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2008 International Film Festival Summit Features a Panel Addressing How to Appropriately Measure Your Festivals Success
New York, NY (PRWEB) November 26, 2008
The 5th Annual International Film Festival Summit (IFFS) announces that the River Run, AFI Dallas and San Diego International Film Festivals as well as Ashland Independent Film Festival will take part in a panel discussion that will address considerations and metrics for success including: number of films, number of acquisitions, celebrities, size of audience, longevity, number of impressions and reach at this year’s summit taking place December 7-9, 2008 in Las Vegas.
The session entitled “Success Metrics: Where to Set the Bar”, will take place Monday, December 8th at 4:00 pm and be moderated by Andrew Rodgers, Executive Director, RiverRun International Film Festival.
There are so many different definitions of success and “bigness.” There are film festivals that attract hundreds of thousands of people, and yet are not on the mainstream radar, and festivals which show only a few dozen films that are world famous. This session will address considerations and metrics for success including: number of films, number of acquisitions, celebrities, size of audience, longevity, number of impressions and reach? Most notably, these different metrics have differing relevance to the constituents served by festivals – audiences, filmmakers, sponsors, media, film industry etc. Hear from different festivals on how they approach benchmarking and defining success.
Panelists include Michael Cain, Artistic Director & CEO, AFI Dallas International Film Festival, Graham Leggat, Executive Director, San Francisco International Film Festival, and Joanne Feinberg, Director of Programming, Ashland Independent Film Festival.
Some of this year’s attendees include: AFI Fest Presented by Audi, Atlanta Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Bside, Starz Denver Film Festival, FilmThreat, Palm Springs International Film Festival, River Run International Film Festival, San Diego Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Gen Art, San Diego Asian Film Festival, DC Shorts Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, AFI Dallas International Film Festival, SXSW, Variety, Withoutabox and many, many more.
The 2008 IFFS Presenting Sponsor is Withoutabox. Platinum sponsors include B-side with Gold sponsors Enta USA and The NEB. Other sponsors include: Agile Ticketing, Avid, AAA Flag & Banner, AREA 4, Eyesoda.com, inticketing, Festival Media Corporation, Filmfestivals.com, FilmMaker Magazine, FilmThreat, MovieMaker, NAMAC, Production Hub, Qube Digital Cinema and Variety.
About International Film Festival Summit (IFFS):
The International Film Festival Summit is the only annual conference and trade show for professionals from the film festival industry. The IFFS provides a platform for the community to explore ways to collaborate and promote the advancement of the film festival industry. This is a place to dialogue with your peers, share insights and gain knowledge that will help you grow your film festival and foster sustainability. The IFFS is dedicated to providing resources, information and avenues of communication for industry professionals and the entertainment industry. For IFFS Europe visit http://www.iffseurope.com. For IFFS North America visit http://www.filmfestivalsummit.com.
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WITASWAN Features Australian Film âLook Both Waysâ in 2006 Program
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) March 13, 2006
Australian director Sarah Watt will show her new film âLook Both Waysâ at the 2006 WITASWAN program on Saturday, March 18 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema (2828 North Clark Street in Chicagoâs Lincoln Park neighborhood).
Sarah Watt is an award-winning filmmaker who has been working as a writer, director and producer of animation for 15 years. Her acclaimed animation “Small Treasures” (1995;15mins) brought widespread international attention, winning amongst its many honors the âBaby Lionâ for Best Short Film at the Venice Film Festival. That year “Local Dive” and “Living with Happiness” followed, both of which screened widely at festivals and theatrically, winning many Australian and international awards.
Sarahâs hand-painted animated films are distinguished by her comic exploration of personal status set against Australian landscapes. âLook Both Waysâ is her debut feature. Unlike her short films, âLook Both Waysâ is live-action, interspersed with animated sequences. Set over a long, hot weekend, the film presents seven people who are trying to deal with unexpected events. As their paths intersect, they create an intriguing picture which is both intimate and universal.
âI set out to make a romantic comedy,â said Watt, âbut the stuff of most peopleâs lives includes what we think of as tragedies, so ‘Look Both Ways’ ended up a bit of both, I guess⦠I tried to keep everything as ârealâ as I could, to allow people to receive the film as a part of their own experience, to bring their own lives to it and enjoy it that way.â
âLook Both Waysâ has already received praise from the Australian Film Institute, including Best Film, Best Direction, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Support Actor awards, in addition to the Discovery Award from the Toronto International Film Festival jury. It was also named the 2005 âFilm of the Yearâ by the Australian Catholic Film Office.
âLook Both Waysâ was shown in Chicago last October as a part of the 41st annual Chicago International Film Festival. Kino International, the filmâs US distributor, will be opening the film theatrically in Los Angeles and New York in April, with additional engagements planned around the United States this spring.
The 2006 WITASWAN program was organized by the members of AAUW-Illinois (the American Association of University Women) and IWPA (the Illinois Womanâs Press Association), with the proud support of the Australian Consulate-General Chicago.
This is the second WITASWAN program, timed for Women’s History Month. The first program was held on March 19, 2005 at the Chicago Cultural Center. The acronym WITASWAN stands for âWomen in the Audience Supporting Women Artists Now.â
WITASWAN is an Illinois-based initiative dedicated to building international support for women filmmakers. WITASWAN members believe that âLook Both Waysâ is an excellent choice for Womenâs History Month, because it captures the vision and voice of an important new female filmmaker. The Australian Consulate-General in Chicago is supporting this event by arranging for Sarah Watt to speak to the group, introducing each film and then taking questions from the audience at the end. She will talk about women in the film industry in general as well as specific topics germane to her craft.
For more information, visit http://www.films42.com/witaswan/march-06.asp.
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©Copyright 1997-, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
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