The Los Angeles Chapter of the Institute for International Film Financing (IIFF) was launched with a hugely successful Townhall Meeting.  A follow up meeting is planned for at 4:30 pm on Sunday, September 30th.  Hosting the event will be Jeff Gordon, founder and owner of Writers Boot Camp, at his facility at 2525 Michigan Avenue, Building I in Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station.

The IIFF is an innovative, independent social-impact organization that endeavors to bridge the gap between the worlds of filmmaking and finance for the benefit of all stakeholders, including the public. IIFF Founder and Executive Director, Thomas Trenker founded the organization "to remedy the stifling inefficiencies in film financing and cultivate success in independent film by instituting a trusted platform for research, education, networking and collaboration at the nexus of film and finance."

Trenker has launched IIFF chapters in markets where there are both vibrant film and financial communities, such as the nexus of San Francisco and Silicon Valley. "It’s a model that has worked well in other industries," notes Trenker, "especially high-tech, where it has brought entrepreneurs and financiers together successfully and profitably."

IIFF fuses the best practices and most effective strategies from the worlds of filmmaking and finance into a novel approach that heralds a new era of film financing.

"Obtaining proper financing is the single most pervasive, yet most persistently overlooked, barrier to success in independent film," notes Trenker. "Even seasoned financiers and producers are often at a loss when it comes to effectively and successfully financing film.  IIFF aims to create economic sustainability in film financing by enabling both filmmakers and financiers to consistently benefit from their interactions."

Trenker founded the Institute to serve the public "by promoting and fostering sustainable regional economic growth, cultural diversity, community, philanthropic giving, freedom of expression, and the wonderful and universally inspiring art of independent filmmaking."  The organization empowers members by offering a variety of educational and networking programs, including a Film Financing Workshop, a Mentorship Program, and a Business Plan Roundtable.

Trenker’s investment banking experience took place in Silicon Valley during the high-tech boom.  In 2001, he joined a start-up firm that was a forerunner of YouTube.com, pioneering the online digital film distribution business.  After the traumatic events of 9-11, Trenker left the corporate world to continue work on his Ph.D.  He considered film financing as a topic for his thesis, researched the field, then decided to turn his theory into practice by personally building an organization to remedy some of the inefficiencies in the system. 

Film Angels, a not-for-profit initiative of the IIFF, was formed in 2004 to bring independent filmmakers into direct contact with potential investors.  The group holds monthly meetings in the San Francisco Bay Area, where invited filmmakers have the opportunity to present their projects to the prospective investors in attendance.  The projects that are most well received go on to the next step in the process, one step closer to possible financing support.   Film Angeles meetings are planned to begin soon in Los Angeles and New York. 

The Townhall Meeting will feature a distinguished panel of financiers, producers and entertainment attorneys presenting on a wide variety of topics within the film financing domain.  Panel includes: Christopher Patton (Dark Horse Films), Schuyler Moore (author, The Biz: The Basic Business, Legal and Financial Aspects of the Film Industry and Taxation of the Entertainment Industry, and What They Don’t Teach You in Law School), Mark Chasan ( Transformative Capital, founder of emusic.com), Amy Halpin (Fiscal Sponsorship Coordinator, International Documentary Association), John Cones (Los Angeles securities/entertainment attorney and author of 43 Ways to Finance Your Feature Film), Dennis Gunn (Chief Investment Officer, Xnergy) Harris Tulchin (Harris Tulchin and Associates, author, The Independent Filmmakers Survival Guide)

For more information about IIFF and Film Angels, visit www.filmfinancing.org or email tom@filmfinancing.org.