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Endeavor Content has set a three-film development deal with producer Heather Rae, committing to movie scripts from Indigenous filmmakers. The new pact was announced on Oct. 12, Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Along with Rae, Crystal EchoHawk of IllumiNative and Bird Runningwater of Sundance Institute are advising on the projects. Research from IllumiNative — a woman-led racial justice organization that amplifies Native voices — found that Native people are vastly underrepresented on screen. They make up anywhere from 0% to .04% of representation in American film and television. There are even fewer Native writers and directors. The partnership with Endeavor Content aims to grow those numbers by providing a platform for Indigenous filmmakers.

“Heather is an incredible producer, elegant person, and a fierce advocate for Native American and Indigenous storytelling,” Endeavor Content co-presidents Graham Taylor and Chris Rice said. “Pairing her exceptional vision with Crystal and Bird as Impact Partners will allow us to enable and ennoble these important voices in film,...

You don’t have to be Catholic, lapsed or otherwise, to be amused by “Yes, God, Yes,” writer-director Karen Maine’s semi-autobiographical account of a Catholic high school girl’s coming-of-age experiences with self-discovery and self-gratification. On the other hand, the gentle shocks of recognition afforded by this engaging indie comedy likely will be all the more enjoyable (when they aren’t mildly discomforting) for anyone, male or female, who remembers having to confess impure thoughts to an inquisitive priest, or fearing the consequences of actions so forcefully proscribed by nuns and lay teachers during religion classes.

The movie received a special jury prize for best ensemble after its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. But there can be no dispute that Natalia Dyer (“Stranger Things”) is first among equals here as Alice, a 16-year-old virgin who has already experienced her first stirrings of sexual turn-on after watching — repeatedly...

When Qasim Basir made his 2010 debut feature, “Mooz-lum,” the story of an American Muslim going to college in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Facebook changed the trajectory of his filmmaking career.

“It was a very difficult movie to get out,” said Basir. “It wasn’t about terrorism, [but] it still received a great amount of opposition and hate.” He turned to Facebook, writing individually to his followers and asking for help in building awareness. Sharing behind-the-scenes footage and telling his personal story, Basir quickly built a community around his “Mooz-lum” Facebook page.

“We went straight to the people and built a community of 100,000 from around the world, who were literally writing, ‘We want to see this movie in our city,'” said Basir. Running contests on the now-defunct Demandit, where followers’ interest dictated where the film screened, Basir worked with AMC Independent to create his own theatrical release in dozens of cities around the world.

Showcasing the work of female film directors, the Citizen Jane Film Festival will run in Columbia, Mo., from Thursday, Oct. 26, through Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017. The Citizen Jane Film Festival’s schedule for 2017 was announced this week and a complete list of those films can be found Here

http://citizenjanefilmfestival.org/films/

Now in its 10th year, Citizen Jane Ff has been voted one of “50 film festivals worth the entry fee” by MovieMaker magazine in 2016 and 2017. In 2015, MovieMaker magazine named the Citizen Jane Ff one of “25 coolest film festivals in the world.”

Citizen Jane will screen 19 features and documentaries and 8 programs of shorts, including animation, in various venues in Columbia. The fest also will offer free workshops and networking sessions.

American and international filmmakers will serve as seminar panelists and conduct Q&A sessions following their screenings. This year’s participants include feature film directors from Australia, the Bahamas, Denmark, and the U.

When Peter Vack scored a role over the summer playing Lola Kirke’s boyfriend on the Amazon series “Mozart in the Jungle,” he used the money to direct his first feature. The actor had scored in dozens of low-budget projects and directed a short film a few years earlier, but he had reason to believe nobody else was going to back his feature-length debut.

“Just imagine the first sentence of the pitch,” said Vack, over lunch at Soho House. “‘It’s about two people who share an anal fetish, and I’m thinking of my sister to play the lead.’ I knew this particular endeavor was not something I’d be able to find investors for.”

The movie, by the way, was called “Assholes.” It premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, where it won the inaugural Adam Yauch Hornblower Award (a prize reserved for unique filmmaking visions); it also jolted audiences and critics alike,...

A Film Festival That Changes The Industry For Women Filmmakers – Citizen Jane Unspools Films From Female Directors

Showcasing the work of female film directors, the Citizen Jane Film Festival will run in Columbia, Mo., from Thursday, Oct. 26, through Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017. The Citizen Jane Film Festival’s schedule and other information can be found Here

https://citizenjanefilmfestival.org/

Now in its 10th year, Citizen Jane Ff has been voted one of “50 film festivals worth the entry fee” by MovieMaker magazine in 2016 and 2017. In 2015, MovieMaker magazine named the Citizen Jane Ff one of “25 coolest film festivals in the world.”

Citizen Jane will screen 19 features and documentaries and 8 programs of shorts, including animation, in various venues in Columbia. The fest also will offer free workshops and networking sessions.

American and international filmmakers will serve as seminar panelists and conduct Q&A sessions following their screenings. This year’s participants include feature film directors from Australia,...

Adding another baby to the mix hasn’t slowed down Jenni Pulos.

Since welcoming Georgia Grace on June 7, the Flipping Out star says life at home with her new daughter, husband Dr. Jonathan Nassos and their older child Alianna Marika, 4 on Thursday, has been “easier than ever imagined.”

“Currently, I am home almost full time and enjoying every moment with her,” Pulos, 44, tells People exclusively, sharing photos of her newly expanded brood. “Baby Georgia has made us a family of four, and it feels incredible.”

Georgia’s disposition may have something to do with the lack of difficulty in managing two young ones simultaneously.

This year’s edition of the Los Angeles Film Festival (June 14–22) abounds with directorial debuts and movies that are probably worth seeing for their title alone (“Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town,” anyone?). As the fest continues to carve its niche in the L.A. film world, it puts increasing emphasis on discovering new talents rather than the best-of-fest strategy that pulls from Sundance and SXSW.

Since you probably don’t need us to tell you about the big titles that have played elsewhere — “The Beguiled,” “Patti Cake$,” “Ingrid Goes West” — here are 10 more out-there selections to seek out. Timing is everything: Laff only screens each movie once.

Read More: Laff 2017 Announces Full Slate, Including Competition and Episodic Offerings

“Dark Blue Girl” (World Fiction)

Just as everyone is the hero of their own story, so too is every child the center of their own universe. That would appear to be...

This year’s SXSW Film Festival is currently raging in Austin, Texas, complete with a packed slate that should keep festival attendees pretty happy in between bouts of chowing down breakfast tacos and basking in the good ol’ Texas sunshine. As ever, the festival features a strong lineup of both fresh premieres and festival favorites, new and returning stars, and plenty of opportunities for talent to break out on the festival stage.

From filmmakers to actors (and, sometimes, both at the same time), familiar faces looking to try a new craft to total newbies, this year’s festival has plenty of stars on the rise to look out for (ouch, so bright).

Read More: SXSW 2017: 13 Must-See Films At This Year’s Festival

Who’s going to break out in a big way at this year’s festival? We’ve got some ideas.

Ansel Elgort, actor, “Baby Driver”

If you...

Screen Women Series (photo credit: Emma Leslie).

