This list will grow, but in light of our excellent Film Festival Primer event last night (thanks to everyone for coming–huge turnout!–and thanks to host Warren Etheredge and guests Laura Henneman and Kevin Rexroat for all their insightful comments), I thought I’d post links to some of the festivals about which they spoke last night:

Local:

Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival 

Port Townsend Film Festival

Renton Film Frenzy

Seattle International Film Festival

Tacoma Film Festival

 Beyond:

 Austin Film Festival

Sundance Film Festival

Toronto International Film Festival

With the Austin Film Festival coming up in just over 6 weeks, I thought I’d post the line-up that I received in my inbox this morning.  Getting excited! 

DAVID PEOPLES (Blade Runner, Unforgiven, Twelve Monkeys), DAVID SIMON (“The Wire”, “Treme”), Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine), John August (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie’s Angels), Shane Black (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Lethal Weapon), Michael Brandt & Derek Haas(Wanted, 3:10 to Yuma), John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, A Perfect World), Phil Hay (Clash of the Titans, AEon Flux), Kyle Killen (The Beaver), Simon Kinberg (X-Men: The Last Stand, Mr. & Mrs. Smith), Allan Loeb (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, The Switch), Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (The Hangover, Four Christmases), Craig Mazin (The Hangover 2), Peter Murrieta (”Wizards of Waverly Place”), Daniel Petrie, Jr. (Beverly Hills Cop), Jennifer Salt (Eat Pray Love, “Nip/Tuck”), Alvaro Rodriguez (Machete), Randall Wallace (Secretariat, Braveheart), Jorge Zamacona (“Outlaw”, “Homicide: Life on the Street”), and so many more we can’t list them all here.
 
The Companies: Fortis Films, Josephson Entertainment, CAA, Chill Entertainment, WME, Pixar Animation Studios, Mosaic Media, Brucks Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Animation/Blue Sky Studios, Inc., UTA, Nethercott Agency, Rivercoast Film Distribution, Disney Animation Studios, di Bonaventura Pictures, 821 Entertainment, Latitude Productions, APA and more.
 
More than 90 panels will address breaking into (and staying in) the business, industry trends and the core elements of screenwriting and filmmaking.  Immerse yourself for four days with experienced screenwriters, proven directors and A-List industry representatives.  The opportunities AFF offers are real, and just waiting for you to take advantage. 
 
And, interested in writing for television?  Top show creators, showrunners, producers and writers will discuss the changing landscape of television and how to break in to the staff writers’ room and/or create your own show.  Panels we’ve got in the works:
-Creating a TV Bible
-Inside the Writers Room
-The Showrunners
-Special screening of HBO’s “Treme” with creator David Simon
-Preview screening of 20th Century Fox Television’s “Lonestar” and Q&A with creator/writer/executive producer Kyle Killen and cast.
-Preview screening of ABC’s “My Generation” and Q&A with creator/writer/producer Noah Hawley, producers, and cast.

SUNDANCE
FILM FESTIVAL
Park City, Utah - USA
January 20 to 30, 2011

In the Spotlight this week is the 27th Annual SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL. A premier showcase for U.S. and international independent film, the Sundance Film Festival is indisputably one of the world’s most important and eagerly anticipated film events. The Festival annually attracts more than 50,000 film lovers, including thousands of film industry professionals. With an online audience exceeding one million users, the Festival has established a vibrant, unique community of artists and audiences that extends well beyond the snowy mountains of the Park City, Utah resort community.

Presenting dramatic and documentary feature-length films, and a selection of international short films each year, the Festival has introduced American audiences to some of the most ground-breaking films of the past two decades, including SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE; MARIA FULL OF GRACE; HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH; AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH; TROUBLE THE WATER; and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. In 2010 alone, the Sundance Film Festival presented titles like THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, WASTE LAND, ANIMAL KINGDOM, and WINTER’S BONE, among many others.

Exhibiting filmmakers vie for a variety of coveted awards, including the Grand Jury Prize for US Documentary and Dramatic films, the World Cinema Jury Prizes in Documentary and Dramatic, and Audience Awards in several categories.

UPCOMING DEADLINE
September 3, 2010 - Official (Received-By) Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5 on this deadline

MISSION AND OBJECTIVE
Sundance Institute is an international non-profit organization devoted to the development and presentation of original stories for the screen and stage. The Institute provides artists a space to explore their stories free from commercial and political pressures, and a platform to present their works to a global audience — the Sundance Film Festival.

MORE ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the development of original storytelling in film and theatre, and presents the annual Sundance Film Festival. Internationally recognized for its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights, and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as ANGELS IN AMERICA, SPRING AWAKENING, BOYS DON’T CRY, and BORN INTO BROTHELS.

In addition to supporting and presenting seminal work in independent film, the Sundance Film Festival has helped to launch the careers of numerous successful independent filmmakers, including Steven Soderbergh, Allison Anders, Quentin Tarantino, Tamara Jenkins, Robert Rodriguez, Neil LaBute, Darren Aronofsky, Bryan Singer, the Coen Brothers, Kevin Smith, Catherine Hardwicke, Kim Peirce, Todd Solondz, Nicole Holofcener, Chris Eyre, Marc Forster, Nancy Savoca, and Lisa Cholodenko.

Up-and-coming filmmakers the world over know that submitting to the Sundance Film Festival is an essential rite of passage - a critical first step toward global recognition as a film artist. Submit your film to the Sundance Film Festival today!

As part of our First Tuesdays with TheFilmSchool at Roy Street Coffee events, join us September 7th, 6:30-8:30pm, for an evening on how to make film festivals work for you! We will focus on Austin Film Festival, Sundance/Slamdance, Toronto Film Festival and other niche & regional fests such as Tacoma Film Festival and Port Townsend Film Festival.

