Filmaka

Hi

This is a sad blog to write because it's talking about an organisation publicly.

Ordinarily, I never bad mouth anyone in public because I really don't see the point. I'm no-one to judge others.
I have thought long and hard about this and have considered the best way I can go about it. Ultimately, this is from the heart. Because that's how I am.

Last year I entered a short film, I was very proud of, called Big Mistake, into an online filmmaking competition called FILMAKA.
I had some dealings with them in the past, and found them to be a cool organisation who appeared to have the filmmakers best interests at heart.

I was very happy when Big Mistake won one of the competitions and I was awarded a cash prize of $500. To be honest, the money was not so important itself, but the physical gesture of a prize was really rewarding and made me feel very good.

This was last August. Nearly one year ago.

Since that time I have not seen one cent of that prize, despite repeated emails and telephone calls. And now my emails are sadly being ignored.

FILMAKA continues to run competitions and are working with commercial organisations as well as a feature film. If anything, their scope has increased, which leads me to believe they are not suffering financially.

I must confess to being very upset about all this. The prize now seems like an empty gesture by FILMAKA. And It leaves a bitter taste.

In writing this blog I hope other filmmakers will think twice about entering the competitions run by FILMAKA. I am not saying they behave this way to everyone. I don't know this. I can only write about my direct experience.

Be careful if you enter your film. Don't get your hopes up too much if you are awarded a cash prize. You may be unfortunate like me.

If you have a similar story, I'd love to hear. Or if you feel strongly about this issue please pass this story along.

Dan