Interview with Michelle Byrd on the Independent Film Week

The Independent Film Week: 9/14-9/19"

From Sunday, September 14th through Friday, September 19th, "The Event Space" at "F.I.T." located at 122 W. 26th Street between 6th and 7th Ave, along with Chelsea Cinemas, located at 260 West 23rd St. at 8th Avenue will be hosting the 30th "Independent Filmmaker Conference" offering social networking and panel discussions, showcases, and special events and conversations with the film industries finest and well respected leaders. Panel discussions include, "Making Your First Feature", "Filmmaking 2.0", "The Global Marketplace", "Alternative Distribution", "The Truth About Non-Fiction", and "Film and Philanthropy". http://www.filmmakerconference.com/

Throughout the past 30 years, the "Independent Filmmaker Conference" has supported the production of 7,000 independent films, and assisted 20,000 filmmakers in their endeavour's, with success stories including, "Frozen River", "Maria Full of Grace", "Freeheld", "Clerks", "Half Nelson", and "Roger and Me". A few of this years features in the "Spotlight on Documentaries"/"Works-in-Progress" category include: "Sidney Lumet: The Moral Lens", "Borderline", "Cooking Lessons", "Fallout", "Cuba: The Rest I Make Up", and "She Wants to be a Matador". In the "Emerging Narrative-Screenplays" category include, "808", "The Adventures of Mom and Dad", "Between Two Worlds" and the Winner of the Creative Excellence Award at the Slamdance Film Festival, "Child in the Dark", and finally, "The No Borders International Coproduction Market" includes, Italian Work In Progress, "The Flowers of Kirkuk", Australian Romantic Comedy, "Almost French", and an Argentinian Romantic Comedy "Medianeras". Barry Jenkin's, who is one of FilmmakerMagazine's, "25 New Faces of Independent Film", will display his latest featureMedicine for Melancholy. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1133989/

Interview with Michelle Byrd, Executive Director:

Q- "Tell us about the mission of "The Independent Filmmaker Conference"?
A-"IFC's mission is to connect with one other, to advocate for independent filmmakers by utilizing resources, facilitating the development, financing, and distribution of submitted projects."

Q- "What makes the Conference unique, what sets it apart from other film forums?"
A- "It is not a film festival where completed projects can be viewed, it is a forum to aide over 2,000 participants projects to the next stage of development, by setting up 1:1 meetings with potential partners, finding financing, sales and distribution." Project forum meetings consist of four areas, "Emerging Narrative", "No Borders", "Spotlight on Docs", and "Meet the Programmers".

Q- "Who attends?
A- "4th Row Films", "ACE-Ateliers du Cinema Europeen", "Ambush Entertainment", "Creative Artists Agency", "Fortissimo Films", Madman Cinema", "Memento Films International", "Mirimax", "New Line Cinema", "Overture Films", "Sundance Institute", "Telefilm Canada". "We think long and hard on who is interested in supporting Indie Films."
Sharon Abella