Directors looking to navigate the pathways to Independent Film Financing were able to get expert guidance on the subject via the DGA Independent Directors Committee -East’s (IDC-E) panel discussion New Trends in Independent Film Financing. Held in the DGA New York’s Seventh Floor Boardroom on June 6, the event was a fitting counterpart to the IDC-E panel discussion New Trends in Distribution of Independent Films that took place nearly one year earlier.

The discussion about the current and future state of financing both narrative and documentary independent films featured Directors Ira Sachs (Keep the Lights On, Married Life), Heidi Ewing (Detropia, Freakonomics), and Joshua Marston (The Forgiveness of Blood, The Newsroom); Producer Kathryn Dean (The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, Winter’s Bone); and Dan Berger, co-president of the independent film company Oscilloscope Laboratories. The conversation was moderated by IDC-E Co-Chair Mary Harron (The Moth Diaries, The Notorious Bettie Page), who led the panelists on an entertaining and informative exploration of subject such as: their personal experiences with getting their independent films financed; what’s new in alternative financing methods; and how they relate to the newest models of film distribution.

After the discussion concluded, the attendees were able to converse with the panelists during a cocktail reception.

The Host Committee for this event consisted of: IDC-E Co-Chairs Dan Algrant and Mary Harron, and IDC-E members Marilyn Agrelo, Brad Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, Neil Burger, Raymond De Felitta, Tom A. DiCillo, Griffin Dunne, Alex Gibney, Marc Levin, Alison MacLean, Joshua Marston, Jim McKay, Mira Nair, Nancy Savoca, Steven Soderbergh, and Rose Troche.