Top 10 Cities to be a Moviemaker: 2012

by Julie Jacobs | Published Jan. 16, 2012

It’s been more than 10 years since MovieMaker began citing the best cities to be an independent moviemaker—those places that go the extra mile in welcoming lower-budget productions just as much as they do the “big guns.” Whether through production support and assistance, tax incentives and waivers, local and experienced crew bases or all of the above, certain cities are becoming go-to locales for indie film production, offering moviemakers the biggest bang for their limited bucks. (No comments yet)

Daron Ker on Biker Bars, Baseball and Cambodian Heritage

by Samantha Husik

Our past informs our present and our future. For moviemaker Daron Ker, his past as a Cambodian refugee has informed his career as a director of documentaries. In Rice Field of Dreams, Ker follows a refugee’s return to Cambodia to start the nation’s first baseball team, while his I Ride tells the very different story of The Fryed Brothers Band, famous among American bikers. Ker, who is now in pre-production on his film Holiday in Cambodia, about a Cambodian deported from the U.S., spoke with MovieMaker about the pride he feels in his Cambodian heritage, the inspiration for his films and his first foray into narrative moviemaking.

Dan Hannon Visits The Pond

by Hugh Cunningham

Short films don't always get the respect they deserve. You can see Transformers anywhere, but it takes a dedicated fan to track down a short film he or she wants to see. Unless they are attached to the beginning of a Pixar movie, short films have a very limited theatrical exposure to the public.

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The Challenges (and Rewards) of Big Miracle

by Rebecca Pahle
Let's not beat around the bush: Directing a movie with ten major characters sounds pretty tough. Directing a movie with ten major characters, a bunch of non-professional actors and three massive animatronic whales that can only be reached for repairs by diving into some pretty chilly water? Even tougher. Shooting in Alaska, where one of the only weather conditions that stays consistent from day to day is the freezing cold? Was Big Miracle director Ken Kwapis nuts?! (No comments yet)

Lessons From the Jungle

by Lavinia Currier
Director Lavinia Currier’s (Passion in the Desert) film Oka! is based on the unpublished memoir of ethnomusicologist Louis Sarno, a New Jersey native who has lived with the Bayaka pygmies in the southwestern part of the Central African Republic (CAR) for more than 25 years as a welcome member of their community. Currier shot most of the film in the remote jungles of CAR with a cast comprised primarily of members of the Bayaka tribe. Here, Currier describes the most important lessons she will take away from this extreme and profound experience. (5 comments)

Aaron Yeger Discovers A People Uncounted

by Kyle Rupprecht
In his feature directorial debut A People Uncounted, directed Aaron Yeger sheds light on the story of the Roma, commonly referred to as Gypsies. While the Roma have to a large extent been romanticized in popular culture, the real-life intolerance and persecution, both past and present, inflicted upon them has been largely ignored. With his documentary, Yeger explores the rich culture of the Roma, linking their present state to the tragedies of their past, notable among them the murder of an estimated 500,000 of the Roma during the Holocaust. (1 comment)

Ami Canaan Mann Visits Texas Killing Fields

by Ami Canaan Mann
The world outside the camera and the world inside the camera. On the set of Texas Killing Fields, the world outside the camera is the swamps of Louisiana in July and it is hot. Really, really motherfucking hot.
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The Montana Film Office Wants You to “Pitch the 406”

by Samantha Husik
As all indie moviemakers know, one of the toughest parts of getting a film made happens well before the first day of shooting: Fundraising. But there’s some good news for every moviemaker who wants to get the money and just start making their movie already (so, all of them): The Montana Film Office’s recently-launched “Pitch the 406” contest is giving moviemakers the opportunity to win $20,000 worth of production equipment and labor, including access to rent-free equipment and an experienced local crew. (1 comment)

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