Film Fatales is a network of female filmmakers who meet regularly to mentor each other, share resources, collaborate on projects and build a supportive community in which to make their films. The Sydney chapter was started by Brooke Goldfinch and is now co-run by Megan Riakos..

Brooke Goldfinch:.

Film Fatales was started by writer/director Leah Meyerhoff. She was making her first feature I Believe in Unicorns and she invited a bunch of veteran female directors to her house for dinner to ask their advice. The evening was so productive that Leah decided to start an organisation, in which groups of women directors would meet monthly at someone.s house to discuss filmmaking. It.s a simple, grass-roots concept that has become a powerful global movement, with chapters all over the world. I knew Leah from the grad film program at Nyu where I got my Mfa.

Chicago – One of the best points that Layne Marie Williams – co-founder/director of “The Women’s Film Festival” (Twff) of Philadelphia – made in her interview with HollywoodChicago.com, was that even though the festival was developed to showcase the works of women filmmakers, it plays to an audience of everybody. This is how badass creators come together, and this is the second year of The Women’s Film Festival, unspooling on Friday, March 11th, and running through Sunday, March 13th, 2016.

Layne Marie Williams was just out of University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – and was working as a professional stage actress – when she decided to co-found a women’s film festival. Twff launched last year, and Williams continues to help facilitate it, even though she moved to Chicago nine months ago.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the University of the Arts

Photo credit: TheWomensFilmFestival.org

Williams spoke to HollywoodChicago.com recently about Twff,...

This week on Off The Shelf, Ryan is joined by Brian Saur to take a look at the new DVD and Blu-ray releases for the month of December 2015, and chat about some follow-up and home video news.

Subscribe in iTunes or RSS.

Follow-Up Black Friday / Holiday Disc Purchases Mystery Science Theater Kickstarter Star Wars: The Force Awakens DVD Beaver Blu-ray and DVD of the Year: 2015 News CES: Ultra HD Blu-ray News Disney: Snow White Signature Collection Warner Archive Blu-ray releases January 2016: The Ice Pirates, The Wrong Man, A Mighty Wind, Flicker Alley: L’inhumaine Thunderbean: Yuletide Flickers Arrow Video: Waking Life, Cult Cinema: An Arrow Video Companion Twilight Time: March/April titles. January pre-orders Olive Films: March Titles Disney Movie Club: Blackbeard’s Ghost Milestone: Martin Scorsese Presents Masterpieces of Polish Cinema, Volume 1 Episode Links & Notes

12/1

Downhill Racer Fear the Walking Dead: Season 1 Fort Massacre...

I don’t want to get my hopes up too much, but I think we may have killed three randos with one stone on last night’s winter finale. First, Erin peaced out on Gunnar with an impossibly casual “I’ll see you when I see you!” (“That was romantic,” quipped Scarlett. Apparently, the shorter her hair, the more sarcastic she becomes.) Then Dr. Dull and Scarlett broke up. And then — cue the angels singing — Gabriella hopped right off the Luke Wheeler Experience. Christmas has, indeed, come early.Anyway, I can only hope this house-cleaning means that Nashville has learned its lesson and won’t continue to populate the show with undeveloped filler characters only there to provide artificial roadblocks and/or advance the plot. Also, I believe in unicorns. A lot to get to, so let’s dig right in. First of all, you were right, you little geniuses.

Lionsgate Premiere has released the brand new trailer and poster for their upcoming film, Exposed.

The new suspense thriller stars Keanu Reeves, Ana De Armas and Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino.

When a detective starts to investigate his partner’s shocking death, he uncovers disturbing evidence of police corruption and a dangerous secret involving an unlikely young woman. The film also features Christopher McDonald and Big Daddy Kane.

Exposed opens in theaters and on demand on January 22.

The movie is executive produced by 2014’s St. Louis International Film Festival ‘Woman In Film’ recipient Katie Mustard. Her credits include Growing Up And Other Lies, I Believe In Unicorns and Paul Bettany’s Shelter.

Like the movie on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ExposedMovie/

The post Watch Keanu Reeves And Mira Sorvino In Exposed Trailer appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.

They say write…what you know, and perhaps in this case, writing what is unknown. It’s the sort of the artistic philosophy that filmmaker Sian Heder might have applied in developing a project that landed at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival (walked away with the 3rd Prize Cinéfondation Ex-aequo prize) with the first iteration of the eventual feature being a short film called Mother. Fast forward almost a decade later and production was lined up this June with Ellen Page and Allison Janney toplining a true exploration of what it might mean to be a mother figure. Coming off the heals of her writing and producer gig with television’s “Orange Is the New Black”, Tallulah has got a strong producer Sundance alumni team supporting the Heder’s directorial debut. With such a long gestation period, we’re thinking that this might illicit a strong emotional response from future auds.

The American Film Festival is building families. The 6th edition (October 20-25, 2015) of the Wroclaw, Poland film fest was better than any of the previous four I have attended as a jury member for the Us in Progress section. Networking with the USiP filmmakers, past participants Matt Sobel (“Take Me to the River”),Leah Meyerhoff (“I Believe in Unicorns”),Reza Sixo Safai (“A Girl Walks Home at Night Alone”) and whose present project “ The Loner” (he produced and stars in it, Daniel Grove directed) won at USiP, etc. mingled with Indie Star Awardees David Gordon Green and Hal Hartley and other filmmakers like Jenner Furst ("Welcome to Leith") invited to present their films and to eat and party together over five days and four nights which lasted until the wee hours of the morning.

African American Women's classics also showed for the first time ever to appreciative Polish audiences. Though luckily for them, but a sad miss for the audiences, every one of the filmmakers was too busy with other work to attend. The selected films brought rarely before scenes of life in America to a new public.

You can be sure Ava DuVernay was invited, and you can be equally certain that she was very busy with multiple projects.

When I was in Trinidad, I heard from the film's distributor, Michelle Materre, a well known lecturer and film curator whose film series and discussion group, Creatively Speaking, takes place at the N.Y. Film Society’s Lincoln Center and in L.A. that Julie Dash was busy working on a TV series or a doc. I hope one of you reading this will email me a more news of her, because since her film “Daughters of the Dust” premiered at Sundance in 1991, her fan base has grown and eagerly awaits more stories from her. For those who missed her instant classic at Sundance, "Daughters of the Dust" presents a transgenerational saga set on the fictitious island of Ibo's Landing in 1902 about a young woman's quest for identity. Guichees, or Gullahs, aka the Georgia Sea Islanders are U.S.'s most African community still living today off the Georgia and South Carolina coast. The film was presented to the audience as a radical feminist manifesto and landmark of independent American cinema.

Other films included in the series, curated by Ula Sniegowsk and a young film academic Ewa Drygalska, included Katherine Collins' (who tragically died of cancer at age 46) 1982 film "Losing Ground", Tanya Hamilton's "Night Catches Us", the popular and fabulous " The Secret Life of Bees" another Sundance premiering film, by Gina Prince-Blythewood (2008), Dee Rees' 2012 Sundance film "Pariah" and her recent HBO (who incidentally is an important sponsor of the festival with a showcase of its own films) fictional doc "Bessie" starring the one and only Queen Latifah, and Ava DuVernay's "Middle of Nowhere" and "Selma".

