SWAMI Program
The True/False SWAMI program was launched in 2007 as a way to help new nonfiction filmmakers navigate the sometimes treacherous terrain of the doc film world. Through meetings with seasoned and knowledgeable industry professionals, first-time filmmakers get unvarnished advice on everything that happens after they finish their final cut. From sales agents to online distribution to European sales, this is a chance for filmmakers to get unbiased answers on some of the thorniest topics in the movie business.
2008 selected filmmakers:
- Anna Broinowski (Forbidden Lies)
- Rivkah Beth Medow & Gregory O'Toole (Sons of a Gun)
- Cynthia Lester (My Mother's Garden)
- Ingrid Demetz, Caroline Leitner, and Daniel Mazza (How I Am)
- Greg Kohs (Song Sung Blue)
- Owen Lowery (An Alternative to Slitting Your Wrist)
2008 SWAMIs:
- John and Janet Pierson (producer's reps, Austin Film Society vice president)
- Esther Robinson, director (A Walk into the Sea: The Danny Williams Story)
- Debbie Zimmerman (Women Make Movies)
- Eugene Hernandez, editor (Indiewire)
- Peter Broderick, consultant (Paradigm Consulting)
- Ryan Harrington, Bugle B Productions and The Tribeca Gucci Fund, formerly of A&E Indie Films
Past SWAMIS have included the Piersons, Debbie Zimmerman, Fenton Bailey (World of Wonder), and Liesl Copland (Red Envelope/Netflix). Past participants include Ashley Sabin & David Redmon (Kamp Katrina), Ido Haar (9 Star Hotel), Jeremy & Randy Stulberg (Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa), and Raúl de la Fuente Calle, Igor Ochoa Odriozola & Harkaitz Martinez de San Vincente Urriza (Nomadak TX).
Participation in the SWAMI program is by invitation only and is open to first-time filmmakers whose films are just coming into the world.
"Navigating through the sea of information and the distribution end of filmmaking can be overwhelming at times. Having one on one face time with experienced filmmakers and industry gurus was an incredible resource and a privilege to have. The personal feedback, connections, and insider info was priceless."
Jeremy Stulberg, co-director, Off the Grid; SWAMI '07 participant