NARM Music Biz Expo, Cannes Film Festival, Drama Desk Awards. Cine Gear Expo, are highlights in May's Global Media and Entertainment Industry

This year MUSEXPO 2013 in Los Angeles will be preceded by the A&R EXPO on May 5 as well as the Global Sync and Brands Summit on May 8 drawing music professionals from film, TV, games, advertising and brands participating in face-to-face interaction with content owners from across the U.S. and global markets. Expo session days typically open with a networking breakfast and close with a wine tasting cocktail reception served with Hors D'Oeuvres. As the conference agenda unfolds, Viacom India will present opportunities for global music companies in Asia. MTV, EA Games, Cosmos Music Group, New Cap Radio, Capitol Studios will co-host social mixers. Evening artist showcases will begin at 20:00 at S.I.R. Studios in Hollywood.

The origins of MUSEXPO stems from the roots of the intimate A&R Network (the predecessor to A&R Worldwide) networking dinners in Los Angeles, which first occurred back in 2001 and have since traveled to New York, Berlin and London. These exclusive dinners were organized by A&R Network and A&R Worldwide architect Sat Bisla with the purpose of bringing together friends and like-minded relationships from the global radio, A&R, film/TV music supervision, publishing, new media and artist management communities to engage in creative dialogue and establish fresh business relationships. It was the positive achievement of the networking dinners, creating a climate that attracted executives and artists to travel from over 30 countries across the world to participate, that led to the establishment of the four-day MUSEXPO.

Just across town, the NARM Music Biz Expo in Century City will host music professionals from brick and mortar as well as online music retailers, streaming services, wholesalers, distributors, record labels, mobile service and hardware providers, game and app developers, information technology companies, artists and artist managers, music educators and students and others, to participate in NARM and digitalmusic.org events. At the Expo which runs May 6-9, BMI Executives, John Coletta and Michael Drexler will be present to join discussion and share their knowledge on various panels. For more information on the panels. The National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) is a not-for-profit trade association that since 1958 has served the music and entertainment content delivery community in a variety of areas including networking, advocacy, information, education and promotion.

The British Independent Film Festival of London will showcase independent films from around the world with a focus on British talent. It also helps create exposure for its independent films selection by having multiple screenings of a film along with national press coverage. This two day event which opens May 11 is organized by the Film Festival Guild allowing it the advantage of links to festivals around the world. There are a number of awards up for grabs at the Festival, including the prestigious British Lion Award for Achievement in Film on a low budget. The Film Festival Guild provides showcases for short films, movies, animations, music videos and screenwriters. The Guild was started in 2006 and has now grown to manage five international film festivals, complete with awards ceremonies and industry appeal and importance.

The CLIO Awards ceremony that happens in New York City, May 15, is an international awards competition for advertising, design, interactive and communications. Award Presentations include: Grand CLIOs, Production Company of the Year, Advertiser of Year, Brand Icon Award, Honorary CLIOs, Lifetime Achievement Award, Hall of Fame, Agency of Year, Network of the Year and Adweek's Project Isaac "Gravity" Award. The CLIO Awards honors work in a broad range of media types including, but not limited to: Content and Contact, Branded Entertainment and Content, Digital and Mobile, Direct, Engagement, Film, Print, Design, Audio, Public Relations, Out of Home, Innovative Media, Integrated Campaign. Musical artist will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas will be an Honorary Award Recipient. Fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger will make a special presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to legendary ad man, George Lois.

George Lois has been inducted into The Art Directors Hall of Fame, The One Club Creative Hall of Fame, with Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, The Herb Lubalin Award (Society of Publication Designers), as well as a subject of the Master Series at the School of Visual Arts. He was a contributing pioneer of the Creative Revolution in American Advertising, and among the dozens of advertising/markting innovations was creating the concept and prototype design for the New York supplement for the Herald Tribune (the forerunner of New York magazine); made a failing MTV a huge success with his "I Want My MTV" campaign.

George Lois is the author of George, Be Careful (Saturday Review Press, 1972), an autobiography; The Art of Advertising (Abrams, 1976), praised as "the bible of mass communications"; What's the Big Idea? (Doubleday, 1991), used as a text book in college communications courses all over the world, and $ellebrity (Phaidon, 2003), a work dealing with his campaigns using celebrities in fresh and outrageous ways. Cocktails and Food will be served at the Pre-Reception and After-Party Dress Code: Cocktail Attire. The Winners Gallery will be open for public viewing from 10:00. Entry to the awards ceremony is through ticketing.

In existence since 1946, The Cannes International Film Festival -- Le Festival International du Film de Cannes -- is an annual invitation-only film festival which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from around the world. The President of the Jury for the 2013 festival will be American film director Steven Spielberg. French actress Audrey Tautou, best known for the 2001 film Amelie, will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Special featured sections held during the festival include the Marché du Film, the Festival's film market, structured to help meet the needs of film attending industry professionals.

Also at Cannes, the Producers Network assembles producers from around the world in a series of meetings and events created to stimulate international coproduction and project financing. Actor/director Vincent Bosco making his second visit and co-director Pierre Abadie will be screening 'Comment te Dire' at the Festival, accepted into the 2013 Short Film Corner. The work, recorded entirely in French and centering on a risky game of seduction will also be available throughout the Festival for viewing in the video library. Jerome Salle’s Zulu, starring Orlando Bloom and Forrest Whitaker, will close out the 66th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 26.

The Sundance Institute’s Film Music Program and BMI present the ComposersLab in Los Angeles, as a one-day version of the institute’s Summer Lab. The purpose of the Film Music Program is to connect composers and directors, giving them firsthand experience of the collaborative process of creating music for film. From 1998 the Film Music Program has held a summer Lab at the Sundance Resort in Utah for a selected group of film composers. The ComposersLab: L.A. is just a condensed version of the summer Composers Lab, with the goal of offering a new opportunity for aspiring and seasoned film composers to gain insight into the development of film music. The full-day program set for May 18 — led by Peter Golub, Director of the Sundance Institute Film Music program — will include presentations by Creative Advisors, Rolfe Kent, Clint Mansell, Thomas Newman, and Aaron Zigman, who will give examples of their work and discuss choices and strategies. In addition, Music Editors Adam Smalley and Scott Johnson will illustrate their collaborative process. BMI’s Doreen Ringer Ross, VP Film & TV Music, will moderate a mid-day industry panel, with panelists: Carter Armstrong, Senior VP for Music, Warner Brothers Pictures; Robert Messinger, Agent, First Artists; and music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas. Closes with a Cocktail Reception.

West African musician, Boubacar Kafando and his Kora-Griot band Zaama Nooma, take part in a Le Centre Culturel Zounogo, of the village of Banembanto Sapone (27 km south of the capital of Burkina Faso: Ouagadougou). The objective of the center is to expose children of Burkina Faso to varieties of musical instruments, music lessons, dance, a children's puppet show performed by children and an introduction to various life enhancing crafts. In 2007, Boubacar Kafando created Zaama Nooma: a collective of artists and artisans from France and Burkina Faso. The band then moves on to Paris for a May 24 engagement of Africa Night 2013, featuring a three Course West African Meal, performances by Zaama-Nooma and three other bands, a fashion show by Congolese designer Aurelie Lamini, dance performances by Compagnie DK-BEL and Rebman Wambaa. Proceeds go to support the youth Mission Trip to Gabon to participate in the Envision Culture in July.  Following this, Zaama Nooma will be in Montreuil to take part in the Conscience Festival, featuring Reggae concerts, May 25-26.

special May 18 performance to benefit

At the annual Drama Desk Awards, selected New York theater productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway compete against each other in the same category. Among the over two dozen award categories, 2013 nominees for Outstanding Play include: Annie Baker, 'The Flick', Christopher Durang, 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike', Joe Gilford, 'Finks', Richard Greenberg, 'The Assembled Parties', Amy Herzog, 'Belleville', Deanna Jent, 'Falling', Richard Nelson, 'Sorry'. This year's nominees for Outstanding Musical include: 'A Christmas Story: The Musical', 'Giant', 'Hands on a Hardbody', 'Here Lies Love', 'Matilda', 'Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812', 'The Other Josh Cohen'. In addition to the usual category awards, each year, the Drama Desk votes special awards to recognize excellence and significant contributions to the theater. The official ceremony will be held May 19.

Formed in 1949 by a group of New York theater critics, editors, reporters, and publishers, the organization was created to educate the community on vital issues concerning the theater. In 1955, Drama Desk became the first major organization to honor Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway, with their Vernon Rice Awards, named for the late New York Post critic who had pioneered Off-Broadway coverage in the New York press. In holding to its original mission, the organization sponsors guest panel luncheons with theater professionals. Panels address topics of current interest covering the season on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway, with the aim of prompting informative and stimulating discussion. All of the Drama Desk officers and Nominating Committee members perform their various services for the organization on a voluntary basis. The Nominating Committee typically meets twice a month to discuss eligible shows members are responsible for seeing. They then nominate the productions on which the entire membership will vote.

Streaming Media East -- and its counterpart Streaming Media West -- explores what is taking place with all forms of online video business models and technology. At this year's two-day New York City convention that opens May 21, keynote addresses will be given by Damon Phillips, VP, ESPN and Rob Gelick, SVP, GM, Digital Platforms, CBS Interactive. There will be eight scheduled “how-to” sessions, coverage of areas like: encoding, video-players, webcasting productions, and other topics, offering attendees step-by-step instructions on various technical aspects of the industry. These will be separate from other round-table events that will cover in part: Mobile Video Strategies, Using Social Media with Webcasting, Connected TV Platforms, Live Streaming Production, Encoding for Multiscreen Delivery. A Streaming Devices Pavilion will be set up in the exhibit hall where attendees can test drive today’s leading hardware devices and content platforms. Co-located with Streaming Media East, the fifth annual Content Delivery Summit, happening on May 20, bring together telecom carriers, service providers, content owners, and industry vendors for a detailed look at CDN platforms for the delivery of video and content acceleration. A networking reception closes out the first day of Streaming Media East.