While we're on the subject of African American movies, the Spike Lee mentored new talent Michael Larnell, was here with my favorite "Next" generation film " Cronies".

Us in Progress had two out of six selected films about African Americans, the Four Award winning "Alaska Is a Drag" directed by former L.A. and Sundance Festival worker, debuting director Shaz Bennett, produced by Melanie Miller and Diane Becker; and "The Alchemist Cookbook" written and directed by Joel Potrykus. Other films included "Dope", documentarians' Albert Maysles' " In Transit", Nick Broomfield's "Tales of the Grim Sleeper" and Frederick Wiseman's "In Jackson Heights", Mark Silver's "3 ½ Minutes, Ten Bullets", sleeper hit "Tangerine" by Sean Baker, "Field Niggas" a nocturnal portrait of Harlem by Khalik Allah, David Gordon Green's “George Washington", and last, but by no means least, Clint Eastwood's "Bird" as part of his extensive retrospective.

This festival is held in the largest Arthouse multiplex in Europe, built and owned (as is the festival itself, along with New Horizons Film Festival in July and several others) by arthouse film distributor and entrepreneur Roman Gutek.

Fabulous. Written by Sydney Levine in her hotel room at The Monopole where an opera rehearsal wafts through the morning air of a sunny, dry 50*F metropolis mixing with the sound of the streetcar. This has been a fabulous experience topped off by a fabulous tour of the city and today a visit to Europe's most fabulous zoo and aquarium.

Read More: Exclusive 'I Believe in Unicorns' Poster Has Its Head in the Clouds Mindgames and breakthrough technology are the center of writer-director Khalil Sullins' debut feature, "Listening." Starring Thomas Stroppel and Amber Marie Bollinger, the film won the Best Director prize at the 2015 Phoenix Film Festival. The futuristic drama centers around a team of genius grad students who invent a mind-reading technology. Strapped for cash, they use their discovery to reap benefits, thought it's not long before their decisions begin to destroy their lives and threaten the future of free will itself.  "Listening" hits theaters and On Demand on September 11. Check out the exclusive poster below. Read More: Attention, Filmmakers: Here's How to Talk Sound Design...

Filmmaker Robert Eggers made a major splash earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, taking home Best Director honours for his debut feature, which made its World Premiere at the festival.

Titled The Witch, the film is not only Eggers’ feature-length directorial debut, it’s also his feature-length screenwriting debut. The first trailer for the movie, which stars Kate Dickie, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Ralph Ineson, has now been released.

The film’s synopsis is as follows:

New England, 1630: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life, homesteading on the edge of an impassible wilderness, with five children. When their newborn son mysteriously vanishes and their crops fail, the family begins to turn on one another. ‘The Witch’ is a chilling portrait of a family unraveling within their own fears and anxieties, leaving them prey for an inescapable evil.

Based on the film’s reception at Sundance, Eggers was...

Founded in 2013 by "I Believe in Unicorns" director Leah Meyerhoff, Film Fatales is a bicoastal collective of women filmmakers who mentor and collaborate in an indie space that's far removed from the sexist world of Hollywood—and therefore all the more likely to make impact. “At a time when audiences are hungry for a diversity of stories on screen, we’ve compiled a list of recent films directed by women that everyone should see, as well as a selection of older titles which continue to inspire us,” said Film Fatales founder Leah Meyerhoff, who shared the following list with Bitch Media. Film Fatales in NY and La include Meyerhoff, Eliza Hittman, Ry Russo Young, Stewart Thorndike, Marielle Heller, Leslye Headland, Sasha Gordon, Jess Weixler and Josephine Decker. Here are their picks for the best films made by women, including "Appropriate Behavior," "Diary of a Teenage Girl," "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,...

Relentlessly striving to capture a seemingly idealistic destiny is a captivating dream that many people strive to achieve as early as possible in life. While some do successfully capture their goals, which happily fulfill their every fantasy associated with those ambitions, others disappointingly realize that their objectives are overly romanticized and unobtainable. Filmmaker Leah Meyerhoff, who made her feature film directorial and writing debuts, and performer Natalia Dyer, who made her acting introduction, with the intriguing new drama, ‘I Believe in Unicorns,’ joyfully reached their career aspirations with the fantasy movie. But the actress’ character, a vulnerable high school student who instinctively acts on impulses that she does not yet [ Read More ]

The post Interview: Leah Meyerhoff, Natalia Dyer and Peter Vack Talk I Believe In Unicorns appeared first on Shockya.com.

A much discussed topic in the film world recently has been the dearth of women directors in mainstream filmmaking and the impact that this has on the representation of girls and women, and their experiences on screen. Thankfully, the independent film world has a much better track record with female filmmakers, and writer/director’s Leah Meyerhoff’s “I Believe in Unicorns” is a fine example of just why a female point of view can be so important, so necessary in capturing female stories. An all-too-familiar and complicated story of young love is the premise of ‘Unicorns,’ but Meyerhoff brings a fresh, creative, and entirely original take to the tale, weaving together a work that is at once fantastical, evocative, and starkly realistic. Natalia Dyer stars as Davina, a luminous young teen — a dreamer and an artist who longs for more outside of her small, bleak life caring for her disabled single mother.

One of the finds at 2014's SXSW Film Festival was Leah Meyerhoff's directorial debut "I Believe in Unicorns," about the aftermath of a 16-year-old girl's first sexual experience, and the velocity of teenage love. This young-lovers-on-the-lam film is by a newcomer and stars a newcomer, Natalia Dyer, who plays Davina, a callow yet curious girl with her head in the clouds and who does, indeed, believe in unicorns -- or, at least, the wonder and magic that such mythological creatures signify. Love, or something like it, hits like a wrecking ball when she meets Sterling (Peter Vack), a dude with a studded leather vest, a punk bad and a piece-of-shit car. He's the definition of emotional unavailability, and it isn't long until he snatches Davina's virginity on a dirty mattress in the back room of an underground club, a mosh pit thrashing away across the walls. Though not exactly...

As Leah Meyerhoff was beginning production on "I Believe in Unicorns," her first feature film, she reached out to other female filmmakers to get their advice and support. Before long, the group morphed into Film Fatales, a loose network of female filmmakers who meet regularly to mentor each other and collaborate on projects. Meyerhoff's film is one of three new and recent indies, along with Eliza Hittman's "It Felt Like Love" and Marielle Heller's "Diary of a Teenage Girl," to tell a coming-of-age story from a female perspective (all three directors are members of Film Fatales). "Unicorns" focuses on Davina (Natalia Dyer), an imaginative teenage girl who escapes life with her disabled mother (played by Meyerhoff's mother, Toni Meyerhoff) by diving into an intense and volatile relationship with an older boy (Peter Vack). The film was inspired by Meyerhoff's own life experiences. Indiewire recently spoke to the writer-director about.

Filmmaker Leah Meyerhoff is perhaps as well known for her film collective, Film Fatales, as for her first feature film, I Believe in Unicorns, which premiered at Sundance in 2014. Filmmaker did an extensive profile of the Film Fatales last year, and as gender parity in the film industry moves to the forefront of industry news, the Fatales has seen a dramatic increase in its members and activities that has kept Meyerhoff busy. Meanwhile, she prepares for the debut of Unicorns at the IFC Center on May 29th. The film will screen theatrically in New York, Los Angeles and San […]...

