Upcoming Screenings of jumping off bridges

For a full list of screenings, visit www.jumpingoffbridges.com.




San Antonio, TX – 9/30
Saturday, September 30th
7:00pm
Historic Guadalupe Theater (1301 Guadalupe Street @ South Brazos)
Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at the door.
Co-sponsored by the Bexar SPC
Panel discussion will follow the screening featuring.

Austin, TX – 10/3
Tuesday, October 3rd
7:00pm
Alamo Drafthouse South (1120 South Lamar)
Tickets are $10.00 general admission
Advanced Tickets available at: http://www.originalalamo.com/lamar/frames.asp
Co-sponsored by the Travis County SPC
Panel discussion will follow the screening with filmmakers and actors in attendance.

New Haven, CT – 10/5
Thursday, October 5th
7:00pm
Critereon Theater (86 Temple St)
Tickets are $9.00 (Advanced Tickets Available)

Tuscaloosa, AL – 10/5
Thursday, October 5th
7:00pm
Ferguson Center Theater (University of Alabama
Free – Open to the Public

Tallahassee, FL – 10/6 – 10/7
Friday and Saturday, October 6th and 7th
5:45pm and 7:30pm each night
All Saints Cinema
Tickets are $6.00 general admission

Bethel, CT – 10/7
Saturday, October 7th
7:00pm
Bethel Cinema (269 Greenwood Avenue)
Tickets are $9.00 (Advanced Tickets Available)

American Film Market

Haven't written here in a while, so I thought I'd give a quick update...

AFM is right around the corner (first week in November) and I've been feverishly readying my film "Killing Down" for the event. We just got new key artwork done (for the third time) and we're pretty sure everyone (me, producer's rep, graphic designers, etc.) are happy.

Funny thing is we've somewhat fallen into that cliched trap of the "artist" versus the "suits" with comments and questions like...

1. We don't like the title...
2. Have you considered changing the title?
3. "Killing" does not test well with women
4. What about changing the title?
5. Are you sure you like orange?
6. Not sure about the movie title

Fun stuff, but you'll notice that the title is still the same! :)

We're getting our one-sheets (sell sheets really) printed tomorrow and sending out 100 DVD screeners to various foriegn sales agents, distributors, etc. We unfortunately don't have time to set up an industry screening before the market. Although, depending on what rights we sell, we might have one afterwards (I'm thinking we'll hold on to our North American rights unless we get a really good offer).

Biggest problem is all the distribution companies generally want their films at least 30 days before a market. This leaves us very little time. We hope to make a deal in the next 10 days or so - but we don't want to jump into something we'll regret later. It's a tough situation. If we wait and don't attend AFM, the next market is Berlin and they don't really cater to action/thriller type films. Then after that is Cannes, which is in May - that's too long to wait. So, it's really important that we make something happen in the next two weeks.

It's an exciting time and we hope that all our hard work will pay off soon. Please wish us luck!

BTW, I do realize my film is probably the most "commercial" film on this blog, but just because it's more commercial definitely doesn't mean it's not independent. Believe me, it is, in just about every aspect you can imagine. Heck, my step-dad even did craft service. :)

-Blake

Awesome! An Indie Theaters Database (w/ contact info) Is Born at US DIY FILM Yahoo Group!

Many of us have talked about doing this - starting a database that DIY/self-distributing filmmakers can use, w/ info. on indie theaters that book/work w/ filmmakers directly to set up screenings, w/ contact info. & other important info, AND FINALLY someone has done it: Lance "Head Trauma" Weiler got the d-base going tonight at US DIY Film yahoo group. Join the yahoo group & explore the indie theater database, add info, make your screenings happen, help yourself & others.

I am going to add a few records to it this weekend.

- Sujewa

Back in Scranton

The promotion is going very well. I've been working the press like crazy. Over the last two days I've done close to 20 interviews - print, web, radio and TV for national and local outlets. People are really responding to the movie in a great way.

HT gets its first cover story

On the radio with Bone from 97.9x

Hard to believe that when HT hits DVD on the 26th, it'll almost be 3 years to the day that we started shooting. I'm currently in Scranton, Pa to promote the run that opens later tonight. We shot about 50% of HT in Scranton and surrounding areas. It's great to come full circle with the project and Scranton has given us an amazing homecoming of sorts. The movie has a two week run at the Endless Mountains Theatre, which is an excellent independent 8 screen multiplex. The movie will be playing 4 or 5 times a day for two weeks!

The movie also opens tonight in East Stroudsburg, PA at the Grand Cinema and in Brattleboro, VT at the Latchis theatre. I'll be traveling to both locations to promote the runs over the next week. In Brattleboro Steve Bissette will be joining me to do an intro and Q&A surrounding the film. As I've mentioned before Steve and his son Danny created the "Nothing But Grief" comic used within the movie. It will be great to see Steve again.

Earlier tonight I spoke to a large gathering of students at the Scranton Penn State satellite campus. In each of the tour stops I'm speaking at various schools or film societies. It's an excellent way to offset travel expenses. In most cases they pay a speaking fee, provide lodging and take you out for food and drinks! What it also does is help to promote the screenings and upcoming DVD release to my core audience.

To be continued

Messiah on IFC

The trailer for THE PROPER CARE & FEEDING OF AN AMERICAN MESSIAH was selected off of IFC's Media Lab website for screening on IFC, as part of the Media Lab Uploaded series.

Now all I have to do is actually create the hi-res version! We made a standard def version and did a low-res version for web playback, and now we can't find the project file to import the hi-res clips! Yikes -- got some work to do...

New Yahoo Group for DIY Filmmakers/Self-Distributors

I just created a Yahoo Group for DIY filmmakers/self-distributors. Hopefully it will quickly evolve into a place where DIY filmmaker/distributors can ask each other questions, get answers re: distribution & production matters - w/ out having to post Qs at the Comments section at various blogs/entries & waiting around 'till they get answered, which is how it is happening now. We'll see how it goes. In the meantime, here is the link (go join!) :http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/usdiyfilm/

And here is the official introduction to the group:" This group is an attempt to create a forum of communication for US based self-distributing low budget filmmakers or independent/D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself) filmmakers. Group started & moderated by Sujewa Ekanayake, director & distributor of the 2006 comedy feature Date Number One (http://www.wilddiner.com/). Hopefully this group will offer a place for filmmakers to quickly figure out answers to production & distribution questions and also a place to share experience for the benefit of other filmmaker/distributors."

Thanks!

- Sujewa

IFC.com profiles Mutual Appreciation, Date Number One, Head Trauma & self-distribution of those projects

Very exciting to be featured in a story on self-distribution at the IFC website. The story is an IFC News item titled "The Final Frontier of Filmmaking: Three Stories of Self-Distribution" written by Alison Wilmore. Here is a paragraph from the article:

"These days, a crowded market and the sheer difficulty of making money on a theatrical release has made distributors wary of taking any chances, and often when an offer is made, it's not at all favorable towards the filmmaker. Suddenly self-distribution, once an unthinkable rarity, seems like a viable option for filmmakers who are willing to do the work to get their films on screens. September may be the month self-distribution comes into its own. The three filmmakers profiled below are all in the midst of releasing their own films, and they're not the only ones."

The filmmakers & projects profiled are: Andrew Bujalski & Mutual Appreciation, myself (Sujewa Ekanayake) & Date Number One, and Lance Weiler & Head Trauma. (DNO & HT are Indie Features 06 projects, most awesome - IF06 is on the cutting edge of indie film baby :)

Read the article here.

Thanks for writing about DIY distribution Alison & IFC!

- Sujewa