Hosted by TheFilmSchool faculty member and founder of The Warren Report, Warren Etheredge, the evening promises to be both informative and entertaining. We’ll welcome Festival Manager and Programmer Laura Henneman who has worked with several festivals including, most recently, SIGGRAPH’s Computer Animation Festival, the Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi, and six seasons with the Ashland Independent Film Festival and who will be bringing us an eye with a keen view of the ‘other side’ of film festivals.

Join us for this FREE event!  Please rsvp to jenni@thefilmschool.com or connect with us on facebook here.

Margo Meck, who will be leading the mini-course in Mythology on Writing on August 3rd, 6:30-8:30pm (as part of First Tuesdays with TheFilmSchool at Roy Street Coffee and Tea, 700 Broadway Ave East) sent me this great link:

Film:  Mythic Past, Resonating in the Present
By SOMINI SENGUPTA
Even as it modernizes, India has carved a place for its mythic past, as witnessed by recent films that draw on the two great epics of Hinduism.

Join us for our free mini-course on Mythology in Writing–it’s August’s First Tuesday with TheFilmSchool at Roy Street Coffee and Tea!

Almost all stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths. Understanding the mythic stories and their corresponding structure helps writers deepen their screenplays. Mythologist, Margo Meck, Ph.D., sets forth the character archetypes common in “the hero’s journey,” as well as the mythic structure that all great films follow using film clips and examples from mythological narratives.

Margo Meck is a published author and has a PhD in Mythology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, lecturing on “Personal Mythology,” “Proof of Identity in Myth and Fairytale,” and “Psyche and Nature” frequently.

Please rsvp to jenni@thefilmschool.com  or connect with our facebook event here .

Join us for this free mini-course on Mythology in Writing–it’s August’s First Tuesday with TheFilmSchool at Roy Street Coffee and Tea!   August 3rd, 6:30-8:30pm at Roy Street Coffee and Tea, 700 Broadway Ave East.  Please rsvp to jenni@thefilmschool.com or join our Facebook event.

Almost all stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths. Understanding the mythic stories and their corresponding structure helps writers deepen their screenplays. Mythologist, Margo Meck, Ph.D., sets forth the character archetypes common in “the hero’s journey,” as well as the mythic structure that all great films follow using film clips and examples from mythological narratives.

Margo Meck is a published author and has a PhD in Mythology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, lecturing on “Personal Mythology,” “Proof of Identity in Myth and Fairytale,” and “Psyche and Nature” frequently.

And, just for fun and to whet your appetite for the evening, here is a link to a site that will help you create your own mythology.

As part of our First Tuesdays with TheFilmSchool at Roy Street Coffee and Tea, we are currently putting together a (free) evening on how to make the most of film festivals, hosted by TheFilmSchool faculty member and founder of The Warren Report, Warren Etheredge, September 7th, 6:30-8:30pm.   Connect with us on Facebook or email jenni@thefilmschool.com to get on a reminder list for this event.

To whet your appetites, here is a great piece from Paul Osborne of MovieMaker. 

Here is a link to a fantastic interview with director James Foley (RECKLESS, AT CLOSE RANGE, etc) with TheFilmSchool alum Joel Marshall of Fat Free Film

TheFilmSchool was pleased to have Mr. Foley join us as a guest during our Spring 3-Week-Intensive this year as part of our Speaker Series, led by Warren Etheredge.  To see more examples of great filmmakers who have joined us for the Speaker Series, see our On Demand section here .

Here, some information about a fantastic program, OFFICIAL BEST OF FEST!  One of the curators is TheFilmSchool faculty member Rick Stevenson, click here to learn more about those involved in the OBOF. 

OFFICIAL BEST OF FEST
AWARDS 2010
Seattle, Washington - USA
Winners Announced: August 2010

The OFFICIAL BEST OF FEST AWARDS (OBOF) seek to identify and honor the top independent films made around the world as defined by festival audiences, awards, reviewers, bloggers, and a team of international curators. This Seattle-based bi-annual awards series also uncovers great films that have been overlooked by festivals.

Through its vast network of curators from film festivals around the globe, OBOF sees the majority of films on the circuit and seeks to identify the top 5% in each category. By giving overlooked and underappreciated films the recognition that they deserve, OBOF seeks to offer its awards as a seal of approval and distinction that indicates to film fans that honored film are indeed ones to watch. Each quarter, a new group of films are granted OBOF award seals, and are promoted online and in the media.

Nominated films are eligible to be considered for future OBOF traveling film festivals; DVD compilations sold at Nordstrom, Whole Foods, Kitson LA, and gift stores nationally; curated cable series; and a number of other outlets, all designed to offer wide-reaching exposure. OBOF covers the costs and provides a royalty to the filmmakers while leaving the rights-holder fully in control of the film’s rights.

UPCOMING DEADLINE
June 15, 2010 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5 on this deadline

MORE ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Films in all categories and runtimes are open to consideration with the exception of commercials and industrial films. The Moving Arts Film Journal writes that OBOF “may very well have found a way to circumvent the profit-driven gatekeepers of the lumbering studio system. What does that mean to the casual movie fan? Fresh ideas. New concepts. Original scripts. Better movies.”

If you feel like you have an overlooked gem, submit to the OFFICIAL BEST OF FEST AWARDS to get your film recognized!

Just a reminder!  Although the early deadline just passed last Saturday, there is still time to get in on the late submission to the Austin Film Festival Screenplay competition.  You’ve got until June 1st.  See here for details.

In that vein, here is a site you can go to to register for new on upcoming screenplay competitions and THE contests to enter in 2010.