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.
Special thanks to Chicken and Egg Pictures for sponsoring the 2009 SWAMI program.
"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)
2009 selected filmmakers:
- Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, director and producer, The Way We Get By
- Brittany Huckabee, director, The Mosque in Morgantown
- Dan Stone, director, At the Edge of the World
- Havana Marking, director, Afghan Star
- Justin Donais, director, glastonburykids
- Luciano Blotta, director, and Darrin Holender, producer, Rise Up
- Michael Palmieri & Donal Mosher, directors, October Country
2009 SWAMIs:
- Debbie Zimmerman, executive director, Women Make Movies non-profit media arts organization and distributor
- Esther Robinson, filmmaker (A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory) and former director of Film/Video for Creative Capital Foundation
- Jess Search, co-founder of the independent filmmakers' network Shooting People, and chief executive of Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation
- Jon Reiss, director (Bomb It) and author of upcoming book What Now? Hybrid Distribution: A Practical Guide to the New World of DIY and Web Distribution for Filmmakers
- Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, producers/directors (A Lion in the House)
- Kirby Dick, filmmaker (This Film Is Not Yet Rated) and founder of Chain Camera Pictures
- Matt Dentler, head of marketing and programming operations, Cinetic Rights Management, and former director of SXSW Film Festival
Participation in the SWAMI program is by invitation only and is open to first-time filmmakers whose films are just coming into the world.
"The T/F mentorship program was extremely helpful. The combination of industry figures and practicing filmmakers was particularly useful, as I was able to get a perspective from both sides of the fence. (The delicious American pub grub each day surrounded by like-minded film lunatics was an added bonus.)" (Anna Broinowski, director, Forbidden Lies; SWAMI '08 participant)
Past SWAMIS have included John and Janet Pierson (producer's reps, Director of Programming, SXSW); Debbie Zimmerman (Women Make Movies); Eugene Hernandez, editor (Indiewire); Peter Broderick, consultant (Paradigm Consulting); Ryan Harrington (Indiepix Studios); Fenton Bailey (World of Wonder); and Liesl Copland (Red Envelope/Netflix).
Past participants include 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), 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).