivals, and was released theatrically by Odeon Films in January 2007. James has several television and film projects presently in development, including Lust for Life, another comedy series with CBC Television, and That Burning Feeling, a feature with frequent collaborator, Nicolas Citton.

6.  Poppies and Olives – Three women’s journeys collide in the Arab-Israeli port city of Jaffa.  Layla investigates her Palestinian roots; Tali finds meaning in her art; and Ronit contemplates deserting the army.

Keren Michael’s first feature film, Ha’Meshotet (The Wanderer), premiered at the Directors Fortnight at Cannes in May 2010 and was nominated for Cannes’ prestigious Caméra d’Or. Michael began her film career as an assistant director and has worked extensively with the Israeli production company Movie Plus as well as with directors Amos Gitai and Joseph Cedar. In 2008, Michael co-founded The Mouth Agape, an Israeli independent film production company. Michael graduated from The Camera Obscura Film School in Tel Aviv.

Deb Shoval has received grant funding from The Sparkplug Foundation, The Fund for Wild Nature, The Fund for New Technologies and The Leeway Foundation for her work as a playwright/theater director.  Shoval received a second Leeway grant to research and write her first feature screenplay, Poppies and Olives, which was chosen as an Emerging Narrative Script for the IFP Market. Shoval is currently completing her thesis work for an MFA in Film Directing at Columbia University, where she received a Columbia Women in Film (CWIF) Fellowship in 2009-2010. She was recently named one of the “Heeb Hundred,” Heeb Magazine’s “hundred people you need to know about.”

7.  Saigon/24 – Life in contemporary Saigon as seen through the eyes of a group of young people living in Saigon/24, a dilapidated eastern block style apartment building with an unpredictable charm.

Elizabeth Ai was born in Nashville, grew up in Chicago and currently resides in Los Angeles. She studied at the University of Southern California and went on to work for New Line Cinema, Merv Griffin Entertainment, and the William Morris Agency, then founded an art-based non-profit group for LAUSD inner-city youth called Reaching to Embrace Arts.  Since then, she has been writing and producing short films, music videos, reality web content, documentaries and narrative features. Dirty Hands: The Art & Crimes of David Choe, a documentary she produced, won the 2008 SDAFF Grand Jury and SFIAFF Special Jury Prize. In 2009 she worked with Stephane Gauger to produce a period feature film on French painter Paul Gauguin. A master thesis film she produced, Crown Prince of Heaven, premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival and is a 2010 Weisman Award recipient.  Elizabeth is a 2010 Film Independent Project:Involve and Producer’s Lab fellow and just finished Producing a hip-hop dance narrative feature in Vietnam on local street teens called Saigon/24 with writer/director Stephane Gauger.

8. Stem – A brilliant stem cell researcher goes to visit her sick mother in Scotland and discovers that it is not just cells that sometimes need to go back in order to go forward.

Matthew Medlin hails from rural Northern California, and moved from San Francisco to New York City in 2002 where he worked his way up the production ranks in the commercial and independent film scene. He has produced a myriad of creative projects, ranging from commercials and music videos to new media campaigns, to feature and short narrative films. In 2005, Medlin was the cofounder of a Brooklyn-based filmmaking collective entitled Radius 5 Films, and produced his first feature in 2006. Working closely with artist Doug Aitken in 2007 and 2008, he helped produce Sleepwalkers, a massive public art piece that was projected onto the exterior of the MoMA in New York City, and Migration which debuted at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh and showed at Sundance in 2009. After moving to Los Angeles in 2008, Medlin dived directly into independent films first with Obselidia, and more recently Losing Control (currently in post production).  Additionally, he had a hand in the film Night Catches Us, which was in competition at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, and has several projects slated to begin production in the coming year.

Chris Byrne has worked in the American film industry for fifteen years as an actor, stuntman, military tech advisor, camera assistant/operator, director and producer in both independent and studio features.  This followed a twelve-year stint in Special Forces in both British and US armies.   Byrne’s broad range of onset experience gives him an invaluable, practical understanding of what is needed to make a successful film.  He has worked closely with some of the greatest directors of our times – his credits (as an actor) include James Cameron’s Titanic, Costas Gavras’ Mad City, and John McTiernan’s Basic (for which he also provided military tech advice).  His credits as a camera assistant include Luke Wilson’s Wendell Baker Story and Jeb Stuart’s Blood Done Sign Thy Name.  Additionally, he has directed and produced his own award-winning WW2 short film The Table.