Filmmaker Leah Meyerhoff is perhaps as well known for her film collective, Film Fatales, as for her first feature film, I Believe in Unicorns, which premiered at Sundance in 2014. Filmmaker did an extensive profile of the Film Fatales last year, and as gender parity in the film industry moves to the forefront of industry news, the Fatales has seen a dramatic increase in its members and activities that has kept Meyerhoff busy. Meanwhile, she prepares for the debut of Unicorns at the IFC Center on May 29th. The film will screen theatrically in New York, Los Angeles and San […]...

"I will spread my wings and smother you with a million tiny feathers," a teen says to her first lover in I Believe in Unicorns, the confident feature debut from writer-director Leah Meyerhoff.

That teen, Davina (Natalia Dyer), speaks that promise in a dreamy gush, and her lover, a worryingly cool/handsome/older rock-club mainstay (Peter Vack), plays along, dishing up a couple silly, epic things he'll do back to her. But he's only a guest in the fairy-wing reveries that command Davina's inner life — the film's drama lies in the simple question of whether he's just hanging out there, taking advantage of an underage beauty, or whether he's truly sharing with her something grand.

Meyerhoff conjures Davina's headspace with slow-motion fireworks, stop-mot...

Oh Them Silly Unicorns: Meyerhoff’s Coming of Age Debut Prizes Style Over Substance

Director Leah Meyerhoff most effectively conveys the nature of her debut film, I Believe In Unicorns, in its opening credits, which features a host of (mostly feminine) childhood fantasies revolving around celebratory effects, such as sparklies, cakes, and (yes) unicorns, all eventually melting down into smeared goo. Memories and dreams evaporate into the mess of reality, it seems to say, and we’re thrust into the late adolescence of a protagonist who, on the cusp of adulthood, seems to be getting her first taste of that. Skirting between vaguely morbid instances and sometimes carefree tempos, Meyerhoff’s narrative seems to lose focus, petering out into a gasp of profundity that would have felt much stronger had it been preceded by more remarkable characterization.

A sheltered, lonely young woman, Davina (Natalia Dyer) is forced to take care of her sickly mother.

Read More: Watch: Romance Runs Wild in Surreal 'I Believe in Unicorns' Trailer Following yesterday's trailer premiere for Leah Meyerhoff's "I Believe in Unicorns" (see link above), Indiewire is excited to present the official poster for the unique romance film starring Natalia Dyer, Peter Vack, Julia Garner and Amy Seimetz. Given the film centers on a young woman's real world relationship and fantasy imaginations, the airy poster that superimposes lead character Davina against a dreamy blue sky couldn't be more appropriate.  The film's official synopsis reads: "Davina (Dyer) is an imaginative and strong-willed teenage girl who often escapes into a beautifully twisted fantasy life. Having grown up quickly as the sole caretaker of her disabled mother, she looks for salvation in a new relationship with an older boy (Vack). Davina is swept into a whirlwind of romance and adventure, but the enchantment of her new relationship quickly fades when.

The statistics about women in film are depressing, but one group of female directors and writers is finding new ways to collaborate to bring female narratives to the screen. This afternoon on the "Stronger Together: Film Fatales" panel at SXSW, filmmakers Leah Meyerhoff ("I Believe in Unicorns") and Kat Candler ("Hellion") will discuss how they got their films made and what they are doing to close the gender gap in film. In advance of SXSW, Indiewire spoke to Meyerhoff about Film Fatales, the female filmmaking collective. Read More: Working Together to Make a Change: The Film Fatales Panel at The Athena Film Festival How did Film Fatales come about? And who can join? Film Fatales is a collective of women, primarily narrative feature directors -- although we do have documentary film directors as well -- but we're this network of women who meet regularly to mentor each other and support...

The third annual First Time Fest took place in New York City this past weekend; a film festival that celebrates first time filmmakers, whether they are first time directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, composers and producers. The festival holds a competition for filmmakers all over the world to submit their film and win theatrical distribution as well as international sales. The festival is also the only festival to boast that sixteen of its eighteen competition films have garnered theatrical distribution in an international audience, something no other festival can claim. With such a great track record, it’s no doubt that these films are sure to exceed expectations and are worthy of viewing. Here are the films and what awards they won.

The Intruder (Infiltrant) is a film from Holland directed by Shariff Korver and written by him as well as Rogier de Blok. The film follows a Dutch-Moroccan undercover police...

The Third Annual First Time Fest took place over the past weekend in New York City, from March 5th to March 9th. The festival, which celebrates first time filmmakers, had numerous panels that discussed topics such as financing films to getting the right marketing for the film to even talks from established filmmakers sharing their advice. The festival concluded with the honoring of Harvey Weinstein, as a tribute for “his support of first time filmmakers.”

A purely New York City centric film festival, the festival’s founders of Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward chose to show the films at the Core Club, the Village East Cinema, and the Wild Project, while the discussions and panels were featured at the B Bar and Grill. The festival allows for a five day competition among films that were completed by first time filmmakers for the chance to win international sales and theatrical distribution.

The First Time Film Festival is a great place to catch the debuts of budding auteurs, so years down the road you can tell your friends you know about them before they were cool. More importantly, it provides the rare opportunity to see early offerings from filmmakers still in the embryonic stages of their careers. It's easy cut down artists if their early work isn't great — Kurosawa didn't have his breakthrough, "Rashomon," until he'd already made nine lesser efforts. The following films show great promise for their creators, and hopefully will spur successful careers. Read More: How Do You Celebrate First-Time Filmmakers? First-Time Fest Has the Answer "I Believe in Unicorns" Directed by Leah Meyerhoff "A self portrait should be raw, naked…no, wait, don't bring in naked pictures of yourself. Unless that's how you see yourself, but don't tell your parents I said that." This, an assignment from a lackadaisical high school English teacher,...

Read More: SXSW Exclusive: Meet Davina In Clip From Romantic Drama 'I Believe In Unicorns' If you haven't heard of it before, the First Time Fest is exactly what it sounds like -- a festival designed to put the focus on first-time feature filmmakers, with an aim of shepherding in the next generation of great filmmakers. Held in New York, the five-day festival celebrated its third year. Here are the winners of this year's fest: Grand Prize Winner Of Theatrical Distribution & International Sales From Cinema Libre Studio  The grand prize of the five-day festival went to "Infiltrant" ("The Intruder"), Holland-based Shariff Korver's thriller about a Dutch cop of Moroccan descent who goes undercover with a drug-trafficking Moroccan family and has something of an identity crisis along the way. The prize includes theatrical distribution and international sales from one of the festival's sponsors, Cinema Libre Studio. Ftf Award for Outstanding.

I have had the pleasure of being one of the lab leaders at the Ifp Filmmaker Lab for the past five or so years where I help run the distribution and marketing component of the labs. Each year, the four times I travel to New York for the labs are some of the highlights of my calendar. Yet I am continually amazed by the number of first time filmmakers that I talk to that didn’t apply to the lab (and many had not heard of it!). Read More: Attention, Filmmakers: Know Your Non-Theatrical and Educational Rights In recent years, films such as David Thorpe's "Do I Sound Gay?," Leah Meyerhoff's "I Believe in Unicorns" and Stacie Passon's "Concussion" participated in the labs. "Above all else, the Ifp Labs taught me that I could not wait around for someone else to give me permission to make my film.

