One of the key venues that aids in the growth/revival of real indie filmmaking (we are still in the early phase of this current - digital filmmaking & ultra-low/"no" budget & blogs & fests & self-distribution & DVD enabled - version of the movement I think, as opposed to the 16 MM, fests & distribution companies enabled indie scene of the 80's on) in the US is the Pioneer Theater in Manhattan. And for many filmmakers, the Pioneer Theater means Ray Privett. But now, after four years of extremely essential work, Ray is moving on to other projects; from the New York Sun:
"...the Pioneer is not just a small venue supporting emerging artists, but the epicenter of an independent film scene that has long since been squeezed out of most cities — and is currently being forced out of Manhattan — in favor of corporate-owned independent theater chains that cater to the specialty divisions of major movie studios.
In only eight years of operation, the Pioneer has provided a home for hundreds of self-sustained filmmakers who don’t have a corporate safety net waiting below them; for the last four of those years, every one of those artists has been greeted at the door by the theater’s inimitable programmer, Ray Privett."
and
"...Mr. Privett has overseen the most successful period in the Pioneer’s brief but unstable history."
Read the rest of the Sun article here.
Ray is gone, but The Pioneer lives on, so says Ray at his site:
"The Pioneer is still open. My departure from the Pioneer did not close the Pioneer, nor did the two things coincide. Indeed, my successors booked the three films mentioned in the first paragraph of Mr. Snyder’s article. Clearly, the Pioneer can do interesting things without me. Hopefully they continue to. Good luck to them."
Well, best of luck in your new projects Ray, and thanks a lot for paying attention to real indie film during your time at Pioneer.
Thanks GreenCine Daily for the story.
- Sujewa
"...the Pioneer is not just a small venue supporting emerging artists, but the epicenter of an independent film scene that has long since been squeezed out of most cities — and is currently being forced out of Manhattan — in favor of corporate-owned independent theater chains that cater to the specialty divisions of major movie studios.
In only eight years of operation, the Pioneer has provided a home for hundreds of self-sustained filmmakers who don’t have a corporate safety net waiting below them; for the last four of those years, every one of those artists has been greeted at the door by the theater’s inimitable programmer, Ray Privett."
and
"...Mr. Privett has overseen the most successful period in the Pioneer’s brief but unstable history."
Read the rest of the Sun article here.
Ray is gone, but The Pioneer lives on, so says Ray at his site:
"The Pioneer is still open. My departure from the Pioneer did not close the Pioneer, nor did the two things coincide. Indeed, my successors booked the three films mentioned in the first paragraph of Mr. Snyder’s article. Clearly, the Pioneer can do interesting things without me. Hopefully they continue to. Good luck to them."
Well, best of luck in your new projects Ray, and thanks a lot for paying attention to real indie film during your time at Pioneer.
Thanks GreenCine Daily for the story.
- Sujewa
