100 Days to VFF12

It’s hard to believe that we’re about 100 days away from our next edition on November 7-11.  We’ve got great things in the works, and a lot more to do.

With our submissions period now ended, we’ve received a bunch of films in various genres, and have begun evaluating them.  Our screening committee watches all films in their entirety, and votes on them for creative and technical ambition and accomplishment.  Once we make our final selections, we email all applicants with feedback. 

We look forward to putting together a great program of films and other activities, including parties, panels, and presentations.  If there’s anything you’d especially like to see us do, let us know.  If you’re interested in volunteer or internship possibilities, send us a note:  valleyfilmfest@gmail.com

We aim to announce the program by end of August, and have tickets for sale online by end of September.

We’d like to welcome Production Hub as a new sponsor.

This year we’ll be at the Laemmle NoHo 7, a brand new, all digital, state of the art facility in North Hollywood.  Incidentally, while we’re 100 days out from the festival, it’s also the 100^th anniversary of Universal Studios, located down the street from the Laemmle, which is named after the founder of Universal.  Small world!

Stay tuned for more announcements.

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If you’re involved with independent film and interested in possibly being interviewed, or otherwise contributing to our blog, contact us anytime at info@valleyfilmfest.com

Thank You for Your Submissions

Thanks to everyone who sent us their films for consideration for VFF12.  Our submissions period is now closed.  We’ve already started reviewing them, and will continue after Comic-Con. 

Be aware that we take all submissions seriously.  All are screened in their entirety at least once and voted on by a committee for their creative and technical ambition and accomplishment.  Once we make our final selections, we email all applicants with feedback on their films.  So good luck, and stay tuned.

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If you’re involved with independent film and interested in possibly being interviewed, or otherwise contributing to our blog, contact us anytime at info@valleyfilmfest.com

Countdown to VFF11...T-Minus 54 Days: Curating a Festival Program

Post-It notes are our BFF's

For the last 3 months, more than 25 volunteers have dedicated their time to view short films, in a group with their peers, or watch features at home. We started meeting once a week, then, as the submission deadline approached, we added a second day. By the final weeks, we were running marathon screenings from 10:00am to 10:00pm (or longer). And, just in case you were wondering, we watched every film from start to finish.

Over the months, films blend in with one another, which is why filling out the short synopsis on our application is so crucial. It allows us to quickly scan the paperwork, reacquaint ourselves with the film, and remind ourselves what stood out. We take extensive notes, too, so these help as well. 

Now that everything has been viewed enough times, by enough people, the fun begins: Programming!

This last week we spread out every short and feature we were considering across the floor, labeled each with a Post-It that included the running time (rounded up), genre, and any special features. Then, we started pairing films together...new programs we discovered we could build: Alumni Shorts and Future Cult Classics -- y'know, the ones that break tradition, follow their own rules, and are ambitious in a bad-ass sort of way. Bravo!

As we tallied up total running times per program, and broke down our screening schedule for 2011, it became real clear, real fast, that we needed to eliminate even more films. Sigh. This really is the hardest part. And this is where screening time plays a huge role -- if we love 4 films, and one is 30 minutes long, and the others are 10 minutes or less, we're going to share the love and program the 3 shorter films.

This weekend, we've been watching feature films, some for the 3rd and 4th time.  What makes us choose one feature over the other at this stage? There's no right or wrong answer here, in the end, we're not able to screen some awesome films because we simply don't have the time. We take our personal feelings off the table and try to be as objective as possible -- what would appeal to a general audience? Or, do we have enough of a fan base for a niche genre?

Our goal is to be fully programmed, alert the filmmakers, and have our website updated to unveil our program by October 1st.  Will we make that deadline? Stay tuned.

The 2011 Valley Film Festival will take place November 11-13 at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks.

Happy Hour with The Valley Film Festival at Firenze Osteria

The Valley Film Festival is celebrating the close of its "Early Bird" submission deadline by relaxing in our new, favorite neighborhood haunt... Firenze Osteria...owned by Top Chef, Fabio Viviani.

We'll be at the bar where they'll be serving up private label wine for $5/glass and $4 martini's du jour.

Swing by, say hi, and if you missed the post office the day before, you can always hand deliver your submission to us at the bar. Don't forget, our submissions are open through August 15th, 2011. For our deadlines, guidelines, and application, visit our website.

As always, there is no charge to attend the event, but food & beverages are at your own expense. 

 

RSVP on Facebook or via Eventbrite.

Dear Filmmakers...We Do Watch Your Films

Dear Filmmakers,

In continuing with the warm & fuzzy feeling today, we're happy to read that one VFF reviewer, Sarah Hollander, is not only following our golden rule: watch the film from start to finish -- no exceptions -- but she's writing about it too!

VIVA (818)
-VFF

Dear Filmmakers...We Love You!

Dear Filmmakers,

The Valley Film Festival (VFF) is currently engaged in watching your shorts, features, music videos, trailers, etc., but it hasn't stopped us from getting excited about the emails you've been sending, asking about the status of our programming and telling us why it's important to you to screen with VFF. It gives us a warm & fuzzy feeling to hear your stories and ask that you keep them coming.

Since launching VFF in 2000, one of our goals has always been to connect the global filmmaking community to the fabulous (818) and, in our 9th year, we've received more international submissions than ever before. It's fun to hear how you discovered us and that you're thinking about The Valley from across the globe! We're also aware that with 195 countries in the world, we have more outreach ahead of us. We'd love to hear your thoughts on how to better connect with filmmakers in every country, so don't hesitate to contact us.

Have no fear, local filmmakers, you're our priority! We're not called The Valley Film Festival for nothing! We're dedicated to screening films produced in the San Fernando Valley and digging your favorite memories of the El Portal, Studio City Theater, The Sherman Oaks Galleria, and even the Victory Drive-In!

We are fully aware that without you, we'd have nothing to screen! Please know that we truly appreciate the opportunity you've given us to consider your films. We love your enthusiasm, online and off, and look forward to working with all of you!

VIVA (818)!
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The 9th Annual Valley Film Festival will take place September 30-October 4, 2009, at the historic El Portal Theatre in the NoHo Arts District. Our 2009 showcase will be announced and a festival schedule will be available by August 15th at: ValleyFilmFest.com