May 27, 2020 (New York, NY) – Today, the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced that the 2020 edition of IFP Week will take place virtually.  Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic the organization will adapt this year’s event, utilizing digital platforms to adapt and facilitate IFP’s renowned Project Forum, conferences, panels and workshops, as well as community experiences for creators, industry members and audiences. IFP Week will take place Sunday, September 20^th – Friday, September 25^th, 2020.

The virtual 2020 IFP Week will include IFP’s Project Forum, which supports both emerging and established artists by providing creative and business opportunities to groundbreaking storytellers working in a wide variety of formats.  It is the only international co-production market for narrative fiction and non-fiction features and series in the U.S. The goal of the forum is to facilitate career-spanning relationships with distributors, financiers, production companies, festival programmers, sales and talent agents, collaborators, among others for all artists participating.  In addition, IFP Week will also virtually present a multi-day conference of panels and workshops open to the public on a range of topics impacting the film and episodic industries as well as screenings, Q&As, and community focused experiences.

Additionally, IFP Week will launch the inaugural audio hub to address the rapid growth of audio storytelling.  This hub will include a project forum connecting creators with industry professionals and a platform where independently produced podcasts or audio content can be pitched in one-on-one meetings with industry executives and presented before an audience of buyers.

“Given the ever-changing landscape of today’s world we have decided to host IFP Week virtually this year to provide a safe and creative vision for the event, while also providing an opportunity for us to expand our reach to creators, audiences and the industry at large,” said Jeffrey Sharp, IFP’s Executive Director. “We are beyond grateful to all of our sponsors and partners who continue to embrace the spirit of IFP and our mission of independent storytelling in launching this virtual edition of IFP Week with us.”

Over the past several years IFP Week has helped to build early connections with industry attendees and creators and filmmakers, helping with the launch of projects including: Moonlight (A24); American Factory (Netflix); The Last Black Man in San Francisco (A24); Crip Camp (Netflix); The Witch (A24); Selah and the Spades (Amazon Studios); Knock Down the House (Netflix); Swallow (IFC), The Hottest August (ITVS/Independent Lens/Grasshopper Film); Monos (Neon); Love, Gilda (CNN Films and Magnolia Pictures); Roll Red Roll (POV); Shirkers (Netflix); Crime + Punishment (Hulu); House of Hummingbird (Well Go USA); The Tale (HBO); Monsters and Men (Neon), Bathtubs over Broadway (Focus Features); Sorry to Bother You (Annapurna Pictures); Jinn (Orion Classics), and The Third Wife (Film Movement).

IFP and IFP Week are generously supported by a group of loyal corporate, foundation and government benefactors. 2020 IFP Week Gold Sponsor includes SAGindie; Silver Sponsors include Edinburgh International Film Festival/Screen Scotland, National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa/KwaZulu Natal Film Commission, and Telefilm Canada; Bronze Sponsors include BMI, French in Motion/Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York City/Centre National du Cinéma et de l’image animée, Mississippi Film Office, Missouri Film Office, paus, and Virginia Film Office, and Premier Sponsors include Netflix and WarnerMedia.  IFP Week is also supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Additional information on industry registration, the Project Forum slate, and public programs and community events will be announced in the coming weeks.  For further information please visit www.ifp.org.

ABOUT IFP

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) champions the future of storytelling by connecting film, series, digital and audio artists with essential resources at all stages of development through distribution. The organization, under the leadership of Executive Director and award-winning producer Jeffrey Sharp, fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include IFP Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the IFP Gotham Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by IFP, a tech and media incubator space developed with the New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.  www.ifp.org

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