Author: Erin Trahan

Erin Trahan edits and publishes The Independent.


Articles Written by Erin Trahan:

A Snake at Number Ten by Foilman

10 to Watch 2015 Call for Nominations

DEADLINE EXTENDED to February 18, 2015! For seven years running, The Independent has selected its 10 to Watch in order to highlight filmmakers, producers, programmers, and others who will open our minds to the independent cinema of the coming year. As ever, we ask for your help in finding and nominating the right people for this spotlight. We always choose… Read more »

Public Launch of The Independent’s Digitized Archive Open to All – October 30, 2014

Getting Ready to LAUNCH! YOU’RE INVITED – Thursday October 30, 2014 Join The Independent and our archiving partner, UMass Amherst Libraries, for a celebration of the launch of our new website and digitized archive. Hosted by UMass Boston Film Series, the FREE evening includes a reception, screening of Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart, and panel discussion. Open to all…. Read more »

Miho Yamamoto accepting the FRONTLINE Award for Journalism in a Documentary Film at the Salem Film Fest for "The Exhibition."

10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2014: Miho Yamamoto

In the mid-2000s Miho Yamamoto was called to the station in the middle of the night to cover breaking news in her home country of Japan. She bristled at the restrictions of corporate media yet again (“you can’t release this and you can’t talk about this,” she says) because it left the wrong impression with… Read more »

Distributor FAQ: FilmBuff 2014

Five years ago, FilmBuff (an affiliate of John Sloss’s Cinetic Media) set its sights on the topsy-turvy unknowns of digital distribution. And while FilmBuff has grown exponentially in that time, VOD remains its primary area of expertise. The Independent’s Erin Trahan spoke with Janet Brown, FilmBuff’s CEO, who has been with the company since its… Read more »

Do You Know Where Your Film and Video Masters Are?

Editor’s Note: We are posting this email message from Sandra Schulberg at her request as a courtesy to our readers who share concerns over preserving and archiving independent films. We plan to follow this project and report more formally about its status in the future. Begin message: As some of you know, I’ve become passionate… Read more »

Sundance 2013: Memorable Characters

Park City, UTAH—When you go to Sundance for the first time, after having written about it from afar for years, there’s an unavoidable collision of what you imagine or want the festival to be and what it is. As it is with the movies and me, some of the most telling and memorable moments came… Read more »

10 to Watch Criteria and Nominating Jury

For the first time this year, The Independent has enlisted the support of experts in the field for 10 to Watch in 2013 with a nominating jury to recommend 10 to watch nominees. We are proud to announce our jury members. Sharon Badal, director of short film programming and initiatives for Tribeca Film Festival Sharon… Read more »

The Independent’s Archive Preservation Project

Background & Phase One When AIVF ceased operations in 2006, a new nonprofit, Independent Media Publications (IMP), acquired its assets and made the commitment to carry on the publication aspect of AIVF’s mission. What once was The Independent Film & Video Monthly (a coveted and collected print magazine by indie filmmakers in the US and… Read more »

Afghan Life According to Afghan Filmmakers

In the days approaching the 10th anniversary of September 11th, whose stories have you heard? Have they represented the full spectrum of experiences on that date and what has unfolded since? What was the language of their telling? To broaden the dialogue about the US presence in Afghanistan, Community Supported Film posted one Afghan-made film… Read more »

Lessons in Perseverance

With latent teen rocker angst and a career as a print music journalist threatened to the point of extinction, Geoff Edgers hit mid-life determined to shake things up. Part one of his plan: get the Kinks back together after a decades-long split between the band’s two lead figures, brothers Ray and Dave Davies. Part two:… Read more »