With some semblance to Austin's SxSW, Music Matters Festival features emerging and established bands from Asia/Pacific region and the world, and sets up Festival's location, Singapore as Asia Pacific’s regional hub for entertainment, digital media and technology. The platform, which contains a showcase of events termed "ALL THAT MATTERS" in music, entertainment, technology and media, produced by Branded Limited, features flagship events: Digital and Music Matters, Music Matters Live, Nokia Music Connects and Social Media Matters. Music Matters is co-located with Digital Matters, Music Matters Live/HP and YouTube FanFest powered by HP. From May 21 there are conferences, workshops, mentoring and networking including a citywide international music festival. In conjunction with YouTube, the live broadcast of the festival delivers a global audience of musical performances at Clarke Quay. Music Matters Live 2013 takes place from the 22-24th May, at several venues in and around Clarke Quay with the live stage at Central Fountain Square. Open to the public, the majority of performances have free entry and in conjunction with YouTube, will be streamed live. Located along the Singapore River, Clarke Quay sits on a historical commercial site dating back to the 19th Century, and within a climate controlled canopy lit by colored lighting.

Opening in London, the Connected TV Summit is focused on strategic challenges and opportunities presented by post-convergence TV, covering connected and hybrid broadcast broadband TV, second-screen and multi-screen TV. It is about the Connected TV marketplace covering the spectrum of online video delivered to a television screen. The conference agenda closely examines the emergence of the ‘Pay TV Lite’ market, where operators provide  flexible bundles and contracts without the need for satellite dishes, cable connections or set-top boxes. Amidst a fast evolving Connected TV market, the two day conference starting May 22 explores market opportunity for CE vendors, whether their televisions are now competing with tablets in kitchens and bedrooms, if there is a new opportunity for CE Connected TV devices at the hub of the SmartHome. There are also breakout sessions covering the next-generation user experience and looking at how Pay TV operators can harness apps within their own STB-based platforms. The Connected TV Summit is produced by the same team who deliver Videonet and the Future TV Advertising Forum.

Cine Gear Expo offers its audience an opportunity to meet with companies producing the latest tools and services for the industry, get on-site hands-on technical training, gain new skills, hear breaking industry news, network with peers and learn from industry leaders. The Cine Gear Expo 2013 Cinematography Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Haskell Wexler, ASC in recognition of the contributions he has made to advancing the art and craft of Cinematography. The Awards ceremony is part of the VIP Party at the Paramount Theater in Hollywood, May 30 -- the Expo's opening day. A Cine Gear Expo VIP Reception, where Indy, Student Shorts, and Feature Film Competition winners will be announced, takes place at the Paramount Theater and Paseo Grounds, May 31. The expo runs through June 2.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. The events blog also shows links to pages that are translated into ten of the most widely used international languages read over the Internet other than English. This month's picture placement highlights photo and graphic images of film director/actor Vincent Bosco's latest entry into the Cannes Festival with 'Comment te Dire', in the Short Film Corner, and West African musician Boubacar Kafando and band Zaama Nooma have some benefit engagements lined up in the month. If the photo does not appear in this post please click this link to view it (http://actorschecklist.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/KhayalGrooveMaster.jpg). Looking ahead into the next month, be aware that: Mexico International Film Festival will be happening in Rosarito, Albuquerque Film & Media Experience will be happening in Albuquerque, Banff World Media Festival will be happening in Banff. North by Northeast Film Festival will be in Toronto, Maui Film Festival is in Paia, the Music+Sound Awards will be in Cannes.

Khayal Groove France CD Tour, NAB 2013, MIPDoc/MIPTV, Film Finance Forums, are highlights in April's Global Media and Entertainment Industry

Six months after releasing its first album over iTunes and SoundCloud in October 2012, India based Raga band, The Khayal Groove, opens a promotional tour for the album in France. The Khayal Groove is Aparna Panshikar on North Indian classical vocals, Jayen Varma on Bass Guitar in collaboration with the Toulouse, France based drummer, Jean Davoisne and various artistes and bands across the world. Although still evolving a repertoire, the band performs a blend of Indian Classical (Hindustani) Vocals, Ragas, "slap" bass guitar applying tabla and mridangam based finger movements on bass guitar, with western style drumming, resulting in a sound partly reflecting the band's tendency toward free improvisations. Concert stops will include: Bascous at Salle des Fêtes on April 3; Auch at Cri'Art on April 5; Mas d'Agenais at La Halle au Chanvre on April 6. The band will play some tunes from the newly released album -- "Reflections of a Purple Moon" -- create live improvisations and conduct interactive drum and bass jam sessions. There will also be opportunities to meet with and talk to the band members.

While in France, Aparna Panshikar will be the headliner on the final day of the 3e Indo-Persan Festival de Marseille for April 8 in Marseille. The Festival which actually runs from March 27, and is dedicated to artists of Afghanistan, Iran, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, highlighting their classical and traditional music, their poetry, their food, their clothing, languages ​​and everything that constitutes their identity. Next after these events, on April 13, JD Production Events and TAMA drum school in partnership with Zildjian Toulouse, are organizing a competition for amateur drummers hosted by Noemie Alazard, followed by an evening of instrumental demos, awards, and a concert given by the jury of the contest -- Patrick Rondat, Franck Hermanny, Gael Feret, Michel Atmayer. The contest is open to all amateur drummers and is divided into two categories: under 16 and over 16 years with each candidate pre-screened. Jean Davoisne of JD Productions, formed this second drum school in 2008 in partnership with Tama and Zildjian. Coming from a Grunge-Metal background, he plays and records for various artists, having recorded drums on the track “Ghost of War” (CD “Eternity” – 2013), for Tina Guo, a USA based cellist and soloist with Hans Zimmer orchestra, and Le cirque du soleil Michael Jackson Immortal tour.

This year’s Florida Film Festival in Orlando will have more than 160 films, some 100 visiting filmmakers and special guests, and assorted special events running through April 14. The Opening Night Film which ran in Sundance, "Twenty Feet from Stardom" directed by Morgan Neville, spotlights the untold story of a group of gifted and diverse back-up singers, whose vocal talents helped shape the narrative of popular music yet still remain in the margins of history. The screening is followed by the "Eye Opening Night Party" that will include local chefs preparing and serving “Eye Opening” bites while the host venue Eden Bar serves up handmade cocktails all night long. Participating restaurants include Eden Bar, K Restaurant and Wine Bar, Ethos Vegan Kitchen, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and others. The following day, April 6, TV personality, film buff, food historian, and cookbook author Francine Segan serves out a taste of sweet and savory movie magic with history lessons from her book Movie Menus and film clips of favorite food scenes, all part of a lively discussion for this uniquely themed film festival. On April 12 the festival will screen Alfred Hitchcock’s horror classic, "The Birds", with Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette and Tippi Hedren. Following the screening Tippi Hedren will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A to discuss creating a cinema classic with the “Master of Suspense” Alfred Hitchcock.

This year will mark the 90 year existence of the NAB Convention. As an organization National Association of Broadcasters advocates on behalf of America's free, local radio and television stations and broadcast networks and provides its members legal expertise and timely communications and opportunities for growth and development. Visitors to NAB Show can learn about techniques, including: capture, digital artistry, filmmaking, production, post-production, sound, web design and more at the annual Las Vegas event. Attendees will have access to a marketplace to buy or sell digital distribution goods and services, advertising, financing or content acquisition -- which is all a part of a global platform that generates $20.7 billion in commerce every year. By focusing on what the convention has to offer, visitors can gain an understanding of content creation, content management, content commerce, content distribution or delivery and content consumption. There is a planned showcase for delivery advancements in broadcast, fiber, mobile, broadband video, streaming technologies, to deliver over airwaves, on screen or stage, online or on the go.

A planned NAB Open Mic Contest will be a chance to win a Conference Flex Pass to next year's NAB Show® and other prizes by submiting a song video of yourself performing one of several NAB approved songs. The winner will be selected during the NAB Television Luncheon on April 8 at the Las Vegas Hotel. A convention Super Session: "Mapping the Future of Broadcast Television," happens on April 9 with speakers: Harry Jessell, Kevin Gage, James F. Goodmon, Jr., Lieven Vermaele, Erik Moreno, who will explore the future of broadcast television from the perspective of the broadcaster, the consumer, and organizations working to develop future global television technical standards. The NAB Education Foundation will host its annual spring Career Day at the NAB Show on April 10. The event is produced in partnership with the Broadcast Education Association to open opportunities for media companies to network with seasoned professionals, college students and entry-level job seekers. Very new this year, the Show is partnering with Waskul.TV to run StudioXperience™ that will stream live proceedings and provide daily coverage while the Show Floor is open. NAB Show Live!, the official news and highlights program will also be produced each day from the Studio at 16:30 PT.

Aside from the education workshops, panels and convention floor displays, visitors can take part in a full week of networking and fun long after the show floor has closed for the day by attending the Official NAB Show After-parties, generally complimentary wth Show Badge worn by show attendees. Network with media and entertainment professionals from over 150 countries that are expected for the convention. Here is a summary listing of official NAB after-parties and hosts that are lined up: NAB Show Exhibitor Party at TAO, April 6, 21:00; Content Creators Party at Body English, April 7, 20:00 and also at LAVO starting at 23:00; NAB Show Opening Party, April 8, 22:00 at Marquee Nightclub and Dayclub; Cirque de L'absurde Outdoor Party at Gold Lot 2, across from the LVCC, April 9 at 18:00 and at LAVO Nightclub, at 23:00; general after-party April 10 at 23:00 at LAVO; NAB Show Closing Party, April 11 starting 22:30 at TAO.

Two seperate international content marketplace and conference programs organized and run under Reed MIDEM's MIPWORLD group of content industry shows opens in Cannes. MIPDoc is an international screening conference for documentary and factual programming. This two-day event starting April 6 takes place the weekend before MIPTV, and provides a showcase for producers and distributors of documentary and factual programming. Combined with MIPFormats -- a digital library dedicated to non-scripted programmes -- it creates a showcase for non-scripted content in all its forms. The MIPFormats program has its own dedicated conference series with keynotes, screenings, matchmaking events and the MIPFormats International Pitch -- an exclusive non-scripted entertainment formats' competition sponsored by Warner Bros. International Television Production. MIPTV, running four days from its April 8 start is a television and media technology sector trade show attended by decision makers from TV's ecosystem and entertainment industry along with buyers seeking content. The latest industry trends and market information are discussed during the show and attendees can also participate in the topical conferences and business keynote sessions that are scheduled here. A sizeable display of cable and satellite systems, film equipments, production services, studio tools and digital entertainment instruments are put on exhibit at the show. There is the presence of participants from different countries, highlighting the global nature of the occasion. There are animation sessions organized for kids during the show too and television premieres are hosted here as well.

