https://independent-magazine.org/2019/03/11/funding-directing-canadian-feature-ms-slavic-7/
Obsessed with Independent Film Since 1976
Obsessed with Independent Film Since 1976
Michele Meek, PhD is a writer, filmmaker, educator, founder of NewEnglandFilm.com, and a former publisher of The Independent. She published the books Independent Female Filmmakers: A Chronicle through Interviews, Profiles and Manifestos and The Mastermind Failure Club. For more information or to contact her, visit michelemeek.com.
The inspiration for MS Slavic 7 first emerged when Sofia Bohdanowicz first discovered a correspondence in Polish between her great-grandmother, the poet Zofia Bohdanowiczowa, and fellow poet, Nobel Prize nominee Józef Wittlin. She knew she wanted to develop a work based on the letters, and her collaborator Deragh Campbell had the idea of creating a film that unfolds… Read more »
Macedonian filmmaker Teona Mitevska’s film Gospod postoi, imeto i’ e Petrunija or God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya, begins on an ordinary day in the life of Petrunija. Her mother brings her breakfast, which Petrunija eats under the covers, but her mother has actually come to inform her that she has set up (another) job interview for… Read more »
Jennifer Reeder’s Knives and Skin is a cult classic ready to happen. A truly original, weird, and eerie film that melds the genres of teen film, horror, feminist fantasy, and thriller, it brims with lush sets, ghostly acapella music, and strangely compelling characters. The film tells the story of one small midwestern town’s reaction to… Read more »
Winning the Generation KPlus Crystal Bear for Best Film at this year’s Berlinale, Une Colonie, directed by Geneviève Dulude-De Celles, tells the coming-of-age story of Mylia as she enters her first year of high school. The story is wonderfully depicted by several young actors—many of whom make their debut here—such as Emilie Bierre as Mylia, Irlande Côté as… Read more »
Recently premiering at Berlinale, the film The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open depicts the story of two Indigenous women who meet immediately after one of them, 18 and pregnant, has been abused by her boyfriend. The story is told in “real time,” which gives the film an immediacy and quiet pacing that draws viewers into… Read more »
In Part 1 of this interview, RB talks about his business Stage 32, a social networking and education platform for filmmakers, producers, writers, and other creatives, and his recent book Crowdsourcing for Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd. Here, we swap the interviewer and interviewee, and RB interviews Michele Meek about her… Read more »
Do you think of yourself as an entrepreneur? Well, whether you know it or not, you probably are one. Let’s put it this way: are you a filmmaker, producer, actor, writer, or short form content creator? Are you building a brand, generating clients and gigs, and producing work to earn your living. Guess what, you’re… Read more »
Now in its ninth year, The Independent’s 10 Filmmakers to Watch highlights filmmakers and mediamakers—directors, producers, digital media makers, animators, and others—whose upcoming work we think puts them at the forefront of the independent media scene. We are looking for your nominations by March 24, 2017! Nominate your colleagues, friends, or even yourself. Nominees must be working on… Read more »
At a recent event, a fellow filmmaker asked me if there were any documentary funders in the room and then split when my answer was no. To me, that seemed absurd—making a film requires access to a variety of different resources and people. And although you may not think someone you’re talking to is “important”… Read more »
Director/Producer Annie Berman makes The Independent’s 10 to Watch list for her feature-length essay film, The Faithful, a fifteen-year journey through the world of images and representations of three global icons: Elvis Presley, Pope John Paul II, and Princess Diana. She calls it a “quest launched by . . . a lollipop. Not just any lollipop, but… Read more »