May 25, 2012

Grassroots Moviemaker: Moviemakers Make a Difference

by Timothy Rhys | Published January 21, 2009

The Winter 2009 issue kicks off our 16th year, and many of you will be reading it for the first time at the Sundance Film Festival, which is always a favorite destination of mine. Although I’ll be at Sundance again this year, I don’t get to travel to as many festivals as I once did. I’ve discovered that juggling careers as a film producer and magazine publisher while moonlighting as a married father of three tends to put a damper on many travel aspirations. But getting an invitation to the Bahamas International Film Festival in December was an offer I had a hard time passing up, and I’m glad I didn’t.

Like Sundance in microcosm, BIFF proved to be everything a film festival should be, from its powerful movies and lavish parties to its constant opportunities to connect with other directors and producers, and readers of this magazine. MovieMaker’s festival coverage has always been extensive and our festival distribution wide for just this reason—film festivals are a parallel expression of what we do, which is to provide a vehicle that brings together the audience and the artist in an atmosphere of encouragement and support that educates as well as it entertains. When I started publishing MovieMaker in 1993 there were approximately 450 festivals in the U.S. In 2009 the best estimate I could find puts that total at 4,000 worldwide. One of them is undoubtedly near you, no matter where you are while reading this magazine. Be sure to attend it next time it comes around. Volunteer if you can. The experience will be one that will enrich you in ways you can’t imagine, and you’ll be introduced to some of the most creative, fascinating people you could ever hope to meet.

My wife, Jessica, and I met two moviemakers who fit that mold within an hour of landing at BIFF. We were seated at dinner next to writer-director Philippe Diaz and producer Beth Portello of Cinema Libre Studio, who recently completed a very moving documentary called The End of Poverty? You can read about them in the Winter 2009 issue, as they’re part of our feature article on Moviemakers Making a Difference. After documenting dozens of crushing cases of poverty around the world and talking to experts to try to understand why poverty like this still exists, Philippe and Beth started a nonprofit called The Filmanthropy Project, whose mission statement is: We believe that movies should make a difference. As filmmakers and distributors, we are fortunate to be able to travel the world, meet interesting people, learn about other cultures AND make movies. But we also believe that we should give back. We know that we can’t solve all the problems of the world. But bit-by-bit, through a community of filmmakers, we hope to make a difference.

I copied that verbatim because I couldn’t say it better. We hope to make a difference. The Filmanthropy Project aims to do that by providing “funds and resources to organizations in underpowered communities.” To me, artists like Philippe and Beth are shining examples of the potential that independent moviemakers have to accomplish something significant with our work. And even if we don’t create documentaries that expressly deal with the world’s problems, as Philippe does, the fact that we work in a medium that exists to communicate the human condition suggests that we all have a responsibility to improve that condition.

Another moviemaker who’s giving back is my friend Ed Vincent, who founded the Kate Shea Foundation, which funds Leukemia research organizations and furthers “the cultural and academic education of youths as they strive to understand and accept global diversity.” Ed is also a producer and “serial entrepreneur” who just started an exciting new organization called myProducer.tv, which holds great promise for independent moviemakers. With myProducer, Ed hopes to help solve the three problems every moviemaker faces, regardless of past success: Financing, audience-building and distribution. He plans to do this by building an online community that will give moviemakers the tools they need for effective collaboration—things like personal profiles, video capabilities, blogging and general connectivity. Moviemakers are given control over who can see certain content and can invite others to become cast and crew members on their projects. They’re given tools “that will make myProducer familiar to the MySpace generation.”

While moviemakers like Philippe and Ed own their own companies and have the resources to start foundations, I realize it’s hard to think about ways to give back when you’re worried about paying the rent. As the bad news barrage about the economy continues relentlessly (and I know I’m not the only one who’s convinced that the media is responsible for exacerbating the problem), more moviemakers are giving some thought to whether it makes sense to live where they currently live. The Winter 2009 issue includes the ninth annual edition of our very popular Best Places to Live as a Moviemaker survey, and it contains several surprises (at least to me) this year. (Des Moines, anyone?) The economic might of the movie industry is giving hope to communities all across the nation, and I hope yours is one of the top 25 on our list. If not, do something about it, either by moving or by getting your legislature to wake up. It’s mystifying to me why so many states still refuse to do what it takes to give their cinema artists and craftspeople a fighting chance. Again, the only way to do something about this is to get involved.

Lastly, a plug for MovieMaker itself: Please visit check out our new blogs and features on MovieMaker.com—I know you’ll find them useful and fun. And while you’re here, take a moment to subscribe. If you’re a moviemaker I promise this small act of faith will save you money in the long run. We may be the most widely-read independent movie magazine on the planet, but we still need you to join us—so please subscribe today.

As always, thanks for your support. Happy moviemaking—we’ll see you in the spring. MM

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COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT

Comment by will on 1/21/09 at 3:27 pm: I am a middle school teacher who was recently assigned one section of a video editing/ storytelling elective class. There is no curriculum and very little equipment but the big problem is that i am a History teacher. I have very training in this realm. What advice can you give me?
Comment by France Travel Guide on 4/24/09 at 5:23 am: My kid is taking this type of class in college. He is getting alot out of class. I am hoping he starts to make movies and bring me along.