Microbudgets in Cannes

by Emma_Chappel on 17-May-10 15:57

It was standing room only - and not much of that - at our microbudget filmmaking event this afternoon.

This was our chance to talk about iFeatures and microbudget filmmaking to a wider, international audience, and we'd joined forces with two other Screen Agencies, Film London and Vision+Media, who have also run microbudget initiatives in the shape of Film London Microwave and Digital Departures.

Our panel consisted of Sandy Lieberson, producer and Chair of Film London, Helen Grace from Left Films, Alex Hamilton, a director at E1 Entertainment, Kolton Lee, director of Freestyle (a Film London Microwave Film) and Tobias Morgan, producer for The Auteurs. Volcanic ash had held up Mark Hebert, the producer of Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee, so Caroline Cooper Charles, the Head of Creative Development at Warp X, the production company behind the film, stepped in to complete the panel.

Chaired by Damon Wise, contributing editor at Empire magazine, the questions came thick and fast, starting with the first, most obvious one: what is the definition of 'microbudget'? This is a frequently asked question and, whilst you could argue all night about the stage at which a budget becomes 'micro', the best answer came from Sandy Lieberson, who said it's more about a state of mind: taking risks and making innovative new films.

It was an interesting discussion and we're hoping many of the filmmakers present will also come along to our reception on microbudgets later this evening.

Tagged:Cannes Film Festival, South West Screen, ifeatures, microbudgets, Film London, Vision+Media

Please login or register to comment