FFA is seeking new Board Members to begin service in January 2019. Interested FFA members should fill out this brief form. The deadline for nominations is December 24. A slate of candidates will be presented to the membership for voting in January, and they will be announced at the Annual Meeting. The current Board of Directors has set goals of inclusivity that guide our long term leadership development, and encourages all interested parties to apply.
The advanced registration rate for the 2019 Art House Convergence gathering has been extended! Now through December 12th, film festival professionals can register for $725 (individual) or $675 (more than 2 from the same organization.)
AHC is the largest gathering of art house cinema and film festival professionals in North America and is a must-attend event for anyone working in the independent cinema exhibition industry. Learn more about lodging and confirmed panels here.
Just in time for 2019 festival travel planning, FFA members now have access to the FFA Pass Exchange program! Members can add passes to the list and apply for available passes. Apply for as many as you’d like and give away two or an infinite number.
Applicants will entered into a lottery (if necessary) and will be drawn at random – there is no preferential treatment! Recipients will be notified shortly after the application deadline.
Art House Convergence is just two months away! This year’s conference goals include Community Building, Elevate the Conversation, Action Beyond the Conference and Equity and Inclusivity.
All festival professionals are welcome, and registration allows you access to any panel or session at the conference. Come find your people!
- Advanced Registration rates end November 29th. Click here for rates and dates.
- New lodging options have been added for this year. You can also check Airbnb & VRBO for other nearby properties.
- Complimentary busses are available at select times from SLC airport and then post-conference, back to SLC and on to Park City. Click here for times & reservations.
- FFA & AHC have announced several panels! A full conference agenda is coming soon.
Congratulations to the film festival organizers and programmers
who were selected for the FFA/SIO Diversity Pass Program, an initiative between the two organizations to encourage and cultivate diversity within the film festival industry. Out of 10 passes that will be comped or discounted, attendees represent 9 states and Canada, 9 are first-time Sundance Film Festival attendees, 8 are women, 6 are people of color, and 3 represent the LGBTQ community.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with our friends at the Film Festival Alliance, who share our passion and commitment to diversity, on expanding access to our Festival,” said Rosie Wong, Director, Industry Relations, Sundance Institute. “We’re eager to welcome the organizers of the many festivals that spotlight diverse points of view and experiences, and help them connect audiences to the bold, independent work we showcase.”
We looking forward to seeing everyone in Park City in January!
Comp Passes:
- Ian Damon Martin, Community Outreach Director, Middle Coast Film Festival (Chicago, IL)
- Patrice Francois, Co-Founder/Director, Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival (Brooklyn, NY)
- Kevin Sampson, Festival Director, DC Black Film Festival (Washington, DC)
- Savine Wong, Executive Director, Reel Asian International Film Festival (Toronto, Canada)
- Susan Chinsen, Founding Director, Boston Asian American Film Festival (Boston, MA)
Discounted Passes:
- Alyx Picard, Director of Festival and Operations, Dead Center Film Festival (Oklahoma City, OK)
- Kathryn Hecht, Founder/Director Alexander Film Festival (Sonoma County, CA)
- Anna Colavito, Founding Director, Scout Film Festival (Stowe, VT)
- LaSonya Thompson, Founder/Director, InterFaith Film & Music Festival (NY, NY)
- Rachel Morgan, Creative Director, Sidewalk Film Festival & Sidewalk Cinema (Birmingham, AL)
FFA’s third roundtable of 2018 takes place November 8-11 at the 24th annual Cucalorus Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina, sponsored by Eventive and FilmFreeway.
Open to all festival professionals, this 3-day workshop/festival experience will focus on the Human Capital it takes to run a film festival, with discussion topics including HR, seasonal staff, volunteer management and board partnerships, as well as specific sessions on data management, print traffic & DCP logistics. Additionally, the gathering will include networking events, group activities, FFA’s signature Meet the Festivals session, and a host of unexpected artistic collisions as we dive deep into the 24th annual Cucalorus Festival. Click here to see the session lineup and here to register now.
A number of complimentary Cucalorus Festival industry passes will be available by lottery for FFA members who register by October 21. Additional, deeply discounted passes will be available for members as well. (Industry passes allow full access to everything Cucalorus. To see a full list of Cucalorus films, stage, music and off-screen events, click here.
Thank you to our sponsors, Eventive and Film Freeway.
FFA has partnered with SXSW to extend discounted rates on registrations to attend the 2019 South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference & Festivals. FFA members will be able to access exclusive pricing for this year’s SXSW event that extends to all badge types: Interactive, Film, Music, and Platinum.
SXSW celebrates the convergence of technology, film, and music industries. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery.
To activate the discount, FFA Members should Login > Resources > Activate Member Resources > SXSW Registration Discount.
FFA has announced a new partnership with the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, the official arts and film agency for the state of Kansas, which is dedicated to supporting the role the arts play in economic and community development. Together, the two organizations will present workshop, Developing A Flourishing Film Festival, on October 18th at Harvester Arts (215 N. Washington) in Wichita.
“Film festivals are a critical part of the cultural landscape in Kansas,” said Peter Jasso, Director of the KCAIC. “They provide communities a mechanism for sharing personal experiences across space and time and the opportunity to participate in a global conversation with artists and audiences from around the world. KCAIC views their continued development as critical to its mission of supporting the arts statewide.”
Film organizations, festivals and potential festivals from across the state, will gather for conversation centered around mission and organizational structure, developing audiences and indie cinema culture amongst new generations and regional communities, and the benefits and drawbacks, of curating and presenting independent cinema in the heartland region. The discussion will be led by FFA Board Member & Festival Consultant Jon Gann, and Lela Meadow-Conner, FFA’s Executive Director, both of whom were intimately involved in founding festivals.
Presented as the first annual conference, attendees will also provide feedback as to how to grow connections and collaborations between Kansas-area festivals. Festival organizers will then participate in FFA’s signature Meet the Festivals panel, at the 16th annual Tallgrass Film Festival, which is designed to create an open dialogue to increase transparency between film festival professionals and filmmakers.
As the largest annual gathering of Art House cinema and festival professionals, community leaders, service providers and suppliers, the annual conference attracts participants from across the world.
By defining our field, creating a shared vision and vocabulary, and identifying best practices, the educational components of the Art House Convergence annual conference strengthen efforts to sustain Art House cinemas and film festivals of various sizes, operating structures and programming philosophies.
The goal of the annual conference is to engage art house theaters, film festivals, film societies, museums and other exhibition-oriented organizations through a variety of topics. Read More >
Looking for a few good folks?
In the spirit of collaboration (and sheer necessity,) we’re creating a database of seasonal festival staff, and our members have the exclusive ability to view potential hires with film festival experience, for their upcoming festivals.
Please help us spread the word within the film festival community so that we can share in each other’s successes, and cultivate future generations of festival professionals to help create a sustainable environment for our industry. Learn more >