For smaller unbiased movies, operating an awards marketing campaign could be a pipe dream; it’s simply too costly to think about. Image Movement’s new “To Be Seen: Awards Influence Initiative” is betting it will probably degree the taking part in area.
Social impression advertising and marketing company Image Movement launched the initiative with backing from Pop Tradition Collaborative, a philanthropic fund that sources storytellers working to rework narratives round individuals of colour, immigrants, refugees, Muslims, and Indigenous peoples. The initiative gives advertising and marketing help for movies from underrepresented filmmakers, casts, and expertise throughout awards season, serving to these movies attain voters, tastemakers, and audiences who determine which films earn recognition.
Two Movies Main the Cost
This 12 months’s inaugural cohort options two acclaimed movies: the narrative function “Bob Trevino Likes It” and the documentary “Converse.”
The To Be Seen initiative will ship customized impression campaigns for each movies, together with high-profile FYC screenings in New York and Los Angeles, press outreach, and digital storytelling to have interaction voters and audiences. To develop visibility, Image Movement is collaborating with Seed&Spark on crowdfunding campaigns for each movies. The initiative may also work with clipping platform Litebeem to drive social media clips.
“Bob Trevino Likes It,” directed by Tracie Laymon and starring Barbie Ferreira, John Leguizamo, French Stewart, and Lauren “Lolo” Spencer, tells the story of a lonely twenty-something who finds surprising connection via an internet friendship. The movie has racked up 30+ competition awards, together with 13 Viewers Awards, and secured theatrical distribution via Roadside Sights, Photon Movies, and Cinépolis Distribución in Mexico and worldwide markets. It’s at the moment streaming on Hulu.
“It means the world to us to obtain this honor and invaluable help from Image Movement,” mentioned director Tracie Laymon. “Our values and mission as filmmakers are totally aligned with theirs, and we’re excited to see what we will do collectively in elevating consciousness for our movie ‘Bob Trevino Likes It’ this award season.”
“Converse,” directed by Jennifer Tiexiera and Man Mossman, follows bold teen orators chasing glory on the worldwide public talking stage. The documentary premiered in U.S. theaters in early December and has collected main honors together with the Grand Prize at Shine International’s Resilience Awards and the Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award on the Nantucket Movie Competition. It’s additionally received awards from DC Environmental Movie Competition, Oxford Movie Competition, and the Ridgefield Impartial Movie Competition.
Why This Issues
Oscar campaigns imply events, consultants, ads, and different workouts that carry steep worth tags. That actuality was highlighted in 2023 when Andrea Riseborough earned an surprising Oscar nomination for the small indie movie “To Leslie” after celebrities like Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kate Winslet hosted screenings and flooded social media with help for her efficiency. The marketing campaign prompted an Academy investigation into whether or not any guidelines have been violated, however it additionally sparked a dialog about how the system favors well-funded studios over smaller productions.
“By leveraging the intersection of tradition, advocacy, and awards technique, To Be Seen builds on Image Movement’s decade-long legacy of utilizing storytelling to drive social impression — guaranteeing that filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds have the sources, visibility, and attain to thrive,” mentioned Bridgit Antoinette Evans, CEO of Pop Tradition Collaborative.
“The To Be Seen Initiative is about extra than simply getting these movies on voters’ radars,” mentioned Brian Walker, CEO of Image Movement. “It’s about amplifying tales that may have an enduring cultural impression, tales from various voices which have traditionally been neglected. This initiative ensures that movies like ‘Bob Trevino Likes It’ and ‘Converse’ are seen, heard, and celebrated in a significant method.”
