Features

US docmakers may feel pressed by funders to change the world with every film. The Independent's Randi Cecchine asks how is that mandate influencing docs' form, and what happens when funding models drastically differ, as they do abroad?

They come from all walks of life, and each has a different story to tell. Some have found success, while others are just beginning their careers. And although their filmmaking reflects this diversity, they all have one major thing in common (other than being on this list): talent. Be sure to take notes as you read...you'll want to remember these filmmakers.

"It’s understanding the difference between an issue, and what will really provide the elements of a film," said Nettie Wild a social documentary filmmaker and director of Bevel Up: Drugs, Users and Outreach Nursing (view the trailer here), which screened at HotDocs in 2008. Independent writer, Jericho Parms, talks to Wild as well as director Francine Cavanaugh (view the trailer for her latest film On Coal River here), co-founder of Mountain Eye Media, about the elements that make a good activist film, and the effect social media can have on society.

There is no doubt that the war of the tax credits can have an impact on your bottom line. And with states competing to get the best incentives on the books, it’s a buyer’s market. So how can filmmakers choose the right destination? A new series from The Independent assesses some of the top locations for independents in the United States.

Corporate television commercials are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Instead, businesses both big and small are turning to documercials, commercials shot like documentaries, to more sincerely convey their message via the Internet. Like it or not, this trend is opening up doors for independent filmmakers — both financially and professionally.

In The Independent's new series Film Journal: The Making of an Independent Feature, filmmaker Valerie Weiss will share her experiences of financing, making, and marketing her first independent feature film Losing Control. Here, she discusses her inspiration for making the film and her method of fundraising.

Completing a film is a Herculean task—especially for independent filmmakers. So it’s tempting to feel that once the film is in the can and ready to be shown, the hard work is over. But getting a film ready to be seen is only half the battle; one of the biggest filmmaking challenges still lies ahead: marketing your movie. This month, The Independent takes a look at three filmmakers who took different approaches to marketing their films: Gadi Harel, co-director of Deadgirl (view the trailer here); Sterlin Harjo, director of Barking Water (view the trailer here); and Bill Daniel, director of Who is Bozo Texino?(view the trailer here).

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.

The recession presents an interesting paradox for independent filmmakers: While tough times often inspire creative projects, funding and distribution resources are much harder to come by even for established filmmakers. The Independent's Peter Hoy approached a broad cross-section of the independent-film community to cover the ramifications of the current economic situation from all angles. Hear the opinions of Becky Smith, director of the award-winning film 16 to Life (view the trailer here), Tribeca Film Festial executive director Nancy Schafer, a recent film school graduate, and others, as they consider the fate of future projects—not to mention their own income—in this challenging environment.

You spend years writing a script, story boarding, filming and editing -- putting all of your blood, sweat and money into a film, and finally sending it out to festivals in the hope that friends, family and the public will get a chance to see what your hard work and talent has created, but next thing you know, you've been rejected in front of hundreds of your peers. Sounds like a nightmare, but it happened to more than 350 filmmakers who applied to the Sarasota Film Festival this year. But, instead of letting it get to them, they went ahead and made the best out of a bad situation, creating their own Facebook group, laurels and even a fringe festival. The Independent's Dante A. Ciampaglia talks to several filmmakers that were part of the 350 and gets their opinion on what went down with Sarasota.