Following the Fall and Winter slate of Summer of Blood, Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, Butter on the Latch, The Foxy Merkins and the currently screening Something, Anything, Ifp has announced their Spring lineup for Screen Forward. The four films set for week long theatrical runs at Dumbo’s Made in NY Media Center by Ifp are Approaching the Elephant, She’s Lost Control, I Believe in Unicorns and L For Leisure. Both Approaching the Elephant and L For Leisure screened in MoMa and Filmmaker‘s Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You series last December, while Approaching the Elephant and I Believe in Unicorns participated in Ifp’s Independent Film Labs. Find […]...

Following the Fall and Winter slate of Summer of Blood, Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, Butter on the Latch, The Foxy Merkins and the currently screening Something, Anything, Ifp has announced their Spring lineup for Screen Forward. The four films set for week long theatrical runs at Dumbo’s Made in NY Media Center by Ifp are Approaching the Elephant, She’s Lost Control, I Believe in Unicorns and L For Leisure. Both Approaching the Elephant and L For Leisure screened in MoMa and Filmmaker‘s Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You series last December, while Approaching the Elephant and I Believe in Unicorns participated in Ifp’s Independent Film Labs. Find […]...

The recipient of the 2014 St. Louis International Film Festival’s Women in Film Award is producer Katie Mustard.

Mustard has two feature films screening at Sliff – Growing Up And Other Lies and I Believe In Unicorns.

She joins previous Women in Film Award winners Yvonne Welbon, Barbara Hammer, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Marsha Hunt, Ry Russo-Young, Pamela Yates, Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, and Nina Davenport.

Directors Darren Grodsky & Danny Jacobs Growing Up And Other Lies stars Adam Brody (The O.C.), Josh Lawson (House of Lies), Wyatt Cenac (The Daily Show), Amber Tamblyn (Two and a Half Men). After living for years as a struggling artist in New York City, Jake is calling it quits and returning home to Ohio. On his last day in the city, he persuades his three oldest friends to help him retrace their greatest adventure together: a walk down the entire length of Manhattan. The film shows Sat.

I have just returned from Wroclaw, Poland where U.S. in Progress, the American Film Festival's works-in-progress event just wrapped. Held October 22-25, 2014, during the 5th American Film Festival (October 21-26), this was the best selection of filmmakers and films I have seen here to date, and I have been attending this event and its sister event in Paris every year since its inception (except for last October which I missed).

Earnest, attentive and professionally engaged, seeking answers about the best ways to complete the films in order to appeal strategically to festivals and international sales agents, the filmmakers discussed how best to further the success of their present and future films as well as their careers as international filmmakers. These six teams of filmmakers undoubtedly benefited enormously from the Polish and European film professionals who shared their knowledge as everyone watched the six chosen films, networking, sharing meals and drinking and who knows what till all hours in three fully packed days and nights.

Debuting filmmakers from the United States. in the only event of its kind in Europe (except for its sister event held in July at the Champs Elysees Film Festival in Paris) were invited (all expenses paid) to this great European city where the only multiplex for arthouse cinema of its kind is flourishing.

Roman Gutek, founder of this festival and the larger summertime Mobile New Horizons Film Festival, owner of Gutek Distribution, an entrepreneur who loves creating new events and projects, took over the giant theater in the middle of this middle-European, formerly Prussian city a few years ago and has introduced more than cinema to a well-educated (top univerisity here is one of the oldest in Europe) young populace. Other successful events include opera, ballet and monthly film events for 35,000 school children. He is now preparing the cinema component for the upcoming celebration of Wroclaw as the European Capital of Culture 2016.

One of his sons is working with the American Film Festival with its artistic director Ula Śniegowska. The other son is a chef and quite active in the gastronomic success of the city. Polish food is what our grandmothers used to make; one of the finest if not the finest cuisine in Central and Eastern Europe. This year pumpkin held center stage, with delicious dumplings and soups. Coincidentally, that other great culinary and cinema city, San Sebastian, also the inventor of the cinema "works-in-progress" industry model, has instituted a gastronomic exchange through the Polish-Basque Cultural Association Arrano Zuria. The project is promoted by the Donostia San Sebastian 2016 Foundation in charge of the European Capital of Culture 2016 in which chefs from both countries exchange and share recipes of both countries for public feasts.

But I digress...the 2014 U.S. in Progress, Wrocław participants:

Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and Robert Machoian of "God Bless the Child" were articulate and full of anecdotes about how their book-ended story featured Robert's own five children in their own home. The first book-end shows the car being driven away by the mother early in the morning thus leaving the 13 year old daughter in charge of four brothers aged 18 months to seven or eight years. The closing book-end is for you, the viewer, to see as it caps off an almost perfect film. Between book-ends, this family, held together by the sweet and loving older sister, spends an almost real-life day together. Genre-defying, docu-like, so loving and so sad, this is not an easy-to-sell film for sales agents because it fits no preset marketing formula. However, I would venture to guess that If an audience were lucky enough to see it, word would spread about how lovingly effective and how unique it is. Rodrigo and Robert have more films in mind as well which are of the type that you want them to succeed in making. The jury unanimously awarded prizes for the completion to this worthy film. It is not "like" it, but still it put me in mind of Whit Stillman's "Boyhood" because the players are real people basically playing themselves.

"Take Me to the River" the debut feature of Matt Sobel was extraordinarily accomplished for a first-timer. A story about middle-America, a brother and sister find themselves at odds at their large family reunion at the family farm, when their two children are involved in an incident. The "big-city" (not) teenaged boy, the only child of the sister and her city-bred husband, finds his integrity tested in the events that follow. When the professional audience watching this film pointed out similarities to Thomas Vinterberg, Matt was aware and pointed out that his editor, Jacob Secher Schulsinger, was Danish and edited "Nymphomaniac" 1 and 2 as well as this year's Swedish Academy contender, "Force Majeure". On a personal note, we have known Matt for the six years it has taken to complete this film and have watched him as he attended Binger Institute as a post-grad whose college education did not include filmmaking, as he grew personally and professionally. We feel very proud of him and this film which we hope will make it to the top festivals and will be picked up by a top international sales agent to sell to top distributors. Its authenticity is a result of conscious decisions made in the creation of the drama by Matt. A strong and unique film.

