The holiday season is upon us! 2016 is almost behind us and we look forward to a new year of independent filmmaking and commercial projects in Nebraska and the region.
We have had successful attendance and participation in several local film festivals: Omaha Film Festival, Prairie Lights Film Festival, the Scream in the Dark Film Festival and the White Light Film Festival. And, several local community film theatres have presented film series and special programing to bring the community together and promote the moving image. Nebraska has several industry membership organizations that support you, the filmmaker; the cinematographer, writer, producer, director, actor, production assistant, all the parts that are needed in this COLLABORATIVE industry called “filmmaking.” If you do not participate in one, think about joining one and finding a home that shares your passion. We have much to offer collectively to this industry and all of our voices need to be a part of the future of filmmaking in Nebraska.
This year, we were graced with a few days of filming of Alexander Payne’s latest feature, “Downsizing,” shot partially on location in Omaha. We have hosted several television reality shoots in the metro area. We have had increased attention and participation in our educational programs for filmmaking at UNL, UNO, Metropolitan Community College, Western Nebraska Community College, Northeast Nebraska Community College and in our high schools across the state. We have businesses that are teaching filmmaking which allows students to use this knowledge to work on real projects. It is all positive growth of growing the infrastructure for story telling with the visual image.
Stay safe and keep up your strength to move forward. Don’t forget to look over your shoulder and reach out to the person following in your footsteps. This is a lively and rewarding industry you have decided to be a part of. It takes all of us to make Nebraska an attractive place to make your next project!