April has two significant New York City film financing events to bring film professionals up to date with the latest trends and information for getting a film project funded. On April 10 the 2013 NYCFF Film and Finance Forum will be held presenting a roster of highly topical panelists from film and finance industries as well as guest speakers and panelists who represent film festivals and Crowdfunding. The evening's panel discussions, moderated by Deena Merlen, Partner, Reavis Parent Lehrer LLP and Roger Wu, Co-Founder, New York Crowdfunds, address key issues relevant to filmmakers, financiers and anyone interested in the economics, business mechanics, and financial dynamics of both feature and independent film. Each panel is followed by a Q&A with the participants.

Attendees of NYCFF will also have the opportunity to interact and network with all featured experts and other fellow attendees. Established and aspiring filmmakers looking to raise capital for their projects, production companies, movie slates, film funds or other ventures are likely candidates to attend this gathering. Organized by SCENEPR!, NYCFF network is a presence among individuals in both the film and finance industries interested in working together to produce independent and feature films for theatrical distribution. SCENEPR! is a network of entrepreneurs and professionals from film/TV, fashion, music, art/photo, digital/online and green/eco, looking to build connections with other like-minded individuals for the purposes of doing business.

The 5th Annual Film Finance Forum East in downtown Manhattan is a follow up to the Fifth Annual Film Finance Forum West that took place in Los Angeles this past March. WINSTON | BAKER will host the 5th Annual Film Finance Forum East in association with Variety. The one-day program on April 16 is focused on financial strategies and opportunities within the film business. The speaking faculty will address: Entity-Level Investments: A Closer Look at Hybrid Models; Capitalizing on the Independent Film Business; Considering the Film Business as an Asset Class; The Evolution of Deal Structure from a Single Picture Perspective; Finding Success in Cross-Border Financing; Evaluating the Next Wave of Distressed Opportunities, and more. The New York forum is designed for chief investment officers, private equity and hedge fund managers, angel investors, high net worth individuals, private family office managers, and financial advisers who are interested in learning more about the film business as non-correlated asset class. There will be opportunities for networking with seasoned deal-makers in the industry. The closing panel is "Capitalizing on the Independent Film Business" followed by a networking reception. In May there is a planned 4th Annual International Film Finance Forum happening in Cannes, France.

French Quarter Festival’s 30th Anniversary will showcase more than 400 hours of music from more than 1,300 local musicians on more than 20 stages in New Orleans' French Quarter district. The artist line-up reveals a variety of popular New Orleans genres including traditional and contemporary jazz, Cajun-Zydeco, world, brass band, blues, rock, and pop from local New Orleans musicians. Festival goers can savor upscale dining in a festival atmosphere at the “World’s Largest Jazz Brunch” – a variety of authentic local cuisine from more than 60 New Orleans restaurants. Some of the restaurants at festival include Antoine’s, Galatoire’s, Muriel’s, R’evolution, Jacques-i-mo’s, Boucherie, Crescent Pie and Sausage, GW Fins, Trey Yuen, K-Paul’s, Tujague’s, Praline Connection.

There are also free special events at French Quarter Festival, family activity with two planned kids areas and fireworks on the Mississippi River (Saturday, April 13 at 21:00). In an effort to promote the cultural heritage of the City of New Orleans and the Vieux Carré, French Quarter Festival presents the return of Let Them Talk: Conversations on Louisiana Music. This reprised program has a new film series titled TimeCode:NOLA, with screening set at the Louisiana State Museum’s OLD U.S. Mint. Both series focus on the creativity New Orleans has fostered in music and film through the use of storytelling and interactive discussions with musicians and filmmakers. The films give insight to the local culture of the French Quarter. The 2013 French Quarter Festival will feature a special 30th Anniversary Gala, on April 11 at Antoine’s Restaurant. A portion of the proceeds from the Gala will benefit The Roots of Music. French Quarter Festival is produced by French Quarter Festivals, Inc., the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which also produces Satchmo SummerFest in August and Christmas New Orleans Style in December.

The 12th annual Tribeca Film Festival in lower Manhattan opens April 17 with the world premiere of "Mistaken For Strangers", a film that follows the personal journey of Tom Berninger (who doubles as the director and subject) as he goes on tour with his older brother, Matt Berninger, the lead singer of the Brooklyn-based band, The National. The screening is followed by a special concert performed by the actual band. In other festival events, the "Tribeca Talks Industry" series will host panels that will include: "New Filmmakers in the Digital Age", "The Business of Entertainment: Truth, Persuasion and Bias in Documentaries", "Big Data and the Movies". The "Directors Series" will include conversations with Clint Eastwood, Darren Aronofsky, Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Mira Nair, Bryce Dallas Howard and others. Most "Tribeca Talks" series (including the ones listed above) are free to the public. Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center to stimulate economic and cultural revitalization in lower Manhattan's Tribeca district following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The festival goes through April 28.

The Nashville Film Festival is an Academy qualifier in the categories for short films and animation. Although special events and parties related to NaFF have been underway since the start of April, the official festival opens April 18-25. The opening night film is the premiere of "MUD", starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon. Closing Night screening is "Unfinished Song", starring Terrence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave. NaFF emphasizes the music in films and makes a special award presentation for its Music Films/ Music City line-up. In addition to the many films about music and the Music Films in Music City awards, NaFF presents showcases, workshops, and other events where songwriters and artists come together with film professionals throughout the globe to collaborate with and help promote each others works.

NaFF maintains a VIP Tent open to Silver Level Members that will serve Stella Artois, fine wines, spirits and Nashville specialties. This year, NaFF and 5th Avenue of the Arts / Downtown Nashville  are jointly presenting a new opportunity for filmmakers, entitled: "Nashville Unveiled  – Take One Video Festival Contest (NUVC)". Sponsored by Nashville Arts Magazine, the contest is a chance for professionals and/or amateurs to create a short film/video with the content connected to the theme: “The Arts Scene in Nashville.” Apart from the festival, the Nashville Film Festival provides three year-round programs: "Livin' Reel", gives urban teens hand's on experience in filmmaking. The Hope Tour brings films and volunteers to the bedside of patients and veterans. The Tennessee Film Tour helps Tennessee cities start film festivals.

Digital Media Wire Games, formerly known as LA Games Conference, is an expanded two-day session starting April 18, called DMW Conference. It will still tackle the issues and ideas about the future of games and connected entertainment. It will run two tracks with fireside chats, panels, demos and presentations on digital game creation, distribution, monetization and marketing. Speakers include executives from Electronic Arts, Wargaming America, Vungle, Kiip, and PLAYSTUDIOS. On the first day Track B Panel, you learn: "What Does it Take to Make a Hit Game on iOS and Android Platforms" with Rob Carroll, 5th Planet Games, Matt Hulett, RealNetworks, Lina Chen, Nix Hydra Games, Marco DeMiroz, PlayFirst and Moderator Margaret Wallace, Playmatics. Zynga’s Chief Revenue Officer, Barry Cottle, will be conductng a fireside chat at DMW Games. This year’s conference features a Games Leadership Awards ceremony, a Hackathon/Game Jam hosted by Scopely. Day one ends with a Poolside Reception with a DJ performance and networking. The final conference on the last day will address "Game Development in Los Angeles: Future Prospects – Promise or Peril in the City of Angels" with a panel that will discuss the state of the game industry in Los Angeles -- where the conference is held -- and examine future prospects. Day two closes the conference with an official Closing Reception. Digital Media Wire is a news, publishing and events company serving the digital entertainment and media industries since 2000.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. The events blog also shows links to pages that are translated into ten of the most widely used international languages read over the Internet other than English. This month's photo placement highlights The Khayal Groove's first CD tour in France since releasing their first album October 2012. If the photo does not appear in this post please click this link to view it. Looking ahead into the next month, be aware that: Vegas Indie Film Fest, comes to Las Vegas; UK Film Forum will be in London; KOBA 2013, audio and Lighting equipment show opens in South Korea; the 2013 CLIO Awards will be held in New York City, The WorldMediaFestival will be in Hamburg, the annual Cannes Film Festival returns to Cannes, Streaming Media East will arrive in New York City.

Media Days Gothenburg, SXSW 2013, FILMART, Film and TV Finance Summit, are highlights in March's Global Media and Entertainment Industry

The Miami International Film Festival presents world cinema from Cuba, Spain, Israel, Argentina, Brazil, United Kingdom, China and other regions of the world. MIFF typically presents 100 films from over 40 countries, including several international prizewinners, 11 World Premieres, five International Premieres, nine North American Premieres and 11 US Premieres. This year's festival puts a spotlight on China with screenings of films from mainland China and Hong Kong -- part of a three day International Symposium hosted by Miami Dade College’s Confucius Institute happening March 7-9. Headquartered in the heart of Miami Beach, the Festival has hosted accomplished filmmakers and talent, including Pedro Almodóvar, Abel Ferrara, Spike Lee, Andy Garcia, Alfonso Cuaron, Kate Hudson, Jonathan Demme, Liv Ullman, Luc Besson, and others.

The Festival offers accreditation for VeoMiami -- an area of the festival to discover, discuss, and develop the art and business of Ibero-American cinema. VeoMiami consists of a dedicated group of industry players, with access to Master Class Seminars, Industry/Filmmaker invite only events, catalogue and material distribution to attending delegates and concierge meeting set-up with other delegates, access to the online library of films available from March 1 - including VeoMiami Digital Market - and ending two weeks after the close of the Festival which is March 10. And especially suited to the Miami Beach area, there are nightly Happy Hours and networking opportunities. Celebrate the year's accomplishments at the Pyrat Awards Night Party, March 9. The gala evening will feature a wide variety of culinary delights, wine and spirits, and plenty of entertainment.

Future Shorts Festival in London is a quarterly global film festival uniting audiences across the world. Since November 2011, festival screenings have taken place in over 285 cities and 90 countries with a showcase of short films, often alongside live music, performance, DJs and art. From London to Tokyo, Cairo to Kabul, screenings have taken place across a network of music halls, cinemas, theatres, galleries, clubs, bars and warehouses. Every three months, Future Shorts HQ in London puts together a feature-length programme of selected classic, cult and award-winning short films from around the world. The festival programme lasting through March 29 is then made available to a global network of film enthusiasts, promoters, entrepreneurs and adventurers who book, organize and host local screening events.

