Back in 2006 I sent Outfest a screener of DAMON AND HUNTER: DOING IT TOGETHER. They said no thanks. In 2007 I sent Outfest a screener of ASHLEY AND KISHA: FINDING THE RIGHT FIT. Again they said no thanks. And that’s the last I ever heard from Outfest. Until last week, when Outfest sent me [...]
Category Archives: film festivals
A few thoughts on the Newport Beach Film Festival (The curious case of Angelo Bell)
March 26, 2009 – 8:50 am
As information comes in, I am still cogitating on my “bigger picture” thoughts about this weird business of the Newport Beach Film Festival calling up Angelo Bell and telling him he’s “not the right kind of person.” But with each bit of new information, the shape shifts and it won’t gel yet. But I want to [...]
The Newport Beach Film Festival Responds (Are Film Festivals Reading Filmmakers’ Blogs?)
March 25, 2009 – 7:25 pm
So yesterday I caught a disturbing post on filmmaker Angelo Bell’s blog. Here’s the gist: So I get a call from the volunteer coordinator. It seems my “reputation” proceeds me. She confirms that I am signed up for a volunteer orientation for March 28th. But then she promptly says that she doesn’t think that I [...]
Are Film Festivals Reading Filmmakers Blogs?
March 24, 2009 – 8:44 pm
About 30 minutes ago read this over on Angelo Bell’s blog: I just got off the phone with the volunteer coordinator for the Newport Beach Film Festival. The number is 949-387-3489. You know, this is the festival that rejected my film, “Broken Hearts Club,” right? Well. At the time when I was waiting for an answer [...]
Learning to Say No to SXSW (and Others.)
March 17, 2009 – 9:30 am
From “Why I’m not at SXSW This Year” on blog.ni9e.com Five weeks ago, in Part 1 of How Film Festivals and Distribution Deals Kills Independent Films I wrote this: When you stop and think about it, film festivals are some kind of amazing. They get their films for free. They get a lot of volunteer labor. They [...]
How Film Festivals and Distribution Deals Kill Independent Films Part 3, A Room Full of Strangers
February 8, 2009 – 9:41 am
There wasn’t enough room in for the full title in the header, so for the benefit of clarity, here it is in all its verbose glory: How Film Festivals and Distribution Deals Kill Independent Films, Part 3 A Room Full of Strangers: Film Festivals that actually help independent filmmakers and what that means in a [...]
How Film Festivals and Distribution Deals Kill Independent Films: Part 2, A Tale of Two Indies
February 4, 2009 – 11:31 am
In yesterday’s post, I made the general case for how the indie film model — the festival circuit to get a distribution deal/theatrical run as a promotional event for DVD sales — hurts independent filmmakers. And by hurt I mean it’s a system that by its very nature puts filmmakers at a disadvantage in negotiations, and puts less [...]
How Film Festivals and Distribution Deals Kill Independent Films: Part 1
February 3, 2009 – 10:08 am
Back in 2001 when I shot MARIE AND JACK: A HARDCORE LOVE STORY I was, to put it mildly, rather naive about the indie film game. Silly me, I thought in a world where a serious approach to sex on screen was defined by aggressively sex-negative films from directors like Gaspar Noé and Catherine Breillat, the guileless earnestness and [...]
Revisiting Rated X
January 15, 2009 – 9:39 am
It’s a big weekend for us over in Amsterdam at Jennifer Lyon Bell’s “Rated-X: Amsterdam Alternative Erotic Film Festival”. Over the next couple of days we’ll have three films screening: Matt and Khym: Better than Ever; Bill and Desiree: Love is Timeless; and Damon and Hunter: Doing it Together. In the last decade, film festivals [...]
The city that never sleeps welcomes “Ashley and Kisha”
January 1, 2009 – 10:47 am
“Ashley and Kisha: Finding the Right Fit” to play at the New York City LGBT Community Center Where: NYC LGBT Community Center, 208 W.13th, New York, NY, 10011 When: January 23, Reception at 6:30PM, Screening at 7:30PM Cost: $8 in advance, $10 at the door Additional Information: http://www.gaycenter.org/node/2774 Lesbian Cinema Arts will present a one [...]