The Independent Filmmaker Project Minnesota, a fixture on St. Paul's western border since 2005, will soon be packing up for a move.
Seeking a new headquarters with lower rent than its current location, the media arts center will soon announce a new address. The current leased space at 2446 University Av. W. in St. Paul, a 7,500-square-foot site filled with spacious offices, "is no longer meeting our needs," IFP Minnesota Executive Director Andrew Peterson announced Thursday. While he emphasized that "IFP MN is on strong financial footing," a less costly home base "is crucial to future stability and success."
IFP was founded in 1987 when a group of Minnesota filmmakers got together to create a Sundance-bound feature, "Patti Rocks," and to encourage local filmmakers to create projects outside the studio system.
Economizing on rent will help the organization, which administers several McKnight grants, direct its resources to its core mission. "All non-profits need to be responsible with their budgets and weight spending toward programming, rather than rent," Peterson said. In recent years, IFP Minnesota has tightened its belt with staff salary cuts.
IFP Minnesota's current space, which includes gallery space, administrative offices and photo darkrooms, opened a decade ago the help of many community leaders and funders to serve the independent film and video community. The new location will allow space and reallocated resources for expanded youth workshops, new film and video courses, additional professional development, and more media artist fellowships, as well as other events and exhibitions.
