Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards and LA Film Festival, announced today that the 11th annual Film Independent Forum will open with Bleecker Street‘s Trumbo, directed by Jay Roach, written by John McNamara, starring Bryan Cranston, Louis C.K., Elle Fanning, John Goodman, Diane Lane, Michael Stuhlbarg and Helen Mirren on Friday, October 23. The film will be followed by a Q+A with director Jay Roach (Game Change, Meet the Parents). Also announced today, filmmaker Jon M. Chu (Step Up 3D, G.I. Joe Retaliation, Jem and the Holograms, Now You See Me 2) will give the Filmmaker Keynote on Saturday, October 24. In addition, the Forum will close on Sunday, October 25 with director Lynn Shelton (Humpday, Your Sister’s Sister, Touchy Feely, Laggies) in conversation with Illeana Douglas (Easy to Assemble, Ghost World, Grace of My Heart).
Now in its 11th year, the Film Independent Forum is the pre-eminent conference for independent filmmakers and content creators in Los Angeles. Off-the-record conversations with working filmmakers make this the must-attend fall event for filmmakers and industry professionals. If you are anywhere near production or close to entering the festival circuit, join your peers for a weekend of solution-driven strategies, success stories, and opportunities to connect one-on-one with working artists and industry pros.
Previously announced, Blumhouse Productions Founder and CEO Jason Blum, along with members of his team will participate in an Executive Conversation. Additional panelists include producers Miranda Bailey (The Diary of a Teenage Girl), Nina Yang Bongiovi (Dope, Fruitvale Station; Partner, Significant Productions), writers Bridget Bedard (Transparent, Mad Men), Wendy Calhoun (Empire), Sonay Hoffman (American Crime) and Dana Calvo (Narcos), Josh Braun, Co-President of Submarine Entertainment, Submarine Deluxe and Jessica Lacy, Head of International & Independent Film at ICM Partners, to list a few. The Forum will take place during the weekend of October 23-25 at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) in Los Angeles.
At the Forum, Film Independent will present the Sloan Producers Grant, which provides a $30,000 production grant to a Film Independent Fellow accepted into the Producing Lab that is developing a narrative film with a scientific, mathematical and/or technological theme. The Producing Lab is one of Film Independent‘s highly selective Artist Development programs. In addition, Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television will host a reception during the Film Independent Forum to celebrate documentary filmmakers.
The 2015 Film Independent Forum is presented by Indiewire. Additional sponsors include Premier Sponsors Directors Guild of America, SAGindie, Indiegogo, Netflix, Singani 63 and Principal Sponsor Montana Film Office.
Kirk Hamilton, Vice President of IndieWorks, a division of Business Affairs, Inc.
Paula Manzanedo-Schmit, Vice President, Film Finances, Inc.
Nicole Papincak, Esq., Associate Attorney, Business Affairs, Inc.
For more information about this year’s Film Independent Forum or to purchase a pass, visit FilmIndependent.org/Forum or call310.432.1213.
Film Independent is a non-profit arts organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. The organization helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent’s Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff, and constituents, is comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry professional, or a film lover.
After recently announcing a slate of original series for the pre-school audience, Netflix Inc. will add seven new original series for older kids beginning this December. Building on its partnerships with globally respected brands, Netflix will launch all new stories from LEGO® Bionicle® and LEGO® Friends and the world’s first family is back and funnier than ever in DreamWorks Animation‘s all-new original family sitcom, Dawn of the Croods.
Netflix has a dedicated section for kids featuring dozens of original series for kids as well as TV shows and movies from great partners like PBS, Disney Channel, DreamWorks Animation, Mattel, Hasbro, Scholastic and Lego, all in a commercial free environment. The dedicated section for kids is available across a broad range of devices including PCs and Macs, iPads, game consoles, streaming devices and smart TVs. Members are provided a Kids profile upon sign up and can customize additional profiles for their children. The kids experience features a character bar where you can find a deep selection of great TV shows and movies featuring that character. Kids, parents and caregivers will also be able to scan through row after row of movies and TV shows organized by easy-to-understand genres like superheroes, princesses, dinosaurs and girl power, featuring clear and simple descriptions of each title.
