IFP and RBC Announce Director Adam Bowers Winner of the RBC Emerging Visions Director Prize

IFP and RBC Announce Director Adam Bowers Winner of the RBC Emerging Visions Director Prize


NEW YORK, NY, June 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Today, the Independent Filmmaker
Project (IFP) and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) announced Adam Bowers as
the winner of the 2011 RBC Emerging Visions Director Prize, an
extension of the RBC Emerging Visions program. The RBC Emerging Visions
program is a collaborative symposium between RBC, IFP, and Film Society
of Lincoln Center.



Adam Bowers (New Low) will be awarded a cash prize and the opportunity to direct a trailer
campaign for RBC. Ryan O'Nan (TheBrooklyn Brothers Beat the Best, summer 2012 Oscilloscope release and Toronto International Film
Festival 2011 selection) will also receive a cash prize as runner-up.
The competition and its prizing were made possible by the RBC Emerging
Artists Project.



"RBC is committed to supporting emerging artists and connecting them
with the people and resources they need to achieve their dreams," said
Andrew Shibata, head, Brand Marketing, RBC. "We created the RBC
Emerging Visions program to empower promising new filmmakers to take
the next steps in their careers, and we look forward to seeing Adam's
concepts come to life at the Toronto International Film Festival this
fall."



The RBC Emerging Visions Director Prize was open only to participants of
the 2011 RBC Emerging Visions program, an intensive one-day
cross-cultural exchange on independent film engaging 25 top emerging
writers and directors selected from IFP's various programs and the Film
Society's emerging talent pool. Held in conjunction with the Film
Society of Lincoln Center's New York Film Festival, RBC Emerging
Visions had its inaugural run on October 3, 2011.



"We are grateful to RBC for giving us the opportunity to support
emerging talents in such a direct and meaningful way," said Joana
Vicente, Executive Director, IFP. "Not only is it important for these
filmmakers to gain more professional experience as directors, but this
also helps them achieve their long-term career goals."



The goal of the day-long event is to introduce 25 emerging filmmakers to
a solid peer network, advance their careers with introductions to key
industry people, and directly support their creative processes.
Participants received advice and guidance from professional industry
mentors on their current projects and future goals via one-to-one
meetings, workshops, and case studies. 2011 mentors included Academy
Award winners Barbara Kopple (dir. American Dream) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (dir. Jack Goes Boating), as well as Academy Award nominated Joe Berlinger (dir. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills), Jon Kilik (prod. Babel), and Marshall Curry (dir. If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front), among others.



In addition to O'Nan and Bowers, finalists of the RBC Emerging Visions
Director Prize included fellow emerging writers and writer/directors on
the independent film scene Ryan Koo (Man Child), Danielle Lurie (Fortunate Sons), Thomas Kim (The Singing Road), and Nick Bentgen (Northern Light). Participants were asked to submit a budget and proposal to direct
three advertising campaign spots for RBC.


About IFP

IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project) is the nation's oldest and largest
not-for-profit advocacy organization for independent filmmakers. Since
its debut at the 1979 New York Film Festival, IFP has supported the
production of over 7,000 films and offered resources to more than
20,000 filmmakers, providing an opportunity for many diverse voices to
be heard. Each year, IFP fosters the development of 300 feature and
documentary films.



IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and
around the world. Through its workshop, seminars, conferences, and
FILMMAKER Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology and
business of independent film. Signature programs include Independent
Film Week, Independent Filmmaker Labs and Gotham Independent Filmmaker
Awards.


About RBC and the Arts

RBC sponsors a wide-range of grassroots and local initiatives that
contribute to the cultural fabric of our communities. Proud to support
events and passions that resonate with our clients, RBC provides
opportunities for up-and-coming artists through programs such as the
RBC Canadian Painting Competition; the RBC Emerging Visions Program;
and the RBC Emerging Filmmakers Competition, part of our commitment to
the world's top public film festival - the Toronto International Film
Festival®. As one of North America's leading diversified financial
services companies and among the largest banks in the world, as
measured by market capitalization, RBC employs approximately 74,000
full- and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal,
business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in
Canada, the U.S. and 51 other countries. For more information, please
visit rbc.com.


About the Film Society of Lincoln Center

Under the leadership of Rose Kuo, Executive Director, and Richard Peña,
Program Director, the Film Society of Lincoln Center offers the best in
international, classic and cutting-edge independent cinema. The Film
Society presents two film festivals that attract global attention: the
New York Film Festival, currently planning its 50th edition, and New
Directors/New Films which, since its founding in 1972, has been
produced in collaboration with MoMA. The Film Society also publishes
the award-winning Film Comment Magazine, and for over three decades has
given an annual award--now named "The Chaplin Award"--to a major figure
in world cinema. Past recipients of this award include Charlie
Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, and Tom
Hanks. The Film Society presents a year-round calendar of programming,
panels, lectures, educational programs and specialty film releases at
its Walter Reade Theater and the new state-of-the-art Elinor Bunin
Munroe Film Center. The Film Society receives generous, year-round
support from Royal Bank of Canada, American Airlines, The New York
Times, Stella Artois, the National Endowment for the Arts and New
York State Council on the Arts. For more information, visit www.filmlinc.com and follow @filmlinc on Twitter.


SOURCE RBC

RBC

CONTACT: Jackie Braden, RBC Brand Communications, (416) 974-1724, jackie.braden@rbc.com  Amy Dotson, IFP, (212) 465-8200x 203, adotson@ifp.org


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