LOS ANGELES (April 28, 2009) — Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced a creative partnership with Banana Republic and Vanity Fair for its talent development program, Project:Involve. Project:Involve is Film Independent’s signature diversity program that fosters the careers of talented filmmakers from communities traditionally underrepresented in the film industry. Each year, filmmakers from culturally diverse backgrounds are selected through a competitive process and receive one-on-one film industry mentors, access to production-based master workshops taught by top film professionals, career development training, and industry networking opportunities.

For the first time, this year’s 38 Project:Involve filmmakers will be working in teams to create 10 three-minute short films around the theme “City Stories.” All films will be shot in the French New Wave style, and a cash production budget of $20,000 will be provided, courtesy of Vanity Fair And Banana Republic. The 10 completed short films will be available for public viewing, beginning on August 13, 2009, at vfagenda.com. The winning team will be awarded a cash prize of $2,500 at a special screening event on September 9, 2009. In addition, Banana Republic will donate wardrobe for use in the films, NBC Universal will donate a $15,000 production credit for studio services, Canon will provide cameras, and Moviola will donate lighting and sound packages to each team.

“Over the last 16 years, Project:Involve has cultivated the careers of more than 550 talented independent directors, writers, and screenwriters from various cultural backgrounds,” said Josh Welsh, Film Independent’s Director of Talent Development. “The outstanding support from Banana Republic and Vanity Fair is allowing us to expand our production-based curriculum, and bring greater visibility to the filmmakers in Project:Involve.”

– “Banana Republic delivers the best in city style to its customers,” says Peter DeLuca, Chief Marketing Officer, Banana Republic. “We’re excited to partner with Vanity Fair and Film Independent to create ‘Project: Involve Shorts – CityStories’ and have Banana Republic fashion included in these extraordinary works.”

“Vanity Fair has a long-standing history of supporting both veteran and emerging talent in the film community, and we share a determination to bring fresh and diverse filmmakers to the forefront. We are thrilled to forge this partnership between Banana Republic and Film Independent, and to support their efforts to ensure that the visionary spirit of independent filmmaking thrives,” said Vanity Fair Vice President and Publisher Edward Menicheschi.

Film Independent’s Project:Involve runs from October through July annually, and is free to accepted filmmakers. Upon completion, participants become Film Independent Fellows, receiving year-round support including access to Film Independent’s annual film education offerings, on-staff Filmmaker Advisor, and the Los Angeles Film Festival. Past Film Independent Fellows from Project:Involve include producer Effie T. Brown (Rocket Science), Jon Chu (Step Up 2: The Streets), Cherien Dabis (Amreeka), Eric Nazarian (The Blue Hour), Nick Oceano (Pedro), Jennifer Phang (Half-Life), and Tze Chun (Children of Invention). Previous mentors include Gregg Araki (Smiley Face, Mysterious Skin), Nicole Holofcener (Friends with Money, Lovely and Amazing), Spike Jonze (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich), Kasi Lemmons (Talk to Me, Eve’s Bayou), Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento), Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election), John Singleton (Four Brothers, Boyz n the Hood), and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland, American Gun).

The 2009 Project:Involve participants were selected based on their talent and commitment to pursuing a career in the film industry. This year’s Fellows are:

Romulo Alejandro, writer/director
Esteban Argüello, director/editor
Husam Asi, writer
Marissa Jo Cerar, writer
Peter Chen, writer/director
Barney Cheng, actor/writer/director/producer
Jarrett Conaway, writer/director
Nekisa Cooper, producer
Michael Dempster, writer/director
John Estrada, writer/director/producer
Cindy Fang, writer/director/producer
Luis Ivan Garcia, writer/director
Jenn Garrison, director/producer
Josephine Green-Yang, writer/director/producer
Daniel Herman, cinematographer
Rikki Jarrett, writer/director/producer
Mako Kamitsuna, editor/writer
Kuang Lee, writer/director
Melissa Lee, producer
Wendy J.N. Lee, writer/director/producer
S.J. Main, writer/director/producer
Vanessa Marin, writer/director
Mariscela Mendez, cinematographer
Citlali Moreno, writer/director/producer
Graciela Muraida-Del Toro, producer
Salvador Paniagua, writer/director/producer
Anu Pradhan, writer/director
George Reyes, director/producer
David Rodriguez Estrada, writer/director
Helen Sam, producer
Redelia Shaw, producer
Laura Somers, writer/director
Sarah Takahashi, cinematographer/director
Jay Visit, cinematographer
Jeff Warden, director/producer
Meredyth Wilson, director/producer
Eugene Lee Yang, writer/director
Seung Hyun Yoo, editor/director

Film Independent’s Project:Involve is made possible, in part, by grants from Banana Republic, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, The James Irvine Foundation, Kodak, HBO, Sony Pictures, and Vanity Fair. Additional support is provided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, WaMu now Chase, and through the generosity of Film Independent’s Diversity Circle members and individual donors.

ABOUT BANANA REPUBLIC

Banana Republic is a global accessible luxury brand that delivers the best in city style. Characterized by elevated design and luxurious fabrications, the Banana Republic lifestyle collections include apparel, handbags, jewelry, fragrance, and eyewear. Banana Republic, a division of San Francisco-based Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), can be found at over 500 retail locations in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Japan, on BananaRepublic.com and (888) BR-STYLE. In addition, Banana Republic is expanding its international presence with franchise agreements in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. For more information, please visit gapinc.com.

ABOUT VANITY FAIR

With its mix of muscular journalism, stunning photography, in-depth reporting, and memorable profiles of the movers and shakers of the age, Vanity Fair has become, by many estimates, the magazine world’s acknowledged arbiter of modern society, power, and personality. Since Graydon Carter became editor in 1992, the magazine has won numerous awards— and he has assembled a group of A-list contributors, expanded the magazine’s mandate to cover politics, business, and world affairs, commissioned stunning photographic portfolios and definitive retrospective pieces, and inaugurated editorial franchises that have become V.F. cornerstones: among them, the New Establishment List, the Hollywood Issue, and the Style Issue. For more information, please visit vanityfair.com

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

Film Independent is a non-profit arts 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 an audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent’s Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff, and constituents, is comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexual orientation. 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 and the Spirit Awards. For more information or to become a member, visit FilmIndependent.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Elise Freimuth, Film Independent
Tel: 310.432.1287 or EFreimuth@FilmIndependent.org

Attachments: 

Download a .pdf version