Netflix is also broadening its offering for tweens and teens; the live action show Lost & Found Music Studios shows us how the next hit song could be just one heartbreak away, while fans of fast and funny will find the stop-motion, action-comedy of Buddy Thunderstruck right up their alley…or race-obsessed Greasepit in this case. The anime inspired Glitter Force joins the growing portfolio of strong girl characters on Netflix. And finally, Netflix is introducing its first ever original animated series produced in Latin America. Las Leyendas (The Legends) is based on a successful trilogy of children’s films from the Mexican animation studio, Anima Estudios.
– Buddy Thunderstruck – 2017 From American Greetings Entertainment with Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, Buddy Thunderstruck is an action-comedy, stop-motion extravaganza that follows the adventures of a semi-truck racing dog named Buddy and his albino ferret mechanic. It all goes down in race-obsessed Greasepit, a place chock full of larger-than-life characters and nitro-burning, gear-slamming, tire-squealing, fish-tailing good times. Buddy Thunderstruck will premiere worldwide exclusively on Netflix in 2017 with a 12 episode season.
Based on the comedic viewpoints of Aziz Ansari, the show follows the personal and professional lives of Dev (Aziz Ansari), a 30-year-old actor in New York who has trouble deciding what he wants to eat, much less the pathway for the rest of his life. Ambitious, funny, cinematic, and both sweeping in scope and intensely personal, Dev’s story takes him through subjects as diverse as the plight of the elderly, the immigrant experience, and how to find the most delicious pasta for dinner. Ansari stars in and created the series with Alan Yang; both serve as executive producers alongside Mike Schur (Parks and Recreation), Dave Becky (Louie) and David Miner (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). The series also stars H. Jon Benjamin, Eric Wareheim, Lena Waithe, Noel Wells and Kelvin Yu and is produced by Universal TV and 3 Arts for Netflix.
– Bill Burr‘s animated comedy series F is for Family, starring Burr, Laura Dern and Justin Long, will all premiere in the fourth quarter of 2015. Exact dates to be announced later.
Anjelah Johnson: Not Fancy – Premieres Friday, October 2, 2015 Anjelah Johnson’s newest comedy special features an evolving woman dealing with life on the road, settling into marriage and the lovable antics of her Mexican American family.
Netflix sets dates for the fall line-up of six new original series for kids and families.
First, Dreamworks Animation took kids to the Mechazoic World of Dinotrux, an all new action-packed series featuring extraordinary creatures who are half dinosaur, half construction vehicle and are set to build and battle.
Children – and children of the 80s – will love all-new stories about Popples (Nov.), the adorable species of brightly colored creatures that transform from fluffy balls to furry friends and back again, while keeping the same silly spirit of the original Popples characters and Care Bears and Cousins (Dec.) which will bring back the whole huggable gang.
Toys”R”Us® will be the first retailer to debut toys this fall based on DreamWorks Animation‘s upcoming Netflix original series, DINOTRUX. Beginning Thursday, October 1, shoppers will find this all-new line of ferociously fun playthings from Mattel, including playsets, vehicles and more, in Toys”R”Us stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com. For little fans eager to check out products featuring Ty Rux, Revvit and the rest of the show’s prehistoric pals, select items will be available for pre-order at Toysrus.com beginning this week.
On Friday, August 14, DreamWorks Animation debuted DINOTRUX, an action-packed show based on the award-winning children’s book series by Chris Gall. The show welcomes little ones to a prehistoric world of giant creatures that are half dinosaur and half construction vehicle, including a massive Tyrannosaurus Trux and his best friend, Revvit, a razor-sharp Reptool. The Dinotrux and Reptools come together for the first time ever in the Mechazoic era to build a bigger and better world, while battling against the forces of D-Structs.
