Filmmakers Wanted

The 9th Annual Santa Fe Film Festival Offers Up the Nation’s Spiciest Lineup of Film Features and Shorts December 3-7, 2008!

Contact: Betsy Model, Media Relations 505-466 2770 Santa Fe; 206-567 0077 Seattle; bmodel@betsymodel.com

Santa Fe, New Mexico – Offering film aficionados one hundred and fifty features and film shorts to view in one of the world’s most beautiful cities, the Santa Fe Film Festival is proud to present its ninth annual event December 3-7, 2008.

With five film submission categories entitled Art Matters, Independent Spirits, Making it Reel, Eye on the World and Southwest Showcase, the one hundred and fifty films being showcased were chosen from nearly one thousand entries submitted from around the globe. Fourteen awards will be presented to selected films at the Annual Milagro Awards Ceremony on Saturday, December 6th including the Heineken Red Star Award and The Luminaria Awards for Lifetime Achievement. This year, the Santa Fe Film Festival is proud to honor and present Lifetime Achievement awards to cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, actor James Cromwell and composer Howard Shore. A team of more than 30 jurors composed of industry professionals from around the globe were chosen to select the award winning films. Many of the guests attending the Festival will also serve on panels and in educational workshops open to the public and includes participation by such industry notables as Ali McGraw, Alan Arkin, Raoul Trujillo, Robert Englund, Nora Dunn, Giancarlo Esposito, Robert Knott and Kirk Ellis. In ongoing partnerships, the Santa Fe Film Festival welcomes program partners National Geographic, the New York Jewish Film Festival and the American Film Institute. The Festival will also present films from major studios Paramount, Overture, Sony, The Weinstein Company, IFC, and others. Event attendees can look forward to a mix of social events including sponsor Heineken’s wildly popular Heineken Happy Hour at the Hotel Santa Fe and a new event, the very hip, arts-filled Tamalewood Lounge, hosted and sponsored by Warehouse 21 and the New Mexico Tourism Department. The Santa Fe Film Festival, considered one of the premier film festivals in the American West, attracts film buffs and visitors from around the world and, recognized for its diversity in film, venues and culture, continues to serve as a ‘destination festival’ for those drawn to the “City Different.” The Festival offers a variety of attendance opportunities with individual film tickets priced at $10, 10-packs value-priced at $75, total “All Film” passes available at $300 and VIP event passes available for $450. More information about the 9th Annual Santa Fe Film Festival – event schedules, venue information and recommendations for city visitors – can be found online at www.santafefilmfestival.com or by calling 505-988-7414. Special note to media: Images of the 2008 SFFF poster are available in jpg or tif format as are headshots of the award winners and panelists. Interviews are available with SFFF personnel and some guests en Español.

Filmmakers news

"We've been incubating this for 18 months," said co-founder Anthony DellaFlora, a local filmmaker and co-founder of the Duke City Shootout filmmaking festival. "We're excited to get it up and running."

The Filmmakers Channel offers filmmakers, artists, musicians, instructors and businesses a low-cost way to create their own internet broadcast channel and connect directly to a global audience and develop untapped revenue streams using Pay-Per-View broadcasting.

"The solution we’re offering is based on combining the highest quality streaming, capable of broadcasting in DVD quality without pause and a networked approach to distribution that provides real independence to filmmakers. We don’t believe the ‘mega flix’ portal approach is in the best interest of the indie filmmaker and not suited for on line pay-per-view distribution," said co-founder Dan Latrimurti, a 30 year Information technology veteran.

Latrimurti said the focus of The Filmmakers Channel ) is on helping independent filmmakers achieve distribution independence by showing them how to collaborate with other website owners and organizations to create a natural distribution network.

"Companies like Netflix drive customers to a huge site. But independent films, for the most part are like small fish in a giant ocean," Latrimurti said. "If movie viewers aren't aware your film exists, it can be tough going on a site like Netflix, especially when competing with Hollywood movies that have publicity and marketing campaigns behind them. We're encouraging and teaching filmmakers to take control of their distribution by leveraging the intrinsic networking capabilities of the Internet to deliver their work directly to their audiences."

Latrimurti said the "Adopt A Film" program is just one example. Social action films for example, will be offered for posting on the websites of non-profit organizations with similar causes. The filmmaker can split the profits of the pay-per-view offering with the organization. The non-profit makes money, the filmmaker gets to expand their audience, he explained.

The Filmmakers Channel will be a distribution hub but the idea is to encourage filmmakers to develop their own network of distribution, because the streaming technology provided by Maxcast is "portable," filmmakers can take advantage of distribution opportunities where the content of their film compliments the needs of other website audiences.

Latrimurti said The Filmmakers Channel is partnering with Florida-based martial artist Lee Barden to create the Martial Arts Channel (http://www.martialarts-channel.com) and Jay Weidner of Sacred Mysteries (http://www.sacredmysteries.com) to offer their entire collection, featuring movies about Mayan prophecies and other esoteric subjects.

