From the Erich Pommer Institute:
"The 3rd cohort of the European Film Business and Law LL.M. | MBA program has officially kicked off! 🚀🎥 This year, we are thrilled to welcome a diverse group of 7 talented students, bringing together a unique blend of skills, backgrounds, and perspectives. Here’s a look at the new cohort: 🌍 Diversity in Location and Background: the students represents different countries and continents, spanning from Europe, Africa and North and South America 🎓 Their professional backgrounds span across film distribution, media law, production, filmmaking, and sales. We wish a good start of study to our students: Vincent Edusei, Philipp Friederichs, Lediona Kasapi, Fritzi Kaupert, Júnia Matsuura, Heidi Elizabeth Philipsen-Meissner and Marian Gabriel Weber. Stay tuned as these promising talents embark on this unique educational journey, shaping the future of the European film industry! 🎬✨" The European Film Business and Law LL.M. | MBA is an initiative of the Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, the University of Potsdam and the Erich Pommer Institut gGmbH. hashtag#FilmBusiness hashtag#EuropeanFilm hashtag#MBA hashtag#LLM hashtag#MasterProgram hashtag#FilmIndustry There's a lot of talk about hashtag#sustainability and hashtag#greenfilm these days and I can't help but consider what it means to me as a writer, producer and director. Many of you know that I made a romantic comedy called LOVE & VODKA (or LOVE & HORILKA for our Ukrainian fans) in Michigan, where my team and I created opportunities for local film crews, actors, vendors and provided first-time employment opportunities to recently resettled Ukrainian refugees looking for hope in their newly adopted country. Now, I know from experience that film festivals, sales agents and distributors love "star talent" to help brand and sell a film. Somehow, however, they haven't seemed to connect the dots between films made on a sustainable green logistical format and the various non-sustainable/non-green hoops required to bring said "star" onto a film set far away from L.A., NYC, Chicago or any of the larger hubs for industry talent. Sustainability, for me, means investing in your local and regional talent and believing that if you can tell a good story, the story and the great talent should sell the film. GenZ audiences (I have two GenZ young adults, I know) don't care about "names" as much as they do something that engages and inspires them. And they will go to multiple platforms just to find and watch that favorite film or series. YouTube is as good or better than an over-priced Disney Channel (ahem, no offense) in their eyes. Older audiences (I watch films with my mother) don't necessarily recognize the current "name" talent and they prefer something that feels authentic and emotionally real. In between are movie-goers and streamers (like our Millennial-era Marketing Team Member Ariel Wan) who want to invest more in hashtag#community and know that their time is well-spent (as well as their dollar) building joy with members in the community around them. Topics and themes have become the new "names" and "stars" in the world I see and analyze. And if sales and distribution could get on board with that, there would be more opportunities for all of the locally made, sustainably sourced and green produced indie film productions like mine. Check out the great comedic performance of Michigan-local actress Sara Cate in LOVE & VODKA, hopefully hashtag#comingsoon to a hashtag#filmfestival hashtag#cinema and hashtag#streamingplatform near you! hashtag#personaeentertainmentpictures Personae Entertainment Pictures hashtag#loveandvodkamovie The incomparable Sara Cate / @saracatheryn plays the comedic role of "Annette Fox" (Bobby Fox's mother) with natural hilarity and grace (if that's even possible -- she somehow pulls it off with aplomb!)
