matthew toffolo

Interview with Festival Director Terra Renee (African American Women In Cinema)

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Each year African American Women In Cinema host one of the most celebrated female film events in the country that shines its luminous spotlight onto ambitious women filmmakers from all over the country and the world!

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Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Terra Renee: Bringing awareness of women filmmakers of color

2) What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2018)?

An interesting variety of film entertainment programs as well as special keynote panels on social issues such as the metoo movement and the importance of voting.

3) What are the qualifications for the selected films?

The film have to be written or directed or produced by a woman of color.

4) Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Interesting question, I have not thought about looking at festivals in that light.

5) What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

The lack of opportunities for women of color, although we are starting to see some breakthroughs now.

6) How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

It’s really simple and to the point, not much of an issue.

7) Where do you see the festival by 2023?

Global

8) What film have you seen the most times in your life?

A hard question because there were so many. I will give you one, Stone Mansion.

9) In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A good story with excellent acting talent great production, fabulous directing with superb editing.

10) How is the film scene in your city?

Pretty active!

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every single month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 3 times a month. Go to http://www.wildsoundfestival.com for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Mike Messier (AVALONIA Film Festival)

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Avalonia Festival is named in honor of a continent lost is the mists of time, as if dissipated by magic; thus we are here to celebrate the unique Art of our own world of creation. Avalonia Festival II is now accepting submissions of short films, teasers, trailers, film photography and film posters.

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Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Mike Messier: Our website Avalonia Festival sets us apart because we actually give our filmmakers the option to either share their actual film ​(or a teaser or a promotional still image)​ on our site to represent their film. This promotes both the work​ itself​ and the filmmaker​ ​as well as their cast and crew. ​Many or even most other film festivals concentrate so much on the live experience but are negligent to the online community which does not make much sense these days, as it’s very hard to get people to actually attend anything in person, while it’s relatively easy to get them to engage online. For those who can attend our live event on April 20, the admission is free ,while many festivals are very expensive So, Avalonia Festival plays well both as an in-person and an on-line experience. ​

In addition, Avalonia Festival’s Circle of Champions​ i​s a celebration of our Award Winning films with personalized Awards for each film. This is no copy and paste job​ for these Awards​! A lot of work goes into making the website very unique and to actually provide content and a web presence ​Avalonia ​filmmakers can be proud to be a part of!

2) What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2018)?

We will share our Award Winning Films ​at Avalonia Festival II on April 20, 2018 ​in a really great venue called Rhodywood Studios ​in Providence, RI ​with cozy seating, great picture and sound and complimentary snacks. Even better? Free admission for the audience. Winning filmmakers who are able to attend will have a few moments for a Q and A with the live audience.

3) What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Films must be 11 minutes or under to qualify as a “Short Film”, 3 minutes or under to qualify as a “180” film or 60 seconds or less to qualify as a 1 minute movie. We have many categories available to honor all types of films from doc to horror drama to music video to comedy to all points in between. We even have genres for films starring animals. We have no preference whether a film has already premiered at other festivals or is available online. We do prefer if the filmmakers allow us to share their film on our actual website, a status which is both optional for each film and can be changed down the road if need be​ with notice from the filmmaker​. Teasers, film posters and film photography may also enter in their own specific categories.

4) Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

I can’t speak about the fairness of other festivals across the board because there are literally thousands if not tens of thousands of film festivals out there in the world. However, I will say, having entered many festivals myself and being both successful and, at times, disappointed, with my experiences, here are some lessons:

1) Art is a subjective medium, especially film. Being rejected by one, or even a thousand, film fests does not make any particular film “bad.” So do not be discouraged if your particular film is not a “festival darling”. Keep making movies!
2) Some films, quite simply, are just better geared for festivals, given whatever “trend” or “mood”, is going on at the moment of selection. So, that is not to say to conform your style or content to whatever is trendy, but just to say to “give yourself a break.”
3) Look over the fests you are entering and see how they match up in content with what your film is. For instance, there are fests that play specifically to low budget, edgy material. There are fests specific to Vampire films. There are some fests are fests with categories specific for Women Filmmakers, various ethnic groups, LGBQT etc so keep that in mind when choosing which fests to enter.
4) Also, considerations may be made by some fests for filmmakers within driving range of the actual live event. ​It’s more exciting to think that the actual filmmaker will be there in person, and so festivals may have a natural instinct to honor films geographically closer. ​
5) Shorter films usually have an advantage just by logistics. Feature films that have a possibility to make money are much more likely to get a distribution deal of some significance and shorts play better in fests. These things can change, though.

