2012 Film Independent Forum Delivers Apps, Opportunities And A
Memorable Keynote Address From Academy Award® nominated Director
John Singleton
LOS ANGELES, CA (October 22, 2012) - Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that
produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, brought its annual Film
Independent Forum for 2012 to a close this past weekend. In addition to providing aspiring filmmakers
with its wide array of panels and networking opportunities, it continued its tradition on delivering an
always-memorable keynote address.
This year's speaker was Academy Award® nominated director John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood,
Abduction, Four Brothers) who took the stage to bestow his knowledge on the crowd of Forum
attendees. Taking his cue from past year's speakers, Singleton took the opportunity to drop knowledge
and expletives in what can only be described as a "real" point of view of his experiences and
understanding of how the industry works.
To check highlights from the speech as well as his exclusive interview with Film Independent visit
www.filmindependent.org or YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HYUtkrq1Xg&feature=youtu.be
The 2012 Forum also introduced the first ever Movie Hackathon (www.zefrhackathon.com) sponsored
by ZEFR, Inc. and Co.Create from Fast Company. The event, which took place at the Venice office of
ZEFR, Inc., brought together teams of programmers to build new apps for filmmakers and film lovers.
After 41 hours of coding, the top three were selected with each receiving a cash prize.
The winning teams and apps were:
1st Prize – Team: Deutsch LA Junior Varsity Team
Pop Over
A host your own movie party app that allows you to invite as many Facebook friends as you like
while limiting the number of RSVPs to the actual capacity of your living room. Friends can sign
up to bring drinks and snacks, as well as allowing the user to purchase the selected movie
directly from the app via existing digital retail channels like Amazon etc.
2nd Prize – Team: Bio Digital Jazz
Cin Fes
Film Festivals are amazing platforms to launch a new movie, Film Festival websites…not so
much. CinFes is a movie first application with an elegant user interface that positions the movie
poster as the key element for interactivity. Bios, bylines, and synopses are deftly concealed to
celebrate the key movie-marketing asset – a killer poster. Festival attendees can indicate which
fest film they're going to check out and invite their friends to tag along via social media.
3rd Prize – Team: Code Frat
Act Roulette
Tapping the popular social phenomenon, Chat Roulette, Act Roulette allows fans and actors
hoping to beef up on delivering their favorite movie lines to interact with each other via a live
video chat feature. Famous clips containing famous quotes form the structure of the chat rooms
and users can sign up to pop into those rooms to go head-to-head with other performers. An
engaging way to bring movies to life, and maximize your acting chops anonymously.
Additionally, this past weekend’s Forum provided attendees one-on-one networking opportunities with
key film industry executives as well as informative panels that covered all aspects of independent film
production, marketing, distribution, and more. Panelist highlights included, filmmaker Jay Duplass (Jeff,
Who Lives At Home, Cyrus), producer/director Rory Kennedy (Ethel, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib)
writer/director Sheldon Candis (LUV), producer Kevin Iwashina (Jiro Dreams of Sushi),
director/producer Ondi Timoner (We Live In Public, Dig!), writer/director Lynn Shelton (Your Sister’s
Sister, Humpday), producer Ram Bergman (Looper, Brick), and more.
Images from the 2012 Film Independent Forum can be found on WireImage at the following link:
http://www.wireimage.com/search/#events?q=film%20independent%20forum%202012&s=1
The 2012 Film Independent Forum was presented by Indiewire, the leading news, information and
networking site for independent-minded filmmakers, the industry and moviegoers alike. Additional
sponsors include Premier Sponsors SAGIndie/Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of America,
IMDbPro and Principal Sponsors Universal Studios, Montana Film Office, Korean Film Council
(KOFIC), PUMit from UbicMedia, ZEFR and Co.Create from Fast Company. Icelandic Glacial Natural
Spring Water is the Official Water and Renwood Winery is the Official Wine for the Film Independent
Forum.
About Film Independent
Film Independent is a nonprofit arts organization that champions independent film and supports a
community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent
helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects, and works to diversify the
film industry. Film Independent’s Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff, and constituents, is comprised of
an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexual orientation.
Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry
professional, or a film lover.
Film Independent produces the Spirit Awards, the annual celebration honoring artist-driven films and
recognizing the finest achievements of American independent filmmakers. Film Independent also
produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, showcasing the best of American and international cinema and
the Film Independent at LACMA Film Series, a year-round, weekly program that offers unique
cinematic experiences for the Los Angeles creative community and the general public.
With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of likeminded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent’s Artist Development
program offers free Labs for selected writers, directors, producers and documentary filmmakers and
presents year-round networking opportunities. Project Involve is Film Independent’s signature program
dedicated to fostering the careers of talented filmmakers from communities traditionally
underrepresented in the film industry. For more information or to become a member, visit
www.filmindependent.org.
For more information, contact:
Greg Longstreet
glonstreet@filmindependent.org
310.432.1287
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