May 27th, 2006 11:00pm

Network's programs aim to bring filmmakers, backers together

By DAVID FRIEND

read this article on Variety's site

The gap between indie filmmakers and financiers is about to get
a little bit smaller.

At least that's the goal at Plum TV, a New York-based cable network
catering to viewers at upscale vacation spots like Aspen and
Martha's Vineyard.

The network has two new programs, "DocStock" and "FilmStock,"
designed to create a virtual pitching platform between filmmakers
and the homes of potential backers.

Docu "When I Came Home," directed by Dan Iohaus, which found
finishing funds through the show, recently won the doc award at
the Tribeca Film Fest.

Producer and founding partner Cary WoodsCary Woods says both
series address his passion for discovering new talents and projects.

Woods spent most of the 1990s producing the first films of
directors such as Doug Liman, Alexander Payne and M. Night Shyamalan.

"Access to potential financiers has always been the holy grail
for independent filmmakers," he says. "We hope to broaden the
marketplace so that they can reach out to high net worth individuals
who might otherwise not have contact with the film community."

"DocStock" debuted earlier this year, with each episode focusing
on a single docu film. This summer, Plum plans to profile low-budget
narrative productions with the sister series "FilmStock."

Both are hosted by Rebecca Carroll, former editor in chief at
Independent Film & Video Monthly, and include interviews with the
filmmakers, the project's status and their ambitions for the film.
Sample reels and trailers help convey what the final product will
look like.

The concept was a collaboration between Woods and Jage Toba,
director of programming at Plum TV and a former independent producer
and writer.

Toba says filmmakers are always searching for funding, and there
are plenty of willing investors outside the industry. Woods and
Toba aim to expand both series to international projects in the future.

"I'd like it to eventually be a matchmaking clearinghouse," Toba says.