What I really tried to go from the get-go with Avalonia Festival is to have an online presence that honors both the filmmakers and the worldwide audience. If someone gives my website two hours of their time, they can really feel attuned to what the Avalonia Alumni is capable of. I ask any other film festival to show me a better​ -​ or more engaging – and free online – experience than Avalonia Festival.

5) What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

I wanted to provide a festival that would be the type of festival I would like to be a part of as a filmmaker myself.

I wanted to have a festival that had a website that actually gave the name of the winning films and even shared these films online for the biggest possible audience, beyond the seating capacity of whatever venue was used for a live audience. I’m not sure why so many​, otherwise wonderful, ​film fests have​ such lackluster or vague websites but they do. Anyone who wants to hire me to run their film festival website is encouraged to contact me and I’ll help them.

The other motivation is that Avalonia Festival is intended to bring views to my own project Distance from Avalon​ ​which is my Gothic narrative story about a school teacher and his philosophy about parallel universes. When people look into Avalonia Festival, they are also encouraged to look into Distance from Avalon.

6) How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

So far, so good. I found FilmFreeway to be very user friendly as a filmmaker myself, and its entry process helped me win about half of my film and TV Awards. Running Avalonia Festival on it is also​ relatively​ easy, time consuming at times, but nothing I can’t handle. ​

7) Where do you see the festival by 2023?

That’s a great question. My ideal scenario were to be a global expansion and by that time, the Distance from Avalon films will have been made and I’ll be a highly respected and cherished individual. So we will see.

8) What film have you seen the most times in your life?

By now, Disregard the Vampire – A Mike Messier Documentary.

I’ve probably seen the most, because of the three years I put into it. This doc, which you may share with your readers, Matthew, directly lead to the creation of Avalonia Festival. Beyond my own work, Highlander, a fantasy time travel piece from 1986, starring Christopher Lambert, is the film I have seen the most and always enjoyed it.

9) In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A great film exhibits a personal standpoint or observation of the world that both challenges and engages an audience.

10) How is the film scene in your city?

The film scene is my exact city of Wickford, Rhode Island is more or less myself but about 20 minutes north of me my friend Tommy DeNucci of Cranston, RI is getting ready to shoot Vault, a major motion picture in the gangster genre with big names and an hour south of me our mutual buddy David Gere is producing several big action and horror films out of Cromwell, CT. Between the three of us, there are some nice things happening.

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every single month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 3 times a month. Go to http://www.wildsoundfestival.com for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Banks Helfrich (LIFE SCREENINGS Festival)

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This 80 minute event goes beyond movie night and into a shared experience which includes films, filmmakers, lovers of film and engaging conversation. International filmmakers are Skyped in to partake in an encouraged, relaxed exchange of ideas.

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Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Banks Helfrich: Life Screenings exposes filmmakers to inquisitive audiences. Through Skyping, it also fosters direct feedback for the filmmaker.

2) What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2018)?

Life Screenings is an exploration of life through film. Audiences receive direct contact with the filmmaker’s minds through a thorough talkback.

3) What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Life Screenings criteria encompasses two qualifications: 1. All films must be under 15 minutes; 2. All films must show a world that we want to live in.

4) Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

I can only speak for Life Screenings and we specifically search out films which meet our criteria.

5) What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

Life Screenings sole purpose is to share a world that we want to live in through film; to connect filmmakers and film lovers in a conversation to better understand each other.

6) How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

The FilmFreeway submission process has been thoroughly helpful in connecting filmmakers from around the world to us.

7) Where do you see the festival by 2023?

