The Indie Memphis Film Festival,

A non-profit organization founded in 1983 and dedicated to the promotion and development of tourism through the Southeast, the Southeast Tourism Society is composed of about 800 organizations representing travel-related businesses in 12 states.

Indie Memphis, which will mark the festival's 15th anniversary this November 1 - 4, has added The Circuit Playhouse to the list of festival venues that also includes Playhouse on the Square, Malco Theatre's Studio on the Square, and the Dorothy K. Hohenberg Auditorium at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

The inclusion on the Southeast Tourism Society's list is the third honor Indie Memphis has received since last year's festival. The non-profit organization was awarded a $10,000 grant by the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that holds the Academy Awards.

Indie Memphis also was honored by Carnival Memphis with an Award of Excellence in recognition of outstanding achievement and service to the movie & film industry and the mid-south community.

"It is an honor to have our festival recognized by the Southeast Tourism Society in time for its 15th anniversary this November," said Indie Memphis executive director Erik Jambor. "Our secret Midtown event is becoming less and less of a secret."

Tickets for both the Summer Classic Movie Series and the Cinema Social Club are just $7 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under and may be purchased at The Orpheum Theatre Box Office two hours prior to movie start time. Doors open one hour prior to movie start time. A 10-ticket pack is available for $50 in advance at The Orpheum Theatre Box Office or the ticket counter at The Booksellers at Laurelwood and may be used in any combination for any movie in the series. For more information, please call (901) 525-3000 or visit www.orpheum-memphis.com.

The event, “An Evening With Don Hertzfeldt,” is presented by Indie Memphis, the ArtsMemphis supported 501(c)3 non-profit organization which runs the annual Indie Memphis Film Festival, celebrating its 15^th anniversary this November.

Advance tickets are available here for $10 plus service fees. Indie Memphis members may purchase their tickets at a $2 discount.

Hertzfeldt’s Memphis visit is part of a nationwide theatrical tour in support of his latest film, the 23-minute “It’s such a beautiful day,” the third and final chapter in a trilogy about a mysterious man named Bill.  In 2008 and 2009, Hertzfeldt went on a similar 22-city theatrical tour in support of the second chapter in the series, “I am so proud of you,” which screened as part of the 2009 Indie Memphis Film Festival. The April 18 event is the tour’s first stop in Memphis.

During “An Evening with Don Hertzfeldt,” the entire animated trilogy will be screened together for the first time using new 35 mm prints, along with a selection of Hertzfeldt’s earlier work.  An on-stage interview and audience chat will immediately follow the screening.

Hertzfeldt, 36, is the creator of many short animated films, including the Academy Award-nominated “Rejected.” His animated films have been presented around the world and have received more than 150 awards, including a Short Film Palm D’or nomination at the Cannes Film Festival (“Billy’s Balloon”), the Sundance Film Festival’s Jury Award in Short Filmmaking (“Everything will be OK”), and Best Picture and Best Screenplay from the Fargo Film Festival (“I am so proud of you”). Before the age of thirty, his films already were the subject of several career retrospectives.

Hertzfeldt was the youngest director named in the “They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They” list of the “100 Important Animation Directors” of all time and. In 2010, he received the San Francisco International Film Festival’s “Persistence of Vision” Lifetime Achievement Award at the age of 33.

The Indie Memphis Film Festival, nationally-ranked as one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” and “25 Best Film Festival Investments” by MovieMaker magazine, has set November 1 through November 4 as the date for this year’s 15^th annual festival. For 2012, Indie Memphis has added The Circuit Playhouse to its list of festival venues that also includes Playhouse on the Square, Malco Theatre’s Studio on the Square, and the Dorothy K. Hohenberg Auditorium at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

If you're not able to make it in person, you can watching live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/afft-meeting. A video of the meeting will also be posted on the AFFT website.

For more info, read John Beifuss' article in today's Commercial Appeal here, and the Nashville Scene's recent coverage here.

For more info, contact Jan Falk, AFFT W. TN board member at gandjfalk@comcast.net

The 15^th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival – set to take place November 1-4 at the Playhouse on the Square, The Circuit Playhouse, the Studio on the Square, and the Brooks Museum of Art – is a two-time Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences grant recipient, nationally ranked by MovieMaker magazine as one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” and “25 Best Film Festival Investments.”

“We are thrilled to have Craig Brewer and Gary Lendermon join our board of directors,” said executive director Erik Jambor of Indie Memphis. “Their experience and expertise will help our organization continue its growth and better serve the Memphis community.”

Craig BrewerOther Indie Memphis board members include Les Edwards, Erin Hagee, Kerry Hayes, Adam Hohenberg, John Hubbell, Dorothy Kirsch, Pat Mitchell Worley, Susan Murrmann, Iddo Patt and Jason Wexler.

