Archives for vudu

The Film Fest Database is Live

Michael Forstein’s Film Fest Database

The 2020 Film Festival Database is live! Thanks to Michael Forstein for creating it. It’s a super handy resource for filmmakers, production companies, brands making films – anyone who needs to submit projects to film festivals. 

Michael is an independent filmmaker who made the first version of this database on his own because he needed it, and then he made it somewhat open-source for anyone to use for free. It’s a labor of love, and while he now has a small group of sponsors paying him for some of his time (kudos to them), you can and should donate to the project if it’s something you are going to use. My staff and I use this almost daily as we help our clients submit to festivals. For now, it’s US centric – Michael hasn’t had time to go in and list all of the international festivals, which would be a great addition, but hey, it’s a volunteer effort from one guy!

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“It’s a Disgrace” or Netflix vs. Theaters, again.

The Irishman Newspaper at the Belsasco, photo: me.

The Irishman opened this past Friday, and I finally saw it this week at the Belasco Theater. This is not a review, but it was great, and not just because it’s a Scorsese film with a great cast (Joe Pesci in particular), but because I saw it on Broadway, in a storied theater, that was a much more pleasant experience than seeing it at AMC, Regal or any other big chain theater. I mean, heck, there were only 2 pre-show trailers, no ads and it cost less than most movies in NYC. And Netflix added great touches, like phone booths in the lower lobby that played clips from the film, actual print newspapers with Hoffa headlines and funny fake ads, and some gag props on the bar that referenced key scenes in the movie (no spoilers here). A great experience all around.

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