We are excited to announce that the first Bushnell Filmmakers Forum (BFF) will be held on the weekend of August 13-14. The BFF will focus on the art, craft and business of filmmaking and provide for intellectual exchange among feature filmmakers of today and tomorrow. Participants include Alex Rose, producer of the Oscar-winning movie NORMA RAE; Ho...ward Baldwin, producer of the Oscar-winning movie RAY; literary manager Peter Miller, president of PMA Literary and Film Management, Inc.; George Norfleet, Director of the Connecticut Film, TV and Digital Media Office; and screenwriting instructor Peter Fox of Tripeg Studios and The Inside Track Screenwriting Workshop. Additional participants are expected.

SCHEDULE:
The BFF begins Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. with cocktails and a meet-and-greet opportunity, followed by a screening of a film (title TBD) followed by a Q&A session.

The Saturday itinerary, with registration at 9:00 a.m. and the conference beginning at 9:30 a.m., features workshops on directing, pitching your screenplay, creating characters, writing a movie for the big screen, a screening of RAY and a Q&A with Howard Baldwin, a screening of NORMA RAE and a Q&A with Alex Rose, and a dinner and panel discussion on “The Business of Making the Film.” Saturday also includes optional appointments with literary agents/managers, including Peter Miller.

CONFERENCE FEES ON OR BEFORE JULY 15:
$50 - Friday only (cocktails and screening)
$325 - Saturday only (workshops, screenings, and dinner)
$350 - Full conference Friday and Saturday

$30 - Optional: A limited number of literary agent/manager appointments are available on Saturday. These appointments are available to full conference attendees only. The fee for an agent/manager appointment is in addition to the conference fee. Appointments are granted in the order that registrations are received.

CONFERENCE FEES AFTER JULY 15:
$50 - Friday only (cocktails and screening)
$375 - Saturday only (workshops, screenings, and dinner)
$400 - Full conference Friday and Saturday

$40 - Optional: A limited number of literary agent/manager appointments are available on Saturday. These appointments are available to full conference attendees only. The fee for an agent/manager appointment is in addition to the conference fee. Appointments are granted in the order that registrations are received.

SCREENING ONLY FEES:
(For those who want only to attend the film screenings and post-show Q&A sessions)
$25 each or $60 for all three.

REGISTRATION:
To register visit the BFF event page on bushnell.org and download the registration form.

We hope you join us for this exciting new venture!

Big casting news for the national tour of NEXT TO NORMAL, which comes to The Bushnell March 29-April 3, 2011:

Alice Ripley, who received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning NEXT TO NORMAL, will reprise her acclaimed performance in the musical’s 36-week multi-city North American tour, launching November 23 with a six-week engagement at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. NEXT TO NORMAL will make its Connecticut premiere at The Bushnell March 29-April 3, 2011, as part of The Hartford Financial Services Group Broadway Series. Single tickets will go on sale August 23.

We are very excited to bring Alice Ripley and NEXT TO NORMAL to Hartford next season! Will you be coming to the show?