ITVFest, the Independent Television and Film Festival, is the 10th gathering of indie movie and TV professionals in Dover, Vermont.
Many come to Dover, Vermont, for the scenery, skiing, and serenity. Movie and TV fans and professionals come for ITVFest. The Independent Television and Film Festival features movies and TV shows from around the world.
“We have revolutionized the indie TV and web world,” says Philip Gilpin, executive director of ITVFest. The reason, he says, is that the festival — celebrating its 10th year, its third in Vermont — offers filmmakers access to representatives from Hollywood’s best studios and networks without the “big city” vibe that can make it impossible to collaborate with the right people.
The Trans-Candidate
“Much in the way that the festival’s selection process filters the good projects from the bad,” says Gilpin, “the festival’s geographic location in Dover filters the true artists from the fame seekers. In an era where entertainment is dominated by views, clicks, likes, and the Kardashians, ITVFest returns the genuineness and importance of focusing on the value of filmmaking as an art.” The four-day event features 93 TV shows, web series, and films; 14 panels, showcases, and workshops; and 67 Q&As with people in the industry.
New England will be well-represented in this year’s festival. Don Schechter, owner of Charles River Media Group and a second-year ITVFest participant, will show his short film series/TV drama Ascendants: The Raven. The series is written, directed, and filmed by Schechter in Boston, Massachusetts. “[New England] is mainly the look we’ve gone with,” says Schechter, “which can be good or bad depending on the viewer.” He has shown earlier versions of Ascendants films at other venues, but ITVFest will be the premiere for Ascendants: The Raven.
Ascendants: The Raven Movie Poster
Michael Field of Monroe, Connecticut, will show his short comedy The Trans-Candidate, which he wrote and directed. While this is his first ITVFest showing, Field has participated in other film festivals. “New England is a big influence, primarily because I like it here,” he says of his work. “I emphasize story … anything I create is for the expressed purpose of telling a story. To entertain. To make people laugh — I hope.”
Jessica Hill, from Grafton, Massachusetts, will show her web drama Beacon Hill, a series that she wrote and produced. “There is something almost magical about New England, especially in the fall, which is when we filmed [the series], that can’t be recreated on a set,” she says of the show. While Hill and her crew are new to ITVFest, Beacon Hill was nominated for three daytime Emmy Awards this year.
Beacon Hill