Life Screenings 2023 will be in every major city in the world; it will be invited to the top attended film festivals in the world to curate at least one two hour block; it will be invited into people’s living rooms to share with others in a communal intimate atmosphere.

8) What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Amelie

9) In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A great film is one that has a connective quality of specificity in telling a story based on the human condition. In other words, it’s story.

10) How is the film scene in your city?

Orlando has a thriving educational film scene with three colleges. It is exploding with students learning to tell a story with moving pictures.
 

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every single month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 3 times a month. Go to http://www.wildsoundfestival.com for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Larry Rosen (Northeast Film Festival Horror Fest)

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Northeast Film Festival Horror Fest showcases top independent films in the genres of horror and thriller, from established filmmakers as well as new talent. The high quality films, selected by a committee, includes features and shorts as well as screenplays. The festival is hosted in Teaneck New Jersey at the historic Teaneck Cinemas; with an after party to relax and network during the festival in style and spirit.

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Get to know the Festival:

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Larry Rosen: We are offering a showcase of quality films and creating an atmosphere of networking and discussion among filmmakers, actors and film enthusiasts. This helps in bringing about collaboration for the filmmakers. Many of those who attend, meet actors they wish to work with, people they want to collaborate with, or are getting a good springboard as they continue on the festival circuit. We also have a very good record of [feature] films going on to getting distribution and [short] films continuing with success on the festival circuit.

2) What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2018)?

To see quality films and meet a lot of great people who are excited by indie films and the genre. Plus everyone is treated like a celebrity, so they feel included in the red carpet and after party.

3) What are the qualifications for the selected films?

For NEFF Horror Fest, we search for films in the horror or thriller genre that still tell a story and captivate the audience.

4) Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Most festivals, films with a $500 budget are competing against films with a $500,000 budget. So sometimes people get caught up in the fx and celebrities. But the core is still good storytelling.

5) What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

The team are all people who work in the film industry. Whether as directors, writers, actors, or any other position. So we all have a passion for independent film and giving filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their work [in a beautiful theater].

How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

Some people like the FilmFreeway platform better, so it offers an additional submission platform. Many still like Withoutabox, so we utilize both.

7) Where do you see the festival by 2023?

The NEFF Horror Fest is already a genre festival created by the overflow of our main festival, Northeast Film Festival. By 2023, I see NEFF Horror Fest growing in size to accommodate the increase in submissions and quality of those submissions; as well as another genre festival of some sorts, developing from Northeast Film Festival.

8) What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Either The Usual Suspects, because of the twist and pieces that are hidden throughout, or The Fugitive, because of the focus on the characters within an action-drama.

9) In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A film that can draw the audience into the reality of the film through strong storytelling and compelling acting.

10) How is the film scene in your city?

Teaneck, NJ is technically a suburb of NYC. NYC has a very strong independent film scene and Teaneck offers a supportive atmosphere for the arts and film.

Interview with Festival Director Joshua Trigg (THUNDERDANCE Film Festival)

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Thunderdance film festival is a bi-annual event set in the heart of Hackney. TFF focuses on independent fiction, fashion, music and experimental films. Winning films will be screened in local cinemas followed by meet and greets and afterparties. Thunderdance is a festival for the ultimate in new wave London film culture.

https://www.thunderdancefilmfestival.com/

1) What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers? 

Thunderdance is a film festival that creates a platform for independent film makers to submit an array of different types of work from fashion, fiction to music videos and experimental films. Something we wanted to bring to the table was a diverse judging panel. From cultural influencers like Sue Tilly, to Colin Salmon (James Bond) judging certain categories. We always want to have exciting and recognisable names for the film makers to feel eager about. So not just limiting judges to those within our own industry, but broadening the spectrum of people who are involved. We want to make sure we are connecting amazing film makers with amazing people from all corners of the industry at the event.

2) What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)? 

