Imagine will once again be producing Guy Magar's Action/Cut, Directed By seminar this season in Boston. The event is scheduled for November 10th and 11th. We've been quoted for calling it the "best directing seminar on the planet," and that's because it is. Our seminar production guidelines only allow Imagine to produce seminars that can offer significant advantages to our region's industry participants. This seminar genuinely delivers the directing process, shot-by-shot, taught by an industry working director and true professional.

Miramax/Dimension is releasing Magar's newest film, CHILDREN OF THE CORN: REVELATION (based on Stephen King's short story; that's the second reference in this issue, see WWW story about Ethan Wiley), October 19. It's a very cool ghost story and we understand that Bob Weinstein is blown away with what Guy Magar delivered for its $2-million budget. The film will have a video/DVD release.

In this issue you'll find a collection of reports and reminisces of the seasons' New England Film Festivals. You might notice that we have annexed Bermuda into New England for this purpose. Here at Imagine our thinking about it adapted immediately. We like the idea of it so much, Imagine is organizing a group tour to Bermuda for the 2002 Bermuda International Film Festival as a part of IMAGINE 2002, ON FESTIVAL TOUR! Save the dates, April 12 - 18, 2002. You'll read more about it next month. BIIFF PR Director, Duncan Hall promises a unique festival experience.

Congratulations are in order for all the festivals and their dedicated and hard-working directors, staff and volunteers. The sweet smells of festival success waft over the entire region and the individual and collective experiences of filmmakers and festivalgoers have been heightened for them. No two of them are the same, but all their flavors mingled and combined give to us an enlightened and vigorous view of indie work everywhere. And they've given us an opportunity to get together and celebrate the work. We include photo documentation. Please enjoy the many and varied stories that we've included.

Coming up, we look at The Boston Film Festival, The First New Hampshire Film Expo, both in September and previewed in this issue. And be sure to watch for The First Portland Festival of World Cinema debuting in October. The Northampton Film Festival begins October 28th (earlier than usual) and runs through November 4th. So the next season begins! And many of us will be going to Toronto. Imagine has staggered its writers in order to cover it all.

The business of independent film production has finally captured the attention of the 107th Congress of the United States or at least four of its body. Introduced in the Senate, the United States Independent Film and Television Production Incentive Act of 2001 (short title) is looking for support. Four senators, including Maine's Olympia Snowe, have sponsored the bill. As the nation experiences rampant "run-away" and "fly-away" production to neighboring and overseas' locations, this effort cannot have come soon enough. Support it we must as the industry staggers to recover and redirect itself. Senate Bill 1278 will also focus light on the nation's need to develop incentives on all levels in order that we may compete again in a manner that protects the creative and technical process that we as a nation have sponsored and earn the profits that will keep entertainment the largest national export.

Basically, the bill's purpose is to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a United States independent film and television production wage credit to any employer for any taxable year, an amount equal to 25 percent of the qualified wages paid or incurred during a taxable year. A higher amount of 35% has been designated for a low-income community as designated by the Delta Regional Authority as a distressed county or isolated area of distress. Only the first $25,000 wages paid to each qualified employee may be taken into account each year. Of course, you have to qualify as an employer or production, the majority of principal photography must occur within the United States, the production must be for use as public entertainment or for educational purposes, and the total cost of qualified wages for the production is more than $200,000 and less than $10-million.

It is important to be aware of this Senate Bill. Support it if you can by contacting the U.S. Senators in your state and encouraging their support. Call your State Film Offices for advice on how to best get your state behind the effort. And share this information with your local legislators. If Washington DC is getting it, maybe the states and cities will too. State incentives for film and television production are vital to a region. In November Imagine will examine what the individual states and cities of New England offer as incentives. Traditionally, November is Imagine's political issue, I would love to get our readers and viewers thoughts and ideas on the direction and shape local incentives might take to increase our region's competitiveness and output. What's important to you? What would help you? Please send your emails filled with your input to: publisher@imaginenews.com.

Imagine's cover story is a gas this month. It's about Tod Whipple the 25-year old head of Scout's New Frontier. And, his motor is running. He works and plays with the new media technology we've all been waiting for. And it will get here, according to Tod. Be ready for it and catch his enthusiasm and read about his version of MUSICAL CHAIRS (not what your thinking), his praise of MPEG4 that enables the streaming of the richest of content in a variety of scalable formats to a diversity of devices like PCs, set-top boxes, game consoles, Internet displays, cell phones and PalmPilots®. What's it all about? It's about how many ways can you deliver the story. Written by Larry Pruyne, it'll make your head spin. So, with your feet planted firmly on the ground, read our September Cover Story.