It’s true and we’re sure they’re very proud. Currently hosting the Had To Be Made Film Festival is Andy Dick and with the immense success of their first run, the festival has issued the call for entries for its 2nd round in August. All independent features and shorts, regardless of completion date, are invited to enter by June 12, 2003.
Festival co-founder Richard Green says, “This festival provides a new venue for independent films to reach a nationwide audience, and for every finalist to demonstrate his or her film¹s marketability to potential distributors. We believe that by proving a film’s appeal, the festival will enhance acquisition and career possibilities for its selected filmmakers. To date, we have received an overwhelming response from filmmakers, independent video retailers, distributors and film fans across the country.”
The public takes a part in discovering new talent by participating as HTBMFF Evaluators to select finalists. The audience then “attends” the festival by renting the films on DVD at independent retailers across the U.S., and finally, votes online at www.hadtobemade.com to determine winners, which are announced at an Awards Ceremony Gala. The winners of the first program will be announced in July, at the VSDA Home Entertainment 2003 Event in Las Vegas.
New titles are released on the 15th day of every month. Each DVD includes one feature film and two shorts, with introductions by the participating filmmakers and a celebrity guest host.
The two DVD volumes released March 15th feature highlights, including comedian and actor Andy Dick as a guest host, his music video “Love Ninja,” and a critically acclaimed and controversial film about a school shooting.
Among the almost 100 independent video retailers already on board are some of the most renowned, including Vidiots, Cinefile and Video Journeys (Los Angeles), Penny Lane (Pasadena), TLA (Philadelphia and New York City), Kims (New York) and Scarecrow (Seattle).
For more information, visit the Had to be Made Film Festival website.
