WESTDOC’S 2010 PitchFest Winner “Indie Game: The Movie”
to Hold Los Angeles Theatrical Premiere
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex
to Hold Los Angeles Theatrical Premiere
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex
Critically Acclaimed Documentary is a Hit at Sundance and South By Southwest Film Festivals and is Official Selection for Upcoming Hot Docs Film Festival.
CULVER CITY, Calif. (March 28, 2012) --- The first-time filmmaking duo of Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky won the WESTDOC PitchFest competition in September 2010 for the pitch of their feature-length documentary film about video games, their creators and the craft titled “Indie Game: The Movie.” On Tuesday, April 3, 2012, their critically acclaimed, festival award-winning finished product will make its Los Angeles theatrical premiere at Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex at 7:30 p.m. The screening is presented in association with G4TV, and includes an in-person Q&A with the filmmakers and Adobe® prizes. Filmmakers Pajot and Swirsky, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, tell the story of a new breed of struggling independent artist that comes with the twenty-first century: the indie game designer. Refusing to toil for major developers, these innovators independently conceive, design, and program their distinctly personal games in the hope that they, too, may find success. “Indie Game” captures the emotional journey of these meticulously obsessive artists who devote their lives to their interactive art. Four developers, three games, and one ultimate goal – to express oneself through a video game. “Indie Game: The Movie” has been a hit with critics and film festival fans since it premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was an official selection in the World Documentary Competition and won “Best Editing” honors. The 96-minute film also was an Official Selection at the recent South By Southwest Film Festival, as well as the upcoming RiverRun International and Hot Docs film festivals, and will show at additional festivals, game conferences and special screenings during a tour of North America through May 2012. “Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky have created a tremendous documentary with ‘Indie Game’ and we’re thrilled that their early success in our PitchFest competition was able to play a part in turning their film dream into a reality,” says Richard Propper, distribution executive and WESTDOC co-founder, along with Academy Award®-nominated producer/director Chuck Braverman. “A year and half after our experience at WESTDOC, we're thrilled be bringing the film back to Santa Monica, as part of cross-country screening tour with Adobe," says Pajot, whose film has been called “A big hearted celebration of the artistic spirit!” by IndieWire and a “Must See” by Ain’t It Cool News. |
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"WESTDOC was an invaluable experience for us,” adds Swirsky. “We learned a lot and made many connections at the conference. Pitchfest gave us huge boost of confidence and validation from industry leaders."
Since that PitchFest win, even bigger validation came to the producers after the film premiered at Sundance in January. According to a report on Nikki Fink’s Deadline Hollywood, producer Scott Rudin acquired remake rights to “Indie Game: The Movie” to develop the film as a fictional half-hour comedy series for HBO. The same PitchFest opportunity that Pajot and Swirsky took advantage of in 2010 is available to select applicants in 2012 when WESTDOC: The West Coast Documentary and Reality Conference returns for its third annual conference September 9-12 in a great new Culver City location. Conference registration is now open and PitchFest entries are being accepted. PitchFest is the conference’s climactic all-day event where 12 finalists of documentary and reality producers pitch new works in progress directly to funders and network development executives in front of a live audience for potential acquisition, licensing or co-production funding. The pitches include at least three minutes each of video and verbal pitching, not exceeding eight total minutes. This year’s cash prize to the PitchFest winner will be increased from $7,500 to $12,000, thanks to the generous support of competition sponsor The Gilbert Group at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management-Bank of America. |