PRESS RELEASE
New York- July 25, 2019: Independent Filmmaker Project announced its IFP Project Forum slate, highlighting 143 feature-length and series projects in development and production set to participate in the upcoming 41st annual edition of IFP Week, September 15-19, in DUMBO, Brooklyn.
IFP’s Project Forum is the only international co-production market in the U.S. featuring stories for multiple platforms and hosting over 3,000 pre-scheduled artist and industry meetings dedicated to moving those projects forward. In addition, IFP Week presents a multi-day slate of talks, public screenings, and events celebrating bold storytelling in all its forms. Approximately 300 directors, writers, producers, executive producers, and other creators will attend the event this year to pitch their projects to a wide range of industry people.
“We are thrilled to launch the 41st edition of IFP Week with a renewed commitment to celebrating independent storytellers,” said Jeffrey Sharp, IFP executive director. “As the content industry shifts, and opportunities emerge for new and diverse voices, IFP finds itself squarely in the middle of the conversation yet again in its historic role at the forefront of discovery. I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this year’s event for what promises to be an unforgettable week.”
Over the past several years, industry attendees at IFP Week made early connections with the creators of works in current or upcoming distribution such as American Factory (Netflix); The Last Black Man in San Francisco (A24); Selah and the Spades (Amazon Studios); Knock Down the House (Netflix); The Hottest August (ITVS/Independent Lens/Grasshopper Film); Monos (Neon); Love, Gilda (CNN Films and Magnolia Pictures); Roll Red Roll (POV); Shirkers (Netflix); Crime + Punishment (Hulu); House of Hummingbird (Well Go USA); The Tale (HBO); Monsters and Men (Neon), Bathtubs over Broadway (Focus Features); Sorry to Bother You (Annapurna Pictures); Jinn (Orion Classics), and The Third Wife (Film Movement).
This year, in addition to an impressive number of first and second-time feature filmmakers, notable veterans and IFP alumni returning this year with new works include:
Narrative Highlights
New narrative films and series anchored by top producers and EPs include Belonging from Simone Ling, Bluets from Taylor Shung (Mickey and the Bear), Estado del Imperio from Nicolás Celis, The Starling Girl from Kara Durrett, Transmania from Ryan Cunningham, The Villager from Chris Ohlson (Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter), and Leche from Marttise Hill, Julius Pryor, and Shruti Ganguli.
Non-Fiction Highlights
New documentary features and series from top producers and executive producers include Bella from Susan Bedusa and Douglas Tirola (Bisbee ‘17), The Dilemma of Desire from Diane Quon (Minding the Gap), Naz from Elhum Shakerifar (A Syrian Love Story), Untitled Dwarfism Project from Jessica Devaney, Next Generation Sex from Rachel Lears (Knock Down the House), and Black Mothers and A Place to Learn from Sabrina Schmidt Gordon.
The 2019 Project Forum selections were curated by IFP’s full-time program staff, including Milton Tabbot, senior director of programming, and Charlotte Reekers, senior program manager, nonfiction and fiscal sponsorship (for Spotlight on Documentaries) and Zach Mandinach, director of narrative programming, and Gabriele Capolino, senior manager, episodic and international programming (for No Borders)
For the full Project Forum slate, go to:
Project Forum Spotlight Country: Portugal
The 2019 edition of the Project Forum features Portugal as the Spotlight Country. In partnership with ICA—Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual— eight projects (four narrative features in development, two work-in-progress documentaries, and two narrative series in development) will participate in the Project Forum, as well as attending bespoke programming for the attending representatives. The projects selected include new works from the most exciting rising directors, creators, and producers from Portugal.
Additional business and networking highlights of the week will include:
Producers Network
Taking place over the course of two days during IFP Week, the IFP Producers Network enables select fiction and nonfiction producers to take part in a series of intensive discussions and meetings with projects in the Project Forum in an effort to promote sustainability for U.S. and international producers. Invited participants in the Producers Network include all 2019 IFP Producer Fellows from year-round programs, including the Cannes Producers Network, the Rotterdam Lab, the IFP-Blackhouse Multicultural Producers Lab, as well as Portuguese producers from IFP’s 2019 partnership with ICA (Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual) in Lisbon.
Additional programming for IFP Week, including public programming, will be announced in the coming weeks.
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