MattDentler Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Every day seems to bring a new channel for delivering great, unheralded film right to your television or laptop. The latest is Film Buff, a video-on-demand channel run by Cinetic, and overseen by Matt Dentler, former producer of the legend that is Austin's SXSW. Variety has the details great and small.

I can't describe this channel better than Cinetic president John Sloss, who says its "as if your most film-literate friend programmed your Netflix queue and it was immediately available." They plan to offer as many as 15 first run films and classics per month, and the first slate is pretty tasty: The Carter (the Lil Wayne documentary that premiered at Sundance), Enzo Castellari's original The Inglorious Bastards, the 1984 documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, Richard Linklater's Slacker, and Michael Almereyda's New Orleans, Mon Amour. Dentler stresses that they won't be limited to Cinetic repped titles, nor will they only showcase new releases. FilmBuff also aims to champion older films in need of rediscovery, especially if they're tied into a hot trend or remake, such as Quentin Tarantino and his Basterds.

Now, I know Wayne Wang isn't in most cinephiles' good graces these days.* He's spent most of the decade making bland and unremarkable middle-brow flicks like Maid in Manhattan, Because of Winn-Dixie and Last Holiday. But the director behind The Joy Luck Club and Chinese Box still has a fair bit of cachet, and when he does something like make his new film available in its entirety online and for free, people pay attention.

So, pay attention: Wang's The Princess of Nebraska, an indie he premiered at last year's Toronto International Film Festival (where it got a positive review from Cinematical's Kim Voynar), will be offered for free on the internet in September. The filmmaker partnered with ex-SXSW chief Matt Dentler and his Cinetic Rights Management to make this happen, as a means of releasing Princess simultaneously with its companion film, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, which will come to theaters courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. The exact plans of the release (i.e. where, how) haven't been announced, but I'll keep an eye on it. Take a look at this IndieWire story for more.

Not, probably, the start of a new Hollywood trend, given that The Princess of Nebraska -- a no-budget drama about a pregnant Chinese teenager's struggles in the United States -- probably wouldn't have done much business anyhow. But if Dentler and his colleagues can figure out a way to get people to watch the thing, who knows. Indie filmmakers could always use a new channel.

*The exception is our own Eric D. Snider, who informs me: "I love Wang films!"

My first South By Southwest was actually my second film festival ever. But I had my festival partner (Erik Childress!) there, as well as a bunch of movies to watch, so it's not like I was worried or miserable or anything. The year was 2003, and I was just about to meet Matt Dentler. Only a few weeks removed from my first Sundance, I simply wasn't prepared for the Austin hospitality. Once Mr. Dentler knew who Erik and I were (online film critics, big woop) he never stopped being a prince. Thanks to Matt and his awesome girlfriend Jarren, Erik and I became SXSW superheroes almost overnight. So it only took about six years for me to come up with the idea, but here's an interview with my friend Matt Dentler, powerfully good guy and ridiculously hard-working producer of the South By Southwest Film Festival.

Cinematical: You've been the producer of South By Southwest for the better part of a decade now, and the festival has seen huge growth in that time. How'd you score such a sweet gig, and (more importantly) how do you keep the festival chugging along year after year?

Matt: I've only been the producer since 2003, but I did start working at SXSW in 1997 as an office intern. I've seen the festival go through various stages of growth and it's really exciting. I guess I got the gig because I worked my way up the food chain and was just relentless about doing a great job. I dunno what it is, but something about this place and this job fit really well with me. The great thing about each festival, year to year, is that there are always new films and new filmmakers and new audiences. That keeps things fresh all the time, and you never feel like you're just doing the same job over and over. It really does feel like a new challenge each year, especially as we've grown.

Cine: How important is it for a festival producer to be a hardcore movie freak? Does your love for cinema ever start to wane when you're faced with 45 brand-new screener discs?

Matt: A programmer at another festival once used this analogy and I think it's appropriate: To do this job, you have to love movies like it's a marriage. You have to love it through thick and thin, sickness and health, richer or poorer. You have to be ready to embrace it during the good times and bad. And, that's very true. It can be a daunting gig, but I don't take it for granted. I love the idea of discovering great new films or a great new voice. That keeps it constantly interesting and usually entertaining.