Here's about about the role of "Annette Fox": Michigander from the UP. Met her sweetheart, Robert Fuchs, Sr. in high school and married the week after they both graduated from college. Had Bobby when she was about 25. Considered and considers herself a strong, faithful, religious woman who goes to church every Sunday, was active in her son's schooling, worked her whole life as a secretary in a legal office. Plays group tennis every Tuesdays and Thursdays at the club. She's stylish in a conventional Midwest/Michigan American way. Not too familiar with her ancestors behind her great-grandparents and couldn't tell you more than she's part German, Polish and maybe some Italian. Worries about her son and his preoccupation with this "Eastern European" girl-- hoping it's just a phase. Does not want him to move to "The Eastern Block," where she's afraid he'll get into trouble with the KGB and never come back. Wow -- that's a lot to think about for back story in a scene. But no worries -- Sara Cate pulls it off and keeps you engaged as the audience member. We hope you'll enjoy her performance as much as we do at our next screening opportunity, coming soon to a #filmfestival near you! #filmfestival #film #filmmaking #cinema #filmmaker #indiefilm #director #movies #movie #actor #filmmakers #films #festival #filmfest #independentfilm #filmfestivals #actress #art #filmproduction #filmfreeway #producer #officialselection #supportindiefilm #actorslife #midwest #ukraine #ukrainianculture #familylife #loveandvodkamovie #personaeentertainmentpictures #saracate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MICHIGAN NATIVE MAKES SOLO DIRECTORIAL DEBUT WITH “LOVE AND VODKA,” PREMIERING AT CINETOPIA FILM FESTIVAL ANN ARBOR JUNE 23, 2024 Ukrainian-American Romantic Comedy Celebrates Transatlantic Friendship Between Two Countries with a Focus on Love and Laughter in a Time of Tragic Loss and War ANN ARBOR, Mich. – June 3rd, 2024 – “Love and Vodka,” an independent film five years in the making, is set to make its debut at the upcoming Cinetopia Film Festival Ann Arbor. The movie, which was shot in Bay City and Grayling, Mich., is directed and produced by University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University graduate Heidi Philipsen-Meissner, Director/Producer/CEO of Personae Entertainment. The movie stars Ukrainian actress Svitlana Kosolapova and American actor Zack Bradley. The film will be the final film screened at Cinetopia Film Festival Ann Arbor on June 23, 2024, at 5 p.m. For more on the screening and festival, visit https://marquee-arts.org/cinetopia/. “Love and Vodka,” which is based on a true story, is about a high school film teacher who recalls the magic of 2018 when he fell in love with a Ukrainian exchange student and impulsively traveled to Ukraine to propose to her and meet her family. Three years later, the war breaks out, as he works to finish the script and save the love of his life. The trials and tribulations in “Love and Vodka” were mirrored in real life during the filmmaking process, as Philipsen-Meissner made a transatlantic move from Michigan to Germany to immerse herself in the European film industry to find coproducing partners in Ukraine and Germany. Plans were then put on hold when Covid-19 emerged, and she experienced several deaths in her family. The film was then set to begin shooting in the summer of 2022 but was put on hold once again with the Russian attacks on Ukraine. The script then had to be rewritten to be respectful of the current times and the location was moved to Michigan. “While I have experienced my own difficulties during this process, it will never compare to what our fellow human beings in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees around the world have been through and are still going through,” said Heidi Philipsen-Meissner of Personae Entertainment. “Being able to tell a heartwarming story about their culture, country, and people has been my way of keeping hope alive.” “Love and Vodka” quickly turned into a passion project for Philipsen-Meissner, as she found her heart pouring out for Ukraine. While making the movie, she simultaneously focused on protesting, giving, and helping whenever and wherever she could. While living in Germany, she helped find homes and language lessons for refugees and donated cartloads of non-perishable items for volunteers. “As an artist-activist who understands the power of storytelling, I started to understand this war was as much about culture and identity as it was about geopolitics,” said Philipsen-Meissner. “This led me to believe that maybe making a film about love and Ukrainian culture wasn’t such an off-kilter idea, after all.” To see a preview of ‘Love and Vodka’ and to support this film as it makes its way to other film festivals across the country and world, please visit: https://www.love-vodka-movie.com. For more on ‘Love and Vodka’ and Personae Entertainment, visit https://www.personaeentertainmentpictures.com/. About Personae Entertainment Personae Entertainment Pictures is a film development and production company that started out as a small collective making short films, local commercials, and production managing low-budget indies in upstate New York. It has evolved into a transatlantic company with offices in Berlin and Detroit, with a singular focus on international feature films. Developing its own IP content, while also partnering with collaborators, Personae Entertainment Pictures is dedicated to collaborating with innovative filmmakers and international co-producers. Media Contact Jason Brown, PublicCity PR, [email protected]; 248-663-6166 ### Very excited to share the official poster for my solo directorial debut feature, "Love & Vodka," as created by the talented Sean Strong. For more information, please go to: www.love-vodka-movie.com
Post-Production Final Fundraising Push
привіт (Hello) Everyone! This is my first of many updates.
