August 15, 2017 (New York, NY) – IFP’s signature event, IFP Week, has expanded this year to include numerous public screenings, talks, meet ups, and exhibitions centered on cutting-edge independent content for the big screen, small screen and Internet.  Under the leadership of Head of Programming Amy Dotson and producer Erik Luers, the IFP Week talks and events will run September 17-21 in and around Brooklyn, NY at BRIC, The William Vale Hotel and IFP’s headquarters, Made in NY Media Center by IFP.

Programming to include:

Filmmaker Magazine Talks @ BRIC

This year’s IFP Week will kick off on Sunday, September 17^th with Filmmaker Magazine Talks @ BRIC. In honor of the 100^th issue of the iconic publication, programming will celebrate the creative talents and industry who have filled Filmmaker Magazine’s pages for a quarter of a century. With a great line-up celebrating the history (and spirit) of Filmmaker Magazine via a series of intimate talks with top directors, writers, showrunners, producers and industry leaders answering “What does it mean to be a filmmaker?” The event will feature Editor-in-Chief Scott Macaulay in talks with 2017 Academy Award® winners Barry Jenkins & Adele Romanski (Moonlight), Emmy-nominated director Dee Rees (Mudbound), The Safdie Brothers (Good Time), as well as past and 2017 Filmmaker Magazine “25 New Faces of Independent Film.”

IFP Screen Forward Conference @ Made in NY Media Center by IFP

Featuring intimate conversations with some of the most interesting, innovative and outspoken storytellers and leaders today, the program runs Monday, September 18 through Wednesday, September 20 at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP in Dumbo, Brooklyn.  Speakers include:

• Cenk Uygur (CEO of The Young Turks)
• Julie Klausner (creator, Difficult People)
• Mark Douglas (creator, The Key of Awesome)
• Yance Ford (Director, Strong Island)
• Gillian Robespierre (Director, Landline)
• Joshua Z Weinstein (Director, Menashe)
• M Blair Breard, (Executive Producer, Baskets, Horace & Pete)

IFP has a long history of helping both industry and public audiences discover new talent and amplify vital voices. Recent IFP Screen Forward Conference highlights include multi-talented storytellers Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair (High Maintenance), Lee Daniels (Empire), Lena Dunham (Girls), Ezra Edelman (O.J.:Made in America), Issa Rae (Insecure), Laura Poitras (CITIZENFOUR), Phoebe Robinson (2 Dope Queens),  Roger Ross Williams (Life, Animated), Beau Willimon (House of Cards), and top innovative execs such as Amy Emmerich (Refinery29), Ted Hope (Amazon Studios),  Jon Kamen (Radical Media) Shelia Nevins (HBO Documentary Films), and Christine Vachon (Killer Films).

IFP Direct Access & Meet The Decision Makers @ Made in NY Media Center by IFP

IFP also offers aspiring artists and entrepreneurs – as well as working professionals in the media & tech industry – direct access to top industry leaders through its Meet the Decision Makers and Direct Access tracks.

Meet The Decision Makers

Get face-time with some of the most exciting organizations in indie entertainment today in small group meetings with company representatives from Amazon Studios, A&E, Bleecker Street, Cinetic, First Look Media, Field of Vision, HBO, IFC, Killer Films, POV, Oscilloscope, Sony Pictures Classics, Submarine, Vimeo, and more.

IFP Direct Access

NEW TO IFP WEEK 2017.  Join top industry leaders for sage advice and time-saving information on how to launch your narrative feature, doc, serialized content, in intimate, small workshops with accomplished industry leaders whose expertise ranges from finding financing to digital distribution.

IFP Labs Showcase at the William Vale Hotel
Celebrate, meet and discover the next amazing film, television and digital pioneers at IFP’s annual free and open to the public party and screening, the IFP Filmmaker Labs “Sneak Preview.” Presented in partnership with Rooftop Films, event will take place Wednesday, September 20^th at 7:00p at the William Vale Hotel. The Labs Showcase gives audiences a first-look at excerpts of exciting new films, before their festival premieres. Featuring over 20 new films from the emerging talent of the 2017 IFP Labs, past films first showcased here include work by now established directors Dee Rees (Mudbound), David Lowery’s (A Ghost Story) Matt Ruskin (Crown Heights), Amy Seimetz (The Girlfriend Experience), Tim Sutton (Dark Night), Chloe Zhao (The Rider), as well as recent festival favorites Dayveon, Donald Cried, Hooligan Sparrow, Icaros: A Vision, Quest, Menashe, T-Rex and Unrest. 

To purchase tickets to Filmmaker Magazine Talks, IFP Screen Forward Conference, Meet the Decision Makers or Direct Access programming please visit ifpweek.com.

LEADING SPONSORS

The IFP and IFP Week are generously supported by a group of loyal corporate, foundation and government benefactors. The 2017 Sponsors are Premier Sponsors HBO and Amazon Studios; Gold Sponsors A&E IndieFilms, SAGIndie and Vimeo; and Silver Sponsors Kodak, National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa, School of Visual Arts and Telefilm Canada. IFP Week is also supported by grants from the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts and the Time Warner Foundation.

ABOUT IFP

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include IFP Week, IFP Labs, Filmmaker Magazine, IFP Gotham Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by IFP, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. IFP represents an ever-growing network of 10,000+ storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 39-year history, IFP has supported over 12,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000+ filmmakers. More info at www.ifp.org

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