This year saw a lot of notice paid to the film movement known as Mumblecore, but it's still low enough on the radar that its members -- including filmmakers Andrew Bujalski, the Duplass Brothers and Joe Swanberg -- are likely still pretty approachable human beings. Of course, that doesn't mean that their biggest fan can easily meet them. While these very indie filmmakers aren't celebrities, their most devout follower, Erin Scherer, lives too far away and is apparently too poor to pay her own way to simply locate the Mumblecore lot, travel to where they're at and pay them a visit. The difficulty isn't stopping her from trying, though. Scherer, a filmmaker and video blogger best known for her monologue "How Mumblecore Saved My Life," has set up a website asking for donations in order to fund her trip to the South by Southwest Film Festival in March, where she apparently will have the opportunity to meet with indieWIRE blogger and festival programmer Matt Dentler, as well as whatever Mumblecore representatives are available. The site, titled GrantErinsWish.com, features some videos of her explaining her predicament and begging for money.

So far, according to the updates on her site, Scherer has only collected $55.00. That's a lot less than the $3200 she needs by March 5, 2008, the date she heads down to Texas for the festival. While I don't completely condone giving a fangirl charity when there are more important causes in the world, I do like the idea that you can purchase t-shirts and other merchandise from her CafePress site, so that you don't have to feel like you simply gave the money away. The merch does, however, state the cute-yet-implicit declaration, "I helped Erin get to SXSW and all I got was this stupid t-shirt." Keep in mind, that if she does not raise the full amount, she will still be going to SXSW -- she's apparently already paid for the trip and is presently in debt -- so you won't likely be receiving a refund. However, if you've had your own dreams of meeting your idol(s) and think it's a good cause, or at least an endearing one (heck, even if you just pity her for all I care), feel free to do with your own money what you wish.

[via The Reeler]

UPDATE: Despite the fact that her current total is still only $55, Sherer has decided to up her amount needed another $400-500.

What do you get if you're a winner in the SXSWclick competition? Well, you get your short film screened at one of America's coolest film festivals ... and a bunch of editing software and other little prizes. But playing at the South By Southwest Film Festival? That's every indie filmmaker's "realistic" dream, isn't it? (The unrealistic one would be: Winning an Oscar, sleeping with Scarlett Johansson at Sundance and beating Spielberg out of a directing gig.) And why exactly should you care about short films? I mean, short films rarely feature big stars or talking dogs or giant robots ... so who gives a wet slap?

Good question. Try checking out the SXSWclick award winners and then tell me if you still feel the same way. For the record, the winners are: Don Brown's Pierre (Grand Jury Winner -and- Animate-it), Will Elliott's Peterson's Savings and Loan (Popularity Contest -and- Old School Shorts), David Serota's Ubutu (Really Real Shorts), Andrea Giacomini's Always Near (Sound Checks), and Tipper Newton's The Timebox Twins (What the F*#!?). Congrats to all the winners! And if your short happens to be playing in front of a gory horror movie at SXSW 2008, then I'll probably see it. (Feel free to browse through the winning shorts right here. Dang, you can even watch 'em on your phone. And in the bathroom!) Judges for the SXSWclick competition include filmmakers Bob Odenkirk, Kal Penn, AJ Schnack, Michael Tully, bloggers Agnes Varnum and Violet Blue, and Homestar Runner co-creator Craig Zobel.

Speaking of SXSW '08, consider this the starter's pistol: (Bang!) Filmmakers! Time to get your flicks into the SXSW offices if you want to be considered for next year's slate. True, the admission process runs until (almost) the end of the year, but why not be an early bird? Catch those programmers while they're still bubbly and pleasant! And as far as movie-watchers go, festival master chief Matt Dentler would like to extend a personal invitation to any and all Cinematical readers. Mention this article during SXSW '08 and get a free beer at the Austin bar of your choice! (Offer expires March 6, 2008)

What's the point of going to a festival like Cannes? Is there really a bigger appreciation of 'art' films in Europe? Why do movie studios spend millions of dollars for stunts and publicity at Cannes? When you're blogging, is anything ever really off the record? Joining us this week from the shores of France is South by Southwest Film Festival senior programmer -- and IndieWire Blogger -- Matt Dentler. Matt and I talk about these topics and much more in this latest edition of The Rocchi Review. You can download the entire podcast right here -- and we hope you enjoy.