Initiative Highlights American work to international buyers and festival programmers

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and Sundance Institute will again collaborate to promote and support American independent films and filmmakers as part of the European Film Market (EFM) at the Berlin International Film Festival (February 7-17, 2013).

The jointly sponsored “American Independents in Berlin,” presented in partnership with the EFM, will showcase 45 films through combined “IFP Selects” and “Sundance at EFM” Market Screenings, with the objective of highlighting new American work to international buyers, distributors, and festival programmers. In addition, the American Independents stand in the EFM’s Martin-Gropius-Bau serves as a community hub and provides support services to attending American filmmakers, companies and organizations.

“IFP is excited to launch our second year of this initiative with the help of our partners at the EFM and Sundance Institute,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of the IFP. “We are proud to support our talented filmmakers and showcase their work to international audiences, giving them sales and distribution opportunities as well as a homebase at the EFM.”

“We are delighted to offer our filmmakers, fresh from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, access to international sales opportunities in Berlin as well as a place to land at the EFM,” said John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival.

HIGHLIGHTING NEW AMERICAN WORK

The Market Screenings strand of “American Independents in Berlin” includes films by filmmakers coming directly from the Sundance Film Festival and IFP program-supported films which have recently premiered at Sundance Film Festival or other international festivals. Seven of the films in the initiative are also screening in one of the official Berlinale sections.  The films are represented either by the individual producers or sales agents; participation goals include additional international sales opportunities, as well as developing exhibition and festival relationships.

BOOTH #200 MGB: AN INFORMATION AND NETWORKIG HUB FOR U.S. FILMMAKERS AND INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY

“American Independents in Berlin”—Booth #200 in the Martin-Gropius-Bau—serves as a “home-base” for select U.S. filmmakers, sales agents, and distributors.  Open to all international distributors, acquisitions executives, producers, and financiers already attending the EFM, it is a place for networking and discovery.

Events at the stand include two “American Independents” conversations: 

*Saturday, February 9, 4:30 pm – Leading U.S. festival programmers discuss the landscape of US festivals, and what they look for when programming for their audiences. Panellists include Doug Jones (Los Angeles Film Festival), Carl Spence (Seattle International Film Festival), Kim Yutani (Sundance Film Festival), Jacqueline Lyanga (AFI Fest), and Genna Terranova (Tribeca International Film Festival). Moderated by Milton Tabbot, IFP Senior Director of Programming,

*Tuesday, February 12, 4:30 pm – Case studies of Stacie Passion’s Concussion and Matt Porterfield’s I Used to Be Darker will explore the US independent film journey — from early development and production to world premieres at Sundance and on to the Berlinale. Panelists include Stacie Passon and Rose Troche (CONCUSSION), and Matthew Porterfield and Ryan Zacarias (I USED TO BE DARKER). Moderated by Kim Yutani, Programmer, Sundance Film Festival.

In addition, “American Independents in Berlin” will co-present with neighboring stand “Meet the Docs,” an EFM initiative in collaboration with European Documentary Network (EDN), four conversations comparing key aspects of documentaries in the U.S. and EU – pitching, documentary funds, production, and distribution. All of the afternoon conversations from February 9–12, will be followed by networking receptions generously supported by the EFM.

MORE INFORMATION:

For more information about the “American Independents in Berlin” program or participating films, please contact:  Andrew Houchens, IFP, [email protected]

Attending from IFP and Sundance are:

• IFP Executive Director, Joana Vicente
• IFP Senior Director of Programming, Milton Tabbot
• IFP Special Projects Coordinator, Andrew Houchens
• Sundance Film Festival Programmer, Kim Yutani
• Sundance Feature Film Program, International Manager, Matthew Takata

APPENDIX

2013 “AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS IN BERLIN” EFM SCREENINGS

IFP SELECTS

• Alexander Meillier’s ALIAS RUBY BLADE
• Rola Nashef’s DETROIT UNLEADED
• Justin Schwarz’ THE DISCOVERERS
• Jenny Deller’s FUTURE WEATHER
• Daniel Patrick Carbone’s HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES
• Visra Vichit-Vadakan’s KARAOKE GIRL
• Penny Lane’s OUR NIXON

SUNDANCE AT THE EFM / IFP SELECTS

• Stacie Passon’s CONCUSSION
• Zachary Heinzerling’s CUTIE AND THE BOXER
• Matt Porterfield’s I USED TO BE DARKER

SUNDANCE AT THE EFM  

• Chris Nelson’s ASS BACKWARDS
• Richard Linklater’s BEFORE MIDNIGHT
• Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s BLACKFISH
• Robert Berger and Karlyn Michelson’s CHARLIE VICTOR ROMEO
• Carl Deal & Tia Lessin’s CITIZEN KOCH
• Randy Moore’s ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW
• Rama Burshtein’s FILL THE VOID
• Dror Moreh’s THE GATEKEEPERS
• Sebastian Hofmann’s HALLEY
• Bastian Günther’s HOUSTON
• Joshua Michael Stern’s jOBS
• Alicia Scherson’s IL FUTURO
• Jeremy Lovering’s IN FEAR
• George Tillman, Jr.’s THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE
• Eliza Hittman’s IT FELT LIKE LOVE
• Muel O’s JISEUL
• John Krokidas’ KILL YOUR DARLINGS
• Jacek Borcuch’s LASTING
• Liz W. Garcia’s THE LIFEGUARD
• Michael Winterbottom’s THE LOOK OF LOVE
• Greg Barker’s MANHUNT
• Francois Delisle’s THE METEOR
• Sean Ellis’ METRO MANILA
• Andy Heathcote’s THE MOO MAN
• Pablo Larrain’s NO
• Mike Lerner & Maxim Pozdorovkin’s PUSSY RIOT – A PUNK PRAYER
• Calvin Lee Reeder’s THE RAMBLER
• Barbara Kopple’s RUNNING FROM CRAZY
• Mark Albiston & Louis Sutherland’ SHOPPING
• Daniel Hoesl’s SOLDATE JEANNETTE
• David Grohl’s SOUND CITY
• James Ponsoldt’s THE SPECTACULAR NOW
• Jehane Noujaim’s THE SQUARE (AL MIDAN)
• Logan Miller & Noah Miller’s SWEETWATER
• Simon Barrett, Jason Eisener, Gregg Hale, Gareth Huw Evans, Edúardo Sanchez , Timo Tjahjanto & Adam Wingard’s S-VHS
• Hannah Fidell’s A TEACHER
• Giorgio Diritti’s THERE WILL COME A DAY
• Anne Fontaine’s TWO MOTHERS
• Barmak Akram’s WAJMA, AN AFGHAN LOVE STORY
• Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s THE WAY, WAY BACK
• Jim Mickle’s WE ARE WHAT WE ARE
• Sebastian Junger’s WHICH WAY IS THE FRONT LINE FROM HERE? THE LIFE AND TIME OF TIM HETHERINGTON