 Q:
Thank you for giving up your time to answer a few
questions. What is your role with the I See You Awards and can you share
a bit about your professional background?
A. I am the founder of
the I See You Awards. The idea for the awards came to me through my role
as a film critic for WWJ Newsradio 950. I hold memberships in a
number of professional trade organizations, including the prestigious Broadcast
Film Critics Association (BFCA), the largest film critics group in the United
States and Canada; the Detroit Film Critics Society; the African-American Film
Critics Association; and SAG-AFTRA.
After years of reviewing
movies, I noticed that there wasn’t an awards program specifically for
low-budget independent filmmakers, so I decided to create one. For
example, only a small percentage of filmmakers will ever be nominated for – let
alone win – an Academy Award®, SAG-AFTRA Award ®, Golden Globe®, or even a Film
Independent Spirit Award®. The “I See You Awards®” create a platform
where the independent film community is recognized, and they provide
opportunities for these filmmakers to grow and excel in their careers.
The
“I See You Awards®,” which presented its first annual awards program in 2017 to
rave reviews, provides an opportunity for these filmmakers to earn
much-deserved public recognition for their accomplishments.
I
am also an independent filmmaker myself, so I know how much hard work,
determination and personal sacrifice goes into making a movie. In fact, I recently
applied for and was accepted into the Sundance Institute's Screenwriting
Intensive program that gets underway in October.
In
July, I spent 10 days in Los Angeles, where I shot a short film and worked with
some seasoned Hollywood professionals. My goal was to see, firsthand, how
movies are made in Hollywood and bring that knowledge back to Detroit to share
with other indie filmmakers. I will do that during a panel discussion on
Friday, August 24, at the Emagine Theater in Royal Oak. The 2-hour industry
seminar, which is part of I See You Awards events, will also feature
award-winning indie filmmaker Phil Elam, and Kathy Byrne, Director of
TV/Theatrical for SAG-AFTRA Chicago.
Q:
Michigan is certainly blessed with some amazingly talented
independent filmmakers. How did you identify the need to recognize that
talent?
This goes back to my role as
a professional film critic. Over the more than 10 years that I have been
reviewing movies, I have been approached by countless independent filmmakers
asking me to review their movies. So, even though I can't review them
all, as you can imagine, I've seen a lot of movies! I've also worked as a
crew member on several low budget projects.
But because most of these
indie filmmakers have very low budgets - or no budget at all to speak of - some
of their movies were not being seen by the general public. I saw the
quality work that these filmmakers were doing, so I decided to develop an outlet
where their projects could be seen by the public and also recognized and
rewarded.
Q:
How would you explain what the I See You Awards are all about to
the layperson with little knowledge of the event?
Simply put, the "I See You Awards®"
are a celebration of low-budget independent filmmakers! As mentioned
previously, the awards provide an
opportunity for the low-budget independent film community to earn much-deserved
public recognition for their accomplishments. They also give people who love movies an
opportunity to see movies that they otherwise may not have an opportunity to
see.
Q:
You’ve found a home for the awards at the Emagine Royal Oak
cinema. Can you talk about the partnership and what Emagine is doing to
support Michigan’s up and coming filmmakers?
The folks at Emagine
Entertainment love movies! I was introduced to Emagine's Paul Glantz
several years ago, and I quickly discovered how fond he is of the local film
community. And just about everyone in the indie film community knows what
a big supporter he, and everyone at Emagine, is of indie film. Emagine
joined the “I See You Awards as a
partner/sponsor in our very first year and they were thrilled to return for our
2nd annual event.
The people at Emagine are
such a pleasure to work with! No matter the size of the event, they give
everyone first-class service. I am so proud and happy that the awards
will be at the Emagine Royal Oak this year.
Q:
Where can people go to learn more information about the I See
You Awards and also find ticketing information?
People who want to learn more
about the I See You Awards can
visit our website at www.iseeyouawards.com.
We're also very active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Ticket
information is available on our website.
Q:
Any parting thoughts as the I See You Awards is now right
around the corner?
Yes, I want to invite
everyone to attend the I See You Awards this
year! Not only will they have an opportunity to see some of the excellent
work being done by independent filmmakers today, by attending the screenings on
Thursday, August 23, they'll have an opportunity to vote on which films they'd
like to see win our coveted People's Choice Awards (in both the short and
feature film categories). We have a full day of movies starting at 11:00
a.m., with the last movie starting at 7:30 p.m.
If an indie filmmaker wants
to learn more about filmmaking and about using SAG-AFTRA talent, they'll want
to be sure to attend our industry seminar on Friday, August 24. It gets
underway at 12:00 noon and runs until 2:00 p.m.
On Sunday, we hold our
signature event: our Black Tie awards ceremony! The awards get underway
at 2:00 p.m. with an opportunity for our filmmakers and guests to walk
the blue carpet and network with other
attendees. The awards presentation will begin at 3:00 p.m., and just like
the awards ceremonies that you see on TV, when the filmmakers win,
there's a whole lot of celebrating going on! It's a lot of fun and an
event not to be missed!
All of our
events take place at the Emagine Royal Oak.
Ticketing information is
available on our website (www.iseeyouawards.com).
We hope to see everyone there!
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