Lommen Abso Sponsor IPF Minnesota's 7th Annual Independent Producers Conference
4/1/2006
The 2006 IFP Independent Producers Conference focused on the many elements of shooting on location, whether the script is set in the Little Belt Mountains of Montana or Little Italy. The conference was presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Academy Awards group), Lommen Abdo, Fredrikson & Byron and KPMG. Via discussions and case studies of the guest producers' films, participants learned everything from scouting, legal fees, permits and insurance to prepping a production for a location and much more. The conference was held on April 22nd.
Among the guests were Christine Walker (Factotum; American Splendor), Joel Viertel (Conventioneers, winner of the 2006 Independent Spirit's John Cassavetes Award for Best Feature Made for Under $500K), Lucinda Winter, Executive Director of the Minnesota Film & TV Board, and Sweet Land Production Manager Clint Allen.
Lommen Abdo represents the producer of Sweet Land, Ali Selim. The film won the audience award at the Hampton Film Festival last fall. Sweet Land is the story of a German mail order bride in a Norwegian-American community in Minnesota just after WWI.
Conventioneers were screened at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival on Friday evening, April 21, and were a featured case study at the conference.