THE STAGE 32 BLOG Subscribe

Welcome to the Stage 32 Blog. Browse the archive, browse by tags, or search to get started...

Crowdfunding for Filmmakers - A Career for Breakthrough

Fundraising for a movie is the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. I am an Emmy-award winning director and member of the Directors Guild of America. My films have screened at Cannes and I made a feature film in 35mm, yet, even with all I have accomplished, there has been nothing more difficult and, at the same time, more helpful for a director then a Kickstarter. Because it's not just about the money, it's all the PR packaging that a fundraise can give you. I knew abo…

My Filmmaking Journey from Africa to Scandinavia

Writing about oneself is sometimes challenging because you feel like writing your whole life on a piece of paper, at the same time you see limitations in writing. You want to write only what is necessary to fit the platform or your desired audience. My name is Michael Asonganyi and this is how I became a filmmaker in the African film industry. I was born and raised in Cameroon and at the age of 23, I moved to study in Sweden where I met my wife, a Norwegian national studying at the same…

RIFF Premiere of the 2nd Stage 32 Short Film Program

Stage 32 is honored to premiere the 2nd Stage 32 Short Film Program at the 2017 Richmond Film Festival. This program was curated by the incredible industry executives(3 who won Oscars!) who judged our Annual Short Film Contest and features 6 amazing directors (from 4 countries) all with bright futures ahead. Once again, congratulations to all the filmmakers and the Stage 32 team congratulates you on the screening!  Stage 32 Short Film Program @ RIFF Wednesday, March…

Stage 32 Announces $20k Winning Script in Short Film Contest

Stage 32 and the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Film Commission are pleased to announce the grand prize winner of their Short Film Script Contest, screenwriter/director Tanya Carleton Lovrics for her screenplay DOLPHIN GIRL. Lovrics will be flown to Florida and mentored by Sundance alum writer/director, JT Mollner. Production company, Digital Caviar will manage production. A native of Niagara Falls, Canada, Lovrics is a graduate—with honors—from Sheridan's Illustration Program an…

SXSW Roll Call - Who's Going? Who Has Films?

Hey guys. As we all know, yesterday SXSW announced their 2017 film lineup. For the 5th straight year Stage 32 will be at SXSW. This year is exciting for us as we are part of a panel with the European Film Commissions Network, Scandinavian Locations and Little W Productions featuring 8 Stage 32 filmmakers that we are entering into a Global Co-Production Matchmaking Program (more about that here). If you're headed to SXSW and/or have a film playing at the festival,…

The Stage 32 Short Film Script Contest Finalists Announced!

The warm sun, the sand between your toes, and a $20,000 production grant provided by St. Petersburg/Clearwater Film Commission. Stage 32 and the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Film Commission are incredibly excited to see who makes it to Florida to film their short film script. These 10 Finalists are that much closer to seeing their story come to life, and we are beyond excited on their achievement thus far! Join us as we congratulate the writers who made it to the Finalists round in the Sta…

Stage 32's 1st Annual Online Film Finance & Producing Conference

As the leaders in online education for film creatives, we're extremely proud to introduce our 2017 Online Film Conference Series. Throughout the year, we'll be announcing events designed to give you timely, applicable information designed to help you succeed in 2017 and beyond. We kick it all off today with our 1st Annual Online Film Finance and Producing Conference!   No planes. No hotels. No expenses. No new wardrobe. No outrageous badge prices. Just you, your compute…

From USC to Sundance Labs: How Social Media Brought My Filmmaking To Life!

I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker around sophomore year in undergrad. I took this class called "Make a Movie" with Billy Field. He threw a camera in our hands and just told us to go make something. Now, the piece we made is something I'll never share, but it helped me to realize I loved filmmaking, and it's something I could do with my life, and be happy.   The best lesson I've learned throughout my films is what it means to be a leader. Yes, you need to have a creative visio…

Stage 32'er Michel Merkt Wins the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film!

Last night was a very special one around these parts as our good friend Michel Merkt captured the Golden Globe for producing Best Foreign Film winner, Elle. As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, Michel has not only been a staunch supporter of all we do here at Stage 32, but he has worked with and mentored so many 32'ers through the years.   Michel was kind enough to invite me to the premiere of Elle at the Cannes film festival last year. To be invited to be part of his tribe du…

2 Stage 32 Members Nominated for 4 Golden Globes Today

I am extremely proud to announce that two members of our global community are nominated for a total of 4 Golden Globes this evening. First up, it’s my dear friend, Michel Merkt. Michel is an enormously accomplished producer who had 8 films at Cannes this year including 4 in competition. Tonight Michel has 3 nominations. In the Best Foreign Film category, Michel is nominated for producing both Paul Verhoeven’s terrific film, ELLE and Maren Ade’s international hit dramed…

Stage 32 Success Story: India & Russia Production Shooting Next Month

As we like to say around these parts, creativity is universal. Many of you who have questioned why you would accept a network request from someone residing in another country have heard me preach that no connection is a bad connection.   I'd like to believe the subject of today's success story, screenwriter Chandradeep Das, would agree. Chandradeep is very well connected in India, but it took him connecting with a Stage 32 member from Russia to finally get financing and a producin…

Posted 8 years ago by

2017 New Years Resolution Series

Hello 2017!  The New Year is always an exciting time for you as a creative because it's a fresh start and a blank slate to achieve whatever creative goals you have for yourself. For the past four years, one of my favorite things that I get to do is put together our Stage 32 New Years Resolution Series to assist you in achieving your goals.  To help you on your journey, I have brought in some incredibly talented Stage 32 educators to teach about a variety of above the lin…

register for stage 32 Register / Log In