Carlo at Ashland Independent Film Festival

Back from Ashland and richer because of it.
The festival was wonderful,l but the people making it happen were even greater. Tom Olbrich, the executive director, could not have been more welcoming as was Jane Sage, the managing director. The Joanne Feinberg, the program director, brought together a constellation of beautiful and thought provoking movies. As for Laura Henneman, her courtesy and warmth made all the difference during my stay. Everybody was so helpful and passionate about the festival. IndieFlix was invited to speak at one of their many panels on the subject of “alternative” distribution. John Fitzgerald was the moderator and Jacques Thelemaque was the other panelist.

It should come to no surprise that the main topic at the panel was about the failure from distribution companies to provide filmmakers with a viable outcome for their movies. In the last decade we have seen the chasm between Hollywood and the independent filmmaker grow wider and wider. Advances have completely gone off the table and the prospect of making any money from a distribution deal is close to nil. Filmmakers have resigned themselves to literally give away their movies in return for the opportunity to have a handful of people see their work. For most filmmakers the festival circuit is the extent of exposure they will ever get. The irony of course is that most of these films have an audience that could make them a success, but have no means to reach that audience.
It is always interesting in these panels to see filmmakers beg the question, how do I get my movie distributed, knowing very well that the chances of making a return on their investment is practically non existent. It is very odd to me that most filmmakers will go through the pain, passion and agony of birthing a movie, but the moment the movie is in the can, the post production finished and the festival party is over, the same filmmaker will relinquish all control of their child to some unknown foster parent with the hope that they will raise that child the way they would have raised it themselves. This is the time to take control and reach that audience your film deserves.
More and more filmmakers are choosing to self-distribute their films and with success for the most part. The tools are out there and filmmakers are discovering that they are the best PR machines there is. One of these tools is IndieFlix, because we offer the opportunity to reach an audience, to cultivate that audience and to make a return for very little if any investment from the filmmaker.

The most engrossing part of my trip was the conversations I heard in lines, restaurant and coffee shops. The enthusiasm, the intelligence of the audience and their appreciation of the festival experience were overwhelming. It was wonderful to hear strangers in coffee shops exchanging notes on movies they just saw and the ones they were about to see. To bathe in this festival ambience was so rejuvenating and exhilarating and made all efforts in funding IndieFlix worth its while. This is the audience that will take a chance for art, and that will take a chance with the hope of discovering the next “Memento” the next “Sex, Lies and Video Tape.”  But also taking a chance means the opportunity of being disappointed. It was exciting to hear conversations between those same strangers, about the movies they did not like. It was as enlightening as those spirited conversations about the movies they did like. This is the IndieFlix audience.

It is indispensable that IndieFlix continue to cultivate the festival scene and to continue to spread the word. We are ever so dedicated to support festivals and the people who make it happen.