VisionFest 2010, August 27th at 7:00 p.m. - Downtown Independent Theater

VisionFest 2010

Friday, August 27th at 7:00 p.m.

Downtown Independent Theater

251 S. Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets.

VisionFest 2010 is Filmmakers Alliances' yearly celebration that brings together the best of L.A.'s independent filmmaking community.

The evening begins with the presentation of the NILSSON AWARD, curated and presented by the award’s namesake and inaugural recipient, ROB NILSSON. The award acknowledges and celebrates bold, direct, honest and aesthetically challenging filmmaking that is often unrecognized by the mainstream independent film community. This year's Nilsson Award recipient is Armenian filmmaker Harutyun Khachatryan.

Next is the presentation of the VISION AWARD to an established filmmaker whose artistic ambition and consistent filmmaking excellence provides artistic inspiration to emerging filmmakers all around the world. Past recipients include MIke Figgis, Terry Gilliam, Wim Wenders, Allison Anders, Alexander Payne, David O. Russell, Werner Herzog, Mark and Michael Polish, Kevin Smith, and producer Ted Hope.

This is all followed by a program of the best short films produced through Filmmakers Alliance in the previous year.The program is as follows:

Wait For Me by Dylan O'Brien and Holly Murdoch O'Brien

Native Time by Sean Morris

Beyond Silence by Vidyut Latay

Gonah Kardam by Gabriela Tollman

Aliens Vs. Predator Directed by Stephen Reedy and Produced by Megan Powers

David Vs. Goliath by George Zaver

Quetzal Directed by Marc Levy and Produced by Amanda Sweikow

The evening finishes with a high-energy party on the rooftop of the Downtown Independent Theater and is catered by some of Los Angeles' best restaurants.

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets.

PLEASE NOTE: EVENT WILL BE AT CAPACITY. PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY TO ENSURE SEATING. SEATS CANNOT BE GUARANTEED, NOR REFUNDS MADE IF YOU ARRIVE AFTER 6:45 P.M. ALLOW FOR PARKING.

Parking is not free. There are several parking structures near the theater. $9 parking is available right next door to the theater on the north side. However, $5 parking is available at the Los Angeles Times parking structure at 213 South Spring Street.

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Key Reposts - DIY Distribution and Writing for Low Budget

Here are some great reposts from Ted Hope's Truly Free Film and Let's Make Better Films blogs. A DIY Distribution Series and a short series on Writing for Low Budget. Check 'em out!!

DIY DISTRIBUTION SERIES:

DIY Chronicles: THE WAY WE GET BY (Part 1 of 5):Finding A Spot In the Line-up

DIY Chronicles: THE WAY WE GET BY (Part 2 of 5): Timing Is Everything

DIY Chronicles: THE WAY WE GET BY (Part 3 of 5): Going Local and Maximizing Your Distribution Window

DIY Chronicles: THE WAY WE GET BY (Part 4 of 5): Minimize Your Loss & Hope For A Greater Payoff In The End

DIY Chronicles: THE WAY WE GET BY (Part 5 of 5): Going Local Pays Off

WRITING FOR LOW BUDGET:

Writing For A Low Budget: (Pt 1 of 2): THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED

Writing For A Low Budget: (Pt 2 of 2): THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED

The Independent Film Master Class - SUCCESSS!!

Filmmakers Alliance's first Independent Film Master Class took place on Sunday and it was a HUGE success. Attendance was somewhat moderate, but those who were there were smart and engaged. The volunteers who helped put it together were amazing - generous of spirit, hard-working and focused. And the speakers....AMAZING. A deluge of great information and handy tips were imparted in a concise, easy-to-grasp way that spoke to truly independent filmmakers. But the most surprising and exciting thing was how well the Live Webcast turned out. Cliff Robinson made it happen and he was genius. Webcast viewers got to see the whole show from the comfort of their homes and interact with each other via chat while doing it.

Naturally, some things are lost by not being physically in attendance - a chance to interact with the other filmmakers, to talk to speakers, to enjoy the post-seminar reception, to get free goodies, etc., but at a quarter of the physical attendance price, the webcast was a very good deal.

It was not without a few technical glitches, especially at the beginning. And we learned much about how to stage an event like this that we will allow us to take it to a higher level next time. Scheduling will change. There was just so much information to get out, we simply didn't give ourselves enough time for it all and had to skip over some stuff. Need to have lots more water handy and definitely need solid breaks between each presentation. A few other things to add/change, too. But over-all it went absolutely great.

Thanks so much to all of you out there who helped make it a success. And hope to see the rest of you at the next one. We will probably be doing it in NYC in early November. But again, available from ANYWHERE online via the Live Webcast....:)

See ya then!!