New Blog Posts

We hope you enjoyed this month’s blog posts. Orly Ravid questions why filmmakers always blame distributors for poor distribution performace. We also have a three-part series on TIFF 2013 1 • 2 • 3, and one on IFP!

Theatrical Releases

I AM DIVINE 18-city release • Fall 2013 We are thrilled to announce that the I AM DIVINE theatrical release schedule has been announced!! If you haven't seen it at the 100+ film festivals it’s already played, this is finally your chance to see one of THE documentary hits of 2013 at a theater near you!!! You can support independent documentary theatrical releases and have a GREAT time all at once. Please spread the word! Baltimore Senator Theater Oct 11-17 New York Cinema Village Oct 25-31 Austin Alamo Drafthouse Austin (Slaughter) Oct 25-31 Lancaster Zoetropolis Oct 30 -Nov 3 (not Oct 31) Los Angeles American Cinematheque / Egyptian Theatre Oct 30 Phoenix PHX Film Bar Nov 1-2 Los Angeles Downtown Independent Nov 1-7 Washington DC West End Cinema Nov 1-7 Yonkers Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers Nov 4 San Francisco Castro Theatre Nov 7 Bellingham Pickford Arts Center Nov 7 Albuquerque Guild Cinema Nov 8-10 Portland Clinton Street Theater Nov 8-13 Palm Springs Camelot Theater Nov 8-14 Seattle Grand Illlusion Cinema Nov 15-21 North Charleston Park Circle Film Society Nov 23 Chattanooga Mise en Scenesters Dec 2 Miami O Cinema TBA

A RIVER CHANGES COURSE New York City • Friday, Oct. 4 TFC Member film A RIVER CHANGES COURSE is an intimate look at the rapid changes and hard choices forced by globalization in Cambodia. After a successful festival run, where it garnered numerous jury awards, including the documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance last year, it is being theatrically released in NYC this coming Friday, October 4th in New York at the IFC Center. Watch the trailer for this poignant and spellbinding film. Check out additional release dates and screenings, including the LA area release at Laemmle Pasadena beginning October 11.

FIVE DANCES New York City & Atlanta • Friday, Oct. 4 Director Alan Brown’s last film, Private Romeo, was a gay adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet set in a modern-day military school. His latest film, which opens this Friday, is a coming-of-age story set in the modern dance world. We’ve always been impressed with Alan’s ability to tell LGBT-themed stories in an exciting and original way. Read his recent article in the Huffington Post on being a gay filmmaker and check out his film, which has an open-ended run at Cinema Village. Alan and the cast will be doing Q&A’s following the 7:00 and 9:15 pm screenings on Fri.-Sun. Oct 4-6. It's also opening in Atlanta at the Plaza Theatre with more cities planned.

OUT IN THE DARK NY, LA, Berkeley, Miami, San Diego, Palm Springs • Now Playing Set against the backdrop of the Arab-Israeli conflict, OUT IN THE DARK chronicles the cross-border love affair between ambitious Palestinian college student and an Israeli attorney. Opening in NY (Cinema Village), LA (Laemmle NoHo 7), as well as Berkeley, Miami, San Diego and Palm Springs. Read reviews in the LA Times Calendar section and on NPR.

THE NEW BLACK Los Angeles • Friday, Nov. 1 Award-winning TFC Member film THE NEW BLACK tells the story of how the African-American community is grappling with the gay rights issue in light of the recent gay marriage movement and the fight over civil rights. In the next four weeks alone, the film will play at festivals Colombia, MO; Atlanta; San Francisco; Indiana, PA; Hot Springs, AZ; New Orleans; Fort Lauderdale; Austin; Seattle; Rochester; Portland; Dayton, OH; Milwaukee; and Colorado Springs! It will then play theatrically for a week in Los Angeles at Laemmle Music Hall 3.

Festival Screenings

Finding Neighbors Austin Film Festival After years in the making, TFC member film FINDING NEIGHBORS is excited to announce its World Premiere at the Austin Film Festival, Oct. 24-31. This modern comedy about an acclaimed graphic novelist who goes looking for true connection outside of his marriage stars Michael O'Keefe and Catherine Dent, and is directed by Ron Judkins (The Hi-Line), who has also won Oscars for sound design for both Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan.