Sadly, the tickets are all sold out this time around! However, you can expect a varied arrangement of screening material. A diverse set of films from all over the globe. Something that is integral to what we want to do with this festival is to support independent cinema. We hope to always have the events in small, art house, boutique cinemas. This year starting around the East London area, broadening this in the next few years. Our first screening for the festival will be taking place at the Castle Cinema, which has an amazing history and been re opened via a kickstater programme. This is a really beautiful, almost 20’s style bar cinema. Here we will be screening and holding the afterparty which gives the film makers the best opportunities to network.

3) What are the qualifications for the selected films? 

Really there are no qualifications needed. Just good film making. There are a bunch of categories, and we want all film makers to be able to submit their work. In the future we would like to be able to expand this to a student category to help support getting people into the industry. To be honest, we are just curious about the artistic voice of the individuals.

 
4) Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why? 

No I don’t think films get a fair shake from festivals all the time. For us the most important thing is that if it’s a good film we’re going to champion it. Doesn’t matter where its from, who’s made it. If it’s great it’s great and we want to show it. In the future we would love to get good, interesting, important professionals from the industry to give critical feedback if film makers desired when submitting their film. This could at least give the film maker the opportunity to understand why they may not have been selected. We want to help film makers not discourage them.

5) What motivates you and your team to do this festival? 

We are genuinely excited to create something new, fresh and different from anything else we have seen in the circuit. Being a director myself, it’s a similar feeling when I feel I’ve nailed it with a script and we start moving into production. It’s that excitement of knowing you are about to make something really cool and that pre-anticipation is how we feel about this project. It’s that feeling of creating something. I know film makers can relate to that. Within that excitement, we are driven to connect film makers and support artistic communities.

6) How has your FilmFreeway submission process been? 

Film freeway has always been a very useful tool for submitters as it is simple and easy to use, there was a gap in the market and they filled it. Kudos to Film Freeway.
 
7) Where do you see the festival by 2020? 

By 2020, we’d like to have moved from cities further then Europe. But we want to take our time, as its important to us that we find cultural and artistic hubs where local curators can bring to the table the same sort of elements that make Thunderdance London different and exciting.
 

 

thunderdance film festival

Interview with Festival Director David W. King (FLATHEAD INTERNATIONAL CINEMAFEST (FLIC))

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Flathead Lake International Cinemafest (FLIC), runs the weekend of January 26-28, 2018.

 
Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

David W. King: FLIC is giving professional-grade and novice filmmakers a venue at which to present their work. A smaller festival like ours gives more filmmakers the opportunity to have their work screened for an audience. It’s also proving to be a reputable screening venue for international filmmakers. For some reason, FLIC is now a favorite destination for Iranian filmmakers, with dozens submitting films each year.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival in January, 2018?

The Flathead Lake International Cinemafest is a wonderful weekend celebration of cinema. Filmmaker discussions following screenings are popular. Social gatherings at local establishments. A quality presentation of films, with the popular FLIC sizzle reel introducing each screening block. Standing ovations. Great audience enthusiasm. And awards celebration wraps up the weekend, with encore screenings presented the following week.

What are the qualifications for the selected films?

FLIC film fair ranges from 1-minute shorts to 2-hour features, covering a broad array of topics and genres. FLIC has some content guideline that prohibit extreme violence and adult content, while making some exceptions for compelling storylines. The bottom-line is how interesting is a film? How watchable is it? Does it tell its story effectively? It is good?

Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

I do think some films don’t get a fair shake from film festivals. I think it’s easy for festival runners to get a bit snooty about what they’ll show; if a film isn’t practically perfect, it might be put aside, when many in the audience might have overlooked its flaws and seen it beauty of spirit or other intangible qualities. Some people aren’t particularly good filmmakers, but they might be very passionate about their subject matter. As a judge, I think it’s important to look for the heart of a film as much as its production value.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

We love movies and we see how much it means to filmmakers to have their work screened. We also see how our community embraces the film arts every January. FLIC has become a destination for some and a welcome respite from winter’s chill for others. Cinema has that power.

How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

We love FilmFreeway. It’s a very easy site to use and gives you all the data you need in a well organized, logical manner. I’m a big fan.

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Hopefully FLIC will have grown in size and quality over these next two years. We want this film festival to become more and more of a destination for filmmaker and an audience that appreciates cinema from across the globe.

