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TWELVE WEEKS OF ADVANCE
SCREENINGS
AND COMPELLING INTERVIEWS
Experience the best
of Sundance, Cannes
and Toronto
without a
press pass
By WILLIAM B. GOODRICH
Imagine seeing a
festival-winning gem before public release, then
the lights come up, and there in
front of you are the creators of the
film, ready to answer questions and
discuss their work.
Widely praised as one of the best
film series in the world, Filmmakers
Symposium has hosted 1,393
premieres with 926 live guest appearances over the past 19 years.
Oscar winners and nominees
Danny Aiello, Alan Arkin, Frank Darabont, Ethan Hawke, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Jon Kilik,
Melissa Leo, Helen Mirren, Viggo
Mortensen, Chazz Palminteri, John Sayles, Marc Shaiman, Fisher Stevens and David Strathairn have joined Bob Balaban, Jim Breuer, Al Franken,
Famke Janssen,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Delroy Lindo, Derek Luke, Mary Stuart Masterson, David Morse,
Connie Nielsen, Joe Pantoliano and Kevin Smith as guest speakers who
have come to share their insights
with Symposium participants.
According to Symposium director
Chuck Rose, the movie program is
designed to get people of all ages to
become students of film rather than
just consumers with the “thumbs
up–thumbs down” approach to cinema.
“We get to see movies first,
hopefully before the critics have a
chance to dissect them, give away
the plot, and pass judgment for
everyone, a process which robs
much of the fun, excitement and
surprises craved by every film buff.”
Rose promises, “The series will
always be flexible in order to take
advantage of opportunities as they
arise. Assessing film and guest
availability is often like playing
the ponies. Distributors juggle their
release dates to gain competitive
advantages. Sure shots can be
scratched at the last minute, and
wonderful surprises and fantastic
celebrities can pop up out of
nowhere, so I try to keep the schedule
as fluid as possible.
“In the past three years, we premiered
101 movies which
later earned a total of 21
Oscar, 32 Spirit, 26 British Academy,
and 16 European Film Award nominations.
“Every week is a complete surprise
and quite an adventure for me
as well as all those who attend.
What we strive for is a unique combination
of entertainment and information.
Our discussions with filmmakers
and actors illuminate
the movie-making process and
make it more accessible.”
"Even before we
started 20 years ago, I have worked to create an international VIP network of actors, directors,
screenwriters, producers, film journalists, critics and film
industry executives whose jobs involve identifying and evaluating the cream
of Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, Berlin, Venice, Tribeca and the other
important film festivals. We also work to ferret out potential hits in the
development and production stages so we are ready to pounce on the best
films first,” explained Rose.
The symposium is open to anyone, but Rose hopes that
every participant will possess one special prerequisite. And that is, “A
love of movies.”
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