forums
Learn the hottest and latest trends in the indie film and entertainment world from the industry professionals who live it.  Join special guests from across the country as they discuss diverse and essential topics that connect with up-and-coming filmmakers and overall film lovers.

All festival forums are free of charge and open to the public.

ANIMATION FORUM

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Wednesday, April 1, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM at Enzian

Animated works have always been among the most popular films at the Florida Film Festival, and this year promises to be no different.  Along with the usual suspects like the Animated Shorts in the American Independent Competition and the International Animated Shorts in the International Showcase, animation permeates virtually every other part of the festival, including Opening Night, Midnight Shorts, Doc Shorts, Spotlight Films, the Narrative Feature Competition, and Family Films.  What better time to present a panel of some of the finest independent animators working today?  Aaron Augenblick (TV's Superjail!, Golden Age), Signe Baumane (Birth, Teat Beat of Sex), and two-time Oscar nominee Bill Plympton (Guard Dog, Idiots and Angels) get together for what promises to be an entertaining and insightful discussion of many of the issues facing these unique artists:  the role of humor in adult animation; the freedom to use sex and violence in their work; is any topic too controversial or off-limits to confront in an animated film?;  the internet and the studio system; is there a renaissance for animated features going on and we just don't know it yet?; and how the heck is all this stuff getting distributed?     



KODAK FORUM: "STOP BY.  SHOOT FILM."

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Wednesday, April 1, 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM
Thursday, April 2, 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM
At Festival Headquarters, Enzian Theater

Sign up is mandatory for participation.  To sign up, click here.

This popular program is designed for anyone interested in discovering how fun and easy it is to use motion picture film. "Stop By. Shoot Film" provides a hands-on opportunity for you--the producer, director, videographer, student or film fan--to experience the ease of capturing beautiful images on Super 16mm film with professional instructors. This free, 90-minute class will be conducted by Randy Tack of Kodak.  Kodak has added a new opportunity to this popular program: an opportunity on the third day (April 3) to visit a professional local Lab/Post Facility and Camera Rental House.  This add-on is only open to those who signed up for the class held on April 1 or 2.  



THE BUSINESS OF MAKING MOVIES

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Thursday, April 2, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM at Enzian

Insurance (don't leave home without it), film finance (more creative than ever before), and legal transactions (get it right the first time) will be broadly covered in this action-packed forum which compresses days worth of information into a lively 90 minutes.  Moderated by director, writer, producer, and former ICM agent Jim Jermanok.  Karen Marshall, President of Marshall Entertainment Insurance, Inc. will discuss production insurance for the filmmaker. Even the smallest production company must have a minimum of $1,000,000 General Liability Insurance in order to obtain a Film Permit. Lawrence Haber, Attorney, has over 25 years of experience as a lawyer in business transactions and all media platforms. Haber was previously in house at both Universal Studios and The Walt Disney Company.  Robin Cowie, Producer of The Blair Witch Project and the upcoming Seventh Moon discusses creative film financing during these very challenging times.



NEW FRONTIERS IN DISTRIBUTION FORUM

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Friday, April 3, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM at Enzian

Just when you though it was safe to make a great movie and take it to market...With all of the drastic changes in the independent film business, including the recent closing of many studio specialty divisions along with the current precarious financial position of a number of indie distributors, where should a non-mainstream filmmaker turn to get his or her film seen and into the marketplace?  Join our esteemed panel of industry experts, including Dan Goldberg, Head of Marketing & Publicity, IFC Festival Direct; Chris Horton, Head of Acquisitions, Cinetic Rights Management; Liz Ogilvie, Head of Marketing & Distribution, IndiePix; and Orly Ravid, VP of Acquisitions & Distribution, Senator Entertainment, as they discuss concepts such as digital rights, video-on-demand, Festival Direct, and many other strategies that are paving the way for the deals of the future.  Chicken Little may have sounded the cry, but these forward thinkers will lead the way to the light at the end of the specialty distribution tunnel.  Randy Finch, UCF film instructor and producer of Outside Providence and The Substance of Fire, will moderate.  


FILMMAKER FORUM

Friday, April 3, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM at Regal

The Florida Film Festival hosts some of the hottest new independent filmmakers every year and always sets aside one day just to pick their brains.  This lively and dynamic exchange of ideas and lore inevitably defines a high point in the festival--peppered with tales of triumph, challenge, and creative methods.  Don't miss a once-in-lifetime airing of artistic laundry by the filmmakers who get the job done. Moderated by Chris Gore, Founder/Publisher of Film Threat, TV host, filmmaker, and author of The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide.