First Time Fest (FTF) – a celebration of first time filmmakers – is a new and unique film festival, event and opportunity taking place in New York City from March 1-March 4, 2013. Just as Quentin Tarantino had RESERVOIR DOGS, Orson Welles his CITIZEN KANE, Sam Mendes’ AMERICAN BEAUTY, Rob Reiner with THIS IS SPINAL TAP and John Huston had THE MALTESE FALCON as their first works, First Time Fest’s mission is to discover and present the next generation of great cinema by ...

                Three talented young Ethiopian Filmmakers just finished a once-in a-lifetime experience when they spent a week in Monte Carlo and at the Cannes Film Festival, attending film screenings and premieres, participating in meetings, workshops, and seminars, and being feted at dinners and parties, and presenting their own work. Filmmakers Henok Mebratu, Olisarali Olibui and Yidnekachew...

The International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA) and the Ethiopian Film Initiative (EFI) announced today the three filmmakers selected for a week-long visit to Monaco and Cannes for workshops, programs and events happening during the 2012 Cannes film festival this May.  They are: Henok Mebratu, Olisarali Olibui Tongolu and Yidnekachew Shumete Desalegn.   The trip will provide an opportunity for the filmmakers to meet a range of influential distributors, sales ...

The First International Emerging Talent Film Festival wrapped up on Tuesday night, 15 May, at Monte-Carlo’s Grimaldi Forum, with a Special Advance screening of Paul Freedman’s film on the travesty in Darfur, SAND AND SORROW, narrated by George Clooney, and the presentation of the Festival’s Juried Competition Wing Awards. The Festival’s Gala Closing Night Party followed the screening and awards presentation, held in the beautiful rooftop space, Karément, set atop the Grimaldi Forum with...

Thursday, May 17--------Having a film festival just before Cannes in the neighboring city-state of Monaco is either a brilliant idea or one fraught with challenges. The organizers of this inaugural event wisely decided to ignore the giant to their south and just proceed with their mission. And their mission is a laudable one…..to discover and promote promising cinema talents, to encourage dialogue between filmmakers, to promote cultural diversity and international understanding and to discuss ...

May 13-15, 2007 ~ Monte-Carlo, MonacoThe INTERNATIONAL EMERGING TALENT FILM FESTIVAL (IETFF) will kick-off its inaugural event 13 – 15 May 2007 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. IETFF will present 22 films from emerging filmmakers from 20 countries around the globe in this debut presentation. All features are by first time directors and none have distribution. Amongst the eleven features, there are two world premieres, three European premieres and two French premieres. Highlight...

Ampfest celebrates surf and skate culture in coastal communitiesAmpfest plants its flag in the sand of West Coast beaches, bringing the film and music festival to the surrounding communities August 10-14. The event promises to integrate the best of extreme sports filmmaking, past and present, with a combination of hot bands and emerging artists. In addition to the film and music Ampfest endeavors to incorporate other artistic contributions that help to make up the fabric of this culture, such ...

Former Film fest directors Jon Fitzgerald and Mitch Levine announce the launch of Festival Consulting Group (FCG), a company devoted to serving the film festival community. Supported by a comprehensive website, FestivalConsulting.com, the Company will offer a complete range of services – from Sponsorship to Strategic Planning to Production Services – and virtually everything in between. The announcement was made at a reception at the Plage des Palmes Café in Cannes, co-hosted by Film Find...

January 31st, the Competition and Audience Awards for the 6th Annual Sarasota Film Festival were announced. Among this year’s Jury are Acquisitions Executive for IFC, Kelly DeVine; Managing Editor of IndieWire & IFCRant, Wendy Mitchell; Film Editor, Cynthia Scheider; Exec. Director of Women Make Movies, Debra Zimmerman; Producer & Bravo!FACT Board Member, Paul Gratton; Sundance Channel’s Senior Vice President of Film Programming, Paola Freccero; Producer Jeffrey Kramer; and President, Inte...

6th ANNUAL SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL January 23RD – February 1ST, 2004 From the Opening Night Film & Party on January 23rd till the projectors go dark 10 film-filled days and nights later, the 6th Annual SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL will present an extraordinary line-up of International & US independent features, shorts, documentaries, student films and special events celebrating special guests and their contributions to the art of filmmaking. The SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL (SFF) is dedicated to ex...