Frustrated by the commercialization of film festivals and narrow limitations of cookie cutter distributors, indie filmmaker Lawrence Bridges has taken matters into his own hands by self-distributing his award winning feature film “12” in a series of impromptu drive-in movie venues. Part nostalgia, part creative marketing ploy, these screenings reclaim the last patch of legitimate ground left in truly independent film making. As a result, a devoted band of cinephiles have taken it upon themselves to project the film on walls all over Los Angeles from the Valley, to the west side, to Hollywood. “Art belongs to the people and this film is my gift back to the city of LA. It’s a rolling installation and tribute to my home city, despite the fun it makes of it,” says Bridges.
Fans log onto the web site www.12.org every week for the new times and locations. “It’s kind of like a rave, you know, there’s this whole underground vibe to it. I can’t believe I’m watching a film from my car at Olympic and Bundy!” says a “12” devotee. “A lot of us who make our own films are saying ‘Why didn’t we think of this?’”
“This film is about the quirkier aspects of LA–the disasters, aspiring actors, refugees from romance, greedy slum lords, all of whom reside beneath the Hollywood sign”, says the director.
So far the phenomenon has been an entirely independent community-based effort. Generous supporters of the arts sponsor the screenings by allowing their private property to be used as venues. One such business owner and film lover explains, “When you go to Europe you see a whole different appreciation of film as both an art form and a cultural event. I am proud to have the film on the side wall of my bodyshop. This is our small way of contributing to the culture.”
For more info, check out the official 12 web site.
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