Little ones will have a roaring good time with Ty Rux. This half-dinosaur, half-construction vehicle comes to life with kid-activated lights and sounds. Ty Rux encourages interactive play through his many exciting features, including a chomping mouth, swinging wrecking ball tail and large rolling tires. 3 “AA” batteries required (not included). Ages 3 years and up.
These exciting scene packs expand little ones’ prehistoric fun by recreating a key location from the show. Kids can choose from two playsets, each of which comes with a DINOTRUX vehicle and environment specific to that character’s personality and ‘truck-ability’. The Smash & Slide Construction Site features the heroic Ty Rux with his signature wrecking ball tail, complete with hidden plans from Reptool friends. The Rock & Load Skate Park features awesome ramps for the action loving character, Ton-Ton. Each playset has movable parts and accessories that help tell the story of its unique location, making it the perfect place to carry out exciting DINOTRUX construction missions. No batteries required. Ages 3 years and up.
The half-dinosaur, half-construction vehicle creatures from DINOTRUX have arrived in one ferocious pack. Kids will roar when they find four of their favorite characters featured in authentic detail from the show. Includes twoDINOTRUX vehicles and three Reptools for a multipack that boosts character variety and storytelling possibilities. No batteries required. Ages 3 years and up.
Kids will love this exciting assortment of vehicles, which come in a variety of sizes and characters. Fans can choose from a 2-pack of smaller-scale Reptools or larger mid-size scale characters, including Ty Rux, Garby, Revvit and more, featuring rolling wheels for easy push-around play and movements unique to their on-screen personality and special abilities. Kids will love collecting them all to build out their own prehistoric world of DINOTRUX. No batteries required. Ages 4 years and up.
Prehistoric playmates will have a ferociously fun time with Garby, a half-dinosaur, half-construction vehicle creature from DINOTRUX. Garby comes in large-scale so fans can act out the most heavy-duty missions from the show. Kid-powered motion triggers Garby to display unique and humorous movements, like the ability to feed him a piece of ore and then see it shoot out of his backside. Moving him up, down, backward or forward will prompt him to say sounds and phrases. Garby also has rolling wheels for push-around play. 3 LR44 batteries required (included). Ages 3 years and up.
This assortment of prehistoric pals smash, swing and chomp their way to a ferociously fun time. Kids can choose from three of their favorite half-dinosaur, half-construction characters, Ty Rux, Ton-Ton or D-Structs. Each character vehicle comes ready to rumble with rolling wheels and a pullback motor to rev-up the tail-smashing and jaw-chomping action. Kids can collect all three to build out the ultimate prehistoric world of DINOTRUX and their favorite scenes from the show. No batteries required. Ages 3 years and up.
Reptool Revvit is ready to roll into playtime on wheels that mimic his movement from the animated DINOTRUX show. Complete with unique sounds and phrases, he features a tail-activated spinning drill head with interchangeable bits and a measuring tape tongue. 3 “LR44” batteries required (included). Ages 3 years and up.
Netflix will premiere the original documentary Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky, exclusively to Netflix members worldwide on Friday, October 9, 2015.
Chronicling events that unfolded over 93 days in 2013 and 2014, Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom witnesses the formation of a new civil rights movement in Ukraine. What started as peaceful student demonstrations supporting European integration morphed into a full-fledged violent revolution calling for the resignation of the nation’s president. The film captures the remarkable mobilization of nearly a million citizens from across the country protesting the corrupt political regime that utilized extreme force against its own people to suppress their demands and freedom of expression. The harrowing documentary is set to make its world premiere at the 72nd Venice Film Festival in September.
The filmmakers investigated the escalating political crisis in Ukraine from directly within the conflict zone. At the onset of demonstrations, they were there to record the special forces who were deployed to disperse the crowds, beating and seriously injuring hundreds of protesters. It was this moment that ultimately gave rise to mass protests and large-scale civil unrest in the country. In response, millions of Ukrainians rallied together to fight against the police state. Through interviews with protesters, activists, journalists, medical workers, artists and clergy representing multiple generations, social classes, nationalities and faiths, including a twelve-year old volunteer, the film tells the story of a diverse movement that self-organized towards one common goal, that stood their ground in the midst of extreme bloodshed, despair and the harshest of conditions.
