Eddy Moon, co-founder of White Elephant Group, a Miami-based nonprofit that supports the local film industry, says that the problem with South Florida's Film scene is not producing talent — it's keeping it.
“ Every year, there's movies that get into the big festivals, Tribeca, Sundance, Berlin, that all come from filmmakers working down here. But there isn't the industry support in South Florida that there is in other cities. Great filmmakers will start here, but then they'll leave for New York or Atlanta or Los Angeles,” he said.
That’s why Moon co-founded the South Florida Film Forum, a two-day event to uplift and provide a platform for underserved storytellers. It will be hosted this year at Mad Arts in Dania Beach and run this Saturday and Sunday (March 29-30). The forum is presented by White Elephant Group, the Urban Film Festival, Film Lauderdale, MAD Arts, and Broward County.
"This event will bring together South Florida's powerhouse film collectives, nonprofit organizations, and Hollywood stakeholders to give our local filmmakers and underserved community unprecedented access to make connections and hopefully take their careers to new heights,” said Sandy Lighterman, Broward County Film Commissioner at Film Lauderdale.
READ MORE: Fort Lauderdale Film Festival sponsors boost support to offset state funding cuts
The weekend events include special screenings, panel discussions with industry experts, and networking events.
Said Moon: “ So many filmmakers down here are missing one key of that puzzle for success. Whether it's network access or a piece of education or a piece of knowledge. So we're trying to fill those gaps in whatever way we can.”
The industry experts in attendance include Andrew Hevia, a producer whose work includes the Oscar-winning “Moonlight” which was shot in Miami. Hevia, who is from Miami, became involved last year and said he was “blown away” with the forum’s success.
“ How do you build resources? How do you connect to the industry that exists, the distribution pipelines, the monetization pipelines? How do you get it to an audience? How do you exhibit? They're asking all those questions, but they're doing it from a point of view of ‘How do we do it from Miami?’” he said.
Hevia says that approach is key to building a sustainable film industry in South Florida.
Other industry experts to attend include Jay Roewe, Senior Vice President of Production Planning & Incentives at HBO/HBO MAX, actress Nika King and Film producer Jamin O'Brien.
Single day and weekend passes are available at https://www.southfloridafilmforum.com/
IF YOU GO
What: South Florida Film Forum
When: March 29 - 30
Where: Mad Arts- 481 S Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33004
