DIFF | Dallas International Film Festival’s Post

Students from the Valencia College Film Production Technology program have been working on feature films for more than 25 years — a unique partnership that benefits movie producers and directors, as well as students who are learning the craft on the set. 🎬 This year, their classwork took them to Lake Jesup in Seminole County and Jungle Adventures in Christmas, Florida, where they worked alongside filmmaker Michael Houston King on "Lake Jesup: Bonecrusher's Revenge," the tale of a killer gator. 🐊 Now, the college's film program leaders are working with Orange County's Film Incentive Workgroup to come up with a plan to lure filmmakers back to Central Florida. 📺 Watch the full Spectrum News 13 Orlando story: https://bit.ly/41lEv2O Valencia College Alumni

New Jersey took a bold step in reshaping its cinematic future today as Diane Raver, founder of the Garden State Film Festival, a long term WORKHOUSE client, unveiled the New Jersey Film Academy — a project that has been years in the making. Launching this January at Brookdale Community College, the Academy will expand to 13 community colleges statewide, offering practical training to build a film-ready workforce and solidifying the state’s reputation as a growing hub for the industry. Currently, New Jersey boasts 15 major studio films in production or pre-production—more than California, New York, and Georgia combined. With Netflix, Lionsgate , and other major players building state-of-the-art facilities, the industry here is poised for exponential growth. This is more than a moment of progress; it’s a homecoming. New Jersey, the birthplace of film—from Edison’s first motion picture camera in Menlo Park to Fort Lee’s reign as America’s original filmmaking capital—is reclaiming its legacy. Backed by competitive incentives, a dynamic film office, and one of the most diverse landscapes in the country, the Garden State is proving it’s not just part of the story—it’s where the future of film is being written.

New Jersey took a bold step in reshaping its cinematic future today as Diane Raver, founder of the Garden State Film Festival, a long term WORKHOUSE client, unveiled the New Jersey Film Academy — a project that has been years in the making. Launching this January at Brookdale Community College, the Academy will expand to 13 community colleges statewide, offering practical training to build a film-ready workforce and solidifying the state’s reputation as a growing hub for the industry. Currently, New Jersey boasts 15 major studio films in production or pre-production—more than California, New York, and Georgia combined. With Netflix, Lionsgate , and other major players building state-of-the-art facilities, the industry here is poised for exponential growth. This is more than a moment of progress; it’s a homecoming. New Jersey, the birthplace of film—from Edison’s first motion picture camera in Menlo Park to Fort Lee’s reign as America’s original filmmaking capital—is reclaiming its legacy. Backed by competitive incentives, a dynamic film office, and one of the most diverse landscapes in the country, the Garden State is proving it’s not just part of the story—it’s where the future of film is being written.

As we traveled to film festivals over the past four years, there is one discussion I had with a young film maker that is burned into my memory. His movie was rejected from most all faith based film festivals because his movie dealt with drugs and had violence in it. He made the movie for almost zero dollars with high school friends. It was truly worthy of recognition. The keynote speaker just spent an hour talking about how "We have a seat at Hollywood's Table now!" He looked at me and said "But I don't have a seat at the table here." I knew then that we had to change things. We needed to do two things. 1. Recognize legitimate talent regardless of age. 2. Create a way to build audiences and marketplaces for newer content shunned by older faith based generations. Young talent. Young audiences. New Genres. Science Fiction. Adult Animation. Comedy. Action/Adventure. That's the secret. So we started the work on Fridge Magnet and today we're opening up the opportunity for all filmmakers who want to change the world, young or old to get their project noticed, published and streaming to an audience. As the name implies, Fridge Magnet's are used to highlight new artists and their work. And we are excited to have a continual showcase for new and upcoming talent who are bold risk takers and story tellers. Think of Fridge Magnet as the film festival that never ends. Tell the world.

Orange County aims to ‘resurrect’ film industry with new film incentive program “A proposal is expected to come before the Orange County Commission in February or March for approval.”

