TFPF sets a new record!

Let this photo attest to my long absence from blogging…

Here you see TFPF coordinator Rachel Ecklund overwhelmed with some of the 244 submissions to the Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund this year. Yup, 244! That’s a 15% jump from last year’s 208 applications, and beats the previous record of 218 submissions in 2007.

There were some indications of the coming deluge as I was conducting my TFPF workshop tour of the state. We had 400 attendees at the 15 workshops, 25% more than last year, with healthier-than-usual audiences in places like McAllen, El Paso, Dallas, Corpus Christi and Houston. Plus, I ended up doing 49 one-on-one consultations with prospective applicants, significantly more than the last two years. But, still, even with those hints, I didn’t expect the filmmakers of Texas blow away the previous submission record so handily.

It was especially surprising to see a big bump in a submissions from areas where we usually don’t see a lot. What’s up, Fort Worth? We got like a 75% increase in submissions from you this year. And, El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley delivered, too. Austinites are still by far the biggest group of applicants, but the percentage dropped below 60% this year, which hasn’t happened in a while.

Sorry to get all nerdy and statistical on you, but looking at these numbers, and the trends over the 14 years of TFPF’s existence, really can give you a pretty solid snapshot of independent Texas filmmaking. I’d say we’re looking good!

(or maybe we’re all just a little more broke this year)

Expect an announcement of the make-up of this year’s panel soon. The session will happen a little earlier this year - we should be able to announce around the middle of August rather than the end.