Summer Movie Pool

NCAA Tourney pools are commonplace and who hasn't heard of Fantasy Football? But what about a pool based on blockbuster movies? A couple of years ago, we were introduced to such a pool and it's so much fun we wanted to tell the world about it. What started as a friendly competition among a few friends, has now ballooned into a fierce bloodsport with almost 100 participants.

The rules are simple. A moderator sends out a list of films that are scheduled to be released between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Everyone picks the 15 films they think will make the most money. You win one point for every million dollars your first ten movies earn at the box office. The first ten are not ordered and ties are settled by people’s ranking of their remaining five choices, as needed to establish a winner.

The game is easy and is a great way to stay in touch with friends over the summer—a witty moderator adds to the fun. The trick is being able to differentiate those films you think will be "good" but not make much money ("Hustle and Flow" or "Smart People") from those you think will make lots and lots of money regardless of how technically "good" they are ("The Dark Night" and "Ocean’s Thirteen"). Pull one together for yourself and see how much fun they can be.

Meet the IndieShares Mascots

If you’ve had a chance to read our management team and advisory board bios, you’ll learn a lot about the people, but nothing about the mascots.

Triton and Maddie are two happy boxers who add a bit of excitement to our office. Although, they don’t make coffee or answer emails, they each have unique talents. If given the chance, Triton would give Beckham a run for his money with his tennis ball soccer skills and Maddie would win the gold medal in the world competition of tug of war.

They nap through most of our meetings, but wake up for "cookie" breaks and lunch. Like other mascots, Triton and Maddie take their positions very seriously.

Seattle's 5th Independent South Asian Film Festival

For the fifth consecutive year, a group called Tasveer (which means "picture" in Urdu) has hosted the Independent South Asian Film Festival, featuring the latest and best South Asian-themed narrative films, documentaries, workshops and forums. Seattle-based Tasveer is a community-based organization that brings independent, progressive films from South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora to the Pacific Northwest.

I've had the opportunity to attend a number of ISAFF films over the years and have greatly enjoyed them all. Among my favorites were "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama" and "Monsoon"—both well made films with lots of heart.

This year's festival will take place between September 24th and 28th at Seattle's Broadway Performance Hall, so if you're in town then, I highly recommend checking it out.

For details about ISAFF, please visit their website.

In addition to ISAFF, Tasveer hosts a number of other events throughout the year. For example, I attended their live performance of Yoni Ki Baat, a South Asian version of the world famous Vagina Monologues in March. The show was very compelling and honest.

Our Shoot at DRY Soda

We recently decided to reshoot our video pitches for our website and searched for a location. We stumbled upon DRY Soda, a high-end beverage company. Not only does DRY Soda have a very cool space in the heart of Pioneer Square, but it also has a genuinely nice group of people. During the shoot, we got to feast on all of the delicious sodas, which are sweetened with a modest amount of pure cane sugar. They have unique flavors, such as kumquat (my favorite), lavender, lemongrass and rhubarb.

The actual filming went well. We’re currently in the editing phase, but hope to complete the videos by early July. We’re revamping the voting site to include more information about each script—which you should see by the middle of next month.
Until then, check out the cocktail recipes on DRY Soda’s website. They’re original and refreshing—perfect for the summer!

SIFF: An Award Winning Festival

For the third consecutive year, I attended the opening night of the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). They hold the event at their very cool theatre at the Seattle Center. This year’s premiere film was “Battle in Seattle”, which was Stuart Townsend’s writing and directorial debut. It was based on the riots during the WTO summit in 1999. Townsend craftily used fictional characters and real events from the riots to weave a suspenseful story. He made a short speech and introduced the main cast, including Charlize Theron, before the show.

I was impressed with the number of films SIFF presented. This year there were 191 feature films, 57 documentary features and 170 short films from 69 countries. I was fortunate to see a few of them and added many titles to my DVD list.

Frozen River Earns an IndieShares Thumbs Up

I recently had the opportunity to see an advance screening of "Frozen River" and highly recommend the film. Courtney Hunt's directorial debut about two down-and-out women struggling to make ends meet in frozen upstate New York, is simply mezmerizing.

The story is wonderfully written by Hunt and is incredibly well cast. Melissa Leoby ("21 Grams," "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada,") stars as Ray Eddy, a woman whose husband recently left her and their two children, taking the family’s life savings. Misty Upham ("Edge of America," "DreamKeeper," and "Skins") plays Lila, a Mohawk woman in a dead-end life where her meager income is earned by smuggling illegal immigrants from Canada to the US across a frozen stretch of the St. Lawrence River. The story follows these two women as they forge an unlikely friendship despite initial animosity. Their journey is tumultuous, but is rewarded with a truly heartwarming ending.

Co-star Michael O'Keefe ("The Great Santini," "Caddyshack," "Ironweed") is a clever state trooper who knows more than he lets on. Up-and-coming Charlie McDermott plays the older of Ray's two boys and seems to be the sole bearer of sanity in his mother's life. Mark Boone Junior ("Batman Begins", "Memento") shows up as a Canadian bar owner and despicably cruel human trafficker.

"Frozen River" won the Grand Jury Prize for drama at Sundance and gets a wholehearted IndieShares thumbs up!

Your Vote. Your Money. Your Movie.

A lot of shows and contests include voting these days, but what happens after your vote is counted? Usually, the winner collects a prize and you go about your business. But what if you had a role beyond merely voting? Well, at IndieShares, we do things differently.

We’re constantly hard at work filtering hundreds of scripts to present the best ones to you. All you have to do is read summaries or view short video pitches and then vote for your favorite one.

Things get really interesting once the winner is determined. IndieShares will help sell shares for as little as $10 each to finance the film's production. As the film is produced, you'll be able to chat with the director and actors, download clips and vote on the direction of key scenes and really have an impact on the outcome. And once the film is made, you’ll get to share in any profits.

Why do we do it this way? Because the independent film revolution is about connecting audiences with movies by more than just buying a ticket. It’s about making you a part of the experience. After all, why spend $10 on a ticket when you can own a piece of the action for the same price?

We're anxious to hear what you think about IndieShares. After all, it's really about you.