SXSW: Show Me The Money: Monetizing Independent Film

At time where audience is used to consume content for free, overlapping release windows and global VOD services, indie filmmakers must be increasingly creative to find new ways to monetize their work.

Discussion will cover traditional and alternative revenue sources from licensing, merchandising and product placement to tax credits, crowd funding and more.

RED & SWOON EVENT: Women & Film

SWOON NYC and RED Digital Cinema teamed up for a curated event bringing together Women & Film.

 

For years, film consumers have been equally divided male and female, yet gender equality in film industry has not changed. From late 1990s till now, less than one-fifth of top 250 films in the U.S. include female directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers and editors. Women tend to direct lower budgeted / grossing productions than men.

Female empowerment is crucial in the film industry because females are hired more frequently when there are female directors. In female directed films, there are 52% writers, 35% editors, 26% cinematographers while in male directed films, there are only 8% female writers, 15% editors, and 5% cinematographers. Across all boards, only 10% of the film industry employs more than 5, 28% employ 3-5, 23% employ two, and 38% employ zero to one females.

Thematically, there are more female documentary than narrative filmmakers. In narrative films, women are more likely to direct drama and animations than action, horror and sci-fi. In all films, less than about one-tenth of protagonists are female.

Panelists:

Kristina Sorge, Director & Producer

Roxy Toporowych, Director

Nilou Safinya, Producer

Jendra Jarnagin, Cinematographer

Julia Zhou, Creative Producer at Big Spaceship

Art Report: An Art Documentary on the pioneer of women in art

Steinbaum devoted her career to both social and artistic causes. The racial and gender inequality of the art world, especially in her early years, bled into hurdles and hardships that not only posed a problem for Steinbaum but also for the artists she resolutely represented. Despite the setbacks, she maintained her belief that, when confronted with obstacles in the art world, “you only need one person to believe in you and that should be magic.”

Bernice Steinbaum

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NBC San Diego talks to director, Kristina Sorge, about film festival politics and her award-winning short documentary, Bernice.

The 26th Annual San Diego Jewish Film Festival showcased 60 of the best contemporary Jewish themed films from around the world.

Date: February 7, 2016
Courtesy NBC 7 San Diego