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Filmaka (4)

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Filmaka.com International online film competition (5)

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SUNDANCERS! Unite
A group for people going to Sundance to meet and discuss the festival, and pre-network :)

film producer looking for script,project (32) Public
film producer based in SF looking for new project,script to produce. us or abroad. will finance entire project

Digital Filmmaking (29) Public
All about shooting, lighting, editing ect.

This is the place to ask questions, exchange ideas, techniques and experience.

IndieCHICAGO (28) Public
There aren't many of us out there, so let's stick together!

The New York City Horror Film Festival (25) Public
America's largest genre film festival wants to hear about your upcoming Horror, Sci-Fi and thrillers. Festival news, updates, contests and year round genre events.

San Francisco International Film Festival (25) Semi-Private
The San Francisco International Film Festival is an Extraordinary Celebration, featuring the best in world cinema, documentaries, emerging media and shorts, as well as live performances, parties, discussions, filmmaker appearances and sepcial events.

This year's 49th San Francisco International Film Festival will entertain and inspire some 80,000 attendees with over 100 cutting edge presentations, 3 marquee evenings, 22 special tributes and awards, a star studded gala evening and much, much more!

For information about the Festival and how to purchase tickets please visit www.sffs.org!

PLYMOUTH, Dogme #193 (25) Public
class struggles and kid fights

Big Brother is dead... post-Bush... kid fights... a cautionary tale.

************** ***********

The thing that appealed to me with our story from day one was the kid fights. The idea that our violent society trickles down to the kids, thus promoting a future generation of violence, leading to an endless vicious cycle…I always thought those ideas were relevant to our times and strong points of the story. Plus, the kid fights are not a bad way to gain attention for your film. People will talk about the film, good or bad, but most importantly, they will talk. To me, the violence is a growth, so what's at the root? Where does it come from? That's what I'd like to explore in our story.

I've always been fascinated with class struggle, particularly, here at home, and even more specifically, here in the mecca of capitalism, New York City. I think it's so relevant to our story and that's why I'm writing this, and it is there in our story – the depressed town, the narrow minds of people living in these towns, and the desperation which results in such activity and behavior as the fighting – to me, these all stem from the stark division of class in America. It's inherent to the nature of capitalism, along with, and a party to, the unequal distribution of wealth and power, social alienation and inequalities – that, to me, is the root of the problem in our country.

The Virginia Tech shooting is a classic example of this struggle, though the media does not portray it as such, instead dismissing this episode as the actions of a madman, same way they dismiss terrorism and other acts of violence in our homes and streets. Truth is, these are all a direct result of the lower classes struggling to accept their status and place in our system. We dismiss these actions as the work of madmen, and though I do not condone such actions and I feel for the families of the victims, we have to look at why these things happen, what moved these "madmen" to action? If we continue to sensationalize and trivialize these happenings, we will miss the opportunity to unearth the problem, and such actions will continue. Maybe we should encourage people to listen and take these men seriously? What's their problem? They're telling us, but we don't want to hear it! The American way is the only way, and anyone who feels otherwise is a terrorist, a psycho madman, a warmonger, animals, etc. We should ask why our way of life is being threatened? Where will it all lead? I believe it leads to the Plymouth I'd like to portray in our film.

What leads to the demise of our capitalist America as we know it? I feel fortunate on a personal level and blessed to be living in a prosperous country, I mean really, I love my way of life, don't get me wrong. The point is, there are masses of people not as fortunate as me, and I know it, and I don't ignore it, and it's impossible to truly prosper when many struggle. I don't remember who said it, it was W.B. Dubois or Paul Robeson, but they said something like, "The mark of a great civilization is how it treats its less fortunate citizens." Robeson (this was Robeson for sure) also said, "The answer to injustice is not to silence the critic but to end the injustice." Today, we muffle the "critic," and their only recourse becomes what we saw in Virginia a few days ago, or 9/11. Vicious violence and a terrible tragedy.

The Plymouth I see exists in an America that's met its fate and is left in a state that so many countries and people are in today – hopeless, poor, desperate, violent. The hate and violence (of the upperclass toward the lowerclass) that built our country, neglecting the lower classes – these things destroyed us, and we are left with nothing but hate and violence. That's where our story picks up. Our kid hero must represent something more – peace, love, and hope. That's where our story ends, and the question will remain (we can't answer the question and have a neat little ending – shit, we don't know the answer!), can those things (peace, love and hope) ever triumph in the end?

