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September 19 - 23: 32nd Independent Film Week and the 2010 Independent Filmmaker Conference in New York City

Sheila Nevins, President of HBO Documentary Films, John Sloss, founder of Cinetic Media, and cross-media and digital film expert Liz Rosenthal of Power to the Pixel will headline the Filmmaker Conference at the 32nd Annual Independent Film Week, September 19 through 23, 2010. Presented by IFP, the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, the Filmmaker Conference: The Future of Film welcomes the global independent film community to take an active role in debating where filmmaking is going next.

“IFP is taking the initiative to change the high-low speaker/audience dynamic of traditional conferences by providing audiences everywhere ample opportunity to add their voice to the future of film,” says Amy Dotson, Deputy Director IFP. “Starting today on IFP’s website, a number of new online opportunities will be available to filmmakers and film lovers all around the world to help guide the discussion and participate, including: forums with select panelists in advance of the event, live streaming of select discussions, crowd-sourced questions to panelists, and online contests offering attendees the opportunity to pitch live at the Conference to top producers, executives and financiers.”

Kicking off each day at the Filmmaker Conference, a “Conversations With…” series sponsored by Kodak will feature one-on-one, in-depth discussions with luminary writers, directors, execs and new-media experts about their experiences in the industry and where filmmaking is heading next. Liz Rosenthal will discuss the expansion of film narratives into other media. Sheila Nevins will delve into her remarkable Emmy and Peabody-winning career shepherding the best of non-fiction into the marketplace. John Sloss, fresh off of 2010 hits The Kids Are All Right and Exit Through the Gift Shop, will examine the process of selling and distributing films that break the mold.

Zeroing in on specific films as instructive models for filmmaking success, the Conference will also feature daily Case Studies on the break-out indie films of the year, featuring the Duplass Brothers’ Cyrus, Sundance 2010 Grand Jury Prize winners Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone and Restrepo by Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, and Lena Dunham’s Tiny Furniture. Departing from instructive how-to panels, IFP will also conclude each day with a “Cage Match,” pitting industry heavyweights on opposing sides of contentious issues in a head-to-head debate. In an effort to foster dialogue and challenge emerging models for filmmaking, these sessions pose questions that matter to today’s filmmakers. Following each discussion, audiences everywhere will have the opportunity to cast their opinion and continue the discussion at www.ifp.org.

Taking the Conference online year-round, IFP will also launch a new blog beginning today. The “Ask an Expert” series will feature top industry execs, veteran and emerging filmmakers and below-the-line artists and technicians writing candidly in weekly columns about the business and art of filmmaking. Select bloggers Sarah Lash (ATO), Liz Ogilvie and Paola Frecerro (Crowdstarter), Reva Goldberg (Cinereach), and Basil Tsiokos (Film Festival Programmer & Consultant) will host the “Ask an Expert” series live at the Filmmaker Conference. Audiences everywhere will also have the opportunity to engage the bloggers in advance of the event and suggest questions and topics they most want addressed, carrying the conversation beyond the auditorium. Visit www.ifp.org to join the conversation now.

IFP will also be offering other opportunities for the audience to engage with and influence the discussion about the future of film. These include:

• All attendees can enter for the chance to pitch a film, television, or new media project as part of the Filmmaker Conference’s Sustaining a Film and Media Career day on Thursday, September 23rd. Pass holders who purchase by September 3rd will be offered the chance to have their stories heard in front of a live audience, as well as top industry professionals.

• Beginning September 9th, IFP will be holding a contest offering complimentary passes and/or one-year membership as part of a campaign to source moderator questions from the public. Starting next month, members and non-members alike can pitch questions via Twitter to #ifpfilmweek for the chance to win or attend events year round. Follow @ifpfilm for more information.

The Conference is open to the public. Week Passes are available now, including all 30 panels, keynotes, workshops and case studies. Pass pricing starts at $35 for a half-day package of three panels and packages are also available for narrative-only programming, documentary-only programming and full days. Passes can be purchased at www.filmmakerconference.com.

For more information or to take part in the pre-Conference crowd-sourcing opportunities, please visit www.ifp.org and sign up for the IFP newsletter.

Sponsors
Independent Film Week’s Premier sponsors are Eastman Kodak Company and HBO. Gold sponsors are A&E IndieFilms, SAGIndie/Screen Actors Guild and Stella Artois. Silver sponsors are National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa and Telefilm Canada. Independent Film Week is supported, in part, by funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts and Newman’s Own Foundation.

About IFP
Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organization for independent filmmakers. Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization has championed early work by pioneering, independent filmmakers, including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith.
About Independent Film Week

Independent Film Week is the oldest forum in the U.S. for the discovery of new projects in development and new voices on the independent film scene. Formerly known as the IFP Market, it has evolved into a must-attend gathering that brings over 2,000 members of the international film and media community to New York City. The annual event serves as a culmination of all of IFP’s programming, incorporating elements and individuals from its year-long programs including Independent Filmmaker Labs, Envision, Festival Genius and Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film.”