IFP FILM WEEK RE-CAP FOR ‘HUNGRY IN AMERICA’
Today marks the end of a satisfying and productive week for the “Hungry in America” team. Although the problem of hunger in America is one that grows worse every day, thanks to IFW “Hungry in America” the documentary is moving closer to its goal of turning this trend on its head by raising awareness about American hunger and galvanizing social and political action to eradicate it. It’s an ambitious goal but we feel even more strongly now that we’ve got the best team, and partners, in place to do it.
Over the past week, we have been fortunate to receive encouraging and insightful responses from each of our 17 (!) meetings with broadcasters, distributors, film funds, outreach partners, etc. Things got off to a great start with our first meeting with Paola Freccero of B-Side Entertainment, and the positive energy just kept on building throughout our three days of meetings. We definitely introduced our film, and the surprising state of hunger in America, to a wider audience over the course of the week, including to a slew of international broadcasters who were very intrigued and receptive.
Our pitching came to an invigorating culmination with a screening of our work-in-progress trailer followed by dynamic Q&A session— where we were thrilled to have Barbara Kopple come out to support the film. The attendees were particularly moved by a story we shared about one of our characters, Imani. As Imani tells it, she brought her 3-year-old son with her to the food stamp office one day and the case worker who was reviewing her eligibility was munching on potato chips. So Imani’s son, who had barely eaten all day, reached his hand out to the case worker to ask for some chips because he was hungry. How could the government question that a child in Imani’s son’s position deserves food stamps?
We can’t take total credit for the good vibes “Hungry In America” was welcomed with, however. There was a general positive energy permeating F.I.T.’s Great Hall throughout week—an inspiring indication of independent film’s fortitude even in this tough economy. And, of course, the tireless IFP and its staff are largely to thank for the week’s success. We were thoroughly impressed at how well-organized and streamlined the affair was.
Ultimately, we got exciting new leads on funding sources and the encouragement to carry on our quest. For, as our intern learned at the “Modern Ideas for DOC Financing” panel (where our executive producers were among the panelists): the days of large sums of money from one source are over; it’s all about incremental sources of funding. We feel optimistic that the momentum we’ve gained from IFW is sure to carry us many increments further.
