distribution

We are still on for today, despite the season's first snow!

Presented in Partnership with Philadelphia Independent Film & Video Association (PIFVA)

Robert West, co-founder and executive of Working Films, will present a workshop focused on audience engagement strategies and new non-traditional distribution tactics for social issue media. The focus will be on creating new partners and pathways to reach audiences, turning them into impassioned viewers – so when the lights come up they are ready to act. It’s about meeting two goals for filmmakers: FANS IN SEATS and, if you are passionate about the issue in your film, authentic and measurable CHANGE. We’ll look at models of partnerships and how these come together into strategic campaigns – or strategies for distribution – for your film. For perhaps the first time, real independence is possible, with new models for filmmakers to reach wide audiences are emerging every day, many supported by partnerships with NGOs, activists, and funders. You bring them CONTENT, they bring you INTENT, and together there is IMPACT. The workshop will start with case studies and background; then Robert will invite participants to speak about their individual films or projects so the group can focus on meeting specific challenges and opportunities.

After a mighty effort, you are nearing completion of your film and starting to face what’s next: How to send it out into the world.

Perhaps you’ve developed a distribution strategy, but are now confronted by a bewildering number of diverse film festivals. This workshop will provide an overview of the film festival world, how festival programmers make their decisions, discuss some general things about film festivals you need to understand, and present strategies for navigating a course that’s best for you and your film.

Presented in partnership with PIFVA.org

A workshop for film and video programmers and curators

Film festivals and cultural film/video exhibition are not only something of an utopian enterprise, they have been called out as “one of the last hopes for [media] democracy”, by critic B. Ruby Rich. Programmers and curators have considerable responsibility – to the artists, the art, their community and audience, themselves (their vision or cause), and their colleagues, just for example. This workshop will explore ideas and best practices of the challenging work of programming film and video work for the public.

Presented in partnership with PIFVA.org