AIFA - Blog

American Independent Film Awards - Blog
17
Feb

AIFA Announce Officers & Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS ANNOUNCES 2017 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS ERIC LAVALLÉE, MIKE S. RYAN & MICHAEL TULLY ELECT BOARD’S OFFICERS

NEW YORK CITY, NY, FEBRUARY 17, 2017 – Board of Director members Eric Lavallée, Mike S. Ryan and Michael Tully have elected the Board Officers for the American Independent Film Awards (AIFA) for the 2017-2018 year. Co-founder Eric Lavallée will act as Executive Director for the AIFAs.

“After an arduous preparation process, indie filmmaker Michael Tully, veteran producer Mike S. Ryan and myself, are fortunate to include some key talents in our group, in what will be an invigorating first year experience,” said Eric Lavallée. “Marching towards a physical event in 2018, our inaugural online launch will display our focus and vision, and hopefully clue folks in on our mandate at large.”

“This much-needed critical gathering of fans and critics will shine a light on the true indie films that normally go underappreciated. If you care about film and unique visual cinematic voices, then you will love the AIFAs, a spotlight that brings true maverick indie energy out from the shadow of the big budget faux indie,” said Mike S. Ryan.

“I hate award shows. I really, really do. And yet, our industry needs an event that honors independent filmmaking of the lower-than-higher budgetary order. It is from within these constricting, scrappy confines that the most ambitious and daring cinematic voices continue to emerge, and that is why we have banded together to create this annual cine-state-of-the-union,” added Michael Tully.

Eric Lavallée is joined by Sabrina Coulston, Dan Schoenbrun and Taylor Hess, who were elected as vice president, treasurer and secretary respectively.

Lavallée is the founder and editor-in-chief of IONCINEMA.com (since 2000). He holds a BFA in Film Studies from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013, he served as a Narrative Competition jury member at the SXSW Film Festival.

Ryan is the bold independent producer behind such remarkable and ground-breaking art-house films as Todd Solondz’s Palindromes and Life During Wartime, Bela Tarr’s Turin Horse, Phil Morrison’s Junebug, Kelly Reichardt’s Old Joy and Meek’s Cutoff, and Rick Alverson’s The Comedy.

Tully is the director of Ping Pong Summer (2014), Septien (2011), Silver Jew (2007), and Cocaine Angel (2006). He is the founding editor of Hammer to Nail, a website devoted to championing ambitious cinema.

Coulston has over ten years of experience developing campaigns, content and events at companies like DigitasLBi and VICE Media for clients such as American Express, Samsung, and Stella Artois. Sabrina also works on independent film projects, most recently as an Associate Producer on Travis Gutiérrez Senger’s debut feature, Desert Cathedral. She works regularly with Asa Nisi Masa Films.

Schoenbrun is the co-creator of The Eyeslicer, a new TV show bringing the next generation of alternative American filmmakers together under one roof. Previously, he produced collective:unconscious (2016), and worked at Kickstarter & IFP. He currently writes “Continue Watching,” a biweekly column for Filmmaker Magazine.

Hess is a journalist, producer, and contributing writer for Filmmaker Magazine. She received her BFA from New York University and is currently an MS student at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS’ 2017-2018 OFFICERS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – Eric Lavallée
VICE PRESIDENT – Sabrina Coulston
TREASURER – Dan Schoenbrun
SECRETARY – Taylor Hess

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Eric Lavallée
Mike S. Ryan
Michael Tully

About the American Independent Film Awards:

The American Independent Film Awards LLC is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting independent films, filmmakers and film technicians. Our voting body consists of U.S. based and international film festival programmers and North American based film critics.

For more information, please visit: www.AmericanIndependentFilmAwards.com and follow us on:

Twitter: @aifasdotcom

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmericanIndependentFilmAwards

Instagram: @americanindependentfilmawards

LinkedIn Group: www.linkedin.com/company/american-independent-film-awards-llc.

###

Press Contact: Eric Lavallee
eric@americanindependentfilmawards.com

Leave a Reply