The following are screenings in various (mostly) European cities: London, March 2; Barcelona and Vilanova, March 3; Brno and Latvia, March 7; Tampere, March 8; Baku, March 9; Bialystok, March 11; Zamora, March 14; Arcata, Bricko and Przemysl, March 15; Blackburn, March 20; Elblag, March 21; London, March 22; Lodz and Paris, March 24; Lublin, March 25; Tbilisi. Additionally, Future Shorts maintains a distribution arm offering a range of distribution services representing an extensive and varied catalogue of original and independent international films. Original content creation is undertaken drawing from a pool of available creative talent on the Future Shorts roster and strategic development and production with various broadcast partners, including: Arte/ZDF, Canal+, HBO, SBS Australia and SVT, YouTube, Babelgum, Sony Computer Entertainment, Samsung and others.

The two-day Meg expo, more formally known as Media Days Gothenburg, is focused on professionals dealing with the different technology related to media production and development. The Gothenburg based expo theme this year is "parallel realities" and the program opening March 7 reviews topics from popular music to satire, investigative journalism to interactive design. Meg13 starts out from five different seminar topics: Fiction, Fact, Trust, Market and Innovation. Together, they accentuate this year's theme: "Parallel realities". Keynote speakers in the parallel realities program include: Internet researcher Evgeny Morozov, born in Belarus, now living in the US, who gave a previous TED talk titled "Is the Internet what Orwell Feared?" Also, Sofia Svantesson, designer, innovator and founder of design bureau Ocean Observations is featured.

Another of the highlights of this year's program is the establishment and presentation of the newly instituted MegAward which will be given to a person or an organization that has achieved innovation in the media sector. The winning innovation may be of an administrative, technological, or organizational nature, in the fields of journalism or design. The MegAward will reward work demonstrating broad thoughtfulness and curiosity, regardless of whether the winner operates within the confines of traditional journalism or in the world of blogging, podcasts, advertising or technology development. It can be awarded to a Swedish or an international person or organization. The MegAward is an open nomination process. The Swedish Exhibition and Congress Centre is one of the biggest hotels in Scandinavia joining the Gothia Towers and popular restaurants. It is also home to the largest office hotel in Scandinavia, the World Trade Center. A new tower and the extension is slated to be ready in the end of 2014.

Since 1987, SXSW (South By South West) in Austin has produced its well regarded Music and Media Conference and Festival. Although it is perceived as one seamless event week, emphasis will be given to Interactive, March 8-12; Film, March 8-16; Music, March 12-17. The event celebrates the organizations that define the ever-evolving relationship between media, technology, creators and consumers. A special highlight for SXSW this year will be its "Maker" movement in education with a Makerspace that will showcase a number of exhibits from makers, creators and DIYers, March 4-7.

New for 2013, SXSW Film introduces the "Come and Capture" Film Factory, that allows participants to explore and interact with the newest tools for capturing and creating moving images. Each day begins with panel discussions, workshops and demos, and leads up to the opportunity for registrants to tinker with featured products. Registrants can not only sample a range of filmmaking products but go out each day and capture their experiences of SXSW to then share the finished work with the SXSW community through SXSW’s online channels and on the official festival website. "Come and Capture" takes place from March 9-12 (advance badge registration needed) at the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Capital Ballroom.

Themed parties seem to dot the daily/hourly event schedule of the Expo, including: The Morning After party, Trade Show Block Party, SXSW Film Intermission Party presented by IMAX, Warner Bros. Television Group, BBC America Roadhouse, SXSW Film Late Night Saloon, @PBS Party featuring Peter Sagal, Berlin Calling, #VegasTech SXSW Party, New Zealand @ SXSW, SXSW Film + Interactive Fusion Party presented by Fandango, Music From Ireland / Full Irish Breakfast, The Aussie BBQ, and so many more not listed.

Online resource SXsocial (http://social.sxsw.com/auth/sxsw) is available to SXSW registrants to search for and message other conference attendees. Upload a photo and bio to establish a presence and connect with new colleagues and friends before during and after SXSW 2013. The 27th annual South By Southwest Closing Barbecue and Softball Tournament, the traditional closing social event of the SXSW week, happens on March 17 and is free for all SXSW Music and Platinum registrants.

CABSAT Broadcast Conference in Dubai is a trade platform for digital media and satellite sectors across the Middle East, Africa, and the Southern Asian region. There are two conference sessions that are free to attend: CABSAT Broadcast Conference and GVF MENASAT Summit. The CABSAT Academy brings together the two sides of the show into one expanded and multi-stream knowledge exchange platform held in centrally-located networking areas. The dedicated Broadcast and GVF organised Satellite Conference streams are complemented by Workshops and Vendor Presentations. New to the three-day conference for 2013 which opens March 12 is a dedicated ‘Africa in Focus’ trade visitors session, gathering key ICT decision makers from emerging African markets, and use of satellite communications earth station equipment that has been tested and approved in co-ordination with the industry-endorsed GVF Product Quality Framework.

The Atlanta Film Festival, now in its fourth decade, is one of the small number of Academy Award® qualifying festivals in the U.S. ATLFF365 presents a diverse slate of year-round offerings for film-lovers, filmmakers, and established and emerging industry professionals. Atlanta Film Festival 365 (ATLFF365) is a membership-based 501(c)(3) arts non-profit with a mission to lead the community in creative and cultural discovery through film/video display. Throughout the year, ATLFF365 offers a range of workshops on screenwriting, directing, production, getting into the film business and more.

This year's fest opens with MUD from writer/director Jeff Nichol's (Take Shelter). Debuting at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Palme d'Or, and starring Matthew McConaughey, MUD has been likened as a film, echoing Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Closing the fest will be THE SPECTACULAR NOW directed by Athen's native and 2008 ATLFF Screenplay Competition winner James Ponsoldt. Written by (500) DAYS OF SUMMER (ATLFF09) writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, and featuring performances from leads Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller, SPECTACULAR won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

The Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) is an annual film market organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). A central objective of the FILMART convention is to promote Hong Kong as a regional hub for distribution and production of film, TV programs and entertainment-related products in Asia-Pacific while assisting cross-media, cross-businesses partnerships. The event is restricted to trade only. The four day event opens March 18 with the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong 2013 Kick-Off Ceremony on conference opening day. Later that day is the Taiwan Party hosted by the Taipei Film Commission. On day two, conference organizer, Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), presents "Opportunities in Asia: Book-to-Screen Projects in Today's Box-Office hits". Also on that day are Exhibitors' Organized Events, including the 6th Asia VFX and Digital Cinema Summit. Among the planned Digital Movie and Cinema Symposium events, the "Digital Movie and Cinema Symposium" is hosted  by 23 Magic Limited, he "6th Asia VFX and Digital Cinema Summit" is hosted by Digital Magic, "Shooting in Italy: High Quality, Low Budget" is hosted by Italian Trade Commission, "Promoting And Protecting The Screen Community In The Cloud Era" is hosted by Movie Producers & Distributors Associations of Hong Kong Limited, "Universe Entertainment 2013-2014 Production Line-up Presentation" is hosted by Universe Films Distribution Company Ltd.

Within the Greater Los Angeles area, two separately organized television industry summits will open the same day on March 21 for nearly concurrent runs. Variety and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation present the one-day The Universal Summit. The Summit will explore how to recognize new business opportunity and leverage it from changes and transformations to the industry caused by splintered audiences with choices between new web and mobile platforms. Leaders from the broadcast/cable channels, emerging original content hubs, TV service providers and technology partners will explore what it means to develop, market and distribute successful programming. Topic areas that will be examined include: State of the TV Business, The Worldwide TV Boom, Transformative TV: Next Generation Networks Turn Now, The Growing Power of Hispanic TV, TV that Makes a Difference – The Social Revolution, The New TV Everywhere: The Game-Changing Business of SVOD and Second Screen, Showrunners (perennially popular shows) SuperSession. The day ends with a Networking Reception.

Over two days, the International Film and TV Finance Summit organized by Bloomberg BNA addresses obtaining finance and tax incentives to get independent and studio films made, distributed and marketed in today’s market place. This will also include discussion on: Understand how to utilize new digital platforms for distributing media content into the home and onto hand held devices; Ways to generate financial support for films utilizing brand integration and product placement; Access to and information from the most senior players in the industry at the top of their professions; Presented case studies how medium to low budget films are made, financed and distributed; There will be an expanded session on the U.S. state, federal and international tax credits and incentives for film and TV production. Also a case study in financing an independent feature film, presented before conference close. There will be planned networking opportunities, as well as, Continental breakfasts, lunches, refreshment breaks.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. The events blog also shows links to pages that are translated into ten of the most widely used international languages read over the Internet other than English. This month's photo placement highlights the 55th Grammy Awards. If the photo does not appear in this post please click this link to view it. Looking ahead into the next month be aware that: NAB Show 2013, and all its offshoot programs, is in Las Vegas, Florida Film Festival is in Maitland, Bermuda International Film Festival opens in Hamilton, 5th Annual Film Finance Forum East in association with Variety comes to New York City, The Madrid International Film Festival comes to London, the Tribeca Film Festival will customarily be in downtown Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood, The Mexico International Film Festival opens in Rosarito.

Kulturborse Freiburg, Berlinale 2013, 55th Grammy Awards, Noise Pop Festival, are highlights in February's Global Media and Entertainment Industry

The European Spiritual Film Festival of Glasgow is a multi-venue, multi-partnership event which takes inspiration from and enhances the global image of Glasgow. Glasgow Music and Film Festival, in association with The Arches, celebrates innovation in music, film and the culture that unites them. GMFF features a series of one-off audio visual live events, complemented by a programme of music films at the festival. Back for its fourth GFF is festival guide, The CineSkinny. Published each day of the Festival by The Skinny’s skilled team of cinephiles, it is a definitive source for festival information listing, recommending the cinematic gems hidden within the Festival programme and the must-attend events happening all across the city till festival close on February 24. Artist Stephen Sutcliffe is this year’s winner of Glasgow Film Festival’s Margaret Tait Award. The award is supported by Creative Scotland and LUX and recognizes artists who are experimental, innovative and who work within film and moving image.