What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles!

In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A great film tells a story so effectively that the viewer gets lost in that story for its duration.

How is the film scene in your city?

The film scene in Polson, Montana is quite limited 51 weeks out of the year. However, in January, the Flathead Lake International Cinemafest presents films from the far reaches of the world to this little community — and Polson, Montana becomes its own unassuming center of the cinema universe!

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David W. King’s film and television career spans 30 years and many facets of live-action and animation production. He has 124 IMDB credits dating back to his first days as a production assistant on an obscure 1980 Peter Fonda film called Rough Riders. David’s subsequent positions and credits have included Vice President of Production, Supervising Producer, Producer, Director, Associate Producer, Production Manager, Post-Production Supervisor, Executive in Charge of Production, Writer, Cinematographer and Editor. He’s worked for major studios like Universal, Walt Disney, Hanna-Barbera and 20th Century Fox. At Disney and Universal, David produced feature-length projects like Lady and the Tramp 2: Scamp’s Adventure and Balto 2 and 3. David also wrote or co-wrote 8 feature screenplays, most of which were optioned. David moved to Polson, Montana in 2012, where he set up his own production company, David W. King Pictures. Samples of his work are available at his website, DavidWKing.com.

As a judge, David finds it great fun to discover little gems as he and his fellow judges review scores of FLIC entries each year. There are always surprises and spirited discussions on the part of the judges, whose tastes vary much like those found around water-coolers the world over.

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

SUBMIT your TV PILOT Screenplay or TV SPEC Script
Voted #1 TV Contest in North America.		 Screenplay CONTESTSUBMIT your Short Screenplay or FEATURE Script
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Interview with Festival Directors Nick John Whittle & Stuart Wheeldon (9LadiesFilmFestival)

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9LadiesFilmFestival is a distinguished independent film festival showcasing short films from around the world to an audience of film fans and movie-makers.

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What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

9LadiesFilmFestival brings cinematic exposure for independent filmmakers. That’s what filmmaking is essentially about: getting audiences to see your creation. And with exposure comes possibilities. It isn’t just about letting the common man see your film. There are scores of studios out there watching indie films. If they see something that ticks boxes they’ll grab it. Famous case in point: Paranormal Activity.

There are also the laurel stamps for the winners. Films showing laurel stamps in their credits are proven to be the ones most watched. True, it’s not necessarily the mark of an all-round incredible film but it shows it has been scrutinized by professionals and that one element of it (or several) passes muster. It also proves that the filmmakers have a belief in their product and have put in the man hours (and money) to get it through the festival process.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

Our finalists this year will enjoy a specific location for their live screening, from historical houses to modern cinemas. We’ve worked hard to secure theatres that in some way add a cultural essence to the screenings. This isn’t just town-hall-and-sandwiches stuff; it’s a festival with a difference. Always has been.

9LadiesFilmFestival promotes the work of inventive, original, free-thinking and independent filmmakers; to raise their profile throughout the web and connect them with established industry professionals around the world. One of the ways we do this is by creating and taking care of your online presence; creating a web page for your winning film and promoting it like hellfire across social media platforms.

What are the qualifications for the selected films?

9LadiesFilmFestival accepts short films and documentaries and we take submissions from filmmakers all around the world. We stipulated that the language of the piece has to be in English (or at least subtitled) but we’ve left things very free and easy deliberately. The films are required to be either 9 mins or less or 10-29 minutes long. The whole theme of this year’s festival is “nine” in honour of our parent company’s title.

 Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

We believe every film gets a fair shake. Film festivals are an essential part of the growth of an indie moviemaker. If the festival is managed correctly and in a just and reasonable way everyone has equal chance of becoming a winner. Festivals open gateways to the Bigger Picture, to distribution possibilities…a festival like ours represents equal opportunity for everyone – from beginner to expert.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

A passion for making great movies and helping others through the process.

How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

We have found the FilmFreeway submission process very good, we are already up on the number of entries for the current time of year. With recent tweeks to the way the FilmFreeway program works it is easier to manage the film festival process. And it seems that more and more filmmakers are now using the FilmFreeway Submission process.

