The New Orleans Video Access Center (NOVAC) is a non-profit media group which helps cultivate a sustainable film community by providing access to resources, education and locally generated content. NOVAC does this through education, career development, community outreach, independent productions, and special events.
This year marks the 39th anniversary of NOVAC, the longest running media non-profit in the southeastern U.S. And to celebrate its birthday, the center is hosting Watch My Movie!, an in-depth panel discussion designed to inform independent filmmakers on the latest trends and methods for marketing their films and sharing them with an audience.
Held at the Contemporary Arts Center, Watch My Movie! will feature industry experts representing a range of backgrounds who will discuss how filmmakers are navigating these ever-changing waters through a variety of approaches including theatrical, educational, online, VOD, national tours and more. Watch My Movie! panelists will also speak about various film festivals and markets, packaging your film, and DIY models.
“At this time of disruption in the marketplace, it’s more important than ever for filmmakers to understand who their audience is, and how they are going to reach them,” says Ira Deutchman, an industry insider and featured panelist.
The expert panel is made up of:
- Gianna Chachere - of the Hamptons International Film Festival and Patois Film Festival
- Ira Deutchman - Pioneer in the independent film industry, FineLine Features founder, current Managing Partner of Emerging Pictures, and Film Professor/Head of Producing at Columbia University
- Andrew Mer - of SnagFilms, a website that offers advertising-supported documentary films on-demand
- Janine Saunders - of Workbook Project, an open creative network that provides insight into the process of funding, creating, distributing, and sustaining from one's artistic work in the digital age
- Todd Sklar - IFP Producers Lab, Range Life Entertainment (Exit Through The Gift Shop)
- The event will be moderated by Jolene Pinder of the New Orleans Film Society and Film Festival
Of the event, NOVAC Filmmaker Program Coordinator Ashley Charbonnet says,
With a commitment to cultivating a sustainable local film community, events like Watch My Movie! truly embody NOVAC’s mission. We hope that this event will provide filmmakers with a solid understanding of how they can market and distribute their films so that they ultimately reach audiences, whether through theatre screens, televisions, web videos or any other outlet for content that be may coming down the pike.
As we all know, the film industry in New Orleans, and in Louisiana in general, is booming. But it is not only the major studio productions coming to the Crescent City. Independent filmmaking has also exploded in the area. Organizations like NOVAC and NOFS help promote, encourage, and expand film knowledge and practice throughout the city, which only benefits this rapidly growing industry. And it is events like this that really make these organizations stand out. The Watch My Movie! panel is a truly unique and valuable asset to all of the local filmmaking and movie-loving community.
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Watch My Movie! will be held Thursday, July 14 at 7:00 pm at the Contemporary Arts Center (900 Camp St.).
After the panel there will be a small reception where we will celebrate 39 years of connecting filmmakers to the community by enjoying light refreshments and raffling off some great items from New Orleans Film Society, Movie Maker Magazine, HBO Series Tremé, Kodak, Panavision, Entertainment Partners & Movie Magic Software, The National WWII and Ogden Museums, The New Orleans Opera and Ballet Associations, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, local restaurants, cinemas, bookstores, and more. All proceeds from the raffle will go toward support of NOVAC and events like this.
Watch My Movie! is free and open to the public, however an optional donation of $10 will be accepted at the door. To make your door donation online or to support Watch My Movie! visit their donate page. To RSVP, visit the event’s Facebook Page.
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For more information on Watch My Movie! or how to contribute, please call 504-940-5780 or email NOVAC’s Filmmaker Program Coordinator: Ashley@novacvideo.org.
You can also visit New Orleans Video Access Center’s official website for more info on this and other events, plus other helpful information.
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