Topanga Film Institute does Location Expo
Amanda L. Hafford, Business Development Executive Officer, Film, State of Louisiana
Members of the newly formed Topanga Film Institute pounded the pavement at the Santa Monica Civic Center last week at this year’s Association of Film Commissioners International Location Expo, a non-profit organization that represents 320 film commissions throughout the world over six continents whose goal is to educate film and media makers about locations and facilities in their respective countries and territories.
(L) Pam Glorioso, City of Bossier City Film Liaison, (R) Arlena Acree, City of Shreveport, Director of Film, Media and Entertainment
The Topanga delegation met with film commissioners, tax incentive experts, creative and dozens of others in seeking out experts for the institute’s year-long lecture series, panels and production symposia – and of critical importance – with prospective sponsors of both the festival and institute.
A parallel Topanga Film Institute missive was to gather information and production contacts as well as build awareness on the 6th annual Topanga Film Festival and to get word out on its on-line short film competition, Suitable for All Screens, that brings with it production services sufficient to create a feature film or feature-length documentary based on the winning “mod” – or module of content – that first makes it through a round of internet scrutiny to become one of the top 10 rated on-line videos from which a Jury Award will be selected. A cash prize will be awarded to the People’s Choice winner of the Suitable for All Screens Competition. There is no fee to compete and submissions will be accepted until July 14, 2010. The winner will be announced during the Topanga Film Festival, scheduled to run August 18-22, 2010.
In an effort to expand cultural exchange between its film and media makers, the institute reached out to representatives from Australia, Kenya, California, Puerto Rico, to entertainment software companies, production goods and services providers, completion bond and insurance providers and economic developers from the State of Louisiana and dozens of tax incentive-friendly states.
The Topanga Film Institute and festival send out a special thanks to Amanda L. Hafford, a business development executive with the State of Louisiana, who has committed to get word out on the Suitable for All Screens competition and to maintain an open exchange between film and media makers in Louisiana — known as Hollywood South — and content creators on the West Coast — a commitment echoed by film commissioners and others in New Orleans, Shreveport, Bossier City and Baton Rouge.