"The Homefront" co-directed by Tyler Walker & Fidel Ruiz Healy is another totally unique, stand-alone feature, though it might be put into a genre category of post-apocalyptic, family drama. Only the apocalypse has not yet happened. War is still at a distance while this self-survivalist family of parents and their son and daughter wait it out in their large family house somewhere in Texas. The team of Tyler and Fidel started this when they were 19 years old. Today they are 23 and have more stories in them. It could actually be remade on a grander scale and would attract an audience, given some marketing dollars to get it into play. This is an unexpected story, acclaimed by the jury and awarded post-production prizes including sound and soundtrack composition. Additional links: https://vimeo.com/ruizhealy, http://www.theamericanstandardfilmco.com/

"Nakom" co-directed by Travis Pittman & Kelly Daniela Norris is another of the several co-directed films here attesting to a new generation of filmmakers who work in teams. This team-building is not just in U.S.; I have also seen it in Latin America and the Caribbean that young filmmakers meet in film school or at festivals and go on to create working teams which I think will continue to make films together. In this case Travis and Kelly met in film school and this is their second film together. The first, "Ombras de Azul" is just beginning to make the rounds. They shot it in Cuba. This one they shot in Ghana, in a village in the African plains where Travis spent two years in Peace Corps. It is enacted in the native language with a professionalism that belies the filmmakers' youth. It put me in mind of Tommy Oliver's "Kinyarwanda" which played in Sundance 2011 and whose second film "1982" was also in U.S. in Progress a year or two ago. Tommy has since made three more films.

"Flycatcher" changed its name to "Pangea" as a result of "Foxcatcher". Director Malcolm Murray wrote this with his wife, Liz Tran. HIs previous film, "Bad Posture", completed in 2011, has been written about in New York Times, Village Voice, Filmmaker Magazine, Indiewire, Filmmaker Magazine, Local Iq, Hammer To Nail: Top Ten Films of 2011. It showed at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and he was named in Ten To Watch: Best of Iffr.

"Stinking Heaven", directed by Nathan Silver, reminded me to Lars von Trier's "The Idiots". It stars up-and-coming Keith Poulson who just played in "Listen Up Philip" and is to be seen in several other pictures.

The 2013 U.S. in Progress partners (who also provided the prizes - post-production service packages) include Platige Image, Di Factory, Alvernia and Soundflower Studio. This year, Chimney has joined the ranks, while prizes are also being offered by Producer's Network at Cannes and Ale Kino+ (TV rights acquisition offer).

In 2013, top prizes went to the producers of the film "Sun Belt Express" (dir. Evan Wolf Buxbaum) and "Lake Los Angeles" (dir. Mike Ott). Both films had their world premieres in the U.S. and screened this year in competition as part of the Spectrum section at the American Film Festival.

The best films from the last Paris (during the Champs-Elysees Film Festival) and Wrocław editions constitute the core of Aff repertoire and, after their world premieres, will compete in the Festival's Spectrum section. These include Onur Turkel's "Summer of Blood," Leah Meyerhoff's "I Believe in Unicorns" as well as "Sun Belt Express" and "Lake Los Angeles."

Importantly, reps of the top European distributors and sales agents can see unfinished projects and offer feedback and deals at the early stages of production (before screenings at Sundance or Berlinale) enabling the films to break through to the European market.

The 2014 U.S. in Progress formula is expanded to include a location scouting tour in Lower Silesia (in partnership with the Wrocław Film Commission), as well as a presentation of Polish projects looking for American co-producers. Polish filmmakers are increasingly seeking North American partners and are interested in learning more about new and alternative ways to produce and finance films outside the mainstream system.

For more information about Us in Progress visit Here...

Film critic Thelma Adams moderated a provocative discussion with filmmakers Courteney Cox (feature directorial debut "Just Before I Go," Friends actress, actress/producer/director Cougar Town), Debra Granik (Academy Award nominated director/co-writer "Winter’s Bone" nominated for four Oscars, "Down to the Bone" Best Director at 2004 Sundance Film Festival), Leah Meyerhoff ("I Believe in Unicorns" her debut feature premiered at SXSW 2014, previous award-winning short films have screened in over 200 film festivals), and Jenna Ricker (wrote, directed and produced her first feature film, "Ben's Plan" awarded Best Drama at the Aof Festival, Distinguished Debut at the London Independent Festival, and honored with the Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker).

According to Celluloid Ceiling (the report by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University) only 6% of directors working in the top movies in 2013 movies were women; a 3-point drop from 2012. Only 16% directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors, cinematographers in 2013 were women. Women directors working independently, outside the Hollywood studio system, are finding more opportunities, but there is still a vast inequity.

Moderator Thelma Adams cited some additional statistics to which the panel commented about their dismay of the reality of these numbers before jumping in on the question:

What is this thing with the title women’s panel?

Granik: There’s always a question whether it’s a ghettoization of women or raising them up by using the word “women” as a gender identifier. Using language that allows a person to be a person without a gender identifier can feel more powerful than using the word “woman”.

Meyerhoff: We all struggle with how to identify as a female director. When I came to film, I felt I didn’t want to be pigeonholed. I founded a female filmmaker collective --Film Fatales (http://www.filmfatalesnyc.com/#!leah-meyerhoff/c14fk) for this reason. There’s strength in numbers.

Cox: I had one man on set of a project I directed, who would go to other people to get their opinions before he would come to me, the director. I called him up so I could understand why he was doing that. And then I told him to get over it.

How do stories live without gender?

Kathryn Bigelow’s name came up in the discussion (the first woman director to win the Oscar) and how Hurt Locker was not categorized in Hollywood terms as a female film. The panelists agreed that there are myths about what audiences want, and wanting to make movies about women was important despite the naysayers; there is indeed an audience for these films – the box office numbers confirm this.

Whining?

I asked the panel their advice to student filmmakers about breaking into the (independent and/or Hollywood) industry, opening my question with the quote from director Agnès Varda: “Stop categorizing us as women filmmakers,” which I cited in an article I wrote about her at the Locarno Film Festival this year, and the vitriolic Facebook post comment I received from a male producer: “Stop complaining and just make movies.”

Granik: We’re going through pushback. There’s often that accusation of complaining, calling women “whiners” when discussing this topic. The reality is that it’s not so easy for women to get a film financed. For students, they need to come to their power and work together as a collective. Their power is not to look at the industry for reasons to make films; go smaller. Work together

Ricker: I was on panel at Sundance and a producer on the panel said: “I won’t trust money with women directors.” The producer was female. For students at college now, they need to start working with their peers -- these are the people with whom you’ll be forming meaningful work relationships, which will continue after you graduate. Take advantage of these relationships at school.

Perhaps using male pseudonyms might further women’s careers

Adams : There was George Eliot.

The directors agreed that their first names were often a hindrance in getting hired, and jokinly added that in order to get the word out about women directors was to start the hashtag: #wheresthecock.

Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...

It’s lucky 13 — as in 13th annual edition — for Switzerland’s Lausanne Underground Film Festival, an epic celebration of cinematic weirdness, violence, filth and everything else that makes life worth living. The wild debauchery runs October 15-19.

The fest opens on Oct. 15 with the feature film debut by Leah Meyerhoff, I Believe in Unicorns, which tells the story of a troubled teenage girl who runs away with an aggressive older boy.

Other new films include the misanthropic comedy Buzzard by Joel Potrykus; the deep woods psychological thriller Mother Nature by Johan Liedgren; the complex Japanese drama Kept by Maki Mizui; and more.

Luff this year is really stuffed with great retrospectives beginning with a tribute to Beth B, who has been churning out controversial, thought-provoking flicks since the New York No Wave era to know. There will be screenings of her classic films, such as The Offenders and Salvation!, and her latest documentary,...

