Kickstarters We Love: ‘Her Story’ follows young couple through a terminal illness

It’s pretty clear crowdfunding is here to stay as a platform for indies to both finance their films and rally an eager audience. Success for many begins with the pitch video. One such project, “Her Story” does it just right. Curious backers are introduced to the Austin-based production team as well as main characters Rae and Carter, a young couple braving a tragic diagnosis. Thanks again to writer/actress Haley Alea Erickson (“Rae”) for giving us a peek behind the campaign. And most importantly, holler if you got dollar, folks! The team has already reached more than half of their $5,000 by June 4th goal. — Christina B.

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APPLY: Awards in Moving Image & Visual Arts from Creative Capital

Creative Capital is currently accepting online Letters of Inquiry for awards in Moving Image (formerly Film/Video) and Visual Arts. 

Deadline: February 28

So What’s The Deal With…Applying for Filmmaker Workshops?

Writer/director Erin Li (Photo: Randy Blohm)

I first met Erin Li when both of our films screened at Urbanworld Film Festival in 2011. Her intriguing short “L.A. Coffin School” and vibrant passion for filmmaking convinced me she was definitely one to watch. I recently reached out to Erin because I wanted to pick her brain about her successful experience with filmmaker workshops. As a 2012 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow she directed and co-wrote  “To The Bone”, which played at LA Film Festival and Slamdance. “To The Bone” was chosen as a Vimeo Staff Pick and recently featured on Upworthy. She’s now in post-production on “Kepler X-47” as part of AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women. You can also catch her on Twitter at @MsErinLi. A big thank you again to Erin for sharing her insight! — Christina B.

4 Fests You Should Enter This Week

Seattle International Film Festival
May 15 – June 8

Final Deadline: January 3

“SIFF is the largest and most highly attended film festival in the United States, with more than 250 feature/documentary films and 150 short films presented to an audience of over 155,000 annually. One of the top festivals in North America, SIFF has been cited as one of the best “audience festivals” in the world. SIFF is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a Qualifying Festival in all Short Film categories.”

Accepts Narrative Features, Documentary Features, Narrative Shorts, Documentary Shorts & Animations

website: http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/film-submission-2014

Freelancer Diaries: Self-Doubt

Zoe here! Man, it’s been a LONG time since I last blogged – many, many apologies! I wrote a blog that never got posted because I wanted to revisit the idea before putting it up but it’s stumped me ever since. I finally had some time today and was determined to sit down and work through it – so here goes:

A few weeks ago, I was all down in the dumps because I had no gigs on the horizon; and in my mind, that means I’m useless.

This, of course, is an exaggeration of my abilities (of anyone’s, really) but I’m highly critical of myself and couldn’t avoid it in my mind.

As a freelancer, being gig-less has serious financial repercussions; but more importantly, I was stunned by how hard I was struck morale-wise.

4 Fests You Should Enter This Week

…because all it takes is ONE festival screening to change everything.

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (Feb. 14 – 23)
Missoula, Montana

Late Deadline: October 20

4 Fests You Should Enter This Week

…because all it takes is ONE festival screening to change everything.

Macon Film Festival
February 27 – March 2, 2014
Macon, Georgia

Late Deadline: September 20

APPLY: Tribeca All Access Grant for diverse filmmakers

Tribeca All Access (from Tribeca Film Institute)

Deadline: November 5 (no fee!)

Website: https://tribecafilminstitute.org/pages/taa_about

Tribeca All Access (TAA) seeks feature-length narrative and documentary submissions from established and emerging filmmakers whose team includes a director or screenwriter from a community that is traditionally under-represented in the film industry. Five narrative filmmakers and five documentary filmmakers will each receive a grant of $10,000 to use towards the development, production, post- production, or marketing of their film project.”

4 Fests You Should Enter This Week

…because all it takes is ONE festival screening to change everything.