Am I making sense? I wrote this to share my thoughts before moving forward, and I've been affected and alerted by recent events. It's just another example of the class struggle that's always on my mind – in my opinion, the central struggle.

-Steve Loff

director/produ cer

On The Lot (22) Public
For those interested in submitting and watching the forthcoming series by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett (Survivor) coming Spring 2007

SAGIndie Film Group (21) Public
A discussion forum for filmmakers using one of the SAG Low Budget Agreements.

Tribeca Film Festival (20) Public
In this indieLOOP group indieWIRE readers are invited to discuss their festival experience, including films they've seen, parties they've attended, and other thoughts on Tribeca.

Coproduction Group (20) Public
A group for all flimakers interested in International Coproduction.

Music Supervision (19) Public
This group covers music supervision topics such as The Role Of The Music Supervisor, Music Clearance, Music Licensing, Creating The Music Budget, Cue Sheets, and anything else that involves the placement of music in your film or TV projects.

SUNDANCERS! Unite (19) Semi-Private
A group for people going to Sundance to meet and discuss the festival, and pre-network :)

TALKING MOVIE SILENT LIFE (18) Public
Writer/Produce r Christopher Harmon is one of only two people in the United States known to suffer from a rare neurological condition called Spinocerebella r Degeneration. As a result Christopher is quadriplegic, deaf, legally blind, and has no audible speaking voice. His only communication to the world is through sign language interpreters. He must eat through a feeding tube; breathe through a respirator.

This is his amazing story: http://www.mys pace.com/tmsld oc

Featuring a score by legendary Mike Garson, Bowie's pianist.

Film Financing (16) Public
Welcome to the intersection of film and finance! This group is dedicated to bridging the gap between these two fascinating but often conflicting worlds... We discuss latest trends, give hands-on advice, and facilitate networking between filmmakers and financiers -- and everyone in between.

Screenwriters Unlimited (16) Public
The Screenwriters Unlimited Group is devoted to supprting each other to improve our craft. Drop me a line. We'd love to have you.

Promise to be gentle ... (14) Public
First-time filmmakers' group.

Raindance Film Festival (14) Public
The UK's largest independent film festival is now accepting submissions for its 2006 program. The festival runs from September 27th to October 8th. Submissions close on July 1st.

Indie Film in NYC '06 (The New School) (14) Semi-Private
A private group for the students and instructors participating in the 2006 edition of The New School's Independent Film in New York Summer Intensive Program.

Asian American Filmmakers, Fans & Collaborators (11) Public
All are welcome of course, however, the goal of this group is to provide another useful place on the web for Asian American filmmakers, their fans, and collaborators - for getting movies made & distributed. And to provide another space to celebrate films by Asian American filmmakers & films featuring Asian American talent.

deleted (11) Public
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The War Tapes (10) Public
In March 2004, just as the insurgent movement strengthened, several members of one National Guard unit arrived in Iraq, carrying digital video cameras. THE WAR TAPES is the movie they made with Director Deborah Scranton and a team of award-winning filmmakers. It’s the first war movie filmed by soldiers themselves on the front lines in Iraq.

AIVF: Next Steps (10) Public
As anyone who has been following AIVF's situation and the media attention on the state of nonprofit media arts organizations knows, AIVF has been undergoing a crisis for a period of time. The Board and staff have been working hard and diligently to understand and resolve past, present and future issues. Now that we've reached the first milestone in this fundraising campaign, AIVF Board and staff are deliberating about the next phase for this organization and for The Independent.

Some of what the Board and staff are working on are:

Working with a media consultant to upgrade web offerings-- especially for The Independent-- to better serve video artists and filmmakers in the areas of distribution, communication and advocacy.

Maximizing the capacity of The Independent to serve as a resource for filmmakers in the nuts-and-bolts of creating their films and the issues that surround that process.

Exploring collaborations and partnerships with peer organizations to better serve independents.

What do you think? Join the conversation.

Tribeca Film Festival '06 Filmmakers (10) Semi-Private
In this indieLOOP group filmmakers from the 2006 Tribeca Festival are posting daily on their film festival experience.

INDIE Seattle (10) Public
Seattle has a big indie film community -- there should be plenty of Seattle folks out there who want to talk about film, right?

Austin, Texas (9) Public
Filmmakers, writers, watchers in Austin, Texas


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