Gearing up for its 30th anniversary this September, IFP today announced that its annual IFP Market has been officially renamed Independent Film Week to reflect its mission of discovering, showcasing, and supporting new independent film projects and talent.

IFP is the nation's oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers. Since its founding in 1979, IFP has facilitated the development, financing or distribution of 7,000 independent films, while more than 20,000 filmmakers have participated in its programs. The organization has fostered early work by leading filmmakers including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Martha Coolidge, Todd Haynes, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, John Sayles, Jim Jarmusch and Kevin Smith. More recently, IFP provided support for this year's Oscar-winning documentary short Freeheld, and the Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning Frozen River (Sony Pictures Classics, Aug. 2008).

Along with the name change, IFP also announced that Independent Film Week will move from Soho's Angelika Film Center and Puck Building to Chelsea's Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) and nearby venues. The move will better enable IFP to expand its activities.

According to Michelle Byrd, Executive Director of IFP, this year's new developments mark the culmination of a number of changes made to the event over the past several years, including the elimination of completed features six years ago.

"In the film industry, the word 'Market' suggests business transactions, but IFP's commitment to filmmakers and their projects extends long beyond the six days of Independent Film Week," said Michelle Byrd, Executive Director of IFP. "Our goal is to provide a launching pad for career-spanning relationships, and we wanted our new name to encompass that broader mission."

As in the past, the centerpiece of Independent Film Week will be the "Project Forum," a showcase for 150 new works in development, of which half are documentaries. The Forum is divided into three sections: Emerging Narrative, for writers and writer/directors seeking producers; No Borders International Co-Production Market, for experienced producers seeking financing partners; and Spotlight on Documentaries, for projects in production and post-production that are currently seeking financing partners and festival invitations.

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