Very soon, I'll be adding some of the team members to this GoFundMe page, but for now, I'm holding down the fort and sharing a bit about our campaign. If you've landed on this page, I'd like to thank you for considering supporting us, as we've got a fantastic collective team behind LOVE & VODKA, and most of the producers have been working either on spec or pro bono -- such as myself. "On spec" and "pro bono" for over four years is a long time, and though I love film and directing and producing so much that I consider it a joy and a privilege, there is only so far you can go without funding. And so we have built and amazing movie on a "wing and a prayer" and most people would never believe what we've been able to achieve with the time and resources we've had. The truth is that there are so many filmmakers out there right now and stories to be told that you've got to work hard to get your cinematic story out there for people to know you exist. This script wasn't mine, originally. RJ Fox brought it to me in the fall of 2017 and I was so busy getting my first feature, DARCY, out there into film festivals and distribution, that I didn't have time until the summer of 2018, to read it. I optioned it originally. But over time, it needed a lot of development work to keep up with the times and so I, and several others, helped contribute to get it to where it is today. And where it is today reflects more upon the times in Ukraine and all that the world has been through in the last several years. And yet, as director and a screenwriter, I've decided that it's best to stay hopeful and positive. Ukraine is going through enough turmoil right now and my act of defiance is to focus on love, family and bridging transatlantic borders. Hope is so important. So many people in dire situations are holding on because of hope. And I've worked hard to find Ukrainian cast and crew - many who are currently in refugee status after fleeing the war - for whom this film's subject matter and working on it could be a beacon of hope. Take our Editor and Colorist, Yakiv, for example. He's one of many. He's left Ukraine for Vancouver and has been starting from scratch in his life. His family is still home in Ukraine and though he is naturally a hopeful and positive person sometimes, while we are in an editing session, he opens up about how its hard, how he worries about his family. It's becoming "normal" to hear about bombs in his hometown where his parents still live. We've been working via Skype together since October. It's a 9 hour time difference and while he's starting his day at 9:30 a.m., I'm setting in for an evening session of editing with him at 6:30 p.m. my time - because I am usually in Berlin (when I'm not in my home town of Ypsilanti, Michigan, where I grew up). Yakiv's shared with me that he's enjoyed working on a positive and feel-good film about his country and his people, as there are so many documentaries and stories about war and crime in Ukraine that he can't see it anymore. It sends him into a bleak depression. LOVE & VODKA has been not only a professional opportunity and source of income for him, it's been a beacon of hope and medium for laughter... something he has needed so much during these difficult times in his young life. Yakiv is a young professional trying to live a normal life and focus on creating a future. He's enormously talented and we are lucky to be working with him. I've paid him out of my own pockets up until now. But I am now in debt and my pockets are empty. And so I'm turning to #gofundme and the public to help me out. "Why don't you have more producers raising funds?" you might be asking yourself. "Good question," I answer. Honestly, prior to the war in Ukraine, I did have a contract with a Ukrainian co-producer and co-production company and we were going to shoot Love & Vodka on a $1 million budget in Odessa. And then the war broke out. And my producer had to drop this project for obvious reasons - he had to protect his family from Russian bombs. My option on the script was running out and, after asking RJ Fox for an extension, he felt that he couldn't extend it. Thus, respecting his decision but not able to let go of the time and money I had already invested in the film, I decided to make this film the way I know as an American grass-roots indie filmmaker, crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is not easy. It's humbling to ask for support. When people don't respond, it's very easy to take it personally and you find yourself wondering if you are good enough. If your project is worthy. Many fellow producers have told me to let this project go. That would have been the easy thing to do. I don't know... maybe I should have. But when I believe in something, I believe in something. That... and I have a heart for the underdog - I always want to see them succeed. This film, LOVE & VODKA, though it started out as a piece written by fledging screenwriter RJ Fox (who has come a long way since he first wrote the original script and has since written many scripts, books and essays), has turned out to be so much bigger than any of us. For me, it's a vehicle for hope and standing up against the bullies of the world. More on that later, but for now -- thank you for reading. ​If you are so inclined, please help spread the word and share via word of mouth, email, social media shout out, essay, blog or news article. Once upon a time, there was a high school film teacher who’s dream was to be a screenwriter and see his stories on the #bigscreen
