The Independent Filmmaker Project rebrands as The Gotham

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) is more than 40 years old and seen as a pioneer in the independent film industry. The new identity was created through a collaboration between Love & War and the organisation's board, as well as the larger film community (from directors and studios to festivals and arts organisations), and was launched at the 30th annual Gotham Awards in January 2021.

The idea behind the new name and identity system was to define a new vision for the future of the organisation, and to elevate its profile "while creating room for it to grow and diversify in years to come," says The Gotham. The first phase of the rebrand project was centred on working to define the meaning of "independent" in the 21st century.

Having already supported more than 10,000 projects and around 30,000 filmmakers behind critically acclaimed films such as Moonlight, The Gotham now aims to expand its programmes to support a broader range of media, including TV, podcasting and interactive. Gotham EDU, for instance, is a new virtual internship program in conjunction with leading colleges and universities.

"Given this expansion and the importance of technological and social change in media as a whole, it became clear that the 'Independent Filmmaker Project' no longer effectively represented the scope and impact of the organisation," says Love & War.