Peace and other discussion worthy topics

What causes one week to have an overload and another to be a desert?

And the award for the best movie advertising of the year goes to…. and YES, I truly enjoyed the film: great cinema, great performances, timely subject. Please see it! https://www.salon.com/2024/10/02/the-apprentice-gets-honest-about-the-making-of-donald/

I am not sure if you are counting or not. Somehow this is my third consecutive day with a “Links, Ponders, and Wonders” post. My private morning coffee conversations have been on overdrive. Go figure. Must be something in the water. The FKATheFilmBiz is changing, rapidly. And seems like I can’t read the media news without finding something to comment on. I hope it’s been helpful. We will get back to the essay format tomorrow. Peace out.

Today’s menu of nuggets:

1. Does this mean at least one war is over?

2. A prime attribute of (good) cinema is…

3. Congrats To INVISIBLE NATION Producer Cassandra Jabola

4. A boy can dream still, can’t he?

5. “Threats Against Democracy” film festival… Pt2

6. No water cooler, no coffee house, no bar, no…

7. We just got our #1 X/NC-17/NR film of all time!

8. short film grants

9. this was one of my favorite films

10. Someone option the film rights!

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1

Does this mean at least one war is over?

You’ve probably read by now that Amazon is selling subscriptions to Apple TV. I never would have imagined that from back when I worked at Amazon. But things change.

But what’s the meaning behind the change? What is the biggest realization that could have driven such an altering of strategy? Sure money is to be made by both sides from this, but that opportunity was always there. They could have milked that cow any day. Maybe we are thinking about it all wrong, friend. Maybe it would be better to wonder why they felt so strongly against it in the first place.

Competition is such an interesting — and odd — thing in business. Do you have to win? I’d say no. I’d say you have to survive. And know you can keep surviving. And then either you embrace the service you provide or you decide where the best opportunity to deploy your gifts really is. And of course it can be both/and.

I worked at Amazon Studios in what is looked at as the early days. But there was a whole generation of executives before me. Many are still there, not having found a reason to encourage them to move on — as surprising as that is. But since it was the early days, one could be first. Like the first to win Oscars for their features. Which we were. But when you hit your goals early, you look for other mountains to climb. Amazon decided there was true meaning (i.e. $$$ and subscriber growth) in the Awards Race. And so they mostly make “low hanging fruit”.

Neither Amazon nor Apple is primarily an entertainment company. For each entertainment is a means to an end. I think each enjoyed flirting with the idea that they could become an entertainment company, or maybe spin one off. While they were doing that, there was a war to be won. Or at least fought. I think this new alliance is signifying that they both recognized that they lost. They will never catch Netflix. It’s time to play a different game. War is over, at least on the front that never really mattered.

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2

A prime attribute of (good) cinema is that it compels you to talk about it afterwards

I loved learning that Van Jackson has launched a podcast focusing on an anti-war perspective on war films. Granted it didn’t hurt that he sang some praises for me and my book. Meeting and talking to Van in New Zealand this year was one of the many highlights of the year — most delivered through the direct and active distribution of Vanessa’s anti-war film INVISIBLE NATION. He’s super smart and I like how he thinks. And he’s willing to go up against the status quo. Which makes most things fun, at least in my opinion. Check it out:

War Films and War Criticism

And just because Van loves our film and my book — and because we love him and his newsletter too — we have a super special gift for you. 50% off an annual subscription to Bang-Bang the new podcast, but you better hurry this offer won’t last long! It expires in one week. Click this for the discount: https://www.bangbangpod.com/hopeforfilm

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3

Congrats To Our Fellow INVISIBLE NATION Producer Cassandra Jabola

Back in August she was named to the Doc NYC 40 Under 40. There is no way Vanessa and I and the entire Invisible Nation could have managed without Cassandra. This recognition is just one of many she is deserving of. In fact, HopeForFilm is bestowing our Couldn’tDoneItWithoutYou on her now. That’s gold. Hopefully the Trades pick up on it.

Vanessa and I would have loved to have been at DOCNYC to celebrate with her… like maybe by getting to announce we made the DocNYC shortlist. But no; we didn’t know it was a paid submission honor sort of thing, and learned only of that after the deadline passed. Dang, another day, another fail.

This submission game is a tough thing when you don’t have a full on awards squard checking the deadlines and getting you all where you need to be, but we do the best we can, chugging along into YearTwo, doing our darndest to deliver impact and drop some truth. We have been getting support at every screening, feeling the love, and that’s all that counts anyway., right?

But imagine what would happen, if an indie like ours, that spoke up about the things folks whispered about, actually made a list like the Oscar shortlist, and people finally started paying attention to the things that matter? There are so many great films every year that do this, and to be among them, well, that is the dream.

BTW, have you bought tickets for any of our upcoming screenings? You can do so here on Gathr.

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4

A boy can dream still, can’t he?