Hp has joined forces with presenting partner Made in New York Media Center by Ifp (Filmmaker‘s publisher) to present Power Up, a five-day festival of new work and discussions centering around technology and creativity. Of particular interest to Filmmaker readers are events feature 25 New Faces Jessica Oreck and Andrew S. Allen; Paul Trillo’s short, A Truncated Story of Infinity, recently featured at Filmmaker; and a screening of director and Film Fatales founder Leah Meyerhoff’s debut feature, I Believe in Unicorns. Other notable events include an discussion on architecture with Daniel Libeskind and a panel on the VFX of James […]...

Hp has joined forces with presenting partner Made in New York Media Center by Ifp (Filmmaker‘s publisher) to present Power Up, a five-day festival of new work and discussions centering around technology and creativity. Of particular interest to Filmmaker readers are events feature 25 New Faces Jessica Oreck and Andrew S. Allen; Paul Trillo’s short, A Truncated Story of Infinity, recently featured at Filmmaker; and a screening of director and Film Fatales founder Leah Meyerhoff’s debut feature, I Believe in Unicorns. Other notable events include an discussion on architecture with Daniel Libeskind and a panel on the VFX of James […]...

Us in Progress 4th annual Coproduction Forum (October 22-25, 2014) held during the 5th American Film Festival in Wrocław (October 21-26) targets Polish and European film professionals to facilitate professional networking with young, independent filmmakers from the United States. It is the only event of its kind in Europe (except for its sister event held in July at the Champs Elysees Film Festival in Paris. Invitation-only screenings are screening six independent American feature-length films in the final editing stages, selected out of 40 submissions.

The 2014 Us in Progress Wrocław participants:

"Flycatcher," dir. Malcolm Murray

"God Bless the Child," dir. Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck & Robert Machoian

"The Homefront," dir. Tyler Walker & Fidel Ruiz Healy

"Nakom," dir. Travis Pittman & Kelly Daniela Norris

"Stinking Heaven," dir. Nathan Silver

"Take Me to the River," dir. Matt Sobel

All will attend the 3-day event in Wrocław.

The 2013 Us in Progress partners (who also provided the prizes - post-production service packages) include Platige Image, Di Factory, Alvernia and Soundflower Studio. This year, Chimney has joined the ranks, while prizes are also being offered by Producer's Network at Cannes and Ale Kino+ (TV rights acquisition offer).

Polish post-production studios are welcomed to take part in the program, offer their services or expand their network of potential international clients.In 2013, top prizes went to the producers of the film "Sun Belt Express" (dir. Evan Wolf Buxbaum) and "Lake Los Angeles" (dir. Mike Ott). Both films had their world premieres in the U.S.A and will screen this year in competition as part of the Spectrum section at the American Film Festival.

The best films from the last Paris (during the Champs-Elysees Film Festival) and Wrocław editions constitute the core of Aff repertoire and, after their world premieres, will compete in the Festival's Spectrum section. These include Onur Turkel's "Summer of Blood," Leah Meyerhoff's "I Believe in Unicorns" as well as "Sun Belt Express" and "Lake Los Angeles."

Importantly, reps of the top European distributors and sales agents can see unfinished projects and offer feedback and deals at the early stages of production (before screenings at Sundance or Berlinale) enabling the films to break through to the European market.

The 2014 Us in Progress formula is expanded to include a location scouting tour in Lower Silesia (in partnership with the Wrocław Film Commission), as well as a presentation of Polish projects looking for American co-producers. Polish filmmakers are increasingly seeking North American partners and are interested in learning more about new and alternative ways to produce and finance films outside the mainstream system.

For more information about Us in Progress visit Here...

The 8th annual Sydney Underground Film Festival is a power-packed event featuring outrageous cult films, provocative documentaries and wild short films that will run September 4-7 at its usual haunt, The Factory Theater.

Opening Night: The fest opens with Housebound, a New Zealand horror comedy by Gerard Johnstone about a woman in trouble with the law who comes to believe that her family home is haunted. The film will be preceded by a performance by Renny Kodgers and a free pizza party; and followed by an after party.

Closing Night: The fest will close with the controversial German teen sex comedy Wetlands directed by David Wendt. The film will then be followed by a late-night after party.

Highlights: Usama Alshaibi‘s must see documentary American Arab — an intimate, socially relevatory and essential film — screens at 4 p.m. on Sept. 6. Read the Underground Film Journal review of American Arab.

Jorge Torres-Torres...

Festival will also see director Rowan Joffe and novelist Sj Watson present Before I Go To Sleep, starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong.

The 34th edition of the Cambridge Film Festival (Aug 28 - Sept 7) is to open with The Kidnapping Of Michel Houellebecq, Guillaume Nicloux’s comedy-drama based in part on true events.

It recounts the disapperance of reclusive French novelist Michel Houellebecq during a book tour in 2011. The rumours of his whereabouts led to endless speculation, including a kidnapping. The film, which stars the novelist as himself, will be presented at the festival by Nicloux.

Special guests at this year’s festival include writer-director Rowan Joffe and novelist Sj Watson who will present Before I Go To Sleep, an amnesiac thriller starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong.

Skip Kite will present his timely tribute to late politican Tony Benn: Will and Testament, while Andrew Sinclair, director of 1972’s...

Ifp announced its 2014 slate of 133 new films in development and works in progress selected for its esteemed Project Forum at Independent Film Week. This one-of-a-kind event brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new projects by nurturing the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers. Through the Project Forum, creatives connect with financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. Under the curatorial leadership of Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson & Senior Director of Programming Milton Tabbot, this one-of-a-kind event takes place September 14-18, 2014 at Lincoln Center supporting bold new content from a wide variety of domestic and international artists.

“As we set to embark on our 36th Independent Film Week, we are impressed by the outstanding slate of both U.S. and international projects selected for this year’s Project Forum,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of Ifp. “We know that the industry will be as excited as we are with the accomplished storytellers and their diverse and boundary pushing films.”

Featured works at the 2014 Independent Film Week include filmmakers and content creators from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. From documentarians Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How To Nail A Dictator"), and Penny Lane ("Our Nixon") to Michelangelo Frammartino ("Quattro Volte") and Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), as well as new work from critically acclaimed artists and directors Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Travis Matthews ("Interior. Leather. Bar") and Yen Tan ("Pit Stop").

Independent Film Week brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new documentary and narrative works-in-progress and support the future of storytelling. The program nurtures the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers through the facilitation of over 3,500+ custom, one-to-one meetings with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. In recent years, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Rama Burshtein ("Fill The Void"), Derek Cianfrance ("Blue Valentine"), Marshall Curry ("If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth LIberation Front"), Laura Poitras ("The Oath"), Denis Villeneuve ("Incendies") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").

For the full 2014 Project Forum slate visit Here

New For 2014

Evenly split between documentary and narrative features, selected projects hail from throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. New this year, Ifp will be including web series in it programming, as well as spotlighting Latin & Central American artists and content with 15 projects featured across all programs in the Forum.

In a joint effort to recognize the importance of career and creative sustainability, Ifp and Durga Entertainment have partnered on a new $20,000 filmmaker grant for an alumnus of Ifp. The grant is intended for active, working filmmakers who are also balancing a filmmaking career with parenting. The grant provides a $20,000 unrestricted prize to encourage the recipient to continue on her or his career path of making quality independent films. American directors or screenwriters working in narrative film who have participated in the Ifp Filmmaker Labs or Ifp Independent Film Week's Emerging Storytellers or No-Borders International Co-Production market are encouraged to apply by the deadline of August 8, 2014.

