The Independent | Obsessed with independent film since 1978.

The Independent: obsessed with independent film since 1978

Friday 03rd of July 2009

		How Filmmakers Can Beat the Recession The Independent's Sean Jones investigates some innovative and useful ideas to help cash-strapped filmmakers survive through difficult times. From free distribution for films to virtual tip jars, The Independent examines the different ways that filmmakers can put their creativity to use for financial survival during the recession.
		Blogging SilverDocs: Closing Night Independent blogger Enette Ngoei attends the closing night screening of The Nine Lives of Marion Barry, where filmmakers Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer explore the political career and private life of the former D.C. mayor. The world premiere was kicked off with a visit from Barry, which was ill-received by gay rights protesters (watch a YouTube video of Barry's arrival here) and ended with an after-screening Q&A, where Barry deflected tough questions from the audience.
		Blogging CineVegas: From the Wild Weekend to Closing Night The Independent's Jessica Tripp bypasses the sold out 500 Days of Summer and opts for a screening of Patriotville (view a clip here), a series of locally-made shorts, which can be viewed online here, and Asylum Seekers (view the trailer here) and, after a crazy Vegas weekend, ends the festival, with a low-key drive-in screening on Fremont Street.
		Blogging SilverDocs: The Centerpiece Screening Independent blogger Enette Ngoei is forced to choose between the many nighttime screenings offered at SilverDocs this year. Going back and forth between AJ Schnack's Convention, Peter Greenaway's Act of God (view the trailer here) and Oded Adomi Leshem's Voices from El-Sayed (view the trailer here), she makes a snap decision to go with the Centerpiece Screening of Convention and gets an inside look at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
		Blogging SilverDocs: The Filmmakers The Independent's Randi Cecchine talks to four filmmakers screening at SilverDocs this month, and with subjects ranging from extreme attempts to reduce a carbon footprint, to a Romanian teenagers run-in with Sacha Baron Cohen, this preview gives a taste of the subjects and variety that SilverDocs has to offer this year. Read interviews with the directors of No Impact Man, Off and Running (view the trailer here), Carmen Meets Borat (view a clip from the film here), and Long Distance.
		Blogging CineVegas: An Introduction to the Festival Las Vegas is known for being over the top, so of course nothing less can be expected for its film festival. This year CineVegas showcases films from all over the world as well as local talent, like Kerry Prior, whose horror film, The Revenant (view the trailer here), had its world premiere at CineVegas. The Independent's Jessica Tripp blogs from the festival for a Vegas tell-all, from the Q&As to the after parties.
		Distributor FAQ: Udy Epstein of Seventh Art Releasing In 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.
		The Write Way: An Interview with Pamela Cuming and Lee Ross of "Downloading Nancy" After a film finds success, the industry usually lauds the miraculous execution of the director and the cast. Yet, often ignored are those who actually crafted the story: the writers. The Independent’s, Joi R. Wheatley, taps into the ingenious minds of Pamela Cuming and Lee Ross who wrote the dark, intense, drama Downloading Nancy, which was recently screened at the Seattle International Film Festival. The film, starring Maria Bellow and Jason Patric, follows a middle-aged wife who orders a man she met on the Internet to kill her so she can escape from her unhappy life (view the trailer here). Cuming and Lee discuss how the idea became a script, why it’s important to produce and direct your own projects, and what’s next for this writing duo.

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Photo Credit: The Bather by George Griffin, featured in Blogging Tribeca 2009: Interview with George Griffin of The Bather

Note: The Independent was formerly The Independent Film & Video Monthly published by the AIVF (Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers).

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