Sasha Berman, president of Shotwell Media, prepares for another year of PR for independent films.
The top event of the independent film year kicks off January 19 with the Sundance Film Festival. When it comes to coordinating PR for independent films, many filmmakers and
distributors turn to Sasha Berman, who has been operating Shotwell Media since 1997. As a film publicist, Berman handles foreign-language, independent, and documentary
releases. The Santa Monica, CA-based Berman is currently coordinating the U.S. theatrical PR strategy for "Sophie Scholl: The Last Days," which is Germany's entry for the Best
Foreign-Language Film Oscar (the film, shown here, opens in select cities on February 24).
Berman is the rare film publicist who goes beyond generating press coverage. "A knowledgeable publicist has connections not just with the press, but also with other people in
the industry," she says. "Some publicists on the film circuit can suggest the right distributor to take a look at the film, and that can help secure the distribution."
Berman successfully tried her hand at distribution, bringing Greg Pak's acclaimed 2003 feature "Robot Stories" to an art house release despite working on a tight marketing
budget. "When your budget is limited (as was the case with "Robot Stories"), grassroots marketing becomes incredibly important. Since we knew who our target audience was (Asian-
Americans and sci-fi fans), we were able to go after them very effectively."
And Berman can also claim a stake in the ultimate movie honor: "My greatest success, in terms of film's recognition, has to be 'Nowhere in Africa' - when that film won the
Academy Award for the Best Foreign-Language Film, I felt very proud to be a part of its success in the United States."
Contact: Sasha Berman, [email protected]