By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

IFP Announces Jeffrey Sharp New Executive Director To Lead the Organization

Posted Friday, March 8th, 2019 - Comments Off on IFP Announces Jeffrey Sharp New Executive Director To Lead the Organization
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[pr]  – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) has announced Jeffrey Sharp as the new Executive Director.  Sharp will lead the institution, which is the nation’s premier member organization of independent storytellers.  An award-winning international film and TV producer and publishing entrepreneur, Sharp brings decades of experience to IFP, including his work producing films such as Boys Don’t Cry, You Can Count on Me, Evening and The Yellow Birds and digitally publishing authors such as William Styron, Pat Conroy and Pearl Buck as co-founder and President of Open Road Integrated Media.

IFP Co-Chairs Anthony Bregman and Jim Janowitz said, “We are delighted to have Jeff join IFP as its leader.  His credentials and background are a perfect fit with our organization.  He has developed and produced prestigious independent films.  He has extensive non-profit experience as a co-founder and Chair of the Hamptons International Film Festival Advisory Board.  He has experience in related fields such as publishing and digital innovation.  He has built successful companies. He has broad contacts across foundations, arts organizations, and government.  He has a stellar reputation among his peers.  Among a strong group of candidates, Jeff stood out, and we are excited to bring Jeff on board to lead IFP into its 40th year and beyond.”

“I am tremendously honored to join the IFP as its new Executive Director,” said Sharp.  “IFP has had an enormous impact on the independent film industry in New York and around the world for the past forty years.  I am excited to begin working with the talented IFP team, IFP members and alumni as we continue to explore new opportunities and expand on Joana Vicente’s remarkable legacy.”

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Independent Film Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the IFP Gotham Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by IFP, a tech and media incubator space developed with the New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

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~ David Simon