Take Your Filmmaking To the Next Level at SIFF 2014

Each year the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) offers hundreds of films from across the globe, but did you know SIFF is also a fantastic place for local independent filmmakers to rise to the next level in their career?

All year SIFF Education offers SIFF Catalyst, a series of programs providing professional development trainings, workshops and forums focused on filmmakers and their craft. In this spirit, over the last two weekends of the 2014 festival (May 31, June 1, 6 & 7), SIFF has designed a number Festival Forums for filmmakers. Topics include everything from perfecting a pitch to financing and distributing a film.

There’s something here for all filmmakers, so seize this opportunity for some insightful conversation and advance your career while you’re at it.

Covering topics like Pitching, Financing and Investors: 

• Produce Smarter: How to Finance Your Short Film Without Using Your Credit Card – May 31, 12 pm, SIFF Film Center. Screenwriter/attorney Steve Edmiston will share over a decade of lessons learned about finding and raising money for low budgets in the rapidly evolving filmmaking ecosystem.

• TheFilmSchool presents: How to Correctly Pitch Your Project – June 7, 10 am, SIFF Film Center. Learn the most effective strategies for pitching and selling your media project.

• TheFilmSchool presents: How to Prepare for the Investor Conversation – June 7, 12 pm, SIFF Film Center. Learn directly from investors how to communicate your project to them and what types of projects get serious consideration.

Covering topics such as Production, Distribution and Intellectual Property:

• Catalyst: Keynote with Emily Best (Seed&Spark) – May 31, 1:15 pm, SIFF Film Center. Emily Best, founder and CEO of Seed&Spark, believes that storytelling is about expanding imagination and that films are not just art, but also business ventures – which means filmmakers are creative CEOs. Join her as she discusses the importance of audience engagement, the next wave of digital distribution, and why the future is bright for diverse voices in filmmaking.

• Catalyst: Filmmaker Panel – May 31, 2:30 pm, SIFF Film Center. Join the six Catalyst filmmakers (and some of their producers) as we discuss how they each brought their unique vision to the screen. From script development to production to finding an audience on the festival circuit and beyond, this is sure to be one of the most engaging and informative panels of the festival.  

• The Future of Distribution – June 7, 3 pm, SIFF Film Center. Indiewire’s Eric Kohn leads panelists from the world of distribution on what they see the future may be for audiences and filmmakers alike.

• TheFilmSchool presents: Protecting your IP & Negotiating the Deal – June 7, 1:30 pm, SIFF Film Center. Entertainment Lawyers break down what you need to know about licensing for mobile and digital and negotiating a deal with studios for your films.

 Covering themes like Audience, Diversity, Trends and Film Criticism:

• Catalyst: Art, Cinema & Code – May 31, 10:30 am, SIFF Film Center. This panel considers how contemporary artists are using code as a cinematic medium, from social media applications to interactive documentaries and immersive installations.
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• Successful Genre Filmmaking – June 1, 2:30 pm, SIFF Film Center. Join producers Kelly Martin Wagner and Nick Phillips (Beneath) for an illuminating session focused on genre filmmaking. In addition to producing, they also have years of experience to share in development and casting of genre properties.
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• The Emergence of Native Filmmaking – June 1, 1 pm, SIFF Film Center. Visiting and local first nations filmmakers discuss the contemporary trends and challenges of capturing their own stories.
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• Filmmaking Across the African Diaspora – June 7, 11 am, SIFF Film Center. Join our attending filmmakers for an in-depth exploration of the current trends in African and African-American filmmaking.
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• The Future of Film Criticism – June 7, 1:00 pm, SIFF Film Center. Explore judging the movies and how film critics and journalists shape your cinema.