(July 9, 2007) FILM INDEPENDENT RECEIVES TWO-YEAR GRANT FROM ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION TO ESTABLISH PILOT PROGRAM FOR PRODUCERS
Film Independent announced today that it has received a two-year grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to establish a new Sloan Producers Grant as part of the organization’s Producers Lab. The first grant recipient, who will be selected this Fall, will receive admission to Film Independent’s 2007 Producers Lab, a $25,000 development grant, and year-round support from Film Independent.

The grant is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which seeks to create and develop new scripts and films about science and technology and to see them into commercial production with national and international distribution. It has screenplay development programs with the Tribeca, Sundance, and Hamptons Film Festivals, as well as other select independent partners and film schools.

Submissions are now being accepted. The deadline is August 28, 2007, and eligibility requirements can be found at FilmIndependent.org.

“On a day-to-day basis, we see first-hand the importance and rewards of helping talented filmmakers find a voice for their work,” said Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent. “We thank the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for their generous donation in support of these talented filmmakers.”

“We are thrilled to be working with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation,” said Josh Welsh, Film Independent’s Filmmaker Labs Manager. “They have been longtime supporters of writers and directors who are developing science-themed projects, so we are very excited to work with them as they expand their reach to the world of producers.”

“We are delighted to partner with Film Independent’s distinguished team in this innovative effort to develop new scripts into production,” said Doron Weber, Program Director of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “Science and technology offer classic stories in a cutting edge context and great, unexplored characters for contemporary filmmakers and film audiences and we hope to help Film Independent bring these moving pictures to the screen.”

Film Independent’s Producers Lab began in 2001. Sponsored by Technicolor, it is designed to help producers working in independent film improve their craft and to help them develop strategies for getting their current films made. The Lab has been taught by such producers as Effie T. Brown (Rocket Science), Eric d’Arbeloff (Lovely and Amazing), Matthew Greenfield (The Good Girl), Gina Kwon (Me, You and Everyone We Know), Shelby Stone (Lackawanna Blues), and Alison Dickey (Piggie).

Among the projects developed in Film Independent’s Producers Lab are: Scott Prendergast’s debut feature Kabluey, which premiered at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival; Dark Matter, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and won the Sloan Prize there; IFC’s American Gun, which was nominated for three Spirit Awards this year including best Picture; So Yong Kim’s In Between Days, which is being released theatrically this year; and Jessica Sanders’ award-winning documentary After Innocence, which was short-listed for the Oscars in 2006. Sponsored by Technicolor, participants in the Producers Lab also receive a pass to Film Independent’s third annual Filmmaker Forum “Empower the Filmmaker,” a year’s membership in Film Independent, a pass to the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival, and free Axium Budgeting and Scheduling software.

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

Film Independent is a non-profit membership organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds the audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, film industry leader, or a film lover.

With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent also offers free Filmmaker Labs for selected writers, directors, and producers; provides cut-rate services for filmmakers; and presents year-round networking opportunities. Film Independent’s mentorship and job placement program, Project:Involve, pairs emerging culturally-diverse filmmakers with film industry professionals.

Film Independent produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international cinema, and the Spirit Awards, a celebration honoring films and filmmakers that embody independence and dare to challenge the status quo. For more information or to become a member, visit FilmIndependent.org.

ABOUT THE SLOAN FOUNDATION

The New York-based Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, founded in 1934, makes grants in science, technology, and the quality of American life. The Foundation’s program in public understanding of science and technology, directed by Doron Weber, supports books, radio, film, television, and theatre, including not only Proof, Copenhagen, and Alan Alda’s QED, but dozens of new plays from the Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Magic Theater, and the Manhattan Theater Club, such as Kenneth Lonergan's upcoming The Starry Messenger with Mathew Broderick, developed as both play and screenplay.