Craig Brewer wrote and directed the critically acclaimed, Hustle & Flow, which won the Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and the Academy Award for best song for "Hard Out Here For A Pimp." He moved on to direct Black Snake Moan with Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Timberlake. His remake of Footloose, starring newcomers Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough, was released in theaters in October 2011. Born in Virginia, Craig moved to Northern California and spent his childhood summers in Memphis. He grew up writing and directing plays in school, ultimately landing at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco before moving back and settling in Memphis with his wife, Jodi. After his father's untimely death, Craig used the small inheritance to make his first feature, shot on digital video, The Poor & Hungry, which became a hit on the festival circuit. Currently, he is writing Tarzan for Warner Brothers. 

Gary LendermonGary W. Lendermon joined the firm in 2005 to oversee all facets of the growing regional firm’s internal and external communications and marketing efforts.  He has more than 30 years of experience in the marketing and communications field, having served as a divisional president for Archer Malmo, a Memphis, Tenn.-based AAAA advertising agency. He began his career in advertising with an international marketing services firm in New York and graduated at the University of Memphis with a bachelor’s of science degree. 

Film submissions are now being accepted from filmmakers who wish to hold their Memphis premiere at the Indie Memphis Film Festival this November. The festival’s “earlybird” deadline is Wednesday, March 7 with entry fees of $35 for feature films and $25 for short films; the final deadline is Wednesday, June 20 with entry fees of $70 for feature films and $60 for short films. Films made by Memphis-area filmmakers may submit their work in the Hometowner category at special discounted rates. Submissions are accepted through Withoutabox.com, with full details available at on the Indie Mephis website at www.indiememphis.com.

Awards include $25,000 in color grading and finishing services from Nice Shoes in NYC, a $1,000 cash prize for the winner of the Duncan-Williams Scriptwriting Award, and more to be announced.  Travel and lodging is provided for competition feature filmmakers participating in the festival’s “Filmmakers Asking Questions” program, funding by the Academy of Motion Art and Sciences.

Duncan-Williams, Inc., an investment banking firm headquartered in Memphis that has offices in ten states and provides financial advisory services, returns as presenting sponsor of the 2012 Indie Memphis Film Festival. With a focus on regional filmmaking from all parts of the country, the festival brings a broad range of dynamic and engaging independent features, documentaries and short films to Memphis from across the country, transforming the city into a connecting point for filmmakers, musicians, artists, and audiences.

Festival sponsorships are currently available. Those interested in joining Duncan-Williams, Inc. and other corporate sponsors, partners and patrons in supporting the 2012 Indie Memphis Film Festival should contact Indie Memphis executive director Erik Jambor by email at erik@indiememphis.com or by calling (901) 214-5171.

Indie Memphis, which will mark the festival’s 15^th anniversary this year, has added The Circuit Playhouse to its list of festival venues that also includes Playhouse on the Square, Malco Theatre’s Studio on the Square, and the Dorothy K. Hohenberg Auditorium at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. The Circuit Playhouse is located at 51 South Cooper, directly across the street from Playhouse on the Square and just two blocks south of the Studio on the Square.

 “We’re thrilled that the schedules of The Circuit Playhouse and Playhouse on the Square were able to align to make both venues available during our festival weekend,” said Erik Jambor, executive director of Indie Memphis. “The addition of Circuit will provide attendees with a more exciting, pedestrian-friendly community experience, and further integrate the festival’s growth with the development plans for Overton Square.”

The 2011 Indie Memphis Film Festival was the most successful in its fifteen-year history, setting a new attendance record of 8,000 attendees, welcoming Duncan-Williams, Inc. as its presenting sponsor, winning its second $10,000 festival grant from the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and having two of its award-winning films capture Oscar nominations for Best Documentary Feature at this year’s Academy Awards. The two films currently in contention for an Academy Award are Undefeated, which won the festival’s Audience Award for Documentary Feature, and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, whose filmmakers were awarded the festival’s “Power of Film” award for their work with the Paradise Lost trilogy.

Special guests at last year’s festival included Jason Baldwin of the West Memphis Three, filmmaker Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow, Footloose), actress Tanya Wright (HBO’s True Blood), screenwriter Daniel Waters (Heathers), producer Mike Ryan (Junebug, Losers Take All), and actor Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock), who hosted the festival’s closing night Award Show.

Duncan-Williams, Inc., an investment banking firm headquartered in Memphis that has offices in ten states and provides financial advisory services, returns as presenting sponsor of the 2012 Indie Memphis Film Festival. With a focus on regional filmmaking from all parts of the country, the festival brings a broad range of dynamic and engaging independent features, documentaries and short films to Memphis from across the country, transforming the city into a connecting point for filmmakers, musicians, artists, and audiences.

