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The Independent: obsessed with independent film since 1978

Friday 24th of May 2013

		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2013 10 to Watch is an annual series that honors filmmakers who stand out as exceptional talents and leaders in the field of independent storytelling. This story has our complete list.
		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2013: Errol Webber Errol Webber has been behind the camera on some of this year's most influential and touted documentaries, including American Promise, Remote Area Medical, and 12 O'Clock Boys. Here he explains why it's AOK to watch Gossip Girl as cinematography "homework," and how he's making time for a childhood passion...
		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2013: Sarah Gertrude Shapiro Senior critic Kurt Brokaw admired Sarah Gertrude Shapiro's narrative short (Sequin Raze at New Directors/New Films) so much, the rest of us wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Now, we want you to see for yourself.
		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2013: Jason DaSilva Doc-maker, animator, app-entrepreneur... it seems that Jason DaSilva can do it all. In a revealing personal doc released at Sundance earlier this year, DaSilva shares what happens when he loses the ability to walk. Read here about what other projects he has planned for 2013.
		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2013: John Alan Thompson A near death experience had staying power for experimental filmmaker John Alan Thompson. His short-in-progress, Lend a Hand for Love is one we don't want to miss.
		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2013: Andrew James and Team We know every film is a collaboration and we know the buck stops with someone on every project. That said, the doc feature Street Fighting Man has one brilliant team. That's why Andrew James, Sara Archambault, Katie Tibaldi, and Jason Tippet together make our 10 to Watch in 2013 list.
		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2013: Lu Lu Remember her name: Lu Lu. We've got it right and so will you after you learn more about An Early Summer, the narrative short that Lu Lu is developing into a feature. That's why we've got an eye on her through 2013.
		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2013: Tom Bean and Luke Poling Tom Bean and Luke Poling’s much-anticipated documentary about the ever-varied life of writer and journalist (among other careers), George Plimpton puts them on our 10 to Watch list for 2013. Their documentary has its theatrical premiere at the end of May. Here’s why this duo makes 10 to Watch.
		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2013: Lucy Mulloy No one expected that Lucy Mulloy's graduate thesis film would take her as far as it has. Mulloy's dedication to her craft and persistence to achieve her creative vision has served her well. Read about filmmaker Lucy Mulloy and her Tribecca 2012 winner, Una Noche. It's why we think she has something special as a filmmaker to watch out for in 2013.
		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2013: Dawn Porter Since her Sundance premiere, Dawn Porter has been turning heads and hearts with Gideon's Army, her first feature documentary about the tough but vital role of public defenders in the US justice system. Here's why The Independent has an eye on her in 2013.
		Tribeca 2013: Critic's Choice - Shorts Kurt Brokaw's top shorts from Tribeca 2013 include The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars, Wilt Chamberlain: Borscht Belt Bellhop, Snow in Paradise, Fool’s Day and The Root of the Problem.
		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2013: Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews In true indie fashion, Andrew Matthews and Katie Graham moved from LA to Austin with their sights set on directing a narrative feature together. Zero Charisma premiered at SXSW, is now making festival rounds, and puts this duo on our 10 to Watch in 2013 list.
		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2013: Chiemi Karasawa Several years passed between when Chiemi Karasawa, one of our 10 to Watch in 2013, met and then started filming the inimitable Elaine Stritch. Karasawa thought her doc project may need "someone famous" to direct it. But Stritch had already decided Karasawa was the right woman for the job.
		Tribeca 2013: Critic's Choice - Features Tribeca Film Festival has wrapped but Kurt Brokaw's critic's choices from the fest will no doubt be in theaters near you and on the Oscar Red carpet. So far he's named his features: Before Midnight, Some Velvet Morning, Trust Me, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Shorts to come!
		Tribeca 2013: From Novel to Screen in "A Single Shot" You've been working on your movie for how long? Take heart, A Single Shot clocks in around 15 years, probably longer if you factor in how long Matthew F. Jones worked on the novel he later adapted. Katherine Brodsky talks with star Sam Rockwell, the director, producer and others while on set in Vancouver.
		Tribeca 2013: Story First at TFI Interactive Terms like transmedia matter less than the work, assures Ingrid Kopp, director of digital initiatives for Tribeca Film Institute "Technology is a tool, like a camera. The more you view it as a tool, the less scary it becomes." Kopp curated and organized the multi-faceted TFI Interactive, held during Tribeca Film Festival.
		Why Edginess Counts in Doc Distribution Not easily summarized or described, docs Leviathan and Act of Killing have been praised--and picked up for theatrical distribution--because of their beyond-the-norm approach to cinematic storytelling.