One of Hollywood’s biggest nights of the year is right around the corner! The Oscars are this Sunday and are set to spotlight the year’s biggest and most notable films. The requirements for an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nomination are high, and often big-budget movie companies are the only ones able to produce high-end films that meet the requirements year after year. For example, Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures have the financial means to produce films like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” while smaller production teams struggle to bear the financial toll it takes to meet the Academy’s high-priced requirements. This issue cannot help but beg the question: How much privilege do Academy nominations reflect? The SOJC’s very own Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning Professor of Documentary and Film Studies Mitchell Block shares his commentary on the economics of film distribution and its role in Academy nominations in this article from Marketplace. “The small companies don’t have the resources to open the film in that many theaters in that many markets,” Block said. Read the rest of Block’s commentary here: https://lnkd.in/gcnFZc7j To learn more about Professor Mitchell Block, click here: https://lnkd.in/g4v9fjMK

New Rules: navigating film’s unfixed future Launched earlier this year New Rules is a series from WeTransfer that aims to demystify the ever-changing creative industry today and explores how to thrive as an artist when so much around you seems to be in a constant state of flux. This series on the film industry, with insider knowledge from a fantastic group of filmmakers and producers, including Opal Films’ own Octavia Peissel https://lnkd.in/ea8NgfBG

The Rise of Independent Cinema: Why Film Critics Are Overlooking Hidden Gems – Programmkino.de - CineRecap.com Article Link - https://lnkd.in/dN27GMa2 Süddeutsche Zeitung Filmseite Closure Sparks Concerns in the Film Industry In a time where quality film reviews are becoming scarce, the decision of Süddeutsche Zeitung to discontinue its "Filmseite" has raised eyebrows among cinephiles and industry insiders alike. The move has prompted the AG Kino – Gilde and numerous film professionals to voice their discontent, […] #MovieReviews #WebSeriesAnalysis #StreamingInsights #FilmCritique #EntertainmentNews #StorytellingReviews #OTTContent #BingeWatchGuides #CinemaTrends #FilmAnalysis #StreamingPlatforms #CinematicExperience #MovieRecommendations #SeriesRecap #FilmLovers #StreamingUpdates #MovieInsights #OTTNews #CineCritique #BingeWorthyContent #FilmReviews #OTTUpdates #MovieTrends #StreamingRecommendations #CinematicWorld #FilmDiscussion #SeriesReviews #CinephileCommunity #EntertainmentGuides #MovieExploration

Recently, film scholars expressed concern about the spiralling trend of social media film reviewers, who reduce a film to just ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Experts are now offering academic courses on film appreciation. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/g5KSJn9t #filmreview #filmcriticism #filmmakers #socialmedia #filmstudies

We usually don't brag, (although as a professional, I understand how important it is). However, in this case, it's about the new direction of activity for the ART SANS FRONTIERES - PONT DE LA PAIX association. In this association, I am not only the director of the BRIDGE OF PEACE film festival but also the head of the film project development and analysis department. This direction was opened just a few months ago at the request of screenwriters who really need help in realizing their accumulated ideas. Specifically, we prepare film projects for pitching, which means presenting them to investors and potential partners for co-production. Recently, we received such a pitch request from American filmmaker and actor Dan Morgan. He is the author and director of a whole series of short comedy films made for American TV, but this time his project is a feature-length comedy inspired by the film "Back to the Future." Yesterday, we sent Dan a 20-page pitch project, and here is his feedback: "Overall, the pitch looks amazing! Thank you very much." But our work is not yet finished. Ahead is the development of the design for the video presentation, preparation of slides for the hall presentation, inclusion of a brief version of the pitch in our catalog, which the ASFPP association will distribute at the San Sebastian Film Festival in September (where we will also organize an independent event - a pitching session for festival participants). We will then participate in the Classic Film Market in Lyon in October 2024. If you also have an unfinished film project, you still have time until August 1 to get on our train, so we can publish your project in the mentioned catalog and present it at film festivals in France and Spain. An online version of the catalog will also be available. Our nearest events are here: https://lnkd.in/ePsFDy6S More about pitching: https://lnkd.in/ejeUPVRs