Hey, Have You Heard The News?

Some big announcements about this year's festival. Check out these items from our Newsletter:

THE INDUSTRY CHOICE AWARD
New this year, all films selected for the festival will be in consideration for the Industry Choice Award.  What's this?  One film (could be a doc, music video or narrative) will be announced at the Closing Awards Ceremony.  The winning filmmaker will receive a meeting with a high profile industry director, producer or executive (to be announced later).   Last year's unofficial industry choice was Audience Award winner, 'GO FOR IT!' filmmaker, Carmen Marron, who sat down for a meeting with Lucas Foster and stepped that much closer to her deal with LIONSGATE.  [GO FOR IT! will be released nationwide May 2011.]

ADOBE's in the HOUSE!!  
ADOBE, the leading company helping artists create, deliver and optimize compelling content, joins Dances With Films for year 14!  "We are very excited to announce that Adobe is joining the DWF family," stated Michael Trent, co-founder of DWF, "they are one of the most significant platform designers helping filmmakers realize their vision."   

PANELS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO TODAY'S INDIE FILMMAKER 
While DWF has long focused on the films that make the indie circuit great, we have also produced a limited number of panels that are relevant to what's happening in the indie world. Instead of panels that are geared toward a Beginners' "How to?" we prefer to stay focused on "Where to?" As in: 'Where do you go from here?'... DWF has put together a couple of amazing panels for the June 2011 festival that are sure to be heavily attended: Panelists will include: Award-winning Casting Director, Deborah Aquila (Sex, Lies & Videotape, Shawshank Redemption, Smart People), Manager/Producer JC Spink (I Am Number Four, The Ring, upcoming Arthur) and Alcon Entertainment's SVP/Producer, Steven Wegner (The Book of Eli, The Blind Side).  Click here for more information.

We are getting close to our final deadline for submissions, which means different things to different people.

• If you have already submitted, our final deadline means you're that much closer to hearing from us. Things get wild and crazy on this blog right around that time, so keep an eye out. A word to the wise – you're not out of the running until you get that sad e-mail from us that says thanks, but no thanks. Up until then, we are furiously trying to fill slots.
  
• If you haven't submitted, then it means you need to get a move on! Do those final edits of the slow rambling walking with the bad piano plunks accompaniment and get that DVD over to us ASAP.
  
• If you don't have a movie to submit, then get to your computers, typewriters, or sticks in sand and start writing a 2-minute (2-page) or less script to submit to the 2-Minute 2-Step short film challenge. You can make a movie during the festival that gets screened in the theatre the next night! How fun is that? Plus, we give great prizes to the winner.
  

Okay, back to watching movies.

Thanks for reading.