presentation: crowdfunding and direct-to-audience strategies

In the age of social media, fundraising has taken on a new look. We know filmmaking can be  an expensive venture, and seeking the right investors can take one away from the creative side of production. With mounting expenses, seeking sufficient funds is definitely a hassle. Crowdfunding is an option to explore. 

A publicist, Marcin J. Sobczak has successfully raised impressive amounts of money using crowdfunding and will share his knowledge on how to get the best out of it. He will provide insight on the types of crowdfunding; the available platforms; how it can create an engaged community; the importance of communication; how it can speed up the development process; and how crowdfunding is tied to distribution.

logistics

date: Friday 23 September, 2022
time: 12.30pm–2.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 1)
rsvp: pre-registration required. Sign up here!
tickets: free of charge
facilitator: Marcin J. Sobczak

about Marcin J. Sobczak

Marcin J. Sobczak, owner of This Way Publicity, has worked in the film industry for over 13 years, supporting sales and production and every step of film development, working on more than 50 films, running international campaigns, and recently handling international Academy Awards campaigns. Some of the titles he has worked on include ‘Coda’, ‘Summer of soul’, ‘Cargo’ (by Kareem Mortimer), and ‘The enforcer’.

Presentation: ABCs of why and how: having a career as a filmmaker

Thinking of becoming a filmmaker? Having the courage to take the first step into developing your first story is a milestone for every filmmaker. Filmmaking is challenging! And in the process of making your film, you’ll often ask yourself why you got into this in the first place!  

In this 90-minute presentation, filmmaker Mariel Brown and publicist Marcin J. Sobczak will share their insights into what it takes to build a sustainable career as a filmmaker.

logistics:

date: Saturday 24 September, 2022
time: 2.30pm–4.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 2)
rsvp: pre-registration required. Sign up here!
tickets: free of charge
facilitators: Mariel Brown + Marcin J. Sobczak

about Mariel Brown

Mariel Brown is an award-winning filmmaker and director of the creative and production companies SAVANT and SAVANT Films and a co-founder of the filmmaker organisation, FILMCO. Mariel has been working in film and television since 1997. She is committed to uncovering and documenting the Caribbean’s rich history and culture. Mariel’s most recent film is the feature length documentary, ‘Unfinished Sentences’, a personal exploration of her tumultuous relationship with her late father, writer Wayne Brown. Mariel is a four-time trinidad+tobago film festival award-winner, and both her film and television work have won awards locally and internationally.

about Marcin J. Sobczak

Marcin J. Sobczak, owner of This Way Publicity, has worked in the film industry for over 13 years, supporting sales and production and every step of film development, working on more than 50 films, running international campaigns, and recently handling international Academy Awards campaigns. Some of the titles he has worked on include ‘Coda’, ‘Summer of soul’, ‘Cargo’ (by Kareem Mortimer), and ‘The enforcer’.

Panel: making the indie film

For first time filmmakers, the indie route is likely the way you’ll go. Although exciting, this process of filmmaking may also seem daunting. But we think the benefits far outweigh the pitfalls. For one thing, as an indie filmmaker, you have the creative freedom to tell your story the way you want to without the hassle of answering to a big production company. From script development, to fundraising, to casting, production, post and distribution, there are A LOT of things that you’ll need to consider!

In this 90-minute discussion, panellists will explore the challenging and often exciting process of making an indie film!

logistics

date: Monday 26 September, 2022
time: 2.30pm–4.00pm 
location: NALIS (AV Room)
rsvp: pre-registration required. Sign up here!
tickets: free of charge
moderator: Marcin J. Sobczak

Workshop: strategies for succeeding on the festival circuit

FILMCO is pleased to announce a call for applications for the 2022 Strategies for Succeeding on the Festival Circuit Workshop. We will be selecting six filmmakers to take part in a one on one session during the trinidad+tobago film festival. Filmmakers with an interest in joining the festival circuit are invited to apply here!

In recent years, film festivals have become the first go-to exhibition stop for independent filmmakers, many of whom would struggle to find distribution and audiences otherwise. But, with so many film festivals all over the world, and with clear hierarchies in the festival circuit, choosing which ones you should send your film to, and in what order, needs to be considered as part of an overarching strategy that can guide your decision-making as you seek to release your film. Under the guidance of industry professionals – European Film Market head of diversity and inclusion, Themba Bhebhe; film industry publicist, Marcin J. Sobczak; festival programmer, Jim Kolmar; and filmmaker, Michaelangelo Masangkay , you will receive individual advice on how you should approach getting  your work onto the festival circuit.

