Ep 76 How to Make Indie Films & Getting into Film Festivals with the director, Justin McConnell and producer Avi Federgreen who chat new film Shape Shifting Body Horror 'Lifechanger'

Award winning Director Justin McConnell and award winning Producer Avi Federgreen sit down with Giles Alderson (The Dare) and Christian James (Fanged Up) at Frightfest HQ to talk making movies, the best way to get into a festival, get picked up for distribution and how they made their latest film Lifechanger which is screening at Grimmfest on the 5th Oct and Toronto Afterdark on the 16th Oct.

Avi Federgreen has been making films for almost 20 years: Still Mine, One Week, Score: A Hockey Musical, I’m Yours, Moon Point, High Life, and many more. His projects have received widespread recognition at international film festivals, including the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, and nominations for a Gemini and the Directors Guild of Canada awards.

Justin McConnell is an accomplished artist who splits his time equally in multiple forms of media – as a producer/director of feature films and home entertainment (The Collapsed, Working Class Rock Star, Skull World), in providing a growing list of high-profile clients with every production/post solution available (ie. Anchor Bay Entertainment, Artsploitation, Raven Banner, VSC), as the lead programmer of the monthly horror short-film festival LITTLE TERRORS (which he co-runs with Rue Morgue Magazine), as a Programmer & Print Traffic for TORONTO AFTER DARK FILM FESTIVAL, as an acquisitions rep for Canadian distributors RAVEN BANNER ENTERTAINMENT and INDIECAN ENTERTAINMENT, and writer for RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE.

Justin has four feature films in distribution: the well-received horror/thriller ‘The Collapsed’ (released in over 12 countries worldwide, via companies such as Anchor Bay & Lions Gate), the counter-culture documentary ‘Skull World’ (available worldwide), the dark comedy ‘Junkie’ (producer only), and the documentary ‘Working Class Rock Star’. Having recently executive produced the Paul Sorvino/Robert Knepper crime drama ‘Cold Deck’ (released via Screen Media and Northern Banner), and currently in production on his new documentary ‘Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business’.

LINKS

RAINDANCE - '30% OFF any Raindance Film Festival event, party and Screening - Use the code RDPODCAST30 festival.raindance.org

Lifechanger Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8IP2Im_m3Y

Lifechanger website: lifechangermovie.com/

Justin's Post House Website: www.unstableground.net/

Avi Federgreen distribution company Website indiecanent.com/

Follow them on twitter @lifechangermovie @AviFedergreen @JustinMcConnell

Follow US on Twitter @filmmakerspod @Food4ThoughtDoc @gilesalderson @35mmdop @Cjamesdirect @FangedUpFilm @thedaremovie

RAINDANCE - '30% OFF any Raindance Film Festival event, party and Screening - Use the code RDPODCAST30 festival.raindance.org

Part of the www.podfixnetwork.com

Recorded at FrightFest 2018