Narrative Feature Highlights

Narrative features and webseries in Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers and No Borders International Co-Production Market sections highlight new work from top emerging and established creative visionaries on the U.S. and international independent scene.

This year’s slate includes new feature scripts featuring directors Dev Benegal ("Road, Movie"), Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin ("Now, Forager"), Michelangelo Frammartino ("Le Quattro Volte"),Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"), Rashaad Ernesto Green ("Gun Hill Road"), Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita Y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"),Alison Klayman ("Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry"), Travis Mathews ("Interior. Leather Bar"), Stacie Passon ("Concussion"), Yen Tan ("Pit Stop"), as well as up-an-coming actor/directors Karrie Crouse ("Land Ho!") and Peter Vack ("Fort Tilden""I Believe in Unicorns").

Producers and executive producers of note attached to participating projects include Jennifer Dubin and Cora Olson ("Good Dick"), Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams ("Hellion"),Laura Heberton ("Gayby"), Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Kishori Rajan ("Gimme the Loot"), Adele Romanski ("The Myth of the American Sleepover"), Kim Sherman ("A Teacher"), Susan Stover ("High Art"), and Alicia Van Couvering ("Tiny Furniture").

Web Storytellers Highlights

For the first time this year, Ifp presents a dedicated spotlight within the Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program for creators developing episodic content for digital platforms. The inaugural slate for the Web Storytellers spotlight includes new works from filmmakers Desiree Akhavan ("Appropriate Behavior", HBO’s Girls), Calvin Reeder ("The Rambler"), and Gregory Bayne ("Person of Interest"), as well as producers Elisabeth Holm ("Obvious Child"), Susan Leber ( "Down to the Bone"), and Amanda Warman ("The Outs,"Whatever This Is"). Two of the series participating are currently in post-production, and will be making their online debut in the coming months – Rachel Morgan’s Middle Americans, starring Scott Thompson, Carlen Altman, and Alex Rennie, and Daniel Zimbler and Elisabeth Gray’s Understudies, starring Richard Kind and David Rasche. [p Spotlight On Documentaries Highlights

The documentary selection includes new work from seasoned non-fiction directors such as Emmy winners Robert Bahar andAlmudena Carracedo ("Made in La"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How to Nail a Dictator"),Ramona Diaz ("Imelda," "Don’t Stop Believin’") Gini Reticker ("Pray the Devil Back to Hell") Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"); from producers such as Court 13’s Benh Zeitlin and Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Liran Atzmor ("The Law in These Parts"), Tim Williams ("Once In A Lifetime") and Hilla Medalia ("Web Junkie"), and follow-up second features from recent doc world “breakouts”Steve Hoover ("Blood Brother") Penny Lane ("Our Nixon"), Michael Collins ("Give Up Tomorrow"), and Michael Nichols and Christopher Walker ("Flex is Kings").

Exciting new work from debut documentary directors previously known for fiction films include Alex Sichel ("All over Me") with her personal doc The Movie about Anna, Lisa Cortés (producer, "Precious") with "Mothership: The Untold Story of Women and Hip Hop," and Daniel Patrick Carbone ("Hide Your Smiling Faces") with Phantom Cowboys.

Sponsors

Independent Film Week’s Premier sponsors are Royal Bank of Canada (Rbc) and HBO. Gold sponsors are A&E IndieFilms and SAGIndie. Silver sponsors are Durga Entertainment, Eastman Kodak Company, National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa and Telefilm Canada. Official Independent Film Week Partner is Film Society of Lincoln Center. Independent Film Week is supported, in part, by funds provided by the Ford Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts and Time Warner Foundation.

About Ifp

The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Independent Film Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by Ifp, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Ifp represents a growing network of 10,000 storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 35-year history, Ifp has supported over 8,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, including Debra Granik, Miranda July, Michael Moore, Dee Rees, and Benh Zeitlin. More info at www.ifp.org.

I Believe in Unicorns

Written and directed by Leah Meyerhoff

USA, 2014

I Believe in Unicorns is an ode to the American road movie that wears its influences on its sleeve. Particularly reverential to Terrence Malick’s Badlands, it even uses a version of its famous ‘Gassenhauer’ theme, although it must be said that other films have done the same. Despite drawing heavily from these renowned sources, first-time writer-direction Leah Meyerhoff isn’t simply mimicking her idols. By explicitly placing her film within this tradition, she’s able to critique the hopeless romanticism of her central character and scrutinise the naivety of her escape.

Davina, played by Natalia Dyer in a striking breakthrough performance, is an imaginative teenager who spends much of her time in a fantasy world. Fascinated by unicorns, she retreats into childish visions, mentally distancing herself from the draining reality of caring for her infirm mother. When she...

The lineup for this year's Cinema East series has been announced, and once again the programmers have selected a solid slate of indie films to fill a few summer Sunday evenings. The outdoor screenings begin around 9 pm at the French Legation, admission is $3-$5, and food and drinks are available to buy. Also important: The Byob policy is once again in effect this year. 

We've seen a few of the scheduled movies and are excited about the rest, and filmmakers are scheduled to attend five of the seven screenings. If you're not one to let the Texas heat get you down (it's not so bad after the sun sets and you have a beer in your hand), this is the perfect chance to stretch your weekend to the fullest while checking out a few recent independent films.

Here's the schedule:

I Believe in Unicorns (6/22) -- This fantasy-tinged coming-of-age story (pictured...

Hyena

The full line-up has been announced for this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, which runs from Wednesday 18th to Sunday 29th June. In total, 156 features from 47 countries will be screened, with 11 world premieres, 7 European premieres and 95 UK premieres.

The festival opens with the world premiere of British drug trafficking thriller Hyena from writer-director Gerard Johnson, starring Peter Ferdinando, Stephen Graham, Neil Maskell, and MyAnna Buring. The closing night gala is the international premiere of romantic comedy We’ll Never Have Paris, directed by husband and wife team Jocelyn Towne and Simon Helberg (best known for The Big Bang Theory). Written by and also starring Helberg, it features Melanie Lynskey, Maggie Grace, Zachary Quinto, and Alfred Molina in its cast.

We’ll Never Have Paris

The American Dreams strand highlights cutting-edge new works from American independent cinema. Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring featured last year, and now Gia Coppola...

Highlights include Anton Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man, starring the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Abel Ferrara’s controversial Dsk feature Welcome To New York.

The full line-up of the 68th Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has been revealed this morning by artistic director Chris Fujiwara at Edinburgh’s Filmhouse.

This year’s festival, which runs from June 18-29, will comprise 156 features from 47 countries, including 11 world premieres, eight international premieres, seven European premieres and 95 UK premieres.

New titles announced today include Anton Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man, starring the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his final performances that was first shown at Sundance in January.

Straight from its lively premiere in Cannes is Abel Ferrara’s controversial title Welcome To New York, inspired by the case of former Imf managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, starring Gérard Depardieu, which will receive its UK premiere at Eiff.

Other new titles added to the line-up include [link=nm...