ON LOCATION: The LA Video Project (Presented by New Filmmakers Los Angeles)

Deadline: September 7

The Los Angeles Video Project is a community outreach multimedia program that celebrates and enlists LA’s remarkable pool of filmmakers. By engaging these creative members of the Los Angeles community to act and serve as Ambassadors of LA, NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA), along with the support of the City of Los Angeles and and LA Weekly are able to share what these artists call their LA; an insider perspective into this diverse, cosmopolitan city and its neighborhoods.

Submit Your Epic Trailer for the Fantastic Fest 2013 Bumper Contest (9/10 deadline)

Deadline: September 10 (11:59pm CST)

Website: http://frenzy4.badassdigest.com/

“Fantastic Fest, The Alamo Drafthouse and Badass Digest are thrilled to present the Fantastic Fest 2013 Bumper Contest. Every year Fantastic Fest hosts a bumper creation contest where we invite the Fantastic Fest community to create the most outrageous and entertaining video possible. We use as many entries as we can and play different bumpers onscreen before every single screening during the festival with two goals in mind: 1) to represent the creativity (and often twisted sense of humor) of the Fantastic Fest community and 2) to ensure that unlike other festivals, the audience at Fantastic Fest won’t have to sit through the same six or seven bumpers over and over again.

4 Fests You Should Enter This Week

…because all it takes is ONE festival screening to change everything.

Macon Film Festival
February 27 – March 2, 2014
Macon, Georgia

Regular Deadline: August 30

APPLY: Pitch Your Best Nonfiction Idea for 2013 AbelCine Documentary Grant

Deadline: August 20  extended to August 27

Website: http://about.abelcine.com/2013/07/23/2013-abelcine-documentary-grant/

“Do you have an idea for a compelling documentary project? The 2013 AbelCine Documentary Grant was established to help get your story told. We’re asking you to create a 2-5 minute video pitch and upload it to Vimeo – you’ll have the chance to win one of three equipment usage grants worth a combined total of $100,000.

APPLY: Film Independent’s Directing Lab Wants To Help You Prep Your Next Feature

Deadline: October 7 (no fee!)

Website: http://www.filmindependent.org/labs-and-programs/directors-lab/

“Designed to help directors who are prepping their independent feature films, the Directing Lab is an intensive ten-week program that runs in Los Angeles in February and March.

My favorite festival hits coming soon to theaters, TV and DVD (August edition)

“Mud” (Dir. Jeff Nichols)
Festival Premiere: Cannes 2012
WHERE TO SEE IT NEXT: DVD, Redbox, Netflix and iTunes

APPLY: San Francisco Film Society wants to help you make the next “Fruitvale Station” (by 8/14)

Late Deadline: August 14 (4:59pm PST)
Application Fee: $45
Website: http://www.sffs.org/Filmmaker360/Grants/sffskrf-filmmaking-grant.aspx

“The SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants support feature narrative films that through plot, character, theme or setting explore human and civil rights, antidiscrimination, gender and sexual identity and other social issues of our time. This is NOT a documentary grant.

The SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grant provides tangible encouragement and support to meaningful projects nationally that benefit and uplift the Bay Area filmmaking community in a professional and economic capacity. In addition to the cash grant, recipients receive various benefits through the Film Society’s comprehensive and dynamic filmmaker services programs.”

Past Winners: FRUITVALE STATION, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, SHORT TERM 12

Rock the Vote: Indiewire’s Project of the Day/Week/Month

How exactly does this work?

It all starts with Indiewire editors selecting their top picks for Project of the Day. Then it’s all in your hands, folks. Projects of the Day advance on into the running for Project of the Week. Winners from that round receive a “phone consultation with a representative from SnagFilms” and proceed to Project of the Month. The film with the most votes wins a “phone consultation with a representative from Tribeca Film Institute”.

4 Fests You Should Enter This Week

…because all it takes is ONE festival screening to change everything.

AFI Fest (November 7 – 14) 
Los Angeles, CA

Deadline:
Short Films: August 2
Feature Films: August 16

4 Fests You Should Enter This Week

…because all it takes is ONE festival screening to change everything.

Sundance Film Festival (January 16 – 26)
Park City, Utah

Early Deadline: 
U.S. and International Short Films: July 29
U.S. and International Feature Films: August 9