The International Kulturbörse Freiburg is not a festival, but a trade fair drawing in promoters, producers and experts from the event business to view approximately 170 live performances from theatre, varieté and gala, cabaret and comedy, jazz, pop and rock, world music, dance and performances, business-theatre and street theatre. It has been a meeting point for the culture and events industry followers for over 18 years now. Each year after a new jury is elected it then selects the performers entirely from the submitted applications. The International Kulturborse Freiburg is attended mainly by the following target groups: promoters, agents, experts in the event branch, producers, artists/groups as well as media representatives and those providing services for the cultural business. A new category at the 25th International Kulturbörse Freiburg which will run February 4-7 is the Newcomer Block. In addition to the winners of the Sprungbrett award and the Music award, the Freiburger Rampe, other young, creative artists will have the chance to perform in front of a large audience of experts from the events business. Attendance at IKF is mostly focused upon event agencies, agents, technical support and services in the event sector, but for anyone who wishes to attend the fair as a visitor there is no registration procedure. Tickets can be purchased on site or on the IKF website prior to the event. Staging area and headquarters for the event is the Hotel Stadt Freiburg.

At London's Event Production Show 2013, over 200 event industry suppliers will be showcasing the latest, innovative event products and services through February 6 to a gathering attending to meet new suppliers, network with colleagues, discover new technologies and gather information at the workshops and seminars. The production team for Dragons’ Den, a BBC television series that invites entrepreneurs to pitch their business ideas to investors, has informed the organizers of the Event Production Show that they intend to visit this year’s show. The Event Production Show 2013 will be scheduling seminars and workshops on the key issues facing the industry. Glastonbury Festival impresario, Michael Eavis, will appear on the main stage to give an insight on life after Festival Republic along with details on an event that’s a cornerstone to the success of other festivals across the country. Live Nation COO, John Probyn, hosts Question Time. The panel this year includes: Colin Rodger, head of event management for DF Concerts, Martin Green, LOCOG’s head of ceremonies, John Farquhar-Smith, owner of Flux Events, Paul Ludford, recently appointed operations director for Glastonbury Festival, and Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank, the man behind Bestival, Camp Bestival.

Typically, up to 400 films are shown every year as part of the Berlinale's public programme, the vast majority of which are world or European premieres. Films of every genre, length and format can be submitted for consideration to the annual Berlin based event. The Berlinale is divided into different sections, each with its own unique profile: big international movies in the Competition, independent and art-house productions in Panorama, movies specially for a young audience in the Generation section, German cinema productions in Perspektive Deutsches Kino, an in-depth look at films from “distant” countries and experimental forms in the Forum, as well as an investigation of diverse cinematic possibilities in the Berlinale Shorts. The programme is rounded off by a thematic Retrospective and a Homage, which focuses on the lifework of a great cinema personality. Both of these sections, which are curated by the Berlin Film Museum, aim to place contemporary cinema within a historical context. An integral part of the festival which opens February 7-17, The Berlinale Talent Campus, is a creative academy and networking platform that brings emerging talent and seasoned film professionals together and offers them a platform to refresh their views, discover new horizons, find fellow filmmaking collaborators and discuss new trends and developments in contemporary cinema and media. The Campus lasts for six days and offers a variety of different programme elements for actors, directors, cinematographers, distributors, editors, film critics, producers, production designers, screenwriters, sound designers and composers.

The 55th Grammy Awards are set to go live February 10 from Los Angeles. The GRAMMYs are a peer-presented award to honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position. A GRAMMY is awarded by The Recording Academy's voting membership to honor this excellence in the recording arts and sciences. The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will take place in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 pm (ET/PT). The show also will be carried on radio worldwide via Westwood One, and covered online at GRAMMY.com, CBS.com, and on YouTube. For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook. The GRAMMY Foundation® will host "Play It Forward: A Celebration Of Music's Evolution And Influencers" — the 15th Annual GRAMMY Foundation Music Preservation Project — featuring live musical performances and archival footage from its preservation archives. The program set for February 7 in Beverly Hills will explore the history of legendary influencers in music and the invaluable contributions of those key players, the music they inspired and their impact on the American cultural landscape. The Awards open with Red-Carpet arrivals and closes with a reception. The 2013 ceremony will be hosted for the second time by rapper/actor LL Cool J.

The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is dedicated to presenting and supporting Irish and international film. Held annually each February since 2003, the eleven day event opening February 14 showcases 130 feature films in conjunction with public interviews, industry workshops and masterclasses. Over 50 directors, actors and producers attend the festival to meet Irish filmmakers and audiences and discuss their work. The 2012 lineup included a special focus on Scandinavian Cinema, masterclasses with Marin Karmitz and Kenneth Lonergan and a special concert of the film music of Danny Elfman. In 2008 the festival inaugurated The Irish Talent Spotlight in order to profile exceptional new and established talent working in all areas of the Irish Film Industry. Ken Wardrop (Writer/Director), Margo Harkin (Producer), Tim Fleming (Director of Photography), Cartoon Saloon (Irish Animation Company) and Margeret Corkery (Writer/Director) have all been honored as part of this initiative. The Audience Award was won by the Indonesian action film 'The Raid'. In addition, the festival gives its annual Volta Awards for Career Achievement to key international figures in the film industry and in 2012, recipients included Al Pacino, Stellan Skarsgard and Marin Karmitz. Jameson Dublin International Film Festival will form a partnership with The Church Restaurant, Bar and Venue for the 2013 season. The Church venue will play host to entertainment each evening, as well as offering an opportunity to mingle with filmmakers, festival-goers and the JDIFF team.

The Hollywood Post Alliance Tech Retreat is a gathering in the Palm Springs area of industry-engineering, technical, and creative talent, as well as strategic business leaders focused on technology, from all aspects of digital-cinema, post-production, film, television, video, and related technologies that attend from February 18-22 for the exchange of information. Most conference days begin with a Roundtable Breakfast. HPA is the trade association serving the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide expertise, support, tools and the infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media and other dynamic media content. After a full day of conference sessions, relax at the spa, play a round of golf, or swim in one of seven pools. Tennis enthusiasts have access to the pro hard surface courts and there is Badminton too. Available dining choices reflect the tastes and trends of restaurants from around the world. At the close of the last conference day - which begins with a Roundtable Breakfast before going into a half day Tech Retreat Conference - guests may decide to stay and enjoy the Hyatt Indian Wells or return home.

This year on February 20 and 21, Digital Media Wire combines Digital Music Forum East and West into one combined event titled DMW Music. It will be a gathering of music and digital media leaders assembled in Downtown New York City to socialize, share ideas, do deals and learn about new technologies and services. Rio Caraeff, CEO and President of VEVO and David Israelite, CEO and President of the National Music Publishers’ Association will join the “View from the Top” panel on February 20. Also on February 20, BMI’s Executive Director, Business Development New Media and Strategic Development, Michael Drexler, will be a participant on the panel, “Digital Copyrights – Broken System?” Spotify, YouTube/Google, Pandora, and Clear Channel will open their office doors to DMW Music guests for the inaugural Music-Tech Crawl on February 21. The format is similar to a bar crawl but with music tech companies instead of taverns. Guests will spend around 45 minutes at each office before moving on to the next stop. An Awards dinner is planned for February 20.

The Noise Pop Film Festival in San Francisco screens any kind of film or video narrative feature, documentary, short, animation, experimental or music video, that explores a connection to music, either in its subject matter, the talent behind or in front of the camera, or with an exceptionally prominent soundtrack. Submissions include feature-length documentaries or features that have music or musicians as the subject matter. This year Noise Pop has partnered with the Sketchfest comedy festival to present comedy and music shows. Promoting independent culture, past Noise Pop screenings include a secret sneak preview of "The Fearless Freaks" Flaming Lips documentary, "X: The Unheard Music," "Directions: Death Cab for Cutie," "The extraordinary Ordinary life of Jose Gonzalez," "This is Noise Pop," "Look at What the Light did now" Feist documentary, and "Neon Bible" with a live original score by Oranger - Theremin and all.

For two weeks leading up to Noise Pop, from February 14 to February 24, Noise Pop will take over 1772 Market Street and create a multi-dimensional experience, with music, entertainment and culinary events. This space will serve as a central hub for Noise Pop as it gears up for its 2013 festival which runs February 26 to March 3. The Noise Pop Film Series runs concurrent with the music festival at various theaters throughout San Francisco co-curated by SCORED to celebrate sound and music in films -- all focusing on music. Noise Pop Culture Club returns for a third year celebrating the creative process of visionary artists in the music, film, art, design, food and technology communities. It stimulates the discussion of new ideas and collaborations and is mostly about inspiration and the DIY indie spirit. A Noise Pop Happy Hour happens nearly every day throughout the festival.

With a February 26 opening celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2013, CineKink is a film festival and screening series that celebrates and explores a wide diversity of sexuality, and encourages the positive depiction of sexuality in film and television, most visibly through this annual film festival, CineKink NYC, and subsequent touring series. Featuring a specially-selected program of films and videos that explore and celebrate a wide diversity of sexuality, the programming offers selections drawn from both Hollywood and beyond, explicit or not, with works ranging from documentary to drama, camp comedy, hot pornography, artsy experimental, mildly spicy, quite explicit and everything in between. In addition to screenings, the annual festival also includes a short film competition, audience choice awards, presentations, parties and a gala kick-off fundraiser, all followed by a national screening tour. The program culminates March 3 with Awards and AfterGlow Play Party.

