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Chicago – The happening is lovelier, the second time around. Chicago film power couple Rebecca Fons and Jack C. Newell bring back “Destroy Your Art,” an event in which a filmmaker creates a film, shows it once to the audience, and then destroys it forever. Destroy Your Art takes place on August 10th, 2018, at Silent Funny Gallery in Chicago. For more information, including tickets, click here.

“Destroy Your Art” will feature five filmmakers – Lydia Fu, Vincent Singleton, Deja Harrell, Jacquelyn Jamjoom, and Andrew Stasiulis – as they show their seven minute or less short films. After that One Showing, the films will be destroyed forever, never to be seen again. The concept challenges the notions of permanency, images, expression and our perception of what time means. Audience participants, and the filmmakers themselves, will be the only witnesses to the final products, before they are gone forever.

Rebecca Fons and Jack C. Newell...

The 14th New York Television Festival wrapped its first summer edition today by awarding the off-kilter independent pilot Hammerhead its two top prizes.

The story of an up-and-comer in New York determined not to let his deformed head derail his ambitions captured the Overall Best of Fest Award and Nytvf Critics Award. The Best Comedy Project award went to Smüchr; Best Animated Project was Omega House (which also scored a development deal from Comedy Central); and Best Drama or Dramedy Project was Paint.

After the fest’s shift from its traditional fall arrival, a move aimed at synchronizing with the industry’s development cycle, organizers said the summer fest hosted 620 development meetings, the most in its history. In all, 75 companies took part in the festival, a cross-section of networks, studios, agencies and digital platforms. The festival screened 59 pilots, recognizing top projects in 16 categories.

In its third year, the Nytvf Scripts competition featured 21 selections,...

“Hammerhead,” the story of a cunning young man trying to make his way in New York City, took top awards at the New York Television Festival.

The festival, which concludes today, features a competition for independently produced pilots, a script contest and a competition to land development deals with major cable networks and production banners. “Hammerhead,” created by New York-based filmmaker Dean Imperial, won the best of the fest award as well as the critics kudo. This year’s gathering featured screenings of 59 pilots.

“Independent television hasn’t only arrived – it is stronger than ever,” said Nytvf founder and executive director Terence Gray. “Each year, I am floored by how much the quality of the work submitted by the independent television community continues to improve — having received more than 3,300 submissions for the third year in a row. I’m honored that our partners have embraced the Festival as a go-to...

SeriesFest, the international television festival dedicated to showcasing the best and boldest emerging voices in television, revealed the winners of this year’s international pilot competition at a closing reception today in Denver. Chief among the winners was “Halfway There,” which took home the prize for best independent dramatic pilot a well as the audience award. Created by Nick Morton and Rick Roesnthal, “Halfway There” stars Matthew Lillard as a sober addict running a rehabilitation facility, and Blythe Danner as his alcoholic mother whom he is forced to treat.

“The quality of content selected for this year’s International Pilot Competition was simply unmatched. We are encouraged by the diverse perspectives represented, and in awe of each and every creator who took part in our festival,” said SeriesFest co-founders Randi Kleiner and Kaily Smith-Westbrook in a statement.

Many independent projects that debuted at SeriesFest have gone on to score production deals,...