American Film Festival’s U.S. in Progress Gets Ready to Top Previous Edition as Alumni ‘Take Festivals by Storm’

As a filmmaker who has had the privilege of participating in US in Progress, I can attest to its transformative power. This program has been instrumental in opening doors that would have otherwise remained shut. My project, “Good One,” was awarded last year and it went on to premiere at Sundance and Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, a dream come true for any filmmaker!

The competition is heating up: the American Film Festival in Poland, specifically its ‘U.S. in Progress‘ industry sidebar, is gearing up to surpass the record-breaking success it achieved during its 2023 event in November

“In the United States, onward progress, alumni are embracing festivals as if by storm,” says AFF’s artistic director Ula Sneewski

Here’s a way to rephrase it:

Films such as “We Strangers” by Anu Vaila and Cutter Hodierne’s “Cold Wallet”, along with “Familiar Touch”, were displayed at SXSW. Monica Sorelle’s “Mountains” and Shane Atkinson’s “LaRoy, Texas” were chosen for Tribeca, Georden West’s “Playland” was featured in IFFR, while the Locarno film festival programmers found themselves drawn to “Falling Stars”, directed by Richard Karpala and Gabriel Bienczycki, as well as Lucy Kerr’s “Family Portrait”

I’ve had quite a successful run so far, and that seems to be the reason why I’m not keen on making any major changes at this moment

She points out that instead of making changes, we’ll be doubling down on what is currently successful – specifically connecting Polish post-production firms with American producers, with even greater emphasis

“I aim to establish U.S. in Progress as a collaborative production platform for Polish-American ventures. This hub will serve as a resource center where individuals can acquire all the necessary knowledge to collaborate with Poland, secure Polish funding, network with Polish producers, and discover suitable Polish locations – all while securing the best deals!”

Of course, Polish participants are also invited! Previously, Lena Góra shared insights about creating “Roving Woman,” a film with John Hawkes that she co-wrote, and Ewa Puszczyńska (“Cold War,” “The Zone of Interest”) talked about recent collaborations in the U.S., including Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain.” It’s worth noting that according to EbMaster, Eisenberg has applied for Polish citizenship

“U.S.-made independent films, despite impressive debuts at Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca, struggle to leave a mark globally, affecting their financial success significantly. At Vanishing Angle, we’ve been working diligently to grow audiences worldwide as well as in the U.S., and the U.S. in Progress initiative assists filmmakers in this endeavor. As Benjamin Wiessner, a producer for ‘Cold Wallet’, explains, this difference can significantly boost the selected films, which in turn makes it easier for future projects to secure international backing.”

He points out that the connections formed during their time in Poland have the potential to endure far beyond the Cannes-to-Los-Angeles-to-Warsaw program, creating long-term relationships that give rise to fresh films and partnerships

“Through this program, I’ve made lifelong companions, some of whom I’ve collaborated with on various movies. More such friendships are bound to form as time goes on.”

Yearly, U.S. in Progress offers post-production service packages valued at up to $10,000 each from top Polish studios like Black Photon, Di Factory, EarWorks & Sound Travel, Fixafilm, Orka Studio, Platige Image, and Soundflower Studio, as well as XANF and Wroclaw Film Studio

Regardless of the recent shake-up at the Polish Film Institute, with the departure of Radosław Śmigulski and the arrival of Karolina Rozwód as head, the organization will continue to offer $50,000 towards postproduction costs in one of its associated firms

Śniegowska notes, “Our organization, U.S. in Progress, has been nominated for the institute’s annual awards in the ‘international film promotion’ category. We are hopeful that there will be increased funding for production incentives, making it more appealing for Americans to collaborate on projects with Poland.”

“Poland boasts exceptional teams, skilled individuals, and state-of-the-art technology. It’s my wish to facilitate a decision where American producers find Poland more appealing than Hungary or the Czech Republic.”

2024-09-05 16:18

American Film Festival’s U.S. in Progress Gets Ready to Top Previous Edition as Alumni ‘Take Festivals by Storm’

Read More

Minority Mindset