Winning!
Hello 2023!
As the new year kicks off, I’m still integrating the successes of 2022 and the shifts that came with the company’s expansion. I am reflecting and refining how we intend to grow CMP in relation to the increasing demand for original content and job opportunities for deserving artists. All the while I’m in awe that after five years of producing our first two feature-length films and decades imagining a career as a creator, Cheshire Moon Productions is officially in the game and competing with the year’s top films in festivals.
While embarking on sales and distribution, and meeting with investors and larger production companies to partner with on future projects, it’s fascinating to observe the very real importance of commercial success and the crucial role of award-winning recognition in order to earn the confidence of financiers. More than the accolades we continue to accrue, I am struck by the value of the artistry and originality in these competitions and by the fact that the majority of independent films live unfinished and uncelebrated even when they are lucky enough to make through to festival platforms.
I’m more aware than ever of the thousands upon thousands of wonderful films produced annually, the devoted filmmakers behind them, the programmers who spend hours a day for months watching rough cuts, who carefully choose their few favorite films to send up to the next level of the selection process, but we all know it’s impossible to be objective.
Everyone accepts that completing a film is miraculous, but then to have any level of success with your film is almost unimaginable, wspecially if you have an understanding of the way the system attempts to function. I’m grateful I had no idea how difficult it would be to make it through when I started. It occurs to me how necessary it is to keep hope alive through every stage of this unlikely process.
I’m lucky to be to be surrounded by amazing friends and family in the industry, and it’s my intention to continue to find ways of offering substantial encouragement for unique artists and perspectives in spite of the increasingly obvious formulas for marketing and visibility that can work either for or against us as producers and storytellers.
Some of the most moving films I saw on the festival circuit will likely struggle to find their place commercially. However, I’ve also witnessed astronomical success stories first hand and met underdog indie filmmakers who are now Oscar contenders. Without the smaller film festivals, these beautiful films and the magic they hold would be left in the dust.
We have been charmed by our accomplishments so far being well received domestically and internationally. In Her Name premiered at Tribeca and came away with a People’s Choice Audience Award. We’re in talks for distribution. And most importantly, we embraced the mission of CMP, to invest in the unknown and produce groundbreaking works by nurturing freedom and genius by way of fearless reconnection to the strange way of love. We believe we are meant to turn our realities into magic, rise from the dust and find ourselves with the stars.
For whoever needs to hear it, however bleak it may seem, I’ve collected undeniable evidence that miracles happen everyday in this industry and that our visions are worth believing in.
Thank you again to Ben Dalton at Screen Daily for including me in the “Word of Mouth” series. Click on the link at the bottom of the newsletter to read up on our chat about current cultural influences, Russell Brand, Trevor Noah, Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, and most importantly, my husband.
Together, anything is possible.
Much love and luck for a fantastic year ahead!
~ S ~
Our Favorite Films of the Year
San Diego International FF
In Her Name competed alongside Oscar-contending films The Banshees of Inisherin and Empire of Light at SDIFF. Congratulations to Tonya Mantooth and her entirely female-lead board for curating and uplifting such high caliber artists. I can still feel the red carpet buzz and a revelatory sense of belonging in the industry watching Anthony Hopkins at play in Armageddon Time opening night.
Pictured: Cynthia Bravo, Sarah Carter, and Erin Hammond
Santa Fe International FF
Women Talking was featured at SFIFF with In Her Name this year. I have to say, Sarah Polley most definitely deserved to break up the boys club with an Oscar nomination for Best Director. The performances were riveting across the board, and the tone was masterfully set in stillness, tension, and vulnerability. The film is as simple as it is profound. It documents a colony of women navigating a conversation that ultimately sets them free reconsidering their relationship to faith. The writing is astounding. Polley at least stands to win Best Adaptation.
Evolution! Mallorca International FF
I loved Triangle of Sadness! It’s surreal to have celebrated In Her Name alongside Ruben Ostlund winning Best Director at EMIFF. This film is everything an independent film should be - provocative, ego-dissolving, unpredictable, and wickedly brilliant. Well-deserved Oscar nom and a must-see if you haven’t already.
Pictured: Ruben Ostlund and Sarah Carter
Screen Daily Interview
When Sarah attended EMIFF in Mallorca, she spoke on a panel moderated by Ben Dalton, writer at the prestigious publication Screen Daily. Screen Daily is an international magazine covering film business across the globe, and Dalton reached out to Sarah following the festival to do an interview on their platform. It was an incredible honor to be featured on Screen Daily, and we invite you all to check out Sarah and Ben’s conversation on what truly influences us when it comes to the film, art, news, and the television we choose to invest in and trust.
I hope this letter encourages you to continue to invest your time and money into magical world of filmmaking. Now go watch some movies!
~ S ~
Sarah Carter, CEO