WE WOMEN WARRIORS Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) Nicole Karsin’s film highlighting how three brave women from distinct tribes in Colombia’s war-torn indigenous villages use nonviolent resistance to defend their peoples’ survival plays October 10 at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF).

A FIERCE GREEN FIRE Pasedena • Venice TONIGHT (Thursday Oct. 3) in Pasedena, check out a screening of Mark Kitchell's groundbreaking environmental doc A FIERCE GREEN FIRE (Sundance 2012) featuring narration by Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Ashley Judd etc…. at the Pasadena Public Library. The screening will be followed by a film panel discussion. If you can't make it on Thursday, you can also catch it on Friday the 4th at the G2 Gallery in Venice (also with panel afterward). And if you haven't been able to catch the film yet and you're not in L.A. this week, the film is also NOW AVAILABLE ON iTUNES.

GORE VIDAL: UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA On the subject of documentaries that will entertain you while teaching something you never knew, check out this exciting festival schedule for TFC's GORE VIDAL: UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA. This doc is Gore Vidal's last world and testimony, and you'll never forget it. This is one you can catch all over the world right now, by searching here!.

Broadcast

VALENTINE ROAD HBO And of course, don't forget that TFC's film VALENTINE ROAD (Sundance 2013) makes it much anticipated HBO PREMIERE next Monday, October 7th at 9 p.m. If you miss the initial airing, it will appear on the HBO Go for months to come.

VITO HBO And speaking of HBO, a huge congratulations to VITO for its EMMY WIN last night for OUTSTANDING RESEARCH (News & Documentary Emmy Awards). You can still catch VITO on HBO Go.

TFC Direct Digital DIY Distribution News

TRANS Now on iTunes TRANS outlines the struggles and triumphs of a remarkable cast of characters from all walks of life who are willing to tell their stories in the hope that they might one day be able to live ordinary lives. The film is timely, urgent and deserving of wide-audience appeal, and it has won a number of best documentary awards. TFC has worked with TRANS for some time now on a very successful festival run. Despite the fact that it was apparently a little too “mainstream” for Frameline and Outfest, the film’s accessibility has actually proven to be advantageous: it is one of the reasons the filmmakers have been able to do extremely well up until now just by selling individual and educational DVDs off their website. They have 3K Facebook fans, who seem to be actively engaged when a new post gets put up. As of yesterday, they are adding iTunes to the mix, with Amazon Instant Video to come shortly. We wish them the best of luck…be sure to check this important film out!

TRAVELLING SALESMAN Now on iTunes • GooglePlay Congratulations to TRAVELLING SALESMAN for being the first title TFC Direct Digital Distribution has placed on Google Play through our flat-fee program. It’s also the first title we’ve introduced to VHX so they can sell their film off their website. Of course it is on iTunes as well. Amazon Instant Video to come shortly. TRAVELLING SALESMAN is an intellectual thriller about four mathematicians hired by the U.S. government to solve the most elusive problem in computer science history — P vs. NP. The four have jointly created a "system" which could be the next major advancement for our civilization or destroy the fabric of humanity. This is the little film that could! They (publically admitted) that they do not have much of a marketing budget, but have over 7K facebook fans and a really good built-in niche audience that they’ve been actively engaging. Bravo!

TIDBITS: News You May Have Missed

• Now that blogger outreach is becoming a common practice for social media and publicity growth, here is a great post explaining how to conduct outreach and what tools are available to help.
• If you are a producer, you need to check out this site listing the production incentives by US state and country.
• Now that distributors and producers are learning to love the Day and Date release, VOD is becoming a mixed blessing. The Wrap takes a look at what elements a film needs to have in order to succeed on VOD.
• Emerging Pictures' Ira Deutchman recently gave a keynote at the TIFF Filmmaker Bootcamp. If you want to understand the competition you are up against in indie film, the long tail of sales, what festivals are good for. WATCH!