As you’ll see from our coverage of the SHOOT Directors/Producers Forum and New Directors Showcase in this issue, assorted insights, information, valuable content and context were shared during the course of the proceedings.
Yet what stands out personally for me are the backstories which in some cases underscore why the events are important–and paradoxically seem at times to transcend the events themselves.
Here are a couple of examples from the 11th annual New Directors Showcase which debuted last month at the DGA Theatre in NYC:
• Zach Borst shows the power of taking the initiative. He garnered a Showcase slot largely on the strength of “Grad Gift,” a spec spot for the Chevy Camaro which cost $487 to make.
The piece ended up winning a Chevrolet Route 66 ad competition and ran during last year’s Super Bowl telecast. Borst has since joined the roster of The Artists Company.
• Then there’s Stephen Reedy who does not yet have a production house affiliation. He earned inclusion into the Showcase on the basis of The Forge, a short film which has gone online and positively impacted society at large.
The Forge was produced by Eric Lim whose sister committed suicide. She had left her brother money to become a producer. He then did just that by seeking out Reedy and producing an emotional short that is designed to promote suicide prevention.
The Forge debuted on actor Rainn Wilson’s website, SoulPancake, and has registered more than 200,000 views thus far–with moving comments/reactions posted from those who have contemplated suicide, as well as from surviving family members and friends of suicide victims.
Wilson, perhaps best known for his role on the hit sitcom The Office, showed a more serious side when commenting on The Forge which he described as “an incredibly rich and powerful film. The entire SoulPancake family was moved by Eric Lim’s story and his love for his sister. Death is such a universal experience but when a life ends too soon, it can be hard to express that grief. This film expresses those feelings beautifully, and we’re grateful that Eric and Stephen Reedy have chosen to partner with our channel to share this with the world.”
Utah Leaders and Locals Rally To Keep Sundance Film Festival In The State
With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival underway, Utah leaders, locals and longtime attendees are making a final push — one that could include paying millions of dollars — to keep the world-renowned film festival as its directors consider uprooting.
Thousands of festivalgoers affixed bright yellow stickers to their winter coats that read "Keep Sundance in Utah" in a last-ditch effort to convince festival leadership and state officials to keep it in Park City, its home of 41 years.
Gov. Spencer Cox said previously that Utah would not throw as much money at the festival as other states hoping to lure it away. Now his office is urging the Legislature to carve out $3 million for Sundance in the state budget, weeks before the independent film festival is expected to pick a home for the next decade.
It could retain a small presence in picturesque Park City and center itself in nearby Salt Lake City, or move to another finalist — Cincinnati, Ohio, or Boulder, Colorado — beginning in 2027.
"Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance. You can't really separate those two," Cox said. "This is your home, and we desperately hope it will be your home forever."
Last year's festival generated about $132 million for the state of Utah, according to Sundance's 2024 economic impact report.
Festival Director Eugene Hernandez told reporters last week that they had not made a final decision. An announcement is expected this year by early spring.
Colorado is trying to further sweeten its offer. The state is considering legislation giving up to $34 million in tax incentives to film festivals like Sundance through 2036 — on top of the $1.5 million in funds already approved to lure the Utah festival to its neighboring... Read More