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom is Afineevsky’s third feature documentary. He has produced over ten feature and short films, including the 2002 adaptation of Crime & Punishment, starring Vanessa Redgrave, Crispin Glover, John Hurt and Margot Kidder. He also produced and directed numerous TV projects. His feature directorial debut, Oy Vey! My Son is Gay! has garnered numerous awards at film festivals globally.
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom is produced by Netflix, Afineevsky – Tolmor Production, UkrStream.TV and SPN Production, in association with Passion Pictures, Campbell Grobman Films and Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment. The film is produced by Afineevsky and Den Tolmor. John Battsek, Lati Grobman, Christa Campbell, Lisa Nishimura, Adam Del Deo, Angus Wall, David Dinerstein, Andrew Ruhemann, Dennis L. Kogod, Nadine Khapsalis Kogod and Bohdan Batruch serve as Executive Producers.
In honor of World AIDS Day, It‘s Not Over, a feature length documentary film made possible by the M.A.C AIDS Fund, the charitable arm of M.A.C Cosmetics, will be available worldwide on Netflix and SnagFilms on the 1st December, offering a global audience an inspiring look at how young people today are facing the challenges of HIV. Viewed from the perspective of filmmaker Andrew Jenks, It‘s Not Over tells the story of three young people from different parts of the world who are living with or affected by HIV in vastly different, yet astonishingly inter-connected ways. Jenks visits India, South Africa and the United States to experience the epidemic first hand. The result is a deeply personal and uplifting story that is rarely represented in popular culture.
Viewers will be taken on a journey, traveling all over the world with Jenks, to put a face on the AIDS epidemic. Partnering with three courageous young people, Andrew works to humanise the issue as they show us an inside look at how their lives are affected by HIV as well as the lives of those around them. In America, Jenks meets Paige Rawl, a college freshman in Indiana who has been living with HIV her entire life. After years of battling the harsh stigma and depression she turned everything around to become a powerful advocate for fighting the disease from dance marathons at her university to supporting other children impacted by the disease. In India, Jenks meets Sarang Bhakre, a Mumbai playwright who is openly gay in a country that outlaws homosexuality. Sarang’s current play addresses gay marriage, and filmmaker Jenks is along for the ride, from rehearsal to debut, witnessing the courage and bravery it takes Sarang to face these issues. In South Africa, Jenks meets Lucky Mfundisi, a Soccer Coach and educator with Grassroot Soccer, an AIDS organization that teaches youth prevention through soccer. Lucky acts as a tour guide around Khayelitsha, the largest and fastest growing township in South Africa, with some of the highest rates of HIV in the world. Lucky shows Jenks how he is working to transcend the poverty with a message of hope and perseverance.
Netflix, the world’s largest global streaming platform, is hosting the film for viewers worldwide, and SnagFilms, a leader in high-quality free film content, is making it available through its applications on Roku®, Xbox™, Sony®and more.
The production traveled through nine months and nine countries around the world, visiting cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, New York, Boston, Paris, Kyoto, Burma, Nuremberg in Germany, Sialkot in Pakistan, among others.
During his travel, Muniz met with a diverse group of people to discuss their love for ‘the ball.’ Interviews included ordinary people, children from the slums of Rio, one of the great minds of science, astrophysicist Neil De Grasse Tyson, social activists who use soccer to promote social change, and outstanding soccer clubs from around the world like Football League of Amputees in Sierra Leone. Each of these narratives inspired contributions to his work of art.
Other soccer related titles available on Netflix include: The Beautiful Game, The Big Green, A Barefoot Dream, The Great Match, 30 for 30: Soccer Stories and 1:1 Thierry Henry.