Filmmaker. Summer 08.

The new issue of Filmmaker features the 10th annual survey of "25 New Faces of Independent Film" and, on the blog, Jason Guerrasio offers links to past roundups back to 2001, plus the names of those who made the grade from 1998 through 2000. And in a press release, Filmmaker announces "that five filmmakers from the list will participate in Nokia Productions' current film competition with director Spike Lee."

Three interviews from the Summer 08 issue are online: James Ponsoldt with Jay and Mark Duplass (Baghead), Damon Smith with James Marsh (Man on Wire), Mike Plante with Daft Punk (Electroma, "reminiscent of minimal yet powerful films from the 1970s explosion of studio funding meeting the artistic underground") and Nick Dawson with Alex Holdridge: "Sweet, sexy and sophisticated, In Search of a Midnight Kiss has been a huge crowd-pleaser at festivals worldwide and it seems inconceivable that, when the film is released here this summer through IFC, US audiences will not similarly fall in love with it."

"The future of the Internet, as with most aspects of our lives, is being determined behind our backs," warns David Rosen. "Awareness of the forces and issues driving these changes can help indie makers think through their relative position within the long-term development of the Internet."

"Today independent filmmakers find themselves in a wonderfully awkward position," writes Lance Weiler. "It is the best of times in terms of the ease of making work and the worst of times with regards to seeing profits from your efforts. This paradox creates an interesting opportunity for those willing to experiment with new models."

Making movies about real people raises a few legal challenges. Shelley H Surpin offers a quick guide to overcoming them.

"Some believe the key to 21st-century literacy will be something called 'systems thinking,' which is understanding how dynamic systems work, things like the eco-system and global warming - i.e. big systems made of interrelated parts that constantly change and affect one another. Like a videogame," writes Heather Chaplin. "And sure enough, games just may be the best way to teach people systems thinking."

Posted by dwhudson at July 22, 2008 1:05 PM