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

We’d like to think the festival will have grown to the point where we can award substantial funding and great distribution opportunities to the winners.  There are a huge number of inspiring and culturally stand-out filmmakers out there and we look forward to viewing their work.

 What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Nick: Casino Royale (the good one!)

Stuart. The Red Shoes

In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Basically, a great story. A movie is like a book in some ways with scene cuts instead of page turns…if you’re bored by the plot of a book you won’t turn a page. On the other hand, if you love it, you can’t stop turning pages. A movie is also story – whether you pour millions of dollars into a project or not, if the story doesn’t hit the spot it won’t be successful. Add superb characters to your story and plenty of subtext and you have a winner.

There is a technical consideration as well, something we like to look at in the festival. Sound, direction, visuals, lighting, props are all taken into consideration as technical achievements of a movie. After all, they are important aspects of the art.

 How is the film scene in your city?

We are fortunate that in the Midlands the film scene is thriving, there are a number of very good Independent Cinemas that show films that otherwise wouldn’t get a release, the indie film making scene is also very good, with the likes of cities such as Nottingham, Sheffield and Birmingham all  have a thriving Indie scene.

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Nick John Whittle – Producer. Nick is an award winning writer and producer based in Birmingham. His work includes the award winning film Faith, The Adventures of Joshua (TV mini-series), No Way Back (short/horror) Nick’s cinematic influences include Beckett, Hitchcock, Buñuel, Mamet, Allen, Jarmusch, and Bergman. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7825353/. nick is the co- director of the 9ladiesfilmfestival.

Stuart Wheeldon. Writer/Director Stuart is an award winning writer and director and founder of Nine Ladies Film. Stuart’s work as included theatrical plays, radio and film shown and featured around the world. His work includes In Limbo, The Telephone, The Collector (Pre-Production)and The Wasteland.  Stuart was also the founder of 9ladiesfilmfestival which in it’s first year attracted over 200 entries from around the world. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7240661

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

SUBMIT your TV PILOT Screenplay or TV SPEC Script
Voted #1 TV Contest in North America.		 Screenplay CONTESTSUBMIT your Short Screenplay or FEATURE Script
FULL FEEDBACK on all entries. Get your script performed

Interview with Festival Director Vanna Nauk (Fresno’s State Asian Pacific Film Festival)

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The Asian Pacific Islander Programs and Services will be hosting the 1ST EVER Asian Pacific Islander Film Fest at Fresno State! They will be hosting this event along with CineCulture! It’s a two day event beginning on Friday, October 20, 2017 to Saturday, October 21, 2107.

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What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

We are providing them a space to display their work in Fresno, which is the fifth largest city in California, so we were definitely due for an Asian Pacific Islander Film Festival of our own.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

I hope that I see a sense of solidarity amongst the Asian Pacific Islander groups here in the Central Valley, and I hope that this can be an opportunity for others outside of our group to see that Asian Pacific Islanders are actually very talented in film. Overall, I hope to feel a sense of pride amongst my peers.

What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Sense it is an Asian Pacific Islander Film Festival, the films have to have some sort of Asian Pacific Islander element in there or involved in the making.

Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

I do, I think that some ethnic groups are overlooked, which is why we are trying to promote Southeast Asian films as much as possible because their visibility tend to go silent.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

You do not see very many Asians on screen, so we decided to create a space for ourselves.

How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

FilmFreeway has been extremely helpful and the submissions are pouring in quite rapidly.

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

I hope that the festival becomes an annual event that will connect the university with the community. I see a lot of potential in our greater Asian Pacific Islander community here in the Central Valley, and I hope that this Festival will grow into something that they can take pride.

What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Hercules [laugh out loud]
In one sentence, what makes a great film?

The theme/plot!

How is the film scene in your city?

The film scene in our city is most renowned for the Reel Pride Film Festival, which is one of the largest, if not the largest, LGBTQ Film Festival in the west coast. We also have Filmworks and Cineculture, which are great film organization here in Fresno. However, there are definitely room for the film scene to grow here.