Once chosen your project will be assigned to one or more film festival experts with whom you’ll have the opportunity to sit with one on one and strategise plans for the festival release of your film during the scheduled workshop on Friday 23 September, 2022 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm at NALIS (Seminar Room 2).

Application prerequisites

  • All genres will be accepted
  • Film must be set in the Caribbean
  • Applicants must have a financed film in production or post-production. The application deadline is 12 pm AST, September 19 2022.
  • You must be able to attend the workshop in person on Friday 23 September, 2022 @ 10:30am – 12:00pm

logistics

date: Friday 23 September, 2022
time: 10.30am–12.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 2)
application: please apply here
tickets: TT$150. Tickets are available here.
facilitators: Themba Bhebhe, Jim Kolmar, Michaelangelo Masangkay + Marcin J. Sobczak

Advance tickets are available at ttfilmfestival.com and can also be purchased via bank transfer or in person (cash, credit card or linx) at our FILMCO office, located at 22 Jerningham Ave. 

FILMCO members, filmmakers with a film in the Festival and students with a valid photo ID, can receive a 50% discount on workshops and masterclasses! Please email Nyola at festival@filmco.org for information on payment options and to receive your discount code.

about Themba Bhebhe

After working for a decade in international film sales, Themba has been in charge of Diversity & Inclusion at the European Film Market (Berlinale) since the autumn of 2017. His work comprises curating a series of events on inclusion, equity and accessibility at the EFM’s Industry Sessions, and liaising with community-based film organisations and advocacy groups whose policies also strive towards greater inclusivity in the film sector. Founded with Dok Leipzig’s Nadja Tennstedt, Themba also co-manages the EFM’s Doc and Fiction Toolbox Programmes for marginalised and Global South film producers as well as the EFM (Online) Market Badge Inclusion Initiative. Within the framework of this role, he also works in close collaboration with imagineNATIVE and a host of other Indigenous-led film organisations regarding, in particular, the Native Indigenous Cinema Stand and the Native Fellows Programme at the EFM.

Themba is also one of the founding members of the Programmers of Colour Collective (POC2) that aims at working towards a more diverse and inclusive programming pool at international film festivals through research, awareness events, networking, profile raising, mentoring and shadowing. Alongside Chloë Walters-Wallace, Themba co-founded the Caribbean Film Academy, an initiative of Third Horizon that, through workshops, community-building, seminars and industry meetings, aims at introducing filmmakers from across the Caribbean region and its diaspora to burgeoning new resources in order to further their access to the film landscape. Themba is a mentor for Durban FilmMart’s Pitching and Financing Forum, where he has advised long-feature fiction projects from across the African continent. Also born from his connection with DFM, alongside Mitchell Harper and Tiny Mungwe, Themba is the co-founder of Engage, a series of curated think tank conversations and panels on the pertinent, challenging and multi-faceted questions facing the African film industry.

about Jim Kolmar

Jim Kolmar is an independent programmer who curated films for South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) from 2009-2020, where he continues to consult on international and feature films. He is also currently programming for trinidad+tobago film festival, and was a founding committee member at Festival Internacional de Cine Tulum (FICTU). Jim was also a guest curator for Portland International Film Festival 2021. Jim is a contributing writer for Ambulante Film Festival in Mexico, and has served on juries, panels and committees for organisations including Austin Film Society, BAFICI, Berlinale, Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM), CONNeXT, CPH:DOX, IDFA, IFFPanama, IN-EDIT Barcelona, San Sebastián, and Ventana Sur.

about Michaelangelo Masangkay

Michaelangelo Masangkay is a respected filmmaker, producer, director (at the Toronto Film School), and gifted drone pilot, with 15 years in the independent film industry. His vast industry knowledge and extensive global network enables him to seize opportunities for clients across Canada, the US and beyond.

about Marcin J. Sobczak

Marcin J. Sobczak, owner of This Way Publicity, has worked in the film industry for over 13 years, supporting sales and production and every step of film development, working on more than 50 films, running international campaigns, and recently handling international Academy Awards campaigns. Some of the titles he has worked on include ‘Coda’, ‘Summer of soul’, ‘Cargo’ (by Kareem Mortimer), and ‘The enforcer’.