Biography

IFP is a 29-year old, not-for-profit membership and advocacy organization that supports and serves the independent film community by connecting creative talent and the film industry. Wide-reaching programs provide invaluable information, resources, networking and support to filmmakers while promoting film as a vital and influential public art form.

(Independent Feature Project) was founded in 1979 on a belief that a truly vital American cinema must include the personal, idiosyncratic, and sometimes controversial voices of filmmakers working outside of the established studio system. As a not-for-profit organization, its mission is to foster a more sustainable infrastructure that supports independent filmmaking and ensures that the public has the opportunity to see films that more accurately reflect the full diversity of the American culture.

The goal of IFP's programs is to provide a national and international platform that facilitates a nexus between the creative and the business of filmmaking. The organization does this through programs that: aid in the professional development of its members, proactively and directly support individual projects, seek to cultivate and expand the audience for independent film, and advocate for policies that protect and solidify the position of independents within the larger business and artistic landscape.

As the climate for making and releasing independent work gets more challenging, it is imperative that IFP continues to serve as a destination for those seeking to develop, nurture and embrace independent thinking and expression.

Headquartered in NYC, IFP also serves independent filmmakers in their local communities. IFP Chapters can be found in Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Phoenix and Seattle. IFP is also part of an international network of organizations supporting their own national filmmaking efforts that include: Ateliers du Cinema Europeen/ ACE, CineMart, UK based Film Council, German funder Filmstiftung NRW, Telefilm Canada, Cannes Film Festival and Market, Berlin International Film Festival and accompanying European Film Market, Rotterdam International Film Festival and accompanying co-production Market, Cinemart, and our long standing role as the U.S. representative for the Cannes' Film Festivals' Director's Fortnight.