 *****

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

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Interview with Festival Directors Betsy Uhler Colombo & Alexa Roman (LA Dance Film Festival)

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The LA Dance Film Festival aims to provide a supportive and enriching environment for both emerging and established dance filmmakers. The festival is open to filmmakers from around the world. LADFF accepts films from a variety of genres as long as dance is the main storytelling component.

Contact

What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Our film festival has been successful at fulfilling our mission, which is twofold: 1) to create opportunities and exposure for dance films from around the world, and 2) to unite the Los Angeles dance and film communities.

 What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

Attendees to our festival in January 2018 should expect to see a wide variety of short dance films from around the world. We have some fantastic submissions coming in across all styles and genres of dance, and are looking forward to sharing a selection of them with our local community of dance film lovers.

 What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Qualifying films are under 30 minutes in length, and incorporate dance as a core narrative component. We have two categories: fiction and nonfiction.

 Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

It’s hard for us to speak to other festivals but we take a lot of steps to ensure we are as objective as possible in how we assess films. We have a submissions team comprised of dancers, filmmakers and dance filmmakers. Our team watches every film and scores it against a multi-point rubric. We use the scores to determine the final selections for the festival. Separately, we have both a Jury Award and an Audience Award. Those awards are determined by people who are independent from the festival staff.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

We are motivated by our desire to provide opportunities and exposure for dance films from around the world as well as unite the dance and film communities here in Los Angeles. Dance film offers something different than traditional films and it’s not a commonly known genre. We wanted to make Los Angeles a place where dance filmmaking and dance film viewership thrive.

How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

Great! We love FilmFreeway. We also use WithoutaBox and we offer an extended deadline on WithoutaBox.

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

We’d love to be able to expand to a bigger venue and offer multiple days of programming so we can reach a wider audience and offer screening opportunities to a greater number films.

 What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Beverly Hills Cop. Maybe Beverly Hills Cop III.

If we’re talking dance films, I’ve seen Confrontation (dir. Shannon Janet Smith and Steven Butler) the most as it has played at three festivals I’ve attended, was part of a StandardVision Showcase and we screened it at our festival. Thomas Freundlich’s film Cold Storageis a close second. [Alexa]

 In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A great dance film uses the art of dance to tell a compelling story in a unique and entertaining way. It leaves the audience asking questions, entertaining new thoughts or discovering untapped emotions.

  How is the film scene in your city?

Los Angeles is the film capitol of the world, so… pretty good!

 

ladance1.jpg

 *****

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

SUBMIT your TV PILOT Screenplay or TV SPEC Script
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Interview with Festival Director Georges Chamchoum (Asian World Film Festival)

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The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) brings the best of a broad selection of Asian World cinema to Los Angeles in order to draw greater recognition to the region’s wealth of filmmakers, strengthening ties between the Asian and Hollywood film industries. Uniting through cross-cultural collaboration, our festival champions films from  over 50 countries across Asia spanning from Turkey to Japan and Russia to India. All films that participate in the Festival will have a unique chance to be guided through the challenging awards season, showcasing their foreign films to the Academy, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and all Guilds for enhanced exposure, media attention and awards consideration.*

The Social Links are:

https://twitter.com/asianworldff

https://www.facebook.com/AsianWorldFilmFest

https://www.instagram.com/asianworldff/

http://www.asianworldfilmfest.org/

 
  • What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

We pride ourselves on being at the service of the film and the filmmakers. We feel that we are their gateway to the Oscars and Golden Globes during the award season. We give them PR opportunities, which saves the filmmakers a lot of money during their marketing period.

  • What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

We like to think of the Asian World Film Festival as being the window to dreams. Besides screening the Oscar and Golden Globes submitted movies, we also have a Signature Screening Series. 

Our opening night film is Ayla: The Daughter of War, which is Turkeys official Oscar entry.

We screen movies from unchartered territories, little known countries like the Republic of Sakha, Buryatia, and this year a movie called Salt from North Korea.