		Outsider Writers: Four Not-in-LA Grad Programs in Screenwriting Jared M. Gordon is convinced that studying screenwriting outside of NY or LA can greatly benefit budding scribes. He spoke to graduate program directors at Carnegie Mellon University, Hollins University, Northwestern University, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to gather facts and substantiate his theory.
		SXSW 2013: Next Tech and Young Actors Rule Tugg.com, Seed&Spark, The Smalls, Online Film App. You've heard of, maybe, but how exactly will you use? Steven Abrams has a knack for plain tech talk in his summary of "next tech" according to SXSW. Plus, his favorite films and another great performance by Quvenzhané Wallis.
		New Directors/New Films 2013 - Critic's Choice "Perhaps Fanni and Anna will soldier on down the road together, like an Austrian Thelma and Louise," writes senior critic Kurt Brokaw, about Soldate Jeannette, one of his critic's choices from New Directors/New Films 2013. Films about pirate hijacking, reality show competitors, and family secrets also make his cut.
		SXSW 2013 Preview: The Familiar and the Unexpected In anticipation of the SXSW Film Festival, which runs March 8th to March 16th, in Austin, Texas, Steven Abrams scours the schedule to decide what to see, what to skip, what deserves a mention in his preview. More reporting from the ground on the way!
		How to Talk Experimental Film: A User's Guide Underground may no longer exist but the world of experimental film is teeming with new species everyday. If it takes one to know one, then The Independent has artist/filmmaker Minhae Shim here to share how she uses the terms experimental, avant-garde, and more.
		Rendez-Vous With French Cinema 2013 - Critic's Choice From speed typing to horse jumping, the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Rendez-vous With French Cinema serves up its 18th year from February 28th through March 10th. Kurt Brokaw chooses his favorites, at least one, he says, may make your heart melt "into your knees."
		Film Festival Scholarship and Professional Networks on the Rise According to Film Festival Academy co-founder Tomas Prasek, "I have seen so much useless competition in areas where collaboration would have benefited both parties...everybody says, ‘How do other festivals deal with that?’ and that's exactly what people should be asking through some kind of platform." He recently told The Independent's Courtney Sheehan why professionals could benefit from playing on the same team.
		Sundance 2013: Grand Jury Prize Winner "Fruitvale" You know the story, writes Maddy Kadish, about Fruitvale, but you also know THE story. Director Ryan Coogler's fictionalized account of the shooting of an unarmed young man in Oakland, California picked up two of Sundance's most prestigious awards.
		Sundance 2013: Memorable Characters Maybe you're drawn to character-driven stories, maybe you're just drawn to characters as The Independent's Erin Trahan was on her first trip to Sundance. Here's a sketch of her mostly but not exclusively human encounters.
		Sundance 2013: Documentaries Depict Life, Raw and Unplugged Neil Kendricks sizes up three award-winning documentaries from the Sundance line-up: Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer, Cutie and the Boxer, and American Promise. The latter two, he writes, "deliver life-affirming and memorable stories without surrendering to sentimentality or phony uplift."
		Sundance 2013: New Frontier's Virtual and Real Space From data visualization to augmented realities, Sundance's New Frontier program served up technology in both virtual and real spaces. Senior producer Maddy Kadish, and dozens before and after her, left fingerprints all over the interactive exhibits.
		Sundance 2013: Short Film Miracles Sci-fi, technology, and the apocalypse rule supreme in the array of short format programs at Sundance 2013. Neil Kendricks teases out the program's terrain—from emotionally detached to resonant. Jesse Atlas' Record/ Play and Jon Hurst's When Zombies Come were among his favorites.
		Filmmakers! Don't Overlook Production Stills Filmmakers Liz Canner and David Tames, photographers Aimee Spinks and Mikki Ansin, and film journalist Erin Trahan boil down the points of why capturing still photos should be a high priority during production.
		New York Jewish Film Festival 2013 - Critic's Choices "Koch is one of us. He's family," writes Kurt Brokaw about the documentary that lifts up the imperfect politician. Koch is among Brokaw's critic's choices from the 22nd New York Jewish Film Festival, screening at Lincoln Center from January 9-24, 2013.
		Five Grand, Five Days Friends, it's never easy to ask for money. And the end-of-the-year actions we take as routine feel even more delicate this year... yet our readers always rise to the challenge. Sometimes it's with financial donations, sometimes with an encouraging note (or video!) attached to your donation, sometimes it's by suggesting The Independent to a friend. We thank you for giving us a community to serve that celebrates independent storytelling.
		IDFA 2012: Documentary as an Event Born by Accident Focusing on this year’s music documentary programming, LJ Kessels observes the accidental nature of finding one’s subject and the attention a filmmaker needs to have to bring about the story. This year she found a common theme among music docs: redeeming forgotten artists.
