JuntoBox Films explained

JuntoBox Films
Type:	Private
Industry:	Film
Founded:	2012
Founder:	Philippe Caland
Successors:	-->
Areas Served:	-->
Key People:	Forest Whitaker (co-chair)
Owners:	-->

JuntoBox Films was a Santa Monica-based independent film production company that focused on micro-budget films.^[1] It featured a social media platform where creators could share ideas and collaborate to make their ideas into films, and where members could vote which screenplays would be financed by JuntoBox.^[2] JuntoBox Films has been inactive since 2014/2015.

History

Philippe Caland founded JuntoBox in 2012 and officially launched it at that year's South by Southwest.^[3] The partnership with Indiegogo, a crowdfunding website, started upon its foundation.^[4] Actor Forest Whitaker was announced as co-chair in March 2012.^[5] The company's name was taken from Junto, a mutual improvement club started by Benjamin Franklin in 1727.^[5]

Structure

JuntoBox allowed actors, directors, producers, and writers to share ideas via a social media platform so they were able to collaborate with those without an agent or previous professional experience.^{[4] [5] [6]} Site users then voted on which films they thought JuntoBox should support, both as a financer and as a mentor.^{[5] [4]} Those chosen still go through a vetting process, including traditional auditions for the chosen actors.^[6] The first films green-lighted by JuntoBox were Passenger, Sacrifice (2014), Anthem, and Sharon 1.2.3. (originally Sharon is Caring).^{[4] [3]}

In 2013, JuntoBox partnered with the Slamdance Film Festival to increase the winnings of the festival's annual screenplay competition. Along with the usual $10,000 prize money, JuntoBox committed at least $50,000 towards production of the winning screenplay.^[7]

In 2014, JuntoBox Films launched a three-month long workshop series called the Feature Film Incubator that sought to bring screenplays into the development phase. This included "one-one-one meetings with industry professionals-including story analysts, casting directors and line producers."^[8] Those selected to participate in the program "receive[d] budgeting and distribution consulting" and other financial and mentorship resources.^[6] At least one of the films created during the Incubator was expected to be funded following the pitch session that marked the end of the program.^{[8] [9] [10]}

Films

In total, JuntoBox has sponsored the following films:^{[10] [6] [4] [11] [12]}

• Passenger - written/directed by Tony McGrath, produced by Alex Malt
• Sacrifice (2014) - written/directed by Michael Cohn, produced by Jeanine Rohn and Joseph Sememse
• American Anthem - originally Anthem; written by John Carr
• Sharon 1.2.3. (2018) - originally Sharon is Caring - written by Wesley Mills, directed by Mark Brown
• Repentance (2013) - written by Shintaro Shimosawa and Philippe Caland, directed by Philippe Caland
• The Driver - written by George Richards, directed by Alex Ardenti, produced by Philippe Caland
• Operator (2016) - co-written/directed by Logan Kibens
• Die Like a Man (expected 2022) - written/directed by Eric Nazarian, produced by Javier Chapa
• God Loves Stu - written/directed by Aldo Velasco, produced by David Allen Cress
• Letters from the President - written by Tony Tambi, directed by Michael D. Olmos
• The Locksmith - written by Blair Kroeber, produced by Ted Kroeber
• Mullet - written/directed by Rafael Del Toro
• White Mice - co-written/directed by Simon Arthur, produced by Katie Holly and Claire Mundell
• The Sweet Life (2016) - originally Good Humor; written by Jared Rappaport, directed by Rob Spera, produced by Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn

Notes and References

1. Web site: Forest Whitaker Discusses New Film Collaborative JuntoBox Films at SXSW (Video). 2012-03-12. Shadow and Act. 2022-07-04.
2. Web site: JuntoBox Films Casts Two Leads for Upcoming Feature Film THE DRIVER. 2014-11-17. Robbins. Caryn. Broadway World TV. 2022-07-04.
3. Web site: SXSW: Forest Whitaker’s JuntoBox Project To Crowdsource New Films (Video). Lange. Maggie. 2012-03-14. IndieWire. 2022-07-03.
4. Web site: Indiegogo, JuntoBox Films aim to crowdfund indie films. 2012-11-05. Hall. Gina. LA Business First. 2022-07-04.
5. Web site: Forest Whitaker to co-chair JuntoBox Films. 2012-03-01. Variety. Marc. Graser. 2022-07-03.
6. Web site: No Representation? No Problem With JuntoBox Films!. 2019-11-04. Miller. Sean. Backstage. 2022-07-04.
7. Web site: Slamdance, JuntoBox partner for screenplay competition. 2013-01-18. Variety. 2022-07-04.
8. Web site: Attention Filmmakers! Apply Now to JuntoBox Film Incubator Program. Sollosi. Mary. 2014-06-23. Film Independent. 2022-07-04.
9. Web site: Forest Whitaker's JuntoBox Films Accepting Submissions. Miller. Sean. 2019-06-06. Backstage. 2022-07-04.
10. Web site: JuntoBox names Incubator participants. 2014-09-03. Kay. Jeremy. Screen Daily. 2022-07-04.
11. Web site: Repentance. Simon. Brent. 2014-03-03. Paste Magazine. 2022-07-04.
12. Web site: JUNTOBOX FILMS NAMES SELECTIONS FOR FEATURE FILM INCUBATOR. 2014-09-04. Creators Faire. 2022-07-04.