With his bold proclamation that ‘Film Movement is the future of distribution,’ Larry Meistrich will surely have a lot to say about independent film at the 10th Annual Chlotrudis Awards ceremony. Film Movement’s unique mission to start a grassroots movement that joins together filmmakers and film fans for a simple common cause — to provide access to the best films made every year, is so similar to our own that it’s a perfect fit to welcome and thank Larry for his groundbreaking work.
Two of Film Movement’s 2003 releases are up for Chlotrudis Awards. O.T.: Our Town is one of the five nominees in the Best Documentary category. Canadian film Marion Bridge, a film long-championed by CSIF since it’s screening at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival, received three nods, including Best Adapted Screenplay for Daniel MacIvor, Best Cast, and Buried Treasure.
Larry’s work first caught the CSIF eye as the producer of the big winner at the 3rd Awards ceremony. Sling Blade was nominated for Best Movie, Director, Actor, and Supporting Actor (twice), winning the kitties for the Actor and Movie categories. Four years later, another film Larry produced made a big Chlotrudis splash. You Can Count on Me was nominated in the Best Actress, Actor, and Original Screenplay categories.
Larry was also the founder and CEO of Shooting Gallery for 10 years. Shooting Gallery was another champion of the independent film getting smaller films into theatres across the country. Judy Berlin was Shooting Gallery’s big Chlotrudis film, picking up four nominations (for Movie, Director, Supporting Actress and Original Screenplay) at the 7th Awards Ceremony. Other Shooting Gallery film including Croupier, Eureka, and Last Resort also made big impacts on Chlotrudis members. At The Shooting Gallery, Meistrich also founded Guns for Hire, a comprehensive production and post-production operation with facilities in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Toronto and Vancouver.
Larry received the 1998 Crain’s Small Business Award and the 1999 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in New York. He currently serves on the board of the New York Production Council.
Now Larry is creating an entirely new model for distribution involving theatrical releases combined with a DVD subscription service. Obviously, anyone with the passion for independent film will be more than welcome at the Chlotrudis Awards Ceremony.
The 10th Annual Chlotrudis Awards will take place on Sunday, March 28, 5:00 p.m. at the Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. Tickets are $20 [$15 for members] and are available through the Brattle Theatre box office or website. Member tickets are available by e-mailing Chris Kriofske. Immediately following the ceremony members are invited to a party at Noir in the luxurious Charles Hotel. For more information e-mail ceremony@chlotrudis.org.