		Arnon Goldfinger Opens the Door to Moral Dilemmas in "The Flat" Hailed as one of the most important Israeli documentaries of recent years, Arnon Goldfinger's The Flat exposes family secrets and raises moral questions which Goldfinger recently discussed with a non-fiction theory class taught by USC's Michael Renov. Reported by Wendy Dent, who premieres her family-inspired film December 25 at IDFA.
		DOC NYC 2012 - Critic's Choice Beth Toni Kruvant's David Bromberg: Unsung Treasure, Jorge Hinojosa's Iceberg Slim: Portrait Of A Pimp, and the pot-stirring Ken Burns/Sarah Burns/David McMahon doc, The Central Park Five, are Kurt Brokaw's critic's choices from DOC NYC. The third annual all-documentary festival takes place November 8-15, 2012.
		The New in Nouveau is a Moving Target Festival du Nouveau Cinema's Philippe Gajan explains how web docs are new media and not just documentaries on the web: "The place of the viewer is completely different now. You can choose the way you participate in the documentary." The Independent's Patrick Pearce gets the whole scoop on how the definition of nouveau changes from year to year.
		The Ascent of Assange Timing is everything. Though Robert Connolly took six years to make his last film, he turned out the first Julian Assange biopic in a year. The Independent's Katherine Brodsky caught up with him at TIFF 2012.
		Adam Cohen on the Marriage of Music and Film (he's for it) Festival Music House invites Canadian musicians to apply for a spot on their three-day invite-only concert line-up that coincides with the Toronto International Film Festival. Mixing, matching, and marriage between motion picture and sound is encouraged and one of this year's featured performers, Adam Cohen, has no problem with that whatsoever.
		Five TIFF Filmmakers Who Play it Short Shorts programs may not garner headlines, or coverage at all for that matter, but there are MANY reasons to cut it short. The Independent's Katherine Brodsky spoke to five Canadian filmmakers at Toronto International Film Festival about why short is soo sweet.
		New York Film Festival 2012 - Critic's Choice It's year 50 of the New York Film Festival (September 28th - October 14th), and The Independent's senior film critic, Kurt Brokaw, is viewing the entire main slate (plus) and reminiscing standout NYFF selections from the last five decades.
		Making CONNECTIONS On and off-screen partners Kenny Stevenson and Dorien Davies teamed up with producer Lisa Rudin and director Eric Kissack on the indie festival comedy hit Missed Connections, which makes its international debut later this month. Rebecca Reynolds inquires about casting, budgeting, and the recipe for "comedy chops."
		Personal Take on 10 to Watch filmmaker Mike Day We love our 10 to Watch filmmakers so much we just want to keep talking about them! Here's the inside scoop on 10 to Watch's Mike Day from his friend, colleague, and co-conspirator, musician Nathaniel Robin Mann.
		Distributor FAQ: Shorts International Linda Olszewski tells The Independent that Shorts International is looking for "celebrity films, comedies, CGI-animated films that are family friendly..." and a whole lot more. Find out how this short film distributor reaches more than than 50 countries in theaters, on TV, and the Internet.
		Julia Bacha on the Art of Non-Violent Filmmaking Julia Bacha's follow up to Budrus is My Neighborhood, which follows a young boy who comes of age in East Jerusalem through eviction, protests, and unexpected allegiances. She told The Independent that "the story of My Neighborhood isn’t over. We wanted to get the film out as soon as possible, because we didn’t want the window to close while there was still time to try and stop the settlements there."
		The Dallas VideoFest Turns 25 Who would have thought to suggest having a video and visual arts festival focusing on independent and experimental work, in 1987? In Dallas? Home of Big Oil, bigger hair, and "Who Shot J.R.?" None other than Bart Weiss, artistic director and co-founder of Dallas VideoFest, now in its 25th year.
		The Independent's Archive Preservation Project Exciting news! Thanks to a grant from The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, our Archive Preservation Project can make a small leap toward providing you with free digital access to an irreplaceable document of American independent film history.
		Laura Colella's Seminal Summer "I think everyone has a particular summer when your life took a real shift," says Laura Colella to The Independent's David Pierotti within days of her third narrative feature debut. Colella calls Breakfast With Curtis a no-budget feature. It takes place in her real-life backyard starring her real-life neighbors... and marks at least one character's seminal summer.
		10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2012 The Independent shines a spotlight on 10 innovative filmmakers to keep your eye on this year, and coming years. We've got web series creators, animators, and filmmakers of all genres... and in the last month we've been releasing exclusive new extras on Facebook.
		Documenting the Mystery of Marie Jocelyne Her deception wreaked havoc with film festivals, exhibitors, and fancy LA restaurants. Marie Castaldo is the convicted criminal at the center of a documentary-in-progress by Dan Nuxoll and Martha Shane, whose sleuthing led them into their first feature project.
