tromadance independent soul award afm

On November 5 in Santa Monica, CA, during the American Film Market, TromaDance will announce its winner of the Independent Soul Award. It goes without saying that it takes a huge amount of talent and technical skill to make a watchable movie. There are awards for writing, directing, acting and editing but how often are people recognized for the sheer heart it takes to push a production to its completion? In theory, someone has to be there from the coffee-stained pages that will eventually feature a screenplay to the crew calls that start at 4:00 a.m. to editing sessions that end at 4:00 a.m. And what about that someone who takes it upon him or herself to scour the country for budding talent by sitting through hours upon hours of obscure film festival screenings. The very least that can be said about this theoretical person is that he or she has soul.

According to TromaDance publicist, Clyde Folley, the individual who is to receive the Independent Soul Award “will be someone of great spirit who contributes greatly to the world of independent film.” The award will be presented in front of such notable film vets as Fred Williamson, Oscar-winner Mark Harris and TromaDance founder Lloyd Kaufman. No organization is more suited to give an award of this kind than TromaDance, a bastion of integrity on the independent film festival circuit. Requiring no fees for submissions or attendance, this is a festival that showcases films that may not have the budget of an official Sundance Selection, but every bit as much soul.