Happy Holiday Season to one and all.

Here are the big items of the moment:

Firstly, I am finally practicing what I preach and will be including my personal short films in the Reframe Collection (www.reframecollection.org). A link to the page will most likely appear in the next newsletter. There is a process involved, and thanks to the kindness and patience of my previous collaborator, writer Carl Kelsch, I have been getting all the technical deliverables together to move forward. Room Tone (2002), my first directing project, and Bench Warmers (2005) have gotten positive feedback in the past so perhaps someone I do not know can find use for them as well. There will also be a compilation DVD of 4 shorts that will include these two plus Writing on the Wall, and Open Shutter, films I am excited about the opportunity of getting out more.

I am now officially a member of the American Library Association, and of the Video Round Table within ALA, and I am very happy about it.

The Reframe Collection is also looking for bloggers and curators from colleges and universities to provide each other peer-reviewed media that they have found useful. If you are interested in participating in such a venture, contact Teri Tynes at teritynes@hotmail.com. Tell her I sent you. She is good people and very open to ideas.

Reframe is sending me to the Mid-Winter conference of the American Library Association in January, which will take place in Denver. If you or anyone you know will be attending, I would love to connect with them. I have been asked by my brilliant friend Tom Ipri to talk about indie film and distribution at one of the meetings so I am looking forward to more interaction on this subject.

“Events” and film-specific announcements tend to thin out as the year comes to a close but I am extremely happy to report that The Gillian Film will be screening at the conference of Idaho Parents Unlimited, Inc, January 13-16 of 2009. The subject of the film, Gillian, and her mother/filmmaker Joanne Hershfeld, will be in attendance to speak with the film. You can learn more about the film by going to www.TheGillianFilm.com and the conference by going to www.ipulidaho.org.

Shooting People recently requested I write a blog for their tools section about non-theatrical distribution, so here is the first part of that essay. I hope you find it useful:

http://shootingpeople.org/tools/2008/12/01/a-primer-on-non-theatrical-distribution-part-1/

Thanks very much for your interest in independent film. As usual, you are welcomed to pass this on to whomever you wish, and if you would like to get knocked off the list, please tell me so gently.

With warm regards,

Rachel