Burning in the Sun at NY African Film Fest

In the week preceding the 5th annual Documentary Lab, I'm pleased to announce that 2008 Doc Lab (and fiscal sponsorship program) alumnus Burning in the Sun is showing in the New York African Film Festival tomorrow, April 7th at 5:45pm, and April 13th at 3pm. Get tickets here. The directors, charming Cambria Matlow and daring Morgan Robinson, will be there to answer your electrifying questions.

Burning in the Sun is the story of 26-year-old charmer Daniel Dembele; equal parts West African and European, and looking to make his mark on the world. Daniel decides to return to his homeland in Mali and starts a business building solar panels – the first of its kind in the sun drenched nation. Daniel’s goal is to electrify the households of rural communities, 99% of which live without power. Burning in the Sun tells the story of Daniel’s journey growing the budding idea into a viable company, and of the business’ impact on Daniel’s first customers in the tiny village of Banko. Taking controversial stances on climate change, poverty, and African self-sufficiency, the film explores what it means to grow up as a man, and what it takes to prosper as a nation.

Congratulations Lab Friends!

Narrative Lab Deadline Extended to April 2!

IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs is the only program in the country that supports emerging independent filmmakers with projects in post-production through the completion, marketing and distribution of their first feature film.

This free, year-long mentoring fellowship supports ten narrative projects each year, providing them with the technical, creative and strategic tools necessary to launch their films – and their careers.

If you're a first-time narrative feature director with a project in assembly, rough or fine cut, this is the program to help you get your film into shape.

Beginning with the five-day intensive in New York (June 7-11), selected projects gain editorial feedback, assess strategic partnerships & marketing opportunities, and evaluate their options for maximizing the reach of their film via festivals, traditional theatrical roll-outs or through innovative, DIY distribution methods. Filmmakers also meet with cutting-edge technologists to build their brands, as well as explore the myriad of modern web and promotional tools necessary to build engaged audiences for their projects.

The year following the Narrative Lab includes continued mentorship, collaborating on a distribution strategy specific to your film, and participation in IFP's Independent Film Week: Emerging Narrative program.

Past Narrative Lab Alumni have premiered at Slamdance (The Guatemalan Handshake; The New Year Parade), Sundance (The Imperialists Are Still Alive!; Half-Life), SXSW (Jumping Off Bridges; Older Than America; Rainbow Around the Sun; Sorry, Thanks; St. Nick; The Wedding Bros.; Woodpecker), Toronto (The Real Shaolin), and Venice (Zero Bridge).

Deadline for Narrative works-in-progress just extended to April 2!
More info and applications at http://Labs.ifp.org

IFP'S 2010 INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER LABS ON THE HORIZON - Start working on your applications over the holidays!

IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs is the only program in the U.S. supporting first-time feature directors with projects at the crucial rough cut stage, before they are submitted to festivals. The Labs are a free, week-long workshop in New York offering personalized feedback and advice on all aspects of the post-production process, audience building, and distribution strategies in the digital age, followed by continued support from IFP as the project premieres in the marketplace. More than half of Lab alumni have gone on to premiere at major festivals - including Berlin, Sundance, SXSW, Toronto, and Venice, and have enjoyed theatrical releases, been broadcast nationally, or released on DVD. Recent Lab projects have included Vanessa Gould’s Between the Folds, which premiered on Independent Lens this month, and Geralyn Pezanoski’s Mine, upcoming on Independent Lens in February; Tom Quinn’s The New Year Parade and Tariq Tapa’s Zero Bridge, both recently nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the upcoming Independent Spirit Awards (and each a Gotham Award nominee in 2008 and 2009, respectively), and Zeina Durra’s 2009 Lab project, The Imperialists Are Still Alive!, premieres in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at Sundance 2010 next month. Lab applications will be available in January for both the Documentary and Narrative Labs which will take place in spring 2010.