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HAMILTON on Disney+ July 3, 2020
by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor I hate feeling like the only person in the world who hasn’t seen Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s Broadway smash HAMILTON. The touring show was in Philly last summer and immediately I downloaded the app to enter to win the $10 raffle tickets. I suppose I should have just shelled out for full price tickets, but I’m usually pretty lucky with things like this; if I really want something it typically comes through for me. But I entered day after day, and it played in Philly for like 3 months, yet I never won. Then I said that’s okay, cause actually, I’ve always wanted to see it on…
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Troop Zero
The movie stars McKenna Grace (GIFTED w/ Chris Evans) she plays Christmas Flint a 10 year-old growing up in 1977 in the small rural town of Wiggly, Georgia. She’s big into outer space and the idea of life on other planets, mainly because it was also a passion of her deceased mother, who Christmas feels is now a part of the stars and the galaxy. But it’s not her tendency to wear a tinfoil hat that makes Christmas Flint an outcast among her peers – she denies it for most of the movie, however, the truth of the matter is the sudden death of her mother has left her with…
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COVID-19 Interview Benjamin F. Barnett Digital Media Strategist & PIFF Founder
by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor Benjamin F. Barnett is a digital media strategist who first founded The Media Bureau Inc in Philadelphia in the late 90’s as a place where tech entrepreneurs, and artists could come together to create, produce & screen original Digital Media Content. It was a community driven project that was the jumping off of a number of other projects including The Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, founded by Ben and now in its 13th year; or would have been had COVID-19 not struck. I met Ben probably in the Festival’s 3rd or 4th year, and enjoy covering it annually (click to see #PIFF2019). In return Ben’s been…
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What’s Wrong with SXSW on Amazon Prime?
by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor I was excited to hear that the Free Online SXSW (South By Southwest) Film Festival on Amazon Prime was going forward April 27–May 6. But it seems a good number of films that would have screened at SXSW, prior to COVID-19 cancelling the high profile festival, are not interested in participating. The filmmakers fear it will ruin their chances at distribution deals, as Amazon Prime is not offering to buy each film, just allow them to be shown for a very limited time on their streaming platform. Also, even if theaters remain close for the time being, many filmmakers are still hoping for a theatrical…
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Announcing the Sundance Institute COVID-19 Respond and Reimagine Plan with $1Million in Emergency Relief for Independent Artists and Organizations
Being an independent artist means daring to tell bold, authentic stories with no strings attached and no compromises. It means taking risks, centering new perspectives, searching for meaning, and deepening our connection to the world around us. The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a bright light on the importance of art, reminding us that, as Joan Didion famously wrote, “we tell ourselves stories in order to live.” It has also laid bare the vulnerability of independent artists, who are mostly freelance workers and often left out of the current support systems despite their cultural and economic impact. Further, our attention is called to examine the systems and structures across our field that…