Festival sponsorships are now available. Those interested in joining Duncan-Williams, Inc. and other corporate sponsors, partners and patrons in supporting the 2012 Indie Memphis Film Festival should contact Indie Memphis executive director Erik Jambor by email at erik@indiememphis.com or by calling (901) 214-5171.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Hi Friends,

We're excited to announce the next MemFeast which will be on Thursday, April 5th, at 7 pm on top of the Sears parking garage. Crosstown Arts is collaborating with Indie Memphis, our co-presenter, to seek proposals for short films based on the theme of 'neighborhood.' Filmmakers and/or artists at any point in their career are welcome to submit proposals.

A panel of judges will select the finalists who will present their ideas at the MemFeast dinner. The artist who receives the most votes for their proposal from the dinner guests will receive $5,000 to produce their film, which will premiere at the Indie Memphis Preview Party in October and be included in competition at the 2012 Indie Memphis Film Festival in November.

By focusing on local neighborhoods as film subjects, we hope to inspire creative dialogue about and among the diverse and vibrant areas of Memphis.

Space is limited, so tickets to the dinner must be purchased in advance via EventBrite. Click here to purchase tickets. For a more detailed description of MemFeast and the 'neighborhood' theme, as well as guidelines to submit a short film proposal, click here.

Hope to see you all there...if not before then,

Chris Miner & Todd Richardson
Crosstown Arts

For questions, please contact Emily at 901-507-8033 or emily@crosstownarts.org

The amount was the maximum that could be awarded to Indie Memphis. It was the second grant the Oscar organization’s educational and cultural committee has given to Indie Memphis. The Academy awarded a similar grant to Indie Memphis in 2009 for it’s 2010 festival.

Indie Memphis’ 14^th annual film festival was held November 3 to 6 and drew a record or more than 8,000, with special guests including Chris Parnell (30 Rock), Tanya Wright (True Blood) and Jason Baldwin of the West Memphis Three (Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory).  The festival was presented by Duncan-Williams, Inc. and in addition to breaking attendance figures, proved to be the organization’s most financially successful.

“We are thrilled to be among the organizations to receive funding from the Academy for 2012,” said Erik Jambor, Executive Director of Indie Memphis. “Their recognition further solidifies our place on the festival circuit and will help us continue to connect filmmakers and audiences here in the Mid-South.”

In making the announcement, the Academy says the grants are awarded for a variety of festival programs; organizers are encouraged to submit proposals intended to make festival events more accessible to the general public, provide greater access to minority and less visible filmmakers, and help strengthen the connection between filmmakers and the general public.

A total of $455,000 was presented by the Academy to 25 U.S. film festivals for the 2012 calendar year. Since its establishment in 1999, the Academy's Festival Grants Program has distributed 277 grants totaling $4.85 million in funding.

Erik Jambor, executive director of Indie Memphis, said the funds would be used to “to strengthen relationships between participating filmmakers and build new connections between those filmmakers and the greater Memphis community.”

The three-year agreement positions the financial institution as presenting sponsor of the annual event through its 16th year in 2013. This year's event will be held at the Playhouse on the Square, Malco Theatre's Studio on the Square, and the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

"The Indie Memphis Film Festival is a jewel of Memphis that showcases our great city to the world," said Duncan Williams, president of the firm that bears his name. "We are extremely proud to be the title sponsor and look forward to working with the Indie Memphis Film Festival and with the entire Memphis community to help the Indie Memphis grow into the future."

Williams’ firm is an investment banking firm that has offices in ten states and provides financial advisory services.

"We are thrilled to have Duncan-Williams on board as the first presenting sponsor for the next three years," said Erik Jambor, executive director of Indie Memphis. "Duncan-William's support helps guarantee the long-term sustainability and continued growth of the annual Indie Memphis Film Festival, and ensures that Memphians will continue to have a world-class film festival in their community."

Twice ranked by the national publication MovieMaker Magazine -- both as one of the "25 Best Film Festival Investments" in 2011 and as one of the "25 Coolest Film Festivals" in 2009 -- the Indie Memphis Film Festival has seen a more than 100 percent attendance increase since 2007, to more than 7,800 attendees in 2010.

The festival transforms the city best known as "the home of the Blues and the birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll" into a connecting point for filmmakers, musicians, artists, and audiences, bringing a broad range of new, dynamic and engaging independent features, documentaries and short films to Memphis from all corners of the country, and providing a showcase for new work by local filmmakers.

"Movies and music are two mediums that really bring communities together. Memphis is fortunate to have such a storied history and future in both industries," said Gary Lendermon, Director, Marketing & Communications at Duncan-Williams. "Our firm recognizes how significant it is to the city's future to have a thriving film and music industry."

Through diverse year-round programming, its world-class annual festival, and ongoing efforts to include new voices, new media, and new audiences, Indie Memphis is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that enriches, inspires, and connects the Memphis community while cultivating interest in, and development of, independent film. Indie Memphis is one of the city's core arts institutions and is the only Memphis film organization that receives annual funding from ArtsMemphis. The organization also received special support from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to produce its 2010 film festival.

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