This is the first time Salt is being screened in the U.S.  The film is directed by the controversial South Korean filmmaker Sheen Sang-ok during his period of filmmaking in North Korea, so we are excited to have it in our schedule.

We also screen Asian American movies. This year we have the 25th anniversary screening of The Joy Luck Club, which was a ground-breaking movie. Several of the cast members will be in attendance for the Q & A.  Our closing night film is George Takei’s Allegiance. We will be honoring George with our Lifetime Achievement Award.

  • What are the qualifications for the selected films?

First and foremost, any movie submitted to the Oscars and Golden Globes for Foreign Language selection from Asian Countries is automatically selected. Then we choose films from countries that often get overlooked but we feel would be interesting to an audience.

  • Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

It’s a matter of perspective and taste, which of course depends upon the individual.  Each movie is perceived in differently.  The Jury sees a film in a certain way, probably different from how the press sees it, and the audience tastes differs most of the time from the Jury or the Press. So, it boils down to one thing: not everyone sees a movie with same outlook.

  • What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

The love and passion for the Asian Cinema.  When we say Asia, we mean from the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean to Japan, from Russia by way of Turkey to India and China. Fifty plus strong countries with a wealth of talent.

We want the Asian Cinema to find its rightful place in Hollywood, a place in the sun. After seventy-one years and only six Oscars, that’s what motivates us.

  • How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

We do not have a submission process. After the Oscar and Golden Globe submissions, we have a selection team throughout Asia that makes recommendations, based upon our criteria. Our Los Angeles programming team makes the final selections.

  • Where do you see the festival by 2020?

On the level of the Cannes, Venice and Berlin Film Festivals. We aspire to being a major festival, that will keep the spirit of the art of cinema and not focus on the business side.  It’s the films and filmmakers who are our key focus.

What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Andrei Tarkovski’s ANDREI RUBLEV; Francis Ford Coppola’s THE GODFATHER TRILOGY; Clint Eastwood’s THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES and Sergio Leone’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA.

In one sentence, what makes a great film?

The Screenplay. The Screenplay. The Screenplay!

How is the film scene in your city?

How can you describe the film scene in the cinema capital of the world, and for that matter Culver City, the heart of screenland and home of the Asian World Film Festival.

In Los Angeles, Hollywood, Culver City we breath cinema, we eat cinema, we dream cinema – we are surrounded by everything that suggests cinema!

Look left, right, front and center and you see films that defines my City: Sunset Boulevard, Rebel Without a Cause, Chinatown, They Shoot Horses Don’t They, Alice’s Restaurant, The Day of the Locust, LA Story, The Player, Boyz ‘n the Hood, La La Land and I could go on….

**********************************************

GEORGES N. CHAMCHOUM, EXECUTIVE & PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Georges Chamchoum is an Emmy and multiple award-winning Film Director and Producer, born in Niger West Africa of Lebanese origin. He was educated in France, Germany and Wales and entered the film industry in 1968 after graduating from the Conservatoire du Cinema Francais in Paris.

Georges has directed and produced over 35 features in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Canada and the USA, with many screened at various International Film Festivals and Universities.

He has also organized numerous film festivals since 1982, most notably as Jury Delegate for the Festival du Film Fantastique et de Science Fiction de Paris (France) and as the Executive and Program Director of the Monaco Charity Film Festival.

Georges is currently the International Director of the Yakutsk International Film Festival (Yakutia, Sakha Republic) and International Relations Executive for Notre Dame University International Film Festival (Lebanon). In addition, he is Co-founder of Film Festivals Cinergy, a union of film festivals around the world to promote and champion talent in filmmaking.

Georges has lived in Los Angeles for the past 28 years. Most recently, in 2017, he was named one of the 100 most influential Lebanese in the world and has been   honored in a special commemorative publication to mark the occasion.

 

 *****

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

SUBMIT your TV PILOT Screenplay or TV SPEC Script
Voted #1 TV Contest in North America.		 Screenplay CONTESTSUBMIT your Short Screenplay or FEATURE Script
FULL FEEDBACK on all entries. Get your script performed