Starting its seventh year, the Editors Retreat organized by Future Media Concepts has become an annual gathering where highly experienced TV, video and film editors come together in an intensive, interactive environment to network, exchange ideas, share tips and have fun. For five days and four nights running February 27 to March 3 in Rivera Cancun, the Editors Retreat offers advanced sessions on post, visual and audio techniques and features valuable insight into emerging trends and technologies. Keynote attendees have included such names as Alan Heim, Sally Menke, Geoffrey Richman, Dan Lebental and Jay Rabinowitz. Time on this year's session agenda will be devoted to discussing the creativity, craft and business practices of successful editors. At the close of the February 28 session there will be a seventh annual Pizza and Poker tournament with a chance to win prizes. At the close of the March 1 session will be a "Out in the Cancun Scene" group evening of fun, a night of food, music and dancing.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. The events blog also shows links to pages that are translated into ten of the most widely used international languages read over the Internet other than English. This month's photo placement highlights the 55th Grammy Awards. If the photo does not appear in this post please click this link to view it. Looking ahead into the next month be aware that: Miami International Film Festival will be in Miami, Chicago Underground Film Festival will be held in Chicago, Vancouver Women in Film Festival will be in Vancouver, The SXSW Trade Show will be in Austin, International Film & TV Finance Summit will be given in Los Angeles, Records and CD Fair will be in Gent.

2013 CES and Games Summit, Golden Globes, Sundance Festival, MIDEM, are highlights in January's Global Media and Entertainment Industry

The long running singers showcase run by the showbiz team of Billy Shepard and Judi Jourdan continues on a new night, Tuesday, in its same spot, The Iguana, just around the corner from the studio that tapes the David Letterman show. Talented newcomers and experienced singers are all welcome. Just come in, sign up and sing. Sign-ins begin at 6:30 pm and usually end between 8:30 and 9 pm. A panist is resident or bring your background tracks or CDs. The pianist transposes instantly in any key for you. Open to the public, all ages and all styles are welcome. Selected singers/acts have a chance to be booked for an appearance in a weekly cabaret show run by Shepard & Jourdan. After their presentation, singers and performers will be able to meet with either Judi Jourdan or Billy Shepard to receive feedback, advice and future direction. Produced by the long-running showbiz team of Billy Shepard and Judi Jourdan who also produce a television show, "How to Succeed in Show Business By Really Trying", shown on Time Warner Cable. There is no admission or cover charge for performer and guests, but there is a food/beverage minimum per person.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival assembles industry reps and executives from Los Angeles, film aficionados from across the country and filmmakers from around the world. The festival features filmmaker tributes, special presentations, nightly celebrations and special events and an annual Awards Gala  honoring performances of the past year. The Festival screens a selection of films submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Best Foreign Language film category. Nearly 70 percent of the Festival audience travels to Palm Springs from out of town. This aspect of the Palm Springs International Film Festival adds a buzz factor dynamic helpful for generating word-of-mouth about the films that are screened. A Black Tie Awards Gala will include Cocktails, dinner, awards show and after party depending on the ticket level. The Festival will present Richard Gere with the Chairman’s Award and wrap up on January 14.

Running for over four decades the International Consumer Electronics Show is an annual trade show held in Las Vegas from January 8-11 focused on consumer technology. This year there will be several super session within the CES format. "Disruptive Technologies Impacting the Future of Games and Video" will be one such session and it will explore the various disruptive technologies on the horizon that will change gaming and video delivery and reshape the marketplace for products and services around games, images and on demand video. At one special event this year the Photo Imaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association (PMDA) is bringing the 47th annual PMDA Awards Ceremony to CES. PMDA will honor six individuals for outstanding contributions to the imaging industry including their Person of the Year.

A focus on public policy will take root at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show during the Consumer Electronics Association’s Innovation Policy Summit with discussions from government officials including representatives from the U.S. Congress, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Google, Verizon, as well as the Chairman and all four Commissioners from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Just back from a vigorous lobbying effort on behalf of the Internet during the 2012  election campaign, Internet entrepreneurs from Reddit and other prominent companies will debut their new documentary, 'Silicon Prairie: America's New Internet Economy'. Following the screening filmmakers and Internet entrepreneurs will discuss why government and citizens alike should care about preserving (and developing) the Internet Economy in every city and every town in America.

The second annual Games Summit runs concurrently with the 2013 International CES, for one day on January 10. AFter opening remarks by Ned Sherman, CEO and Publisher, Digital Media Wire, the conference opens the agenda with '2013 Gaming Trends - Analyst and Expert Presentations' with presentations that give an overview of the latest research that reflects and illustrates the current state of gaming and the directions in which the industry is heading. Throughout the conference, executives from the electronics industry, game publishers, game developers, advertising agencies, investment firms and social networks will discuss industry trends and share insights about the future of games and connected entertainment. Luxembourg-based Europe4StartUps, a non-profit organization, will be staging a contest through the Digital Media Wire community. The offer is part of the Europe4Startups campaign which over the next year will award grants to 12 digital media companies, two of which will be digital games companies selected from the DMW community. Recipients will receive a 12-month package, including premium cloud computing services and a suite of business, legal and marketing services.

The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards will go live January 13 from Los Angeles with a live telecast airing over the NBC television network at 8 pm (EST). Originated in the 1940’s during World War II, the HFPA was originally comprised of a handful of LA based overseas journalists. Since those beginnings, the organization holds what is regarded as the third most watched awards show on television, the Golden Globe® Awards, which have enabled the organization to donate more than $12 million to entertainment related charities and scholarship programs. Actor, director and producer Jodie Foster will receive the Cecil B. de Mille for lifetime achievement at this year's Awards. Chosen by the HFPA Board of Directors, the Cecil B. DeMille Award is given annually to the talented individuals who have made an impact on the world of entertainment. Morgan Freeman was handed the honor last year and previous honorees include Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, Walt Disney, Harrison Ford, Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, Frank Sinatra, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, among others. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host the 70th Golden Globe Awards.

The annual Sundance Film Festival is set to open in Park City, organized and run by Sundance Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences. Originally founded by actor Robert Redford in the mountains of Sundance, Utah, the Institute seeks to discover, support, and inspire independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world. In addition to Park City, films will be screened in Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance. This year's festival which runs January 17-27 will screen 115 feature-length films representing 32 countries -- the majority includes projects from 51 first-time filmmakers, including 27 films that are in competition.

In addition to discovering filmmaking's newest talents through Sundance Festival's film screenings, Festivalgoers can experience live music performances, panel discussions such as "Tupac, Elvis, and Benjamin Button Walk into a Bar..." a discussion on the impact of digital characters on filmmaking, live performance, and intellectual property, a topic inspired by the "Digillusion" event when a digital version of Tupac Shakur did a surprise performance at Coachella and the crowd reaction to it. Festival goers can visit the Salt Lake City Café during the day to hear a range of songwriters and artists from across the musical spectrum take part in a program produced by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). The highly anticipated Steve Jobs biopic, jOBS, starring Ashton Kutcher, will close the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

Similar to the Sundance Festival in certain regards, Slamdance also serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging independent artists and is dedicated to the nurturing and development of their vision. And it is also based in Park City, although festival runs dates will be January 18-24, ending some days before Sundance concludes. Now in its eighteenth year as a festival that runs simultaneous to the Sundance Film Festival, the Festival showcases films in every genre, on any topic from every country around the world. The festival program is selected completely from blind submissions and does not disqualify any films based on premiere status or date of completion. As always, the Slamdance Screenwriting and Teleplay Competition is aimed at discovering and supporting emerging writing talent. Every year the Festival shows a Special Screening program comprised of several independent feature films by established filmmakers. This Special Screening program is non-competitive and sometimes includes films made by Slamdance alumni.

The National Association of Music Merchants Show (NAMM) is a trade-only event in Anaheim that is not open to the general public because of its B2B orientation. It is held bi-annually and will be held January 24-27 during this winter session and again in July in Nashville. There is also a NAMM Russia in May. As The show brings together all facets of the music products industry, buyers attend looking to find new state-of-the-art products, and exhibitors can connect with customers that are their target audience. The open lobby will play host to an exclusive Member Center, digital media hub, new product showcases and more. NAMM U, the learning and education arm of the convention, starts with NAMM U Online, a full and varied library of videos, articles and interviews that supplement the popular live Breakfast Sessions and Idea Center Sessions at the NAMM Shows; Breakfast Sessions, with industry insiders sharing their thoughts, ideas, and strategies for doing business in today's aggressive marketplace, happening every morning before the show floor opens; Idea Center Sessions, which are short, focused "How to" sessions that take place right on the show floor and start every 30 minutes.

Since 1967, the annual MIDEM - acronym for Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale - has been an international B2B event in, Cannes Cedex, encompassing tradeshow, conferences, competitions, networking events, performances, as well as a platform for showcasing new artists, musical trends and music-related products and conferences educating about the music industry and new revenue streams. Since 2000, the night before MIDEM opens, the Palais des Festivals hosts the NRJ Music Awards. The awards ceremony is organised by NRJ, a French multimedia conglomerate that owns France's most popular music station. This year, MIDEM's Innovation Factory Zone is dedicated to discovering the latest cutting edge technologies through live demo sessions, training and mentoring with international experts. Music Pitch Sessions at MIDEM's Brand Central division will have thousands of music professionals present to track and find new music relevant for their upcoming projects. Reed MIDEM is the owner and organizer of the annual MIDEM conference.

Broadcast Engineering Society-BES Expo is a Conference and Exhibition (BES Expo) on Terrestrial and Satellite Broadcasting which will be held in New Delhi on January 29-31. The theme for the 2013 Expo will be convergence and new broadcasting technologies. It is focused on manufacturers, dealers, distributors and suppliers of products, equipment, systems and services related to terrestrial and satellite broadcasting for radio, TV, studio and post-production. Equipment and technology which can be displayed in the expo includes, but is not limited to: cable, video, audio, multimedia, broadband, networking, automation, Video Streaming, Graphics and Animation, production and post production, archiving. A three-day conference on the theme "Convergence and New Broadcasting Technologies" happens at the same time as the exhibition in Hall 12. The Broadcast Engineering Society, headquartered in New Delhi and with 10 local chapters across India, was established in 1987 and is a founding member of the Engineering Council of India, New Delhi. The Society is affiliated with the Society of Broadcast Engineers and it has a friendship agreement with the Society of Cable Television Engineers and National Association of Broadcasters in North America.

