Film Independent ready to host Filmmaker Forum

Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent, announced today the third-annual Filmmaker Forum will be held October 19- 21 at the Directors Guild of America, giving attendees access to some of the most innovative names in indie filmmaking.
“Our Filmmaker Forum is not your conventional ‘How to Make it in the Business’ seminar,” said Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent. “It’s an honest, off-the-record discussion about a filmmaker’s options. Our highly respected panel won't sugarcoat the potential pitfalls of filmmaking, and will empower the participants to make the best choices possible.”
Panelists for the 2007 Forum include industry experts Josh Braun (Submarine), Peter Broderick (Paradigm Consulting), Eugene Hernandez (Indiewire.com), Richard Klubeck (United Talent Agency), Linda Lichter (Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler, and Goodman), Mark Pogachevsy (mPRm Public Relations), Rena Ronson (William Morris Independent), and John Sloss (Cinetic Media), as well as filmmakers Stephanie Allain (producer, Hustle and Flow), Gina Kwon (producer, Me and You and Everyone We Know), Rosanne Korenberg (producer, Half Nelson), and Rebecca Yeldham (producer, The Kite Runner).
Additional panelists will be announced on our website (FilmIndependent.org) throughout the month. The 2007 Forum is sponsored by Eastman Kodak Company, SAGIndie, Sony Pictures Classics, Axium International, and the Directors Guild of America.

This year’s Forum kicks off at 7:00 pm on Friday, October 19, with a sneak preview of Marc Forster’s The Kite Runner at the Directors Guild of America. Based on one of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, The Kite Runner is a profoundly emotional tale of friendship, family, devastating mistakes and redeeming love. In a divided country on the verge of war, two childhood friends, Amir and Hassan, are about to be torn apart forever. It’s a glorious afternoon in Kabul and the skies are bursting with the exhilarating joy of a kite-fighting tournament. But in the aftermath of the day’s victory, one boy’s fearful act of betrayal will mark their lives forever and set in motion an epic quest for redemption. Now, after 20 years of living in America, Amir returns to a perilous Afghanistan under the Taliban’s iron-fisted rule to face the secrets that still haunt him and take one last daring chance to set things right.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s producers Bill Horberg, Bennett Walsh, Rebecca Yeldham, Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, and others to be announced. The Q&A will be followed by a reception in the DGA atrium.
From 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21, an intensive line-up of panel discussions will take place at the Directors Guild of America. Topics include: The Filmmaker: Mapping and Sustaining a Career in Film; Money: Where It Is and How to Get It; The Nuts and Bolts of Production; The Deals: Demystifying Contracts; Getting Your Foot in the Door and Your Film Off the Ground; The Marketplace: Distribution Today; Your Sales Team: Filmmakers Off-the-Record; The Sales: Deconstructing a Contract; The Professionals’ Advice: Positioning Your Film For Success
Simultaneous to the panel discussions, the Forum offers valuable daily networking opportunities for attendees to meet peers and industry leaders. Representatives from the various guilds, film commissions, film festivals, film markets, sales agents, and distributors will be available in the lobby each afternoon for informal discussions with Forum participants. Additionally, there will be opportunities on both days for Forum attendees to sit down for intimate, off-the-record talks over lunch with prominent indie film leaders, as well as afternoon breaks to mingle with guest speakers and conference participants.
The Forum concludes on Sunday evening at 6:00 pm with the announcement of Film Independent’s Sloan Producers Grant Award and a cocktail reception at the DGA.
Conference passes are $350 for Film Independent members, and $399 for non-members. Both passes include a Film Independent Insider’s Guide DVD box set. Anyone who purchases a pass is given access to an online forum that will be active before and after the event, providing an additional opportunity for networking with peers and experts.
Past Forum panelists include Don Argott, producer/director, Rock School; Yareli Arizmendi, writer/actress, A Day Without A Mexican; Aric Avelino, co-writer/director, American Gun; Effie T. Brown, producer, Rocket Science; Howard Cohen, Roadside Attractions; Jeremy Coon, producer, Napoleon Dynamite; Avy Echenasy, Focus Features; Cassian Elwes, William Morris Independent; Mesh Flinders, co-creator, lonelygirl15 (YouTube); Catherine Hardwicke, director, Thirteen; Michael Lawson, mPRm Public Relations; Michael London, producer, Sideways; Gail Mutrux, producer, Kinsey; Ted Sarandos, chief content officer, Netflix; and Nancy Utley, COO, Fox Searchlight.
For more information about this year’s Filmmaker Forum, please visit FilmIndependent.org.

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT
Film Independent is a non-profit membership organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds the audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, film industry leader, or a film lover.
With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent also offers free Filmmaker Labs for selected writers, directors, and producers; provides cut-rate services for filmmakers; and presents year-round networking opportunities. Film Independent’s mentorship and job placement program, Project:Involve, pairs emerging culturally-diverse filmmakers with film industry professionals.
Film Independent produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international cinema, and the Spirit Awards, a celebration honoring films and filmmakers that embody independence and dare to challenge the status quo.
For more information or to become a member, visit FilmIndependent.org