		Can I Shoot My Low Budget Indie Film in New York City? "Let’s just say we started out to shoot a low budget psychological thriller in rural northwestern Michigan and ended up shooting an ultra low budget neo noir thriller in New York City," says The Girl on the Train's producer, Rebecca Reynolds. Here she shares tips and trade-offs for shooting on location in the Big Apple.
		That's Classic - Bill Hader on 'Essential' Hollywood Films for the Whole Family In another installment of "That's Classic," a column that connects classics to indie film, The Independent's Beth Brosnan checks in with Saturday Night Live's Bill Hader, who kicks off another season hosting TCM's Essentials Jr. this weekend.
		Filmmaker's Journal: Crowd Funding in Cambodia Jason Rosette reports from Cambodia in another installment of his Filmmaker's Journal, four years after his last update. Here he chronicles the ups and downs of getting what he calls his most ambitious project yet, the feature narrative Freedom Deal, off the ground in Cambodia, including the unique ways he's approached casting and fundraising.
		Saying Goodbye to My Steenbeck Ralph Arlyck's documentary, Following Sean, spanned four decades, several generations of technology, and earned Arlyck the Albert Maysles Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking Award at the 2012 Mendocino Film Festival, celebrated this June. In this essay, Arlyck revisits his days spent cutting Sean and other films on his now dismantled Steenbeck console.
		Motherhood and Moviemaking (Not Always in that Order) Motherhood can't seem to escape controversy, even on the weekend meant to honor them. Yet three filmmaking moms are quietly figuring out what it means to parent, work a day job, and manage a passion project, and have generously shared their perspectives with The Independent.
		Getting to Know Maryland Film Festival Maryland invites familiar faces from The Wire, Homicide: Life on the Streets, and past festivals, for the 14th year of this broad-based regional festival that takes place in Baltimore May 3-6.
		Wim Wenders’ 3D Learning Curve: Dancers Take Flight in "Pina" As one of the first to embrace what Neil Kendricks calls the "immersive technology" of 3D, and with no fellow directors to consult, Wim Wenders morphs landscape into stage with his friend Pina Bausch's choreography as the centerpiece in Pina.
		Reasons for the Cutting Room Floor An editor's technical toolbox may have changed since the 80s but there are still lessons to be learned from classic ensemble dramas like The Big Chill. All those adults in one kitchen, dancing? Editor Mike Sullivan caught up with editor Carol Littleton to ask how she cut that scene and about the significance of leaving Kevin Costner on the cutting room floor.
		Casting His Bell The premise sounds like either a miracle or a gimmick: thousands of hours of visual and audio footage off a cell phone turned into a meaningful personal documentary. Yet Bosnian filmmaker Nedžad Begović's Mobitel (A Cell Phone Movie) manages to make cell phones ring like they're centuries old.
		State of the Film Industry in Southeast Europe Tax incentives. Public and private funding. Transnational co-productions. During a year abroad to study regional film festivals and exhibition, Courtney Sheehan takes in Southeast Europe through the lens of presenters at the third annual industry Cinelink forum during the Sarajevo Film Festival.
		Afghan Life According to Afghan Filmmakers From the long walk between work and home to squeezing water from the desert dust, The Fruit of Our Labor depicts daily life in post-9/11 Afghanistan, as told by 10 Afghan filmmakers trained by Community Supported Film.
		Friend Your College Film Programmer, Pronto! Every minute you let your nearest college film program go by without becoming acquainted with its schedule, leadership, and selection process, is a day you miss of fresh, often free cinema (and popcorn), and a chance to get eyes on your latest masterwork. Courtney Sheehan gives a behind-the-scenes account of running a college film program in Iowa and suggests that filmmakers and distributors should seek out these venues now, before they disappear.
		Crowd Funding 101: How to Maximize Your Online Campaign Crowd Sourcing. Crowd Funding. Kickstarter. IndieGoGo. Everyone's either doing it, talking about it, or wishing they knew enough to utilize these new approaches to making a movie from the ground up. Here's your primer on who, what, and how.
		Tips on Securing Broadcast on National Public Television In this guide to securing public television broadcast, filmmaker and station relations consultant Jennifer Owensby Sanza spills the beans on how to reach the staggering potential only public television can offer--reaching 99 percent of American homes.
		Are Pitch Sessions the New Black? Pitch sessions are becoming the go-to attraction at film festivals and conferences. Maddy Kadish hears from Sean Flynn, Lesley Norman, and Elizabeth Karr about how to swing that pitch out of the park.
		Maximizing Film Exhibition Quality at Festivals Finally, your work screens at a festival. But the sound is off and it looks terrible. Kelly Gallagher asks festival programmers and filmmakers how to increase exhibition quality at festivals. In addition to post-production, improve your audience's experience through preparation and developing rapport with festival staff.

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