The Florida Media Market (FMM) was created to be an outlet for South Florida independent Filmmakers to meet with executives producers, production companies, distributors, TV Networks and Stations, that are actively seeking content either by producing, co-producing or purchasing. FMM is also designed to serve as a meeting place where new filmmakers can gain valuable insight from industry veterans and established companies. To that end FMM has created both an annual market, and an online platform for buyers and sellers of film, documentary, television, and new media content to gather in order to teach, learn, inspire and do business together.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html which now has pages translated into 10 of the most widely used international languages that can be accessed from the blog page. This month's photo placement highlights the MIDEM music convention in Cannes, France. If the photo does not appear in this post please click this link to view it. Looking ahead into the next month be aware that: the European Spiritual Film Festival will be in Glasgow, The Event Production Show 2013 will be held in London, The Berlinale Festival will take place in Berlin, a combined Digital Music Forum East and West - forming DMW Music - comes to New York City, The Editors Retreat for TV, video and film editors will be given in Riviera Cancun.

Asia Television Forum, Bahamas International Film Fest, Art Basel Miami, Monaco International Film Fest, are highlights in December's Global Media and Entertainment Industry

The Joy Wai Gallery in New York City opens a group show curated by Ramses Granados presenting images of America in 2008 with works in various genres including: abstract, figurative, expressionistic, realistic, modern and photography. The opening reception for "A Portrait of America - Experience the 2008 Presidential Campaign in 2012", took place at Angel Orensanz Foundation In Manhattan's Lower East Side, hosted by television anchor and hostess, Sofia Samrad. After the opening reception the exhibition continues at the Joy Wai Gallery in Chelsea. Regardless of when the works were created they will serve as a retrospective of 2008 and particularly of a historic presidential campaign that marked a milestone in the country's history. The Joy Wai Gallery is a basement art salon that presents contemporary art with a strong focus in fine art photography. With an educational program in the works -- including guest lecturers drawn from artists, critics, curators and professors -- the Gallery envisions itself as a platform for exchanges within the art community.

Asia Television Forum in Singapore is a content market organized by Reed Exhibitions Pte Limited to buy, sell, finance, distribute and co-produce across all entertainment platforms, with conference topics that will include: "Focus on Korean Format: Running Man", "Format Distribution: The China Deal Marker", "The Future of TV: The New TV Player", "Focus On China's Film Business", "Future of TV: Going Global, Helping TV Shows Find Their Audience", "Euro-Zone: How to Get Your Movie Made in Europe", 360TV: Generating Revenue in the Digital Age". The opening keynote delivered by Sanford Panitch, President Fox International Productions USA, addresses the topic: "Creativity Beyond Borders: Asia and the Global Market - What The Future Holds?"

ATF is held in conjunction with ScreenSingapore, to present trading possibilities through a seamless TV and Film market, conference, networking opportunities, and gala film premiere. Opening party by RSVP only at the Marina Bay Sands Skypark. A CBS Studios International Cocktail Party, by invitation only, is in Marina Bay Sands, Level 1, on December 5. A "Creative Malaysia Networking Luncheon" is scheduled for December 6 on Level 3 of the Sands. There will be an "International Emmy Award Showcase of the 2012 Nominated Programs From Asia" later that day in the Cassia Ballroom. A cocktail party follows at the Japan Pavilion. Still later, is a Closing Red Carpet Premiere, and Closing Party for Screensingapre, by RSVP only, at Golden Village. Last conference day, December 7, closes with Screensingapore Board Lunch (by invitation only) and "Singapre Hour" at the Singapore Pavilion.

The FlipsideTV Film Festival -- an open genre, open form film festival and market -- maintains the sole intention of giving independent producers, screenplay writers, and directors a means to get in front of buyers, distributors, agents, financiers and other industry professionals, as well as a film watching audience. The Huntington Beach located organization runs this online film festival twice yearly, with this year's festival going to December 31. Movies play to an established subscriber base and are also exposed to potential acquisition and distribution agents. All official selections play to this audience for a one-month period and finalists are offered distribution and winners may get additional awards including theatrical exhibition to get the projects screened.

The Bahamas International Film Festival in Nassau is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the local community and International visitors with a varied presentation of films from around the world. In addition to offering films that might not otherwise be released theatrically in the Bahamas, BIFF schedules educational programs, and forums for exploring the future of cinema. Immediately following it's ninth annual festival which runs through December 9, the Bahamas International Film Festival will travel to Eleuthera for a continuation of this year's celebration to be known as The Best of the Fest Eleuthera. During its visit to Harbour Island and Governor’s Harbour, a full program of films and festivities will be offered for the enjoyment of visiting Filmmakers, guests and local residents. The schedule of events to be held December 10-14, includes Opening Night Film and Welcome Reception at Coral Sands Resort, daily film screening at Seagrapes, Harbour Island and the Globe Princess Theater in Governor’s Harbour, and Closing Night Film and Farewell Party at Tippy's, hosted by Odyssey. An Opening Night Party will be at Carrousel Yacht, and Closing Night Gala Party at Ocean Club Estates, Paradise Island.

From December 6-9 at various venues about Miami Beach, more than 260 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa will take part in the 11th edition of Art Basel, showcasing works by more than 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Special exhibition sections feature young galleries, performance art, public art projects and video art. Angaelica, a non profit organization rooted in the arts and ecology, curates gallery events during Art Basel Miami, with these community events supporting and encouraging artists and filmmakers. Art Basel is an international contemporary art fair held each June in Basel, Switzerland. Similar to the Venice Biennale, it has been called "the Olympics of the art world". Since 2002, a sister exhibition, Art Basel Miami has been held in the USA in Miami, Florida.

DocMiami International Film Festival is a Non-Profit 501c3 organization dedicated to providing a documentary film festival to promote the art form of up and coming documentary filmmakers and students’ from grades 6-12, at a local, national and international level. The festival, operating from North Miami Beach, format showcases three days of documentary filmmaking and three nights of music concerts, December 6-9. DocMiami’s music concerts benefit the non-profit, Brick by Brick for Tanzania. An Opening Night Cocktails and Dinner event feature the screening of 'Concert' by Richard Warren Rappaport. Festivities close with an Awards Gala featuring performances by: Tito Puente, Jr. (a member of the festival board), Kiki Sanchez and Eloy "Rali".

Since its creation in 2003 the Angel Film Awards at Monaco International Film Festival - MIFF is held in the Principality of Monaco. It is a non-profit, independent film festival and art house event celebrating peace, love and movies. The Angel Film Awards team strives to help worthy productions gain the publicity and recognition they deserve with some AFA winners having gained distribution deals and secured financing through the festival. The Festival mandate stresses the importance of no gratuitous violence in film/entertainment, and also includes the submission of environmental, cultural and peace-promoting themes in films. The Festival's emphasis is on promoting aesthetics in talent and filmmaker, and for films with a unique story. Red carpet screenings will take place at the new Art Novo Theatre and Press Lounge in the Novotel, Monte Carlo. Built on the site of the old Radio Monte Carlo building, the Monaco Gala premiere screening of 'Dream Awake', a feature drama (USA, 105 mins) will be followed by the Gala Evening Party with Red Carpet Champagne Reception at the Hermitage Hotel. The entire festival will be filmed for television broadcast.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html which now has pages translated into 10 of the most widely used international languages that can be accessed from the blog page. This month's photo placement highlighted art exhibit opening at Lower East Side's Angel Orensanz Foundation of "A Portrait of America" which continues its run at the Joy Wai Gallery in Chelsea, NYC. If the photo does not appear in this post please click this link (http://bit.ly/SyPjjX). Looking ahead into the next month that will open the new year of 2013, The Palm Springs International Film Festival will be based in the Coachella Valley at the base of Mt. San Jacinto. The Summer School (Australian summer) in Film making of the University of Melbourne's Cinema Studies Program launches. TAP!2013, training conference in digital content creation, publishing, marketing and monetizing, will be in Orlando. The second annual Games Summit at 2013 International CES, produced by Digital Media Wire, is in Las Vegas. The Sundance Institute launches the annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City. The Florida Media Market (FMM) created to fortify the Media industry in South Florida opens in Miami.

James Bond Turns 50, also, American Film Market, Billboard FutureSound, Siggraph Asia, are highlights in November's Global Media and Entertainment Industry

  


At 50: Bond... James Bond


In 1952, an English author, journalist and former naval intelligence officer named Ian Lancaster Fleming sat down at his Jamaican retreat which he was vacationing at and started to pen a story that would become 'Casino Royale', the first of 14 novels and short stories featuring the fictional commander in the Royal Naval Reserve and British secret agent of secret intelligence service MI6, James Bond. The resulting work was a success with three print runs to answer demand and marked the start of a series that has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Fleming also wrote the children's story Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang and two works of non-fiction and received acknowledgement from London based The Times as one of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". In 1954 CBS commissioned Ian Fleming to adapt his novel 'Casino Royale' into a one-hour television adventure as part of its Climax! series. The episode aired live in October 1954 and starred Barry Nelson as "Card Sense" James 'Jimmy' Bond and Peter Lorre as Le Chiffre.

The first Bond film (set in Jamaica, W.I.), 'Dr No', would be released in 1962 with Sean Connery (a Scotsman) setting the standard for the Bond character, and marking the start of one of the most successful franchises in movie making history. EON Productions has produced the majority of the Bond series. The 1967 Bond spoof, 'Casino Royale', starring David Niven and the 1983 'Never Say Never Again', with Sean Connery in a return performance after leaving the series, were not made by EON who produce the official Bond movies. Barbara Broccoli, the daughter of the late Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, the producer who brought Bond to the screen in 1962, maintains active control along with half-brother, Michael Wilson, in the productions of all Bond films right up to Skyfall, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the franchise. Incidentally, David Niven was the only James Bond actor mentioned by name in the text of Fleming's novels. In 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', Bond visits an exclusive ski resort in Switzerland where he is told that David Niven is a frequent visitor and in 'You Only Live Twice', David Niven is referred to as the only real gentleman in Hollywood.

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American Film Market, the annual, anticipated film event that's not quite festival, not quite conference, but mostly business opportunity -- the business of independent motion picture production and distribution -- set oceanside against Santa Monica beach. Generally 8,000 industry professionals converge in Santa Monica for the deal-making, screenings, seminars, networking and parties that continue through November 7. Participants come from over 70 countries and include acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, the world's press all those who provide services to the motion picture industry. Separate from the conference schedule, the AFM Industry Conversations are interactive and informative discussions led by Hollywood thought leaders, decision makers, trendsetters and experts, and are free to anyone with an AFM Badge. This year AFM and AFI FEST that normally runs concurrent to AFM in Hollywood will join forces and introduce a new AFI FEST screening program. Three AFI FEST films seeking international sales representation will be screened at AFM on Tuesday, November 6. A total of 27 films screening at AFI FEST will also be represented at this year’s AFM. AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance®, the global trade association of the independent motion picture and television industry and the voice and advocate for the Independents worldwide.

