EMERGING ARTISTS AND TOP INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER MENTORS ANNOUNCED FOR RBC’S “EMERGING VISIONS” PROGRAM
A JOINT INITIATIVE OF IFP AND THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER
New York, NY (September 7, 2011) The Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced today details of a unique collaborative program entitled “Emerging Visions,” which will run concurrent to the New York Film Festival. Emerging Visions is made possible through significant support from the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and its RBC Emerging Artists Project.
The daylong event, taking place on Monday, October 3rd at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s new Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, will introduce 25 emerging filmmaking talents to some of the most prolific directors and producers in the industry today, including Joe Berlinger (dir. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills); Shari Springer Berman (dir. American Splendor); Lisa Cortes (exec prod., Precious); Jon Kilik (prod. Babel); Brian Koppelman (writer, Ocean’s Thirteen); Barbara Kopple (dir. American Dream); Ellen Kuras (dir. The Betrayal: Narakhoon); Philip Seymour Hoffman (dir. Jack Goes Boating); Doug Liman (dir. The Bourne Identity); Julia Loktev (dir.The Loneliest Planet); Alex Orlovsky (prod. Blue Valentine); and Laura Poitras (dir.The Oath).
The Film Society of Lincoln Center and IFP will work together to present an event that provides opportunities to fresh faces in independent film not only to make their entrance into the industry, but also to gain knowledge from relevant and influential filmmakers. Each filmmaker will receive mentorship and year round support from both organizations through annual memberships and participation in panels and events. Each of the 25 emerging directors and writers will be paired with an established director or producer who will mentor them through the current filmmaking landscape, offering guidance and connections to filmmakers on both their current projects and careers. Advising will take place in the form of one-to-one meetings, workshops, and case studies. The program will also include a live pitching session featuring panelists Christine Vachon (Producer, Killer Digital); John Sloss (Principal, Cinetic Media); Lucy Stille (Agent, Paradigm); and Dan Cogan (Co-founder, Impact Partners) who will give feedback to participants on how to diversify, magnify, and sustain their work and the career that they are building.
“We’re thrilled to provide this unique mentorship opportunity to a group of incredibly hardworking, talented, and visionary emerging artists,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director, IFP, and Rose Kuo, Executive Director, Film Society of Lincoln Center. “These filmmakers will receive special attention from a diverse group of industry professionals. They will be gaining hands-on knowledge from seasoned experts and advice on how to sustain their careers and navigate today's ever-changing world of filmmaking.”
Each participant will be attending with a documentary or narrative feature and has been selected from IFP and the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s talent pool of emerging filmmakers. These filmmakers include both emerging directors with features currently on the independent film scene such as Adam Bowers (New Low), Alrick Brown (Kinyarwanda), David Lowery (St. Nick), Ryan O’Nan (The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best), Lanre Olabisi (August the First), as well as talented shorts directors making their feature debuts such as Jack Riccobono (Killer) and Lauren Wolkstein (Cigarette Candy). The organizations hope that Emerging Visions’ intimate forum will act as an incubator and launching pad for these filmmakers’ careers, igniting relationships that they will be able to maintain far beyond the close of the day.
The 25 emerging filmmakers selected and their latest projects for the 2011 Emerging Visions program include –
Suha Araj, KHASRA
Kate Barker, SONG ONE
Nick Bentgen, NORTHERN LIGHT
Adam Bowers, WE’RE A WASTELAND
Alrick Brown, TREBLE
Jenny Deller, FUTURE WEATHER
Holly Elson, THE VIKING OF SIXTH AVENUE
Sasha Friedlander, WHERE HEAVEN MEETS HELL
Zachary Heinzerling, CUTIE AND THE BOXER
Thomas Hyungkyun Kim, THE SINGING ROAD
Mark Kendall, LA CAMIONETA (LIFE AND DEATH OF THE ROAD)
Ryan Koo, MAN CHILD
Adam Leon, GIMME THE LOOT
David Lowery, AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS
Danielle Lurie, FORTUNATE SONS
Will McCord, CASUAL ENCOUNTERS
Rola Nashef, DETROIT UNLEADED
Ryan O’Nan, THE BROOKLYN BROTHERS BEAT THE BEST
Lanre Olabisi, HIGHWAY TO NOWHERE
Jack Riccobono, THE SEVENTH FIRE
Gillian Robespierre, OBVIOUS CHILD
Tim Sutton, PAVILLION
Kimi Takesue, THE WATER RISES
Avi Zev Weider, WELCOME TO THE MACHINE
Lauren Wolkstein, CIGARETTE CANDY
“RBC is committed to helping the next generation of filmmakers develop their skills and bring their visions to life through the RBC Emerging Artists Project. We’re thrilled to partner with the Film Society of Lincoln Center and IFP for the inaugural Emerging Visions symposium, providing up-and-coming filmmakers with the mentorship and inspiration they need to succeed.” Mark Standish, President and Co-C.E.O., RBC Capital Markets.
About IFP
IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project) is the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit advocacy organization for independent filmmakers. Since its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to be heard. Each year, IFP fosters the development of 300 feature and documentary films.
IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world. Through its workshop, seminars, conferences, and FILMMAKER Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology and business of independent film. Signature programs include Independent Film Week, Independent Filmmaker Labs and Gotham Independent Filmmaker Awards.
ABOUT THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER
America’s pre-eminent film presentation organization, the Film Society of Lincoln Center was founded in 1969 to celebrate American independent and international cinema, to recognize and support new filmmakers, and to enhance awareness, accessibility and understanding of the art among a broad and diverse film going audience.
As an independent constituent of the world’s most prestigious performing arts center, the Film Society of Lincoln Center presents a 363-day season that includes premieres of new films from an international roster of established and emerging directors; major retrospectives; in-depth symposia and high profile events. The Film Society is one of those rare institutions whose stature is matched by its popularity, each year welcoming an aggregate audience of more than 200,000 film aficionados, filmmakers and industry leaders of every nationality, age, economic and ethnic group. The organization has been a pioneer among film institutions and one of the film world’s most respected and influential arbiters of cinematic trends and discoveries.
The Film Society is best known for two world-class international festivals – the New York Film Festival and New Directors/New Films. It also presents many renowned annual tentpole programs, including the New York Jewish Film Festival, Dance on Camera, Film Comment Selects, Rendezvous with French Cinema, the New York African Film Festival, Open Roads: New Italian Cinema, Human Rights Watch Film Festival, the New York Asian Film Festival, Latinbeat, and Spanish Cinema Now. It operates two state-of-the-art, year-round cinemas – the Walter Reade Theater and the new Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center – and publishes the country’s most respected cinematic journal, Film Comment. Each year the organization presents its annual Gala Tribute honoring legendary stars and industry leaders of our generation at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada’s largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking and transaction processing services on a global basis. We employ approximately 74,000 full- and part-time employees who serve close to 15 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 55 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.
