ANNOUNCEMENT
Many of you who may have been present at ReelHeART International Film Festival (RHIFF) 2009, will remember we introduced our new Committee. We also announced that we were were going for ‘official’ non-profit status after operating as a business model for the past 6 years.
ReelHeART 2010 is on Hiatus for 2010 due to incomplete funding. ReelHeART will return in 2011.
We cannot run a festival in the red in our 1st year as a non-profit, as it will not be looked on favorably for funding for the following year. However, we only found out about incomplete funding a couple of days before the Easter Weekend.
The incomplete funding affects our much-needed operating costs, mainly advertising revenue and as well some salaries, which were donated the last 2 seasons to fill the gap of funding left by the death of our Founder.
Many other celebrity studded festivals either did actually close (Tropfest NY) or lost major sponsors this season: Tribeca, Sundance, etc.
Also, as a screenwriter and filmmaker herself, our Managing Director has noticed that many festivals are now asking entrants for more dollars after you submit for screenplay coverage or for parties and events at festivals – All due to lack of funds (or lack of sponsorship dollars) in this volatile economic market.
ReelHeART entrants were sent a one-on-one email from our Board President today explaining very transparently the facts behind the Committee vote to go on Hiatus rather than run an inferior version of ReelHeART.
And yes, we are offering refunds. To everyone who wants one. Regardless of their status.
Once the Committee wades through all of the responses, we then will announce the ‘official selections’ for 2010. All ‘official selections’ will simply get rolled over onto 2011.
In the meantime we will continue to run our very successful Monthly Film Series based on our previous seasons catalogues as a lead up to ReelHeART 2011.
ReelHeART will come off this Hiatus with a better, stronger festival. We simply have the most culturally and artistically diverse programming in the industry. That’s thanks to the far reaching word of mouth we have generated over the past 6 years.
With more advertising dollars backing us, we get to draw audiences away from other events and bring them to a festival that remains at it’s core, the one with ReelHeART.
Nothing will change with respect to that warm welcome, the mentoring and networking. We’ll just be better with more operating capital behind us.
If you have any questions, all of the Board members are standing until April 15th to answer them one-on-one. Please feel free to email our Board president by clicking the link here.
We hope to see each and everyone one of you in the future and showing your support for the “Filmmakers Festival”, as so many of you have already done.
With much appreciation
Thanks kindly,
ReelHeART Managing Director
ReelHeART Board
If you would like to read what past ReelHeART experiences were like for audience members and filmmakers please click here-
Thank You!