9.  Valley of Saints – In beautiful, war-ravaged Kashmir, a poor boatman and a young scientist team up to save a forgotten casualty: the environment.

Nicholas Bruckman is a New York-based film and media producer and graduate of the New Media department at SUNY Purchase  His thesis film on Kashmir earned him the Statewide University Chancellor’s Award. His directorial debut, La Americana, won 7 awards at over 30 international film festivals and was broadcast on various networks in the U.S., Europe and Asia.  As part of the film’s outreach campaign, Bruckman spoke at leading institutions and universities on immigrant rights and immigration reform.  Additional producer credits include Bronx Princess (POV 2009) and The New Recruits (PBS 2010).  In addition to independent film, Bruckman produces corporate media projects around the world for Fortune 500 and nonprofit clients, in countries including Bolivia, Venezuela, Israel, Kuwait, the UK and India.  He is an alumnus of the IFP Rough Cut Labs and Independent Film Week, and his work has been funded by numerous foundations including NYSCA, Cinereach, and The Fledgling Fund.  Bruckman was recently named a 2010 Film Fellow by the New York Foundation for the Arts.

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

Film Independent is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent’s Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff, and constituents, is comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry leader, or a film lover.

With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent offers free Filmmaker Labs for selected writers, directors, and producers; provides cut-rate services for filmmakers; and presents year-round networking opportunities. Film Independent’s mentorship and job placement program, Project:Involve, pairs emerging culturally diverse filmmakers with film industry professionals.

Film Independent produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international cinema and the Spirit Awards, a celebration honoring films and filmmakers that embody independence and dare to challenge the status quo.

For more information or to become a member, visit FilmIndependent.org.

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The Cinetic Rights Management representative said that digital distribution piracy has become a scapegoat for films that underperform.

The Hurt Locker was sited.

Avatar was the most downloaded pirated movie and sold the most copies too.

Filmmakers and musicians who focus on ways to connect with fans overall experience are most successful.

Hulu.com was created to monetize pirated content. They gave the example of selling bottled water. People do buy fancy water even though they can get it free.

The MPA rep said what keeps him up at night is  that consumers are getting used to getting content from one place – and thinking I can get whatever I want – for free.

Unthinkable with Samuel Jackson went from #3200 to 863 to #3 on IMDB a few weeks before commercial release.

The Unthinkable producer said they expected 800,000 dvd sales but got around 450,000. Producer said “Maybe it didn’t hurt” that it was available on the Internet on pirated sites.

9 inch Nails music ex.  He connects w/ his fan base. Make people feel good about your work and content.

Give them a real reason to buy. 9 Inch Nails put 36 tracks on line for free with a creative commons license and said if you “Want” pay $5 for all 36 songs, then for $10 get a CD, for $75, get deluxe package and for $2500 limited quality available, get the ultra deluxe which they sold out of.

There’s a lot of evidence that VOD doesn’t impact theatrical.

Rainn Wilson has been tweeting about his last film in production, Super. Interesting to see how that affects its success when its finally released. Twitter users seem to want stuff NOW.

On June 30 the MPA seized 9 web sites.

I have to say, I was again struck by the fact that independent filmmakers really have their work cut out for them and yet, there’s something exciting about being able to break the mold and come up with your own model.

At the networking event, I talked to the president of the Association of Film Commissioners International, film commissioners from Lake Tahoe and Utah, (where they just shot 127 Hours,) and someone from the American Humane Society who said they would come when you film anything with animals.

Also met the CEO of the Creative Coalition in NY who brings together artists and entertainers to learn about pressing issues so they can better inform and influence the community and nation.

Finally, I met Thiago Bento, the CEO of Lumiart Brasil. He gave me their short called Piece of Paper. I enjoyed seeing their work, and there were no sub titles, which I appreciated. Check out more at their web site.

I missed Saturday but you can read the keynote address by Lionsgate co-COO and president of its Motion Picture Group, Joe Drake here. Thanks to Film Independent for putting on another great event for our community.