APAC Hosts Filmmakers Meetup

ASBURY PARK, NJ — The Asbury Park Arts Council (APAC) hosted a first-of-its-kind filmmakers meetup on July 27 at the Parlor Gallery.

The event was an opportunity for creatives to engage with each other and with the APAC on ways to increase awareness and advocacy of film, videography and photography in Asbury Park and the surrounding areas.

The meetup was well-attended, with over 25 people stopping by to share conversation about thier passion of filmmaking.

Michael Sodano, APAC Board President said that the arts council plans to continue to host these meet-ups every other month.

“Everyone was thrilled to meet and share ideas,” Sodano said, adding, “It really all goes back to the mission of the arts council which is to advocate, promote and support the arts in Asbury Park.”

Several updates about the arts council’s current endeavors were shared.

The APAC is working with the City to have Asbury Park registered with the NJ Motion Picture & Television Commission in their Film Ready New Jersey program, a five-step certification and marketing program that educates municipalities on the basics of motion picture and television production.

The program enables cities and towns to effectively accommodate on-location filming and market their communities as filming destinations for movies, television and commercials.

The program also sets basic standards for attracting filmmaking and positions the state as a top production destination, according to the NJ Motion Picture & Television Commission.

The APAC is helping the City create a photo catalog of locations throughout Asbury Park as well as a database of services (production, support, stages, etc) in the area that are available to production companies when they scout a location.

The arts council is encouraging members of the public to help by sharing photos of the City, and if they know of any production services in the area (including their own) to add to the database by emailing mike@asburyparkartscouncil.org.

The APin3 Film Challenge, the only filmmaking event in Asbury Park begins on August 7.

Participants will have three weeks to produce a three-minute film set in Asbury Park including a prop, line of dialog and location chosen by the arts council.

All entries to the challenge must be submitted by August 27.

Each of the entries will then be reviewed and the top ten films will be chosen by a panel of local judges. Finalists will be screened to an audience at Asbury Park’s House of Independents Theater on October 22.

The online submission platform, Film Freeway, will be utilized for the challenge, which is now accepting applicants.

There is a $25 entry fee, but no one should feel that the cost is a barrier as there are discounts and sponsorships available for qualified applicants to help with the entry cost.

The Asbury Park Arts Council is a 501c3 group formed to advocate for and promote arts and culture initiatives in the City.