The Hollywood based American Film Institute Festival holds a well regarded FIAPF accreditation assuring a high standard for the films it screens in its festival. 'Hitchcock', with Academy Award® winner Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock, Academy Award® winner Helen Mirren as his wife, Alma Reville, Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles and James D’Arcy as Anthony Perkins, will have its World Premiere on the Opening Night Gala of AFI FEST 2012. Tickets will be released the day before each screening at AFI.com and the day of each screening at the AT&T Box Office at Hollywood and Highland Center. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category of the annual Academy Awards. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is the official host hotel where you can find the Cinema Lounge, Audi Sky Lounge, Media Center and other various reception/event spaces. The Festival closes November 8.

Starz Denver Film Festival showcases more than 200 new films from around the world with over 175 international filmmakers, directors, actors and other film artists participating. The annual celebration of film running through November 11 provides a prominent showcase for world cinema, a platform for international film artists, and promotes dialogue between participating filmmakers and the public. Panels slated for discussion include: "The Talent You Don't See", "Women + Film", "Zombie Town Hall Meeting". During the Argonaut Wine and Film Series, seven films have been specially paired with wines from the respective countries of production and tastings will either precede or follow the screenings. Another festival special event, Animation Station, will feature an Animation Station Competition at Open Media Foundation, Animation Station workshop, and Animation Station Screening.

Leeds International Film Festival, founded in 1987 and hosted in the main city of the UK’s Yorkshire region, features programme sections including: the competitions of the Official Selection; Fanomenon, the UK's largest genre event; Short Film City; documentary strand Cinema Versa; Cherry Kino for artist film and video; and the Thought Bubble Comic Convention. LIFF is organised by Leeds Film, part of Leeds City Council, a local authority in the Yorkshire region of the UK. There are a number of free films and events at this year's festival which runs until November 18, including 'Unchosen Presents Ghosts' with Nick Broomfield and The Golem + Live Organ Accompaniment.

Createasphere's Entertainment Technology Expo in Burbank is a two-day gathering beginning November 7 for content creator professionals involved in production, post and delivery. Co-located with the Entertainment Technology Expo is Gear Alley where attendees can get to handle the production gear and participate in shoulder-to-shoulder demonstrations with active professionals. On the second day of ETE is the Post Production Master Class. This is an session focused on the trends, technologies, and the business of post production. Soon to be announced, Createasphere will launch the DPW Lab at the Entertainment Technology Expo 2012 featuring cutting edge digital process workflow. In one special Gear Alley session, attendees an handle and improve their technique with floating, camera boom, crane and jib shots during an info seminar led by Eddie Barber,  Emmy Award-winner and cameraman with an extensive list of music video credits that include Michael Jackson, Madonna and the Beach Boys, among others.

Salon De La Photo is an international exhibition of photography in Paris put together by La Compagnie Du Nouvel Art De Vivre, a subsidiary of Comexposium. On display from November 8-12 will be the latest technological innovations, from cameras to printers to digital imaging techniques. It offers a range of demonstrations, hands-on workshops, classes, film sessions and public discussions. One particular interactive experience, “Grandes Rencontres du Salon de la Photo”, gives visitors the opportunity to meet photography professionals in an event that will be organized and broadcast by Photographie.com. Salon de la Photo will also be an innovative trade show and conference for creative professionals looking to update or enhance their studio and location equipment, pick up new tips and techniques, network with industry mentors and imaging gurus. Salon de la Photo will be giving the ZOOM awards for the third year running where ten photo magazines editors each choose their favourite up-and-coming professional photographer (French or living in France) who has real but as yet unrecognized talent and whose work deserves to be brought to the attention of the general public.

This year at the Oaxaca FilmFest in Oaxaca, independent filmmakers and screenwriters from each continent will be competing for six original hand crafted Agave Statues created by international artist Alejandro Santiago. The categories include: Screen Writing Competition Award, Audience Choice Award, Best Documentary Short Film, Best Narrative Short Film, Best Documentary Feature Film, Best Narrative Feature Film. And of course Oaxaca FilmFest will honor Excellence in Cinema, including: acting, editing, musical score, directing, and Mexican film. There will be a three day "Pitch It" event that includes two workshops on how to properly pitch a film script to industry professionals followed by the opportunity to pitch to and interact with industry executives from various regions around the globe in real time via live video streaming. "Meet the Directors", a part of the festival format since its start, will be in La Choperia, a local bar, on a night when a handful of directors screen their short films and lead a discussion on the making their film. There will be a late night "Insominia" midnight outdoor screening overlooking the city of Oaxaca. Cocktails and After Parties are scheduled for every day of the festival which goes November 8-17, and are included on a schedule at this link.

Opening November 14-25, Brisbane International Film Festival in Fortitude Valley take place at what is for them the beginning of the Australian summer, as well as for anyone else in that region of the world. BIFF is a showcase for International cinema while also serving as a platform for local Australian and Queensland productions. The Opening Night film will be British crime drama 'The Sweeney' followed with a gala after party on the Barracks bridge. Closing night film is Tolstoy’s classic tale of obsessive love, 'Anna Karenina' (Keira Knightley), from Universal Pictures, then followed by the Closing Night Gala.

In San Francisco, the Billboard FutureSound Conference's format includes a series of 15-minute presentations from digital music thought leaders outlining their visions for both existing and future opportunities in the music industry. Fred Wilson, Principal, Union Square Ventures, delivers the conference Keynote along the intersecting lines of music, digital and social trends and investments. Don Was, President of Blue Note Records, delivers a Keynote Q&A shares his insights on how apps can function as a music format, and other issues related to the intersection of music, tech and fans as it relates to music distribution and artists development. New at this year's two-day conference starting on November 15 is the Innovators Showcase competition where digital music startups get the opportunity to pitch a company or product to a panel of judges on stage during the conference. Eligible startups must be pre-revenue, with a working demo or prototype to present that is directed at the music industry —- be that fans, artists, or insiders. Cocktail receptions close the evenings for both days of the conference.

Bath Film Festival was originally established in 1991, in Bath, by members of the Bath Film Society and the three cinemas in the city at the time. An expanding program over the years now includes workshops for festival goers, live music accompaniments to silent cinema, open-air cinema. On November 21 screenwriter Bob Baker, who has been writing scripts for over 40 years from television dramas to children's programs, gives advice on writing for film and television and talks in detail about his screenwriting while showing clips. On November 23, BAFTA-winning, and Oscar-nominated producer, Stephen Woolley, shares insights from his 30 year career. Bath Film Festival in conjunction with the Internet Movie Database – IMDb – have instituted two new film awards in 2012, IMDb New Filmmaker Award aims to discover new directorial talent and the IMDb Script to Screen Award. On the evening of November 25, Screen Award winner titled Pussy Cat, by Simon Wharf, will get its world premiere, and five finalists and the winner of the £1,000 prize of the New Filmmaker Award will also be screened. The festival in its entirety runs from November 15-25.

According to festival organizers, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography selects films according to their visual, aesthetic and technical values. The Bydgoszcz based Festival strives to be a forum not only for presentation but also for further development of international moviemaking. Apart from the Main Competition the Festival also contains other events such as Student Etudes Competition, Documentary Films Competition, Music Videos Competition, Feature Debutes Competition, Plus Camerimage Market, Plus Camerimage Forum, Polish Films Competition, special screenings and premieres, various reviews, retrospectives, meetings and accompanying events such as art exhibitions and music performances. During the Festival, which has its run November 24 to December 1, the gymnasium of the University of Economy is turned into a functioning film studio, where  filmmakers lead film workshops for accredited guests of the festival. This 20th edition of the festival will present Latvian Cinema Review, a program that will provide festival participants with a selection of films displaying the variety and the value of Latvian cinema. Latvian Cinema Review will not only be a chance to learn more about the country's history, mentality, and current situation, but also explore the Latvian sense of humor and the unique atmosphere of Latvia's cinema.

Siggraph Asia 2012 happening in Singapore November 28 through December 1 is put on by The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), an educational and scientific society uniting the world's computing educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. The convention's trade exhibition will offer participants from hardware and software vendors to studios and educational institutions a platform to market their products and services to computer graphics and interactive techniques professionals and enthusiasts. This year the conference will introduce a new program – "Technical Briefs". Other featured events include Art Gallery, Computer Animation Festival, courses, Emerging Technologies, Symposium on Apps, and Technical Papers. The Symposium on Apps program aims to cover the development, technology, and marketing of mobile applications, and this year's program will put more emphasis on graphics and replace "motion tracking" with categories like hardware, games, augmented reality, location-based services, animation, and social networking.

"Birds of a Feather" events are proposed by SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 attendees and are informal presentations, discussions, and demonstrations for people who share interests, goals, technologies, environments, or backgrounds. These events will be free of charge, related to computer graphics or interactive techniques, and open to all SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 conference attendees. Blender, the free/open source 3D creation software developed by a worldwide community of 3D artists and developers, holds a November 30 session for users (open to Siggraph attendees) of Blender to showcase their work, ranging from technology demos to animation and VFX for film. The official SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Networking Reception will be at |MAX Atria Foyer, Level 1, on November 29. Stroll through the Art Gallery and Emerging Technologies demonstrations with live entertaining music in the background. A standing dinner buffet including a free flow of refreshments will be provided. Wine and beer will be available as well.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html which now has pages translated into 10 of the most widely used international languages that can be accessed from the blog page. This month's photo composite celebrates the 50 years since the world's best known secret agent -- James Bond -- came unto the cinematic screen as Agent 007. If the composite does not appear in this post please click this link. Looking ahead into the next month, be aware that December will be a slow month with most activities reserved for holiday celebration, but there will still be... Burleighfest in Perth, All Things Hollywood; International Festival opens in Burbank, Future of Film Summit in Los Angeles, European Conference on Visual Media Production opens in London, The Bahamas International Film Festival opens in Nassau, DocMiami International Film Festival will be in Miami, the International fest of experimental film and digital art will be in Bratislava, NewFilmmakers New York comes to New York City.