Can a True Independent Filmmaker Beat Out Faux-Indie Corporate Goliaths at Festivals? Guerrilla Filmmaker Andy Mingo Is Betting On 'Yes' With The Iconographer

Can a True Independent Filmmaker Beat Out Faux-Indie Corporate Goliaths at Festivals? Guerrilla Filmmaker Andy Mingo Is Betting On 'Yes' With The Iconographer

PORTLAND, Ore., April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- True independent films are the ultimate startup; they're produced with friends and family money, credit cards, and often actors are paid with food as everyone hopes for the big "Clerks" style payday. Andy Mingo's new film The Iconographer fits that definition but he's competing for scarce festival launch spots against multi-million dollar studio productions. Mingo's not concerned however - he says there's plenty of room for true independent films in the expanding festival landscape.

The Sundance, Cannes and Maui Film Festivals and a few other former indie film launch pads now sell indie cachet to films with big stars and multimillion dollar budgets - hardly the profile of a True Independent Film. However, film professor and director Andy Mingo claims True Independents are alive and well at a new generation of festivals; he's testing the concept with his new film The Iconographer.

"I think the rumors of the death of True Independent Films were started by the guy at Sundance who solicits corporate sponsorships from the studios," said Andy Mingo. "True Independent Films like The Iconographer are nothing less than the American Dream and with that spirit they found other launch pads when Sundance corporatized its roots."

According to Mingo, True Independent Films have more opportunities to get discovered in the post-Sundance environment. "Sundance had a lock on the independent film brand but with them out of the picture, twenty other festivals launched from the void they created," explained Mingo.

The Iconographer, a drama with some great early buzz, is the test case for filmmaker Mingo and his students. "I'm betting the American Dream is still alive and I want my students to have the excitement of watching it happen with The Iconographer," said Mingo. "The film is a True Independent as it was financed by VISA and Discover with a little help from the mortgage company. I was lucky that some great actors actually 'Worked for Food'," laughed Professor Mingo.

Guerrilla filmmaker Mingo reports The Iconographer website www.theiconographer.com is enjoying up to 3000 unique visitors a day just to view the trailers which have become something of a social media viral hit. The Iconographer is presently under submission to True Independent friendly festivals.

Media Contact: Platform Strategy Maggie Jessup maggie@platformstrategy.com 360.521.0437

Source: Andy Mingo

CONTACT: Maggie Jessup of Platform Strategy, +1-360-521-0437,
maggie@platformstrategy.com, for Andy Mingo

Web Site: http://www.theiconographer.com/

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