Dawn Hudson Executive Director of Film Independent to Present Keynote at the 2008 International Film Festival Summit

New York, NY (PRWEB) October 9, 2008 -- The 5th Annual International Film Festival Summit (IFFS) announced today that Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent will present a Keynote address at the 2008 summit taking place this December 7-9, 2008, in Las Vegas. (www.filmfestivalsummit.com)

Ms. Hudson's Keynote will take place Tuesday December 9, 2008 at 9:45am in Las Vegas.

Dawn Hudson has been the Executive Director of Film Independent (formerly IFP/Los Angeles) since 1991. Under her leadership, Film Independent has grown seven-fold, from a 900-member organization, to its current membership of 5,000. Revenues have also increased an average of 25% per year. Film Independent is dedicated to cultivating the careers of independent filmmakers, increasing the audience for independent films, and increasing diversity within the film industry.

During her tenure at Film Independent, the organization has created Filmmaker Labs for writers, directors, and producers; provided full-time, on-staff advisors for filmmakers; introduced free on-on-one consultations for filmmakers in the categories of post-production, festival strategy, line-producing, legal advice, and foreign sales; and established onsite facilities (casting rooms, editing suite, and production office) for filmmakers.

In addition, Film Independent's first film mentorship program, Project: Involve, was established in 1993. Project: Involve is a mentorship program for under-represented, emerging filmmakers and has provided jobs and industry access for over five hundred honorees for the past 14 years. In 2001, Film Independent acquired the Los Angeles Film Festival, now the largest film festival in Southern California, with attendance of more than 80,000. The Los Angeles Film Festival and the 23-year-old Spirit Awards remain Film Independent's two signature events. The organization also produces 250 educational and screening events annually.

"With Film Independent's broad scope of highly successful programs, Dawn's perspective on growth, sustainability and future trends will provide invaluable insight for summit attendees," said Waco Hoover, President and Co-Founder, IFFS.

Some of this year's participants include: AFI Fest Presented by Audi, Mill Valley International Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Bside, Starz Denver Film Festival, FilmThreat, Palm Springs International Film Festival, River Run International Film Festival, San Diego Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Gen Art, San Diego Asian Film Festival, DC Shorts Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, AFI Dallas International Film Festival, SXSW, Variety, Withoutabox and many, many more.

The 2008 IFFS Presenting Sponsor is Withoutabox. Platinum sponsors include B-side with Gold sponsors Enta USA and The NEB. Other sponsors include: Agile Ticketing, Eyesoda.com, inticketing, Festival Media Corporation, Filmfestivals.com, FilmMaker Magazine, FilmThreat, MovieMaker, NAMAC Production Hub and Variety.

About International Film Festival Summit (IFFS):

The International Film Festival Summit is the only annual conference and trade show for professionals from the film festival industry. The IFFS provides a platform for the community to explore ways to collaborate and promote the advancement of the film festival industry. This is a place to dialogue with your peers, share insights and gain knowledge that will help you grow your film festival and foster sustainability. The IFFS is dedicated to providing resources, information and avenues of communication for industry professionals and the entertainment industry. For IFFS Europe visit www.iffseurope.com. For IFFS North America visit www.filmfestivalsummit.com.

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