Resources

Los Angeles plays Matt Porterfield

by Matt Porterfield on November 15, 2010 in Film/ Movie Development

Just returned from a super-productive trip to LA!

I went to screen Putty Hill at AFI Fest and UCLA, where they also screened my first film, Hamilton (2006), on 16mm. Both screenings were fantastic. If you’re wondering about AFI, hospitality was outstanding and the program was strong. For the second year (thanks to their corporate sponsor, Audi) all tickets were free, which meant many of the screenings, including ours, were sold out.

This was only my second time in Los Angeles and I took the opportunity to connect with as many friends and industry folk as I could. I met with managers from Caliber and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, producers from Rough House and FilmNation (Juliana Cardarelli and I used to skip school and hang out by the docks). It was great to see my friend and lawyer, Kim Jaime, who represents me and who’s done all legal on Hamilton and Putty Hill, and another high school friend, Debbi Berlin, now a distributor with Palisades. Add to that list filmmakers Aza Jacobs, Monte Hellman (maker of great movies and perfect margaritas), Eugene Kotlyarenko, and Brendan McFadden. For bonus points, I even reunited with a homeboy from junior high school, Chad Fisher (see pic below, far right).

Amy Belk, my co-writer on I Used To Be Darker, and I sat down with Ilyse McKimmie and Cullen Conly of the Sundance Institute. It was great to discuss the script we just submitted. Whether or not it’s accepted into the January Labs, their feedback was invaluable.

We had our share of good food (Phillipe’s The Original, El Siete Mares, Delilah Bakery, Umami) and some Only In Hollywood thrills. I was star struck eating lunch next to Parker Posey. Amy got giddy riding an elevator barefoot with Gael Garcia Bernal. It’s awesome and bizarre to enter a space in which everyone is making films or aspiring to make films. In all my years living in Baltimore, I’ve never once entered a coffee shop and seen someone else writing a screenplay. When we sat down in coffee shops in LA to write, everyone around us was doing the same.

Across the board, I left LA with lots of ideas – just affirmation that collaboration is key. In particular, the managers I spoke to offered great advice and encouragement, pushing me to think about how I envision my career and the best way to move forward. I aspire to speak candidly, with transparency, especially when it comes to movies, and both meetings were no-bullshit.

At the same time, I met many young filmmakers at UCLA who seemed inspired by Putty Hill, its ideology and aesthetic. As my producer Steve Holmgren says, “Don’t forget: small movies.” And he’s right. I think I’ll write one for Casey Affleck.

The filmmaker as a young man, reppin

About the Author

Matt Porterfield

A 2008 IFP Emerging Narrative alumnus, Matt studied film at NYUʼs Tisch School of the Arts and teaches in the Film & Media Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University. To date, he has written and directed three features, “Hamilton” (2006), “Putty Hill” (2011), and the recently completed “I Used To Be Darker”. This year, Matt was a featured artist in the Whitney Biennial, a Creative Capital grantee, and the recipient of a Wexner Center Artists Residency.

View all Matt Porterfield's blog posts

  • Previous
    Case Study: Winter’s Bone
    by Website Update on October 29, 2010
  • Next
    Festival Deadlines as Production Deadlines
    by Basil Tsiokos on November 16, 2010

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Comments

  • Pingback: Tweets that mention Los Angeles plays Matt Porterfield | IFP -- Topsy.com

  • About
  • Join
  • Attend
    • Classes
    • Events
    • Access
    • Conference
  • Apply
    • Gotham Week
    • Gotham Labs
    • Fiscal Sponsorship
  • Support
    • Sponsors
    • Donate
    • Patron Program
  • Search Site
  • THE GOTHAM
  • GOTHAM AWARDS
  • GOTHAM WEEK
  • FILMMAKER
  • GOTHAM EDU
  • DONATE
  • MEMBERS:
  • Login
  • Renew
  • Join
THE GOTHAM

The Gotham Film & Media Institute is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding, developing and celebrating the people and projects that shape the future of story. Learn more about us or become a member

  • About
  • Join
  • Attend
  • Apply
  • Support
  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Download Logos
© 2021 The Gotham Film & Media Institute. All Rights Reserved.

The Gotham thanks our major supporters See all of our Supporters

  • Amazon Studios
  • HBO
  • The New York Times
  • National Endowment for the Arts
  • NYSCA