Filmmaker and explorer Michael Muller has made what he believes is a first-of-kind underwater virtual reality project featuring nine episodic short films. The series, entitled Into the Now, offers a revolutionary, stereoscopic virtual-reality experience that explores the most spectacular events in marine life, what Muller calls "the holy grail of diving.”
The Genius 100 Foundation is joining Cosmic Pictures as executive producers on their upcoming film, Einstein’s Incredible Universe for Imax and giant screens.
Arsenal FX Color provided post-production finishing services for Ferguson Rises, director Mobolaji Olambiwonnu’s inspiring documentary about Ferguson, Missouri which in 2014 became a flashpoint for the civil rights movement after a white police officer was acquitted of criminal charges in the killing of Michael J. Brown, an unarmed black man, sparking days of protest and rage. Says Olambiwonnu, I wanted to provide a counternarrative to the events that took place, one based not on loss, but on hope and resilience.”
Cherokee Nation Film Office and deadCenter Film, the state’s largest film festival, have partnered to recognize Indigenous filmmakers with the festival’s inaugural award for Best Indigenous Short Film. This year’s honoree will be recognized and awarded a $1,000 cash prize, provided by the generosity of the Cherokee Nation, on Sunday during the festival’s annual award show.
AFI Docs — the American Film Institute's documentary film festival — has announced its Docs Talks and Industry Forum events for its 19th edition, June 22-27. The inaugural Docs Talks section will feature the World Premiere of Netflix’s and Higher Ground Production’s We the People, as well as History Is Out of the Closet: Excavating Queer Stories for the Screen, a live stream conversation celebrating LGBTQ+ pride. Docs Talks events are free.
The upcoming indie film release Boon, which was filmed in a remote location in Washington State is a modern Western starring Neal McDonough is a spiritual sequel to Red Stone and was shot using virtual production techniques. This ensured the number of on-site production staff were kept to a minimum.
The New York Indian Film Festival kicks off June 4-13 with 58 screenings and interactive discussions. Presented by the Indo-American Arts Council and powered by MovieSaints, NYIFF celebrates the 21st year of independent, art house, alternate cinema from India and brings this rich collection of films to audiences in the U.S. and North America. Some films will also stream globally.
The social cinema platform Kinema has launched following a $2 million seed funding round backed by key investors, including Kindred Ventures, Lupa System, Galaxy Interactive and I2BF Global Ventures. According to the company, the Kinema platform expands the film marketing and distribution industry by enabling a social and immersive cinema experience. With the goal of eliminating ‘theater deserts’ and expanding access to engaging film, Kinema is building a world-wide network of screening hosts, filmmakers and filmgoers.
AFI Docs, the American Film Institute's documentary film festival, has announced that it will honor Dawn Porter as the 2021 Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree. The festival runs June 22-27.
In the next edition of Post Break, the free webinar series from Post New York Alliance, a panel of production and post-production experts will offer advice to independent filmmakers on how to finish their projects on time, on budget…and without compromising their creative vision. The session, titled Small Budgets, Big Imaginations - Post for Indie Films, is scheduled for Thursday, May 20th at 4:00 p.m. EDT on Zoom.
