Last week we were the first to bring you the full line-up of films, panels, and special screenings for the First Time Fest. Today we can announce that the closing gala of the First Time Fest this year will honor film mega-producer Harvey Weinstein for his longtime support of first time filmmakers. In previous years, the closing galas honored directors Darren Aronofsky and Julie Taymor. Many filmmakers can credit Weinstein for jump-starting their careers as head of Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company.
For tickets to any and all First Time Fest events, visit www.FirstTimeFest.com. Tickets are also available at the Core Club Box Office (66 E 55th Street) and B Bar headquarters (40 East 4th Street) during First Time Fest .
Check out the full press release below:
FIRST TIME FEST
Third Time’s The Charm
March 5-9, 2015
CELEBRATING FIRST-TIME FILMMAKERS
WITH A GRAND PRIZE OF THEATRICAL DISTRIBUTION
AND INTERNATIONAL SALES
6 NEW INTERNATIONAL FILMS IN COMPETITION
Voted On By Industry Professionals & Movie-Going-Public
CLOSING NIGHT HONOREE
Harvey Weinstein
In Tribute To His Support Of First Time Filmmakers
PANELS AND CONVERSATIONS:
“How They Did It”
First Time Fest Partnering With
Big Vision Empty Wallet; B Bar & Grill; Intandem Creatives;
Gansevoort Hotel Group; Cinema Libre Studio; Raptor Films; Lazar;
Gibson; Tascam; DeepEddy Vodka; Women Make Movies
Films Presented At Core Club, Village East Cinema, Wild Project
(New York, March 2, 2015) Following last year’s acclaimed second edition, FIRST TIME FEST is back, and it shows that third time’s the charm. The 3rd FIRST TIME FEST is set for March 5-9, 2015, and it will be based at an exciting new array of venues. Screenings will take place at Core Club (55th St. and Park Avenue), the Wild Project (195 East 3rd St.), and Village East Cinema (2nd Ave. and 12th St.); and panels and other events will occur at B Bar & Grill (filmmaker lounge, panels – except for “From Rock To Score” at the Gansevoort Hotel Meatpacking NYC, conversations & ‘power lunches’) and Gansevoort Park Ave NYC (Closing Night Festivities).
FIRST TIME FEST is a unique film festival celebrating first-time feature filmmakers. Aimed at discovering and providing exposure for the next generation of great filmmakers from around the world, FTF is a five-day event with a competition section showcasing new and exciting debut films, and a series of panels and programs.
The Festival will culminate on Monday, March 9 with an Awards Ceremony and a special tribute to Harvey Weinstein, who has been a champion of first-time filmmakers at Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company. Among the many first-time films his companies have distributed are Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino), Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Steven Soderbergh), Chicago (Rob Marshall), Strictly Ballroom (Baz Luhrmann), Kids (Larry Clark), Sling Blade (Billy Bob Thornton), Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (George Clooney), A Single Man (Tom Ford), Citizen Ruth (Alexander Payne), Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler), and Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins). Weinstein will receive a special award from the Festival and participate in a conversation about his support of first-time films. “As a distributor and producer with extraordinary vision and taste, Harvey Weinstein has discovered many great first-time filmmakers and brought their work to the attention of American audiences,” said First Time Fest co-founders Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward. “We are proud to honor him.”
Martin Scorsese, who presented Darren Aronofsky with the first John Huston Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema, stated, “This venture is very very important to encourage young filmmakers.”
Notable attendees from the first two installments include Martin Scorsese, Darren Aronofsky, Julie Taymor, Robert De Niro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sofia Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, Michael Moore, Tony Bennett, Lake Bell, Michael Shannon, Slash, Nile Rodgers, Duncan Sheik, Brooke Shields, Rosie Perez, James Toback, Jennie Livingston, Tom McCarthy, Albert Maysles, Todd Solondz, Elliot Goldenthal, Hal Hartley, Carol Alt, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Nancy Savoca, Barbara Kopple, Christine Vachon, Melvin Van Peebles, Fred Elmes, and more!
FTF will present Competition Films, an eclectic selection of six fiction and documentary films from Lebanon, the Netherlands, and the U.S., including several world, U.S., and New York premieres, which will be judged by a panel of industry luminaries and the FTF audience. All of the films in competition at FTF are the very first feature of the writer, director, producer, editor, cinematographer or composer of each film. All competition screenings will be followed by discussions with the filmmakers, and all audience members will vote on the films as well. Together, the jury and audience will select the Grand Prize winner, which is offered theatrical distribution and international sales representation from the renowned American film distributor, Cinema Libre Studio. This year finds an exciting new opportunity for our competition filmmakers. Raptor Films has come onboard to offer a First Look deal for all of the competition filmmakers’ next film.
Competition Jury members are Scott Feinstein (42West), Rafe Fogel (Falcon Investments/Legendary Pictures), Maureen Masters (Magnolia Pictures), Nile Rodgers (Musician/Film Composer), Harper Simon (Musician).
In addition to the film screenings, FTF will be hosting an array of Industry Panels with notable producers, financiers, agents, composers, and other members of the entertainment industry. Panels at FTF are intimate gatherings between attendees and special guests where questions are encouraged and discussion is lively. Among the panels are “Power Girls! Women in Entertainment;” “Show Me the Money;” “We Need a Bigger Boat: Producing Independent Cinema;” and “From Rock to Score;” and “Crystal Ball: The Future of Distribution.
Big Vision Empty Wallet http://bigvisionemptywallet.com/ co-founders Dani Faith Leonard & Alex Cirillo have curated the festival panels, and are offering the Competition filmmakers a free one-year membership to Big Vision Empty Wallet, a curated collective of creators All panels will take place at B Bar and Grill except for “From Rock To Score” that will be at the Gansevoort Hotel Meatpacking.
Our world is increasingly less tolerant of the risks associated with supporting films by first time filmmakers. This creates an ever more challenging environment for filmmakers to create truly inspired content without the need to focus on fundraising and economic success. Unfortunately many festivals have become so large they only provide exposure to already prominent filmmakers, while others are too small to attract quality films. As a result, too many great films remain unseen and too many exceptional filmmakers undeveloped.
And so, FIRST TIME FEST was born.
Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward are the co-founders of FIRST TIME FEST. As an accomplished philanthropist, actor, and social entrepreneur, as well as the daughter of singer Tony Bennett, Johanna Bennett has immersed herself within the entertainment and artistic community her entire life. Mandy Ward has worked in the film industry for the past decade in varied capacities, namely as a film producer of several projects. The Festival’s programming team includes David Schwartz, Chief Curator of Museum of the Moving Image, and Soo Kim, Producer/Director, Creator of Team Umizoomi, Nickelodeon.
No festival happens on its own and we’d like to thank our sponsors and collaborators: Big Vision Empty Wallet; B Bar & Grill; Intandem Creatives; Gansevoort Hotel Group; Cinema Libre Studio; Raptor Films; Lazar; Gibson; Tascam; DeepEddy Vodka (sponsoring Brunch & Closing Night party); The Circuit; Women Make Movies.
Check out the full line-up of films, panels, and special screenings here.
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