Florida

The Independent scours the United States to find the 10 most innovative animation programs the country has to offer. The schools on this comprehensive list were picked based on reputation, creativity, and where their students find work after they earn their diplomas.

At the Enzian Theater in Maitland, Florida, you can cozy up to the screen with a glass of wine or cold bottle of beer. But adult beverages alone do not keep the crowds happy. According to programming director Matthew Curtis, it's the quality of films. "They trust what we put on the screen," he told The Independent. Curtis gives the inside scoop on how filmmakers should approach Enzian with their latest projects.

You spend years writing a script, story boarding, filming and editing -- putting all of your blood, sweat and money into a film, and finally sending it out to festivals in the hope that friends, family and the public will get a chance to see what your hard work and talent has created, but next thing you know, you've been rejected in front of hundreds of your peers. Sounds like a nightmare, but it happened to more than 350 filmmakers who applied to the Sarasota Film Festival this year. But, instead of letting it get to them, they went ahead and made the best out of a bad situation, creating their own Facebook group, laurels and even a fringe festival. The Independent's Dante A. Ciampaglia talks to several filmmakers that were part of the 350 and gets their opinion on what went down with Sarasota.