He wrote a script based upon a real life experience - the trip he took to #ukraine to visit his girlfriend’s family when he was in his 20s. The script waited to be made into a movie… and waited… and waited. Time passed. Over ten years. And then the high school teacher heard about a parent of a student at his school who was a #producer and #director of #indiefilms He decided to take a chance and reach out. That was in the year #2017 One pandemic, Russian attacks on Ukraine, a film industry union strike and seven years later, and this little film that could is in #postproduction And though the Final Cut of @loveandvodkamovie won’t be exactly like the original story of R.J. Fox's @foxwriter7 ‘s #script , his work inspired its heart and spirit for adventure. Producer/Director/Writer @heidiphilipsen is running the proverbial baton to the finish line and aims to craft a #movie that #delights #moves and #inspires - with a #cast of #ukrainian #actors and #michiganders who will most certainly entertain! #followus for #news and #updates on #future #screenings and #filmfestival run information. #ukraine #universityofmichigan @uofm_alumni #baycity #ypsilanti #annarbor @personaeentertainment #screenwriters #womeninfilm #filmteachersmakingfilms @uofmichigan @easternmichigan #ukrainiansinmichigan Many of you, who have been following me on social media, are aware that I've been producing an indie romantic comedy called LOVE & VODKA over the last several years. Well, what started out as a rom com has turned more into a dramatic comedy or a comedic drama as a result of the pandemic and subsequent war on Ukraine. I never thought that, when I responded to the high school teacher and amateur screenwriter R.J. Fox's request to read his script, originally written over ten years ago and was based upon his real life experience traveling to Ukraine to meet his girlfriend's family, that this project would take me on my own journey and test me to my core. As mentioned, the film script was inspired by a true story that now High School teacher, R.J. (Bobby) Fox, experienced over twenty years ago in 2001). A young, awkward, and hopeful screenwriter dreaming of his goals in Hollywood ran into a different destiny when he met a Ukrainian exchange student. 15 years later, Bobby published a memoir of his time in Ukraine and soon after that, he began writing a script to get his story onto celluloid. Destiny decided to intervene again and brought Bobby and one of his students at Huron High School's mom (me/Heidi/Director/Producer) together. After sending the script to me, I immediately fell in love with his story, the people he met in Ukraine, and knew this film needed to get made. As a Producer/Director, I had one request of Bobby...he had to be involved and help get it made...together. And so we got to work. We had a script and a production schedule ready to start making the film in Ukraine. But destiny wanted to add some more twist and turns. I moved to Berlin, Germany with my German husband, continuing and then gradauting with an MBA in Management from Eastern Michigan University via Zoom. Bobby went through a divorce and wrote a new book that is now 700 pages long. Then Covid-19 locked everything down. And then Ukraine was attacked, the war began, and millions of lives where destroyed. I'll be honest. We were crushed on so many levels. But honestly, at that moment in February/March of 2022, our film LOVE & VODKA was the last thing on our minds. What was? Protesting. Helping. Donating. Giving. On November 26th, I decided to make a major change in my life. I quit drinking alcohol and dedicated my mission toward a clean, #sustainable food diet (made up of foods that are organically and sustainable raised and don't hurt the earth's climate or environment) and healthy lifestyle. That meant being cognizant of my mental health, as well, and not engaging in anything that would jeopardize it (including over-indulgence of social media). I made it through the Holidays without taking a single sip of champagne (a huge one for me) and, though I did partake of heavier Holiday foods, I made sure it was fair-trade and firmly planted in #regenerativeagriculture. Now that we are in January 2024, I'm committing myself to a year of clean eating, cutting down the sugars and unhealthy fats, engaging instead in more exercise, therapy for a mental-health-awareness tune-up, and pursuing those things in my career that truly give back to me -- like acting, writing, producing and directing. The added benefits of a healthy lifestyle impact not just you, but also those around you (when we are more optimistic, we share the joy and #positiveoutlook) and the environment. But don't just take my word for it, watch "You Are What You Eat," currently on #Netflix. Check out the trailer: That means finishing #loveandvodkamovie (www.love-vodka-movie.com) and getting it ready for #FILMFESTIVALS and #FILMDISTRIBUTION as well as making progress on developing my #feature #KIDNAPPINGLOVEMOVIE (www.personaeentertainmentpictures.com) for #production. And #acting - wohoo - can NOT wait to get back into the groove in my acting. I do love it so and it makes me feel so amazing. Actor's HeadshotsFirst things first on that front: #HEADSHOTS ! I got my first headshots when I was 14 and would say that I've had some great ones that really worked for me in my career. Now that the Covid-19 Lockdown is a thing of the past and I'm ready to come out of my pandemic-cave, I need new ones - and it's always good to get a refresher course and be freshly inspired on how to go about getting ready! I like this tutorial on how to prepare for Actors Headshots, as the tips are pertinent not only for actors, but anyone who needs new professional pics (and, let's face it, in today's online world, we all do). And though I knew all of these tricks-of-the-trade, once upon a time, I think Audrey Hope (disclaimer: I do not know Audrey, but found her video after doing some research - she had one of the better videos I've seen. Great