The film community in the Triangle is really wonderful. People are so kind and generous with their time, energy, and support. I feel like a very lucky filmmaker to be part of such a wonderful community.

This year we all came together for a bunch of bigger and better TriFilm socials. The most popular three were the social at Trailblazer Studios in March, at Poyner Spruill in May, and the TriFilm / filmSPARK social in September. There were great crowds, conversations, and introductions at each event. Thank you all for hosting, promoting, and attending!

TriFilm social at Trailblazer Studios

TriFilm social at Trailblazer Studios

TriFilm social at Poyner Spruill, May 2013

TriFilm social at Poyner Spruill, May 2013

TriFilm / filmSPARK social

In addition to the TriFilm socials, there were many wonderful events hosted by local film groups — too many to list all of them here but I’ll share some highlights. Full Frame hosted a Triangle Tweetup in January (read about it here). The Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) hosted a mixer focused on animation in June. The Second Sunday film series at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro made it possible to share indie fiction films with local, live audiences. There were plenty of free film screenings throughout the year, too; hosted by locals invested in the film community. Pretty amazing stuff.

There were awesome film festivals in North Carolina, too. From Full Frame to Alice Fest, the folks running film fests in this state are doing a fantastic job. I’m really looking forward to each one in 2014.

What’s happening quietly, behind the scenes are many, many conversations about the local film community. I’ve been lucky enough to have meetings, lunches, and coffees with people who are interested in building an even stronger film community. It’s incredibly exciting.

Some of those conversations and introductions have already lead to big things. In January 2014, Meredith College will host a film festival on Sunday, January 26th. I’m told that the idea for the festival was born out of the screening of Abandoned Allies held on campus in early 2013. Since then I have happily helped make connections among leaders in the community, and I’m thrilled about what’s taken shape!

I’ve also been focused on the future of TriFilm, which I’ve mentioned many times (specifically here, here, and here). I’m really invested in keeping the socials going, and am alreadyworking on a few 2014 dates. But the big thing is this vision of the future: a more unified, accessible film community. You’ll hear a lot more from me about this vision in 2014, for sure.

THANK YOU

Bottom line? I really want to thank all of you for the encouragement, feedback, suggestions, and opened doors you shared with me in 2013. Planning these socials is much more fun with your help. I genuinely appreciate it. It makes these socials feasible and infinitely more enjoyable — which means I’ll totally keep organizing them.

So, thank you. You guys are just awesome. I can’t wait to see what we make together in 2014!