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COME summer, emerging indie filmmakers and roving film festival circuiteurs eagerly await Filmmaker Magazine's highly coveted and completely subjective "25 New Faces of Independent Film" list of up-and-coming independent filmmakers.

Twenty-fifteen's holy scroll includes not only directors, but talent in all areas of filmmaking, including actors, cinematographers, animators, writers and more.  As their art reflects their life and the world around them, this year's "25 New Faces" use their vision, voice and camera to tackle current news and sensitive subjects of our day, from poverty and homelessness, to race and police violence - and, of course, the multi ring circus of politics.

Get familiar and keep an eye on this fresh and exciting crop of cinema professionals.  Chances are you will be hearing from them soon.

  SEE independent film at its finest and most original. The 7th annual curation of BAMcinemaFest is here.  Each year, BCF presents the New York premiere of this season's soon to be talked about, influential and innovative indie cinema fair.

DON'T miss out.  Read all about the films, meet the filmmakers, see trailers and get your tickets at WWW.BAM.ORG.

New Hire

YOU WANT THIS JOB?  Disney CFO, James Rasulo, will leave on June 30th. Rasulo, whose contract expired in January 2015, made $16.2 million in the fiscal year that ended in September 2014, says Disney via its latest proxy. In March 2015, Rasulo sold $12 million worth of his Disney stock.

RASULO joined Disney in 1986 as Director, Strategic Planning and Development following stints at Chase Manhattan Bank and Marriott Corp. He recently was key to the acquisition of Maker Studios and was pivotal in the acquisition of Lucasfilm.  He was involved with the expansion of Disney’s California Adventure, the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, and the initial development of the new Shanghai Disney Resort during his tenure at Disney Parks and Resorts.

CONTACT your headhunter.  The Walt Disney Company says it will name a new CFO “at a later date.”

Home Film Festival

INDIEFLIX is passionate about great films that disrupt stereotypes and spark conversation, film that involves a community.  That community is you.  So, who are you?  What do you look like? What story do you have?  IndieFlix celebrates you and your stories.

IndieFlix is the 'indie version of Netflix.  IndieFlix makes earning money for independent filmmakers, a goal central to its mission by subscriptions and streams on any device with an internet connection.

IndieFlix is like having a film festival brought to you, on demand, all-you-can-watch.  As a filmmaker, IndieFlix is a way to both get your movie seen and get paid for it.  Login at IndieFlix.com to learn all about it.  And to get a free limited subscription.

Weekend Wrap-up: Indie Boxoffice

Great news to report as last weekends indie film box office receipts proved to be stellar for Richard Press’s Bill Cunningham New York and Tom McCarthy’s Win Win both averaging over $30,000 as Hollywood's LCD (least common denominator) films are flat and stagnant as a fresh idea or plot development meeting at The Ivy.

Bill Cunningham debuted at New York’s Film Forum with a one day gross of $8,535, breaking the theater’s opening day record previously held by Control Room. Bill continued to do fantastic sales over the weekend, taking in $33,744, bringing its five day total to $49,103. Bill is a look through the camera lens of 80 year old New York Times photographer, Bill Cunningham, who has been bicycling around New York City for 40 years documenting fashion trends on the street by day and capturing New York’s social scene at night.

Tom McCarthy’s Win Win is another weekend big winner. According to estimates, the high school wrestling dramedy, which stars Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan Bobby Cannavale, grossed $153,615 from 5 theaters in New York and Los Angeles. That made for a $30,723 per-theater-average, topping the debuts of both of McCarthy’s other films - 2008’s The Visitor and 2003’s The Station Agent. Win Win will open 6 new markets March 25th adding 18 theaters.

Also debuting this weekend was National Geographic’s release of Sherry Horman’s Desert Flower, which took in $8,039 from 3 screens, averaging just $2,680. Desert Flower is the true story of model Waris Dirie and unfolds Waris's journey from Somalia, to London, to the heights of the international fashion scene. Desert Flower is on my "Greenlight Must See List."

Support the indies!

In Limited Release - I Will Follow

The much promoted indie film I Will Follow from filmmaker Ava DuVernay, opened last weekend with impressive stats: $11,428 per screen average from just 5 screens, making it a very successful weekend.

This weekend I Will Follow will expand to 22 screens in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Detroit, Oakland, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Charlotte and Jersey City. Be proactive and pre-ticket yourself.">
"One of the best films I’ve seen about the loss of a loved one,” is what legendary film critic Roger Ebert chimed in on the media blitzed I Will Follow. An official selection of AFI Fest, Chicago International Film Festival, Urbanworld, Pan-African and Bronze Lens Film Festivals, I Will Follow stars Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Omari Hardwick, Michole White and Dijon Talton, with Blair Underwood and Beverly Todd.

Get I Will Follow on your weekend calendar asap.