HomeConvergence Panels and Conversations
Friday, May 29 • 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Spotlight Conversation with Barnet Bain
Barnet Bain will tell you that if you want to make a conscious film, you must first become a conscious individual. And his prescription for this is to bring ALL of one’s self into the light of awareness. Whether it’s fear, frustration, shame, anxiety, pride, longing or any other aspect of our self that hides in the darkness, it’s all meant to be embraced and—through the power of love and acceptance—transformed. In this Q&A with Barnet, attendees will discover how to connect with their true calling and unleash their full creative potential.
Mr. Bain is a television and film industry veteran who’s built his career on producing human transformation stories. His credits include Oscar-winner What Dreams May Come, Emmy-nominated Homeless to Harvard, spiritual classic The Celestine Prophecy and the new documentary When I Was Young I Said I Would Be Happy. Upcoming productions include Milton’s Secret, based on the book by Eckhart Tolle, and Illusions, based on the classic novel by Richard Bach and directed by Zack Snyder. Barnet is author of the forthcoming Book of Doing and Being: Rediscovering Creativity in Life, Love, and Work, published by Simon & Schuster in July 2015.
Friday, May 29 • 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Conscious Film Financing: The Connected Universe
Perhaps it's fitting that a film exploring the science behind the interconnection of all things has just become the highest-funded documentary in Indiegogo history. What's more is that The Connected Universe has been selected as the first film to benefit from a newly announced distribution partnership that pegs Vimeo On Demand as the preferred distribution platform for films financed through Indiegogo. Join the film's director, Malcom Carter and Mile... Mile & A Half producer Kia Kiso for a scientific and very hands-on approach to crowd funding for conscious cinema.
Saturday, May 30 • 11:15 – 12:15 pm
Powered By Your Audience with Peter Broderick
How can you increase your independence and build a sustainable career that goes far beyond one film? Distribution guru Peter Broderick (President, Paradigm Consulting) presents a comprehensive guide to help you develop and maximize your "own" audience and establish a strong foundation from which you can build a long-lasting filmmaking career. Using examples from across the US and around the world, he will demonstrate how filmmakers are aggregating their audiences film by film and becoming empowered by followers who champion their work.
Saturday, May 30 • 1:15 – 2:15 pm
Million Dollar Movie: Case Study of Awake: The Life of Yogananda
Since screening at the 2014 ILLUMINATE Film Festival, Awake: The Life of Yogananda has screened in 250 venues across North America, many of them sold-out shows, and booked over 30,000 tickets via the GATHR® theatrical-on-demand platform. The filmmakers and their distribution partners discuss how they combined strategic partnerships, grassroots marketing and a hybrid distribution model to gross over one million dollars at the US box office within the first three months of release. Have they created a model for other conscious film projects to replicate?
Saturday, May 30 • 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Champions of Conscious Cinema: Meet the Distributors
Abundant Internet connectivity and social media tools beckon today’s filmmaker to flirt with the very real possibility of self-distribution, while the lure of traditional distribution offers remains strong. Join the leaders of conscious film distribution as they explore the pros and cons of “all-rights” versus “hybrid” distribution, debate the logic of day-and-date releasing and consider direct engagement via theatrical-on-demand. Learn your best options for theatrical, broadcast, video-on-demand and educational distribution as panelists share their outlook on the future of conscious cinema and the factors they consider before acquiring a film.
Conscious Cinema Summit * By Invitation
Sunday, May 31 • 10:00 – noon
Conscious film industry visionaries and media change-makers gather to discuss how conscious cinema can become a viable business sector within the independent film business. Grab a seat at the roundtable as we gather to define “conscious” cinema, imagine new business models and brainstorm new strategies for collaboration to increase the quality, quantity and availability of conscious cinema around the globe.
Conscious Cinema Accelerator * By Invitation
Saturday, May 30 • 9:00 –11:00 am
Earn the chance to receive personalized project development consultations with the brightest minds of conscious cinema today. In a blazing round of five 20-minute speed meetings, selected participants will sit with film industry veterans in the areas of conscious screenwriting, production, finance, marketing and distribution.
The final deadline for submissions has now passed.
