Tom Wilton - festival director
Independent filmmaking is a much-vaunted term - but with so many major film companies now having 'independent' arms, it can often be a misleading label. It's hard, for example, to compare an 'independent' film such as Choke - with big name stars including Sam Rockwell - with something that an up and coming director may have sold all their worldly goods to make.
Film festivals, too, although supporting the notion of independence - and putting their money where their mouth is in the case of some, such as Sundance and Raindance - still have to compromise.
And what of the festival-goers? Not everyone can afford to head off to Utah or down to London to see these films. The Bootleg Film Festival - which boasts the positive thinking catchline "I can. I will. I did." - aims to bridge this sort of gap by presenting independent film, for free each September, with the inaugural event happening at Offshore, a coffee shop and art gallery, in Glasgow's West End, from September 11 to 13.
The Festival is the brainchild of director Tom Wilton. After struggling for years to make a film, he finally succeeded and won and award, which, he says put him in a "unique position" to I "put together a rough and ready film festival that will actually connect audiences and filmmakers".
"I'm a filmmaker who spent eight years starving himself, sleeping rough and getting fired from day-jobs - all an endless pursuit to make a feature film," he says
"There were times when I'd be sleeping on somebody's floor or in a field somewhere, and all I'd be dreaming about was making a movie. Times were tough, but I stayed the course, and worked hard on my writing. But after two unsuccessful attempts at it, I was broke and just about done with it all.
"But then I spoke with a great journalist, and she asked me what was next. I told her I had thought about making a love story, but that I was unsure I could afford to keep wasting the rent money. She urged me to give it a shot, and I thought it would be my last roll of the dice.
"Finally, in 2005/2006 I managed to write, shoot and cut a feature film, Icharus Broken, in six months. It was shot in eight days for £1,600, raised on the back of my credit card.
"The film spent a year being ignored by every festival I sent it to... then, and old friend from the USA recommended the TFC Film Festival in Detroit, and I scraped together the £20 to send the film off. It not only got accepted, it then won the best international film award, which left me stunned."
This experience of being rejected/ignored by film festivals has clearly had an affect on Tom.
"It's been ten years since I set out to become a filmmaker, and I couldn't help realising that festivals are often very vague events that don't really inspire you to want to make films. And alongside that, it's normally all over once the last film plays, and really, it's rare for sales agents to see any of the movies. In fact, with so many festivals charging admission to the films, it's hard to get audiences to see your unknown movie.
"I wanted a venue that would naturally bring the public into the filmmakers domain and vice versa - without charging them a penny to see the films. So, by having the festival in the basement gallery of a popular coffee shop -I believe I'm giving filmmakers a chance to meet their audience (and each other) and the audience a chance to meet the tenacious souls behind the films."
The festival will feature a range of short films and features from home and abroad, including gangster flick Jack Says - pictured left - about an amnesiac who may or may not have been involved in murder and Yeast, about a tyrannical young woman who finds her friendships are on the wane.
So what's in it for Tom? He says he simply wants to give others a platform.
"Filmmaking is a brutal business, and often, people climb the ranks without stopping to sign post the way. I spoke at length with my USA sales agent (and a handful of my other contacts) and the idea is to take the films to them after the fest and see if they pique anybody's interest.
"If any deals are signed between filmmaker and agent, that's between them - I have no say in it or any financial gain from it. It's simply that I know how difficult it is to get your work recognised."
As for next year? Bootleg won't be in Glasgow, it will pop up somewhere else in the UK and that's to keep the focus on films, says Tom.
"I intend to move Bootleg to a new city each time around, so that it really does become about more than a place, but an attitude to bridging the gaps for emerging talent and established successes.
"It's my aim to try and break the too-oft heard stories of negativity in the indie film world. I went through some of the toughest things anybody has to deal with, and yet, it didn't prevent me from making my mark. I have a long way to go, and I don't want to rest on my laurels, but I do believe in supporting my peers and entertaining an audience with the best in new cinema."
With a positive attitude like that, there's every chance we'll be hearing a lot from Tom Wilton in the future. Watch this space.
For more information about the Bootleg Film Festival and the films showing, visit the official site
