(March 29, 2007) FILM INDEPENDENT ANNOUNCES PARTICIPANTS FOR 2007 DIRECTORS LAB
Film Independent announced today the selected fellows for its seventh-annual Directors Lab, which runs in Los Angeles through April 16. Keith Gordon, director of Waking the Dead and The Singing Detective, will team teach the Lab with Jeremy Podeswa, director of The Five Senses and the forthcoming Fugitive Pieces.

Sponsored by Kodak, the Directors Lab is an intensive seven-week program designed to assist directors working in independent film to improve their craft. This year’s guest speakers include writer/director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), writer/director Billy Ray and editor Jeff Ford (Breach), director Jay Duplass (The Puffy Chair), actress Laura Dern (Inland Empire), cinematographer Nancy Schreiber (American Gun), directors Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer (Quinceañera), director Catherine Hardwicke (The Nativity Story), and writer/director Nicole Holofcener (Friends With Money).

Film Independent’s Directors Lab participants are selected based on a submitted script, letter of intent, and the strength of previous directing experience in film or theater.

This year’s participants and their projects include:

Eric Escobar, Army of One
Silas Howard, Exactly Like You
Joshua Leonard, Spectacular Regret
Alonso Mayo, The Story of Luke
Nicki Paluga, The Swiss Village
Robbie Pickering, Natural Selection
Sharat Raju, Sacred Grounds
Amie Williams, Jua Kali

Past Directors Lab participants include Mora Stephens, who was nominated for a 2006 Spirit Award for her debut feature “Conventioneers”; Mario de la Vega, writer/director of Robbing Peter, which was nominated for four Spirit Awards last year; and Scott Prendergast, director of the forthcoming Kabluey, starring Lisa Kudrow, Teri Garr, and Prendergast.

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.
Keith Gordon And Jeremy Podeswa To Serve As Lab Instructors