job, Audrey!) Getting the Home-Office Re-Organized...Did I mention that I'm also working on a refresher on being better organized? Look, I'm GenX, I've been around the proverbial cleaning and organizational block a few times. I used to get paid as a top executive assistant to help top VIP Execs become and stay administratively organized and make sure the office was well-managed. But over the years, I've noticed of late that I've gone through a bit of burnout. Especially since I've gone from organizing someone else's life for a profession to organizing a whole household, including my mother's, AND running a global business. It's exhausting just thinking about it. How to get re-energized and refocus my energies so that they are aligned? Well, I have to say that I really liked #CLEANMYSPACE and their #YOUTUBE tutorial. Organizational Tools Refresh...If you're a woman in film & television like me, with your own production company, fiscally responsible and juggling with career with family, you totally get that being in the know of the latest organizational tools is a MUST. I still love #Outlook and #Google apps and #Slack, I must admit. But I'm always looking for new apps to work with my various #teams. Right now, for example, I've got two separate teams in #postproduction for #LOVEANDVODKAMOVIE - and I'll eventually need to merge their workflows into one. That might take a new app to coordinate and drive forward. Don't get me wrong, I used to always be in the know... but these tools have changed so much in last several years (the pandemic was like a warp speed vehicle for online services), so I can't get enough in researching what the latest and greatest online organizational products and services are for getting my act together and moving forward in my #careergoals (without falling back in my finances). I really like the YouTube video by Efficient App (Alex & Andra) - they do a great job of outlining new apps and how they differentiate. Onward and Forward - Leaning in to 2024!
So join me on my journey and follow me on #INSTAGRAM to not only keep up with how I'm doing, but also share if you are doing the same, and if you have healthy recipes or tips on how to be better organized or motivation strategies for exercise - let me know! We are all in this together and by this time around the sun, I've come to embrace that when the learning stops, the creativity and excitement stop. So let's get learning! Over the course of the last four years, while moving abroad from Ypsilanti, Michigan / Schenectady, New York to Hamburg, Germany (2018) and then Berlin (2019), all while continuing with her M.B.A. in Management graduate studies at Eastern Michigan University's College of Business AND being a mom to two teenagers adjusting to life as international expats abroad, I penned my first romantic comedy about a couple renewing their love and rekindling their romance in their marriage after their 20th wedding anniversary -- KIDNAPPING LOVE.
Working with Tim Albaugh who I first met via UCLA's Professional Advanced Screenwriting program before he moved not to form the consulting business ProPath Screenwriting business, I kept at the screenwriting process, working on and off whenever I could carve out the time, and never let go until... finally... it felt like I had something I could send to a couple of choice competitions. The patience and hard work has been proving itself worthy: "Kidnapping Love" made it to the quarterfinals of the ScreenCraft Fellowship Competition 2022 and was in the top 15% of over 5,500 entries in the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Competition. As a result of these competitions, I've gone back to the pages and plan on making several tweaks -- but feel very excited about the response my first feature film screenplay has received. I have two other screenplays I plan on going back to revisit and tighten, as well as a new action comedy that I can't wait to start. Now that my eldest child is off to college and I've finished my M.B.A. in Management, I finally have the time. Check back here for more details -- Not sure what happened between now and October 2019 (sheesh, you'd think there was a pandemic that hit the world or something!), but I promise to work on updating the Blog much more often! -- andThe past several months in my spare free time, I've been logging quite a few volunteer hours, organizing a special event:
"Transatlantic Empowerment: Networking Beyond Borders" with panel guest speakers Amanda Toney, Managing Director of Stage32, and Adriana Shaw, Founder of Herflix, will take place this Friday, October 4th at 4 p.m., via Women in Film & Television Germany/Hamburg Chapter at the Hamburg Film Festival, or #filmfestHamburg. One of the many reasons that this event is so near and dear to my heart is because, having lived and worked abroad in Germany, while also experiencing and logging professional years in the film industry in the United States, I've learned that the best thing that women can do for gaining insight, knocking out boundaries of discrimination, networking and gaining a whole new perspective on the industry and careers across borders is by intercultural communication. I'm exceptionally excited that this event is finally coming together - tomorrow! And I'm grateful to my colleagues at WIFT Germany/Hamburg , NYWIFT, Amanda Toney and Adriana Shaw -- and the American Consulate General Hamburg -- for their support all along the way. If you happen to be in Hamburg, please join us! |
AuthorAn actress, director, producer and writer, Heidi welcomes you to her Blog. Learn about her latest endeavors and garner a glimpse into her recent accomplishments, both professional and personal. Archives
November 2024
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