This is one of those "industry items" that usually goes unnoticed by the mainstream press and generally affects nobody in the real world.
Item: Mark Urman has left ThinkFilm to become head of distribution at Senator Entertainment.
Why does this matter to independent film fans? Well, word is that one of his first major tasks will be to get All the Boys Love Mandy Lane out of limbo and get this film into the 1000+ theaters that Senator originally promised when they bought the film.
It’s been a long battle this summer…my wife has been in the hospital three times with a still-undetermined stomach ailment and blood pressure problems, and I was also in the hospital for emergency gall bladder surgery in late July. Plus all the usual pressures of my regular work and such.
But even with all that, I haven’t stopped working on IFS or its sister sites, and I’m pleased to announce that the long awaited IFS Directory is scheduled to make its debut later this month!
The directory is a comprehensive listing of movies submitted by independent filmmakers, with details on each film. We’ve had a flood of entries since the site launch in February, and more are coming in every day. The IFS Directory is designed to let indie film fans discover new films, new filmmakers, and the like. By entering their films in the directory, it is the hope of these filmmakers, as well as IFS, that you will find something interesting and seek it out. We will be starting slowly as we make information pages for each film submitted to the directory, so be patient – if you’re a filmmaker and have submitted your film, it’s coming! I’ll notify each filmmaker as the films are added.
If you’re an independent filmmaker and would like to have your film included in the directory, it’s as easy as going to our submissions page or to our Without A Box info page and following the steps from there. And in addition to your guaranteed listing, your film might be chosen as a Spotlight feature here on Indie Film Spotlight, as well as our parent site Popcorn N Roses, and our hit weekly podcast, Subject:CINEMA, with over 5000 listeners each week! Plus, we have two NEW podcasts in the works, slated to debut sometime this fall, that are especially for IFS! So what are you waiting for? If you’re an independent filmmaker, you should be on board! Check out the submissions area on the right sidebar, and GET INVOLVED!
It is only through the mutual cooperation of indie filmmakers that IFS has been such a success so far, and it can only get better! Submit your films today, get listed in the IFS Directory, and GET NOTICED!
The Toronto International Film Festival has now released the complete list of screening dates, times, and locations for all 312 titles (from 64 countries).
The 33rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 4-13 and is considered to be the premiere film festival in the Western Hemisphere, second in the world only to Cannes. Following are links to the films organized by calendar view, list view, and programs.
We’ve been following the progress of George Gallo’s Local Color since attending the World Premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. The film stars the legendary Armin Mueller-Stahl and Trevor Morgan.
I saw the film twice more after that: at a screening in Nyack, New York, presented by the Rivertown Film Society in conjunction with an exhibition of writer/director George Gallo’s paintings at the Hopper Arts Center gallery there and at the Sedona Film Festival in early 2007. It’s one of my favorite (so far unreleased) films of the past few years.
Today was the final big day for 2008 Toronto International Film Festival announcements. The last of the 312 titles (from 64 countries) were revealed, including 249 feature-length films, 76 per cent of which are World, International, or North American Premieres, and 61 of which are feature directorial debuts. The complete list is now available online.
While the full schedule won’t be unveiled until next week, some dates and times were announced today. The Gala schedule at Roy Thomson Hall was revealed as well as Visa Screening Room presentations at the Elgin Theatre.
Man in the Chair is one of those brilliant independent films which I’ve written about extensively on this blog. It was my #1 Top Pick from the 2007 Santa Barbara International Film Festival and one of my Top Picks of the 2006-07 festival year. The film went on to play numerous festivals, picking up awards at almost every one, and has been critically acclaimed wherever it’s been screened.
Man in the Chair had a limited theatrical release and can now be seen On Demand via the IFC Festival Direct series, now through September 2. It’s available on most major cable systems — call your local provider if it’s not.
This year’s Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 4-13 and is considered to be the premiere film festival in the Western Hemisphere, second in the world only to Cannes. Although the complete lineup won’t be made available until next Tuesday, they’ve added a number of new titles to the most recent list we posted.
The Official Closing Night Film will be the North American Premiere of Stone of Destiny, written and directed by Charles Martin Smith.
Grassroots campaigns are nothing new in the entertainment world. Sometimes they succeed in getting an “on-the-bubble” television show renewed for one more season despite less-than-stellar ratings (e.g., Gossip Girl). Internet bloggers were even responsible for getting a line added to the script of the film Snakes on a Plane (“I’ve had it with these m/f snakes on this m/f plane”).
Enter Dance of the Dead, the horror/comedy slated to go straight to DVD on October 14 via Lionsgate and Ghost House Underground in a package along with seven other genre titles. Readers know of my fondness for this film. Dance of the Dead was my #1 Top Pick from this year’s SXSW Film Festival.
The World Premiere of Explicit Ills took place in March at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival. Shortly afterwards, I posted my review. After seeing 20 films, I chose Explicit Ills as one of my 3 Top Picks of this year’s festival. My interview with lead actors Frankie Shaw and Lou Taylor Pucci and my interview with writer/director/producer Mark Webber can be found earlier on this blog.
The East Coast Premiere of Explicit Ills will take place at the inaugural Downbeach Film Festival in Margate, New Jersey (next to Atlantic City), where it has been chosen as the official Closing Night Film.
David Gordon Green’s Snow Angels was one of my 25 Top Picks of 2007. I loved the film when I caught the World Premiere at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival (and again at Sundance at BAM in the spring) and have been following its progress ever since.
Starring Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, Michael Angarano, Olivia Thirlby, Amy Sedaris, and Connor Paolo, Snow Angels had a successful limited theatrical run this past spring.
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