As many of you know I’ve been very outspoken regarding my views towards the two largest film festivals in New Hampshire – the New Hampshire Film Festival (October 29, 2006: The New Hampshire Film Expo RIP) and the SNOB Film Festival (November 21, 2006: More ramblings, SNOB Film Festival, etc.). I’ve been very clear in my belief regarding true independent filmmaking with no strings attached. As I first wrote in More ramblings:

Along with my crews we’ve always taken great pride that our films have never accepted in-state grant monies, played politics, or had crew members who are also part of any film festival boards, film commissions, arts organizations or local chambers. There are no conflicts of interests or ulterior motives.

Our productions are truly independent – we’re proudly not a member of any group that meets at film festivals to socialize, make contacts and give the manufactured soundbite to the local press as to how the “filmmaking community in New Hampshire is so supportive of one another”. This is exactly the type of optimistic soundbites that make everyone feel warm and fuzzy but have no basis in reality and run directly counter-productive to regional filmmaking.

Instead, we remain defiant on our island, creating films with like-minded people. Yet this stubborn attitude often get us into trouble, be it jealousy from other filmmakers or art groups who resent our work because we succeed in screening and selling it on our own terms. For Dangerous Crosswinds we employed a risky and expensive strategy, raised the bar in the manner in which we approached our screenings and in doing so, opened ourselves up to an avalanche of jealous criticism.

It’s about one year later and, as we soon begin work on our next feature Death & Glory, I still believe every word of what I wrote last fall. However, I recently accepted an invitation by the New Hampshire Film Office to be part of a panel discussion on Guerilla Distribution: From Pre-Production to Exhibition which will take place next Friday at, of all places, the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth, NH.

Hopefully I don’t come across as being hypocritical in suddenly stepping on “enemy turf” but my rational is that if just one single person or filmmaker benefits from anything I have to say regarding my experiences in self-distribution that it will have been well-worth it. Also, Jay Craven will also be on this panel and he’s a filmmaker whom I admire very much – both for his wonderful films as well as for his true indie approach, an approach we’ve attempted with our own work though on a much smaller scale. Plus I’ve been very impressed with the work Matt Newton’s done this past year with the NH Film Office and I want to support this event as the Film Office is presenting it.

So we’ll see what happens, I hope to see you there in Portsmouth. And, from the desk of the NH Film Office, here’s the official press release:

New Hampshire Film Office presents panel discussion October 12

The New Hampshire Film and Television Office will be presenting the panel discussion, “Guerilla Distribution: From Pre-Production to Exhibition” on Friday, October 12, from 9-11 a.m. at the Levenson Meeting Room of the Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Avenue in Portsmouth as part of the New Hampshire Film Festival. As independent filmmaking flourishes, filmmakers are finding new and unique ways of getting their work seen, putting traditional distribution on the back burner. From grassroots four-walling to user-created content online to DVD and digital delivery systems, the discussion will explore these innovative distribution methods in light of a rapidly changing film market.

There will be a group of New Hampshire’s film industry on hand to share a variety of experiences and insight on the subject.The panel will include Jay Craven (Kingdom County Productions, Director of Disappearances); Bill Millios (Back Lot Films, Director of Dangerous Crosswinds); Peter Shanelaris (Independent Filmmaker/Great Northern Video); Stephen Dignazio (Executive Director, The Colonial Theatre, Bethlehem) and Ben Anderson (Founder/Director, Wolfeboro Folk Concert Series). The discussion will be moderated by Van McLeod, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Cultural Resources.

The panel discussion will also be the first of an ongoing video series of workshops and roundtables produced by the New Hampshire Film and Television Office which will soon be made available to the public via the web and DVD. Friday’s panel will be taped with the help of members of the Media Arts Program at New Hampshire Community Technical College – Laconia and Bob Molloy of Molloy Sound and Video Contractors of Manchester.The panel discussion is free and open to the public.The 7th Annual New Hampshire Film Festival runs October 11-14, 2007 in Portsmouth. For more information, visit www.nhfilmfestival.com.