Utah
How Funders are Like Crushes and Other Sundance Morsels
Notes on Sundance 2010 from the eclectic and entertaining docmaker, Therese Shechter.
February 3rd, 2010 | Therese Shechter
Only filmmaker Therese Shechter equates raising money for her doc to speed-dating or counts eating potato skins as a personal victory. That's why we're happy she's back, sharing her blog with The Independent, about the always-crazy lines at Sundance 2010, which oddly dissipated by Wednesday.
Editor's note: Below is just a sampling of Shechter's Sundance account. For the whole enchilada, visit her blog.
Hello from Sundance!
Film-Friendly State: Shooting in Utah
The Independent's Angela Wu takes an in-depth look at why shooting your next film in the mountains might not be such a bad idea.
January 22nd, 2010 | Angela Wu
In the second installment of The Independent's new Film-Friendly States series, Angela Wu explores why, if you're an independent filmmaker, Utah offers much more than Sundance.
From New Hampshire’s “no filming permits” policy to Michigan’s 42 percent tax credit, states are fighting to stay competitive with low-cost international filming locations — and each other. For filmmakers, this means a slew of incentive programs that might make financing your next film a bit easier.
10 Most Innovative Animation Programs
The Independent highlights 10 of the best animation programs in the United States. Did your alma mater make the cut?
December 7th, 2009 | Teresa Bitler
The Independent scours the United States to find the 10 most innovative animation programs the country has to offer. The schools on this comprehensive list were picked based on reputation, creativity, and where their students find work after they earn their diplomas.
Opportunities abound today for animators to contribute to film — both independent and mainstream — television, and games, but it is still a competitive field, and choosing the right animation program can mean the difference between pushing the animation envelope at studios such as Pixar and
Thirteen Ways of Looking at Sundance
What does Sundance mean to independent film and filmmakers in 2008?
January 23rd, 2008 | Erin Trahan
Sundance is growing in every which way, from the number of submissions (more than 8,000 this year) to the festival's online presence (which now includes a number of downloadable shorts). But as it gets bigger, is it getting better? That's the question that The Independent's Erin Trahan posed to upstarts looking for their big break this year, veteran filmmakers, Park City locals and more.
Sundance is growing. More submissions than ever--8,000 for 2008. More screenings. More countries of origin represented in both the feature and documentary competitions. More arms of the Sundance empire--institutes, labs, the Sundance Channel--at work. More categories to sift through than a sane film-goer can practically comprehend, let alone stand in line for.
A Sundance Channel Segment on "Anvil! The Story of Anvil!"
A look at a film about a hair band that was screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
January 23rd, 2008A look at a film about a hair band that was screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
Blogging Sundance: The Evolution of the Film Festival
A look at a new kind of festival planned by SXSW and IFC, as well as the Cinema Eye nominees.
January 28th, 2009 | Adam Roffman
Independent blogger, Adam Roffman, attends a press conference where SXSW and IFC announce plans for a first-ever nationwide "On Demand" film festival where three titles will simultaneously premier at both SXSW and on the IFC Festival Direct On Demand channel--hear the reactions of both festival directors and filmmakers as they learn about this new kind of festival. Also, check out the complete list of this year's Cinema Eye nominees including, Man on Wire (view the trailer here), Waltz With Bashir (view the trailer here), and My Winnipeg (view the trailer here), which had the most nominations.
Most people who haven’t attended Sundance and even many who have think that the festival is all film screenings and parties. While there is plenty of that to go around, there are also always some major announcements that take place in Park City that have some impact on the film community at large.
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Blogging Sundance: Shopping Day for Distributors
The drama, the films and the buzz from the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
January 27th, 2009 | Adam Roffman
Independent blogger Adam Roffman brings back the details on the festival to watch, with a look at the films that are worth keeping an eye out for and the films that didn't quite live up to their buzz. Roffman gives a peek at the audience reaction to films like Tommy Wirkola’s Dead Snow (view the trailer here) and the festival darling Humpday, directed by Lynn Shelton.
It's the biggest shopping day (or week) of the year--at least for the film industry. Distributors are everywhere you look and all the top film festival programmers in the U.S. are at Sundance scouring the lineup for films to bring to their festivals including SXSW, Sarasota, Denver, Cleveland, Philly and IFFBoston (where I'm program director).
- aroffman's blog
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A Sundance Volunteer Blogs All: Part Two
Therese Shechter responds to readers' questions in her second dispatch from Sundance
January 26th, 2008 | Therese Shechter
As Sundance devotees start packing their bags, filmmaker and festival volunteer Therese Shechter fields reader questions, including whether or not an average moviegoer should try to attend Sundance at least once, how she pitched her documentary project to potential backers and distributors, and what films she saw at the festival that readers should keep an eye on. She also talks about actor Diego Luna, pictured at left, who participated in the "Latin Renaissance" panel. Apparently, he's very thoughtful about film.
Number of narrative fiction films out of 3,624 submitted that got into the fest: 125
Number of documentary films out of 1,573 submitted that got in: 41
Number of shorts out of 5,107 submitted that got in: 85
Percent likelihood that an indie filmmaker will submit again anyway: 100
A Sundance Volunteer Blogs All: Part One
Filmmaker Therese Shechter tells all in the first of two dispatches from Sundance
January 22nd, 2008 | Therese Shechter
Didn't make it to Park City this year? Therese Shechter did—in fact, for the seventh year in a row, she's volunteering at the festival. So what makes this Sundance different from every other one? After a few days in Park City, Shechter finds herself lamenting a lack of a functional hot tub at her condo and professing love for strangers who deliver hot food. Oh, and she has caught a few films—so far, Anvil! The Story of Anvil! (pictured at left) is her favorite—in between pitching her latest documentary, The American Virigin, to movers and shakers in the indie world. In her next dispatch, Shechter will answer readers' questions about Sundance. To submit one, click here.
Films I've seen: 5
Good films I've seen: 1.5
Hot meals I’ve eaten in five days: 2
Vodka-based cocktails drunk in five days: Lost count sometime in the middle of the Queer Lounge kickoff party
Mg of vitamin C ingested per day: 3,000
Good it's done me: 0
Number of “demi-gods of Canadian metal” I've met: 3
Number of Irish filmmaker/playwrights who make my knees weak: 1
- Therese_Shechter's blog
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