Other partners include the International Social Action Film Festival (http://www.isaff.biz),, which will launch early next year, The Bleep Store (http://www.bleepstore.com), which is offering David Seredas, The Voice and Douglas Gilles and East Beach Press (http://www.eastbeach who are broadcasting their critically acclaimed film “On The Edge”.

There are a several thousand feature films made each year, with no distribution whatsoever, DellaFlora said, not to mention a deluge of documentaries.

"There is a lot of frustration out there among working filmmakers who can't get their work seen. The truth is, you can be doing some very interesting work, but if a distributor doesn't see a way to cash in on it right away, you can pretty much forget about it. This way, even filmmakers with small budgets can get their work out to the marketplace," DellaFlora said. "And with the pay-per-view component, the nice thing is the filmmaker gets paid first, not last."

The same formula can work for anyone with instructional material. "You're going to come to The Filmmakers Channel to find some stuff you won't find anywhere else," DellaFlora said. Some of the channels already up or in the works include a belly dancing channel, a meditation channel and an alternative news channel. In addition the distributive nature of the technology allows anyone to establish a niche network of films and develop a revenue stream by helping others, as is the case with “Filmmakers Help”: an instrumental partner in the development of The Martial Arts Channel and The Filmmakers Channel.

"This may all sound like small potatoes, but there are riches in the niches. With the right marketing, your can find your audiences and your audiences can find you and they are surprisingly large," DellaFlora said.

DellaFlora and Latrimurti believe the time has arrived for on line streaming PPV. "The TV and computers are becoming more integrated every day. Soon it will be common for television viewers to switch from the cable to the internet and for the first time in history indie filmmakers will have the opportunity to distribute their film directly to the television audience without needing the blessings of the gate keepers.”

Additional information is available at Filmmaker Help

Filmmakers and Communities Working Together

Dan Latrimurti from The Filmmakers Channel asked Michael Palombo the founder of Filmmaker’s help to make a statement about his affiliation, and partnership, with The Filmmakers Channel
Dan’s passion for what he's doing, as been a joy to work with Michael says, as he too has become tunnel vision in his work with Dan, building a possible viable market place’s for filmmakers.
It’s been almost a year since Michael found Dan Latrimurti and Anthony DellaFlora the cofounder’s of The Filmmakers Channel He started working with the team after they open his eyes to a new world of video distribution, making it possible for filmmakers to pay-per-view, right off their own website, using a higher quality player than YouTube. Michael says' he was amassed at the quality of the player, and soon realized, if he was going to be of any real help to The Filmmakers Channel, and to filmmakers. He needed to build a site that would help bring awareness, and offer resources for filmmakers.

Michael settled on Filmmaker’s help, to offer all the services that a filmmakers would need to self-distribute. At the same time offer a place, to start distributing now, with The Filmmakers Channel

Almost a year latter, Michael couldn’t have imagined, that it would end up being the greatest challenge, and one of the most extraordinary thing he's ever done. Next to blowing glass for the last 8 years, this takes the cake he confesses.

Filmmaker’s help has been instrumental in networking, and establishing new distribution networks, for filmmakers and distributors. The new launch of Lee Bardens network for Martial Arts, the Martial Arts Channel. is a testament, that the future of internet distribution is here. For not just filmmakers, but producers. As in Lee Barden and Walter Faulkner case. Located in Floridia, Walter is a Full Time Professional, and is an Award winning Producer\Director with over 25 years of production experience in the local Jacksonville area, and statewide Florida. Also a big promoter of Martial Arts and sport related events.

Michael is very happy to announce the newest film, to The Flmmakers Channel Network,
"Ingo Storm" with his new indie horror film "7 Jungle Spirit" a 2lifefilm production. Based on enough true events it might just scare you. Ingo say's that he thinks it's more a documentary than a movie. If it's based on true events, and events getting ready to happen." Then I would say it's over the top scary"

well It sound like these guys have their hands full with this new way of distribution. We will just have to see how this unfolds,
for them and for filmmakers. If this does work out, filmmakers are going to be rushing to the internet to set up their own pay-per-view websites. All in all The Filmmakers Channel is growing with both viewers and filmmakers, and very well could be, the next great place to find independent films, that in the past were limited to showing in some obscure guild, accessible only to those within driving distance.

Film Contest ideablob.com

Film Makers Help has posted an idea on ideablob.com
For those new to idea blob it's a site that you post your idea,
and people get to vote on your idea. If you win you get ten thousand dolors.
filmmakershelp.com decided it would be a good idea to have a online
short film contest and give the ten thousand dolor to the filmmakers that wins.
If you like this idea go to idea blob and vote, help a filmmaker win 10000$

Need Films For Online Distribution

No selling DVDs from the trunk of your car
No driving to the post office and standing in line to sale your DVD
No more hoping for a distribution contract
Sell your movie online to a global audience
Post your movie/film on multible websites and create your own channel
Make money from your movie/film in your sleep
Built in paypal pay-per-view and you set the price
Cutting edge high quality no buffering streaming video technology
Video for filmmakers that works just like a youtube player but better
Upload your video now and start making money