documentary.org Blogs

Doc U: Harry Shearer Takes It "Uneasy" - Tickets on Sale

IDA Editorial Staff — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:55:38 -0400

IDA is proud to present this very special Doc U, scheduled for Monday, September 20th at The Cinefamily (at The Silent Movie Theater). Doors open at 7 p.m.

Satirist, journalist and New Orleaner Harry Shearer will reveal the story behind his feature documentary "The Big Uneasy."

Discount admission available for IDA members. Seating is limited so buy your tickets now to be guaranteed admission to this very special engagement. For further event details and to buy tickets, view the event page.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Recognizes IDA Program

IDA Editorial Staff — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:38:45 -0400

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provides funding for the making of a 3-minute PSA about Docs Rock.

Video was created by UCLA film students, Diana Densmore and Susana Casares.

Find out more about IDA's Docs Rock program.

City of L.A. Provides Funding for IDA's Docs Rock

IDA Editorial Staff — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:13:58 -0400

IDA's Docs Rock program received $9,000 in support from the City of Los Angeles' Department of Cultural Affairs for the 2010-2011 school year.

In its 12th year, Docs Rock introduces high school students to the world of documentary filmmaking. Docs Rock prepares youth for college and employment by teaching them essential life skills as well as the technical know-how to create a documentary. The intensive curriculum offers: in-class and outside the classroom activities, hands-on filmmaking experience and opportunities to meet numerous industry professionals. At the end of each school year, the 40-week program culminates with Docs Rock Festival, where student ...

IDA Receives Funding to Support & Expand Doc U

IDA Editorial Staff — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:46:37 -0400

Supervisor, First District, Gloria Molina recently confirmed a grant award to IDA in the amount of $53,500 from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. The funds will be used to support IDA's acclaimed Doc U Program, a series of hands-on educational seminars for aspiring and experienced documentary filmmakers, taught by artists and experts on subjects ranging from marketing and distribution to working with composers, writers or agents.

IDA also received a grant earlier this year from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the amount of $7,500 to expand ...

IDA Board President, Eddie Schmidt, Discusses Fair Use

IDA Editorial Staff — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:52:29 -0400

Listen to Eddie Schmidt, who was interviewed yesterday on Digital Production Buzz, as he discusses the issue of fair use, and the recent decision by the U.S. Copyright office granting documentary filmmakers an exception to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Schmidt explains, "This decision allows filmmakers to digitally ‘rip’ excerpts of material for legitimate fair use purposes. At last, 'fair use' in the digital world is truly fair."

THE DOCUWEEKS TRILOGY: THE FINAL WEEK

IDA Editorial Staff — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Week 3--the final week--of IDA's 14th Annual DocuWeeks begins today with five feature films and a DocuWeeks Shorts program screening daily at the ArcLight Hollywood and six feature films at the IFC Center in New York. The Los Angeles lineup for August 13 through August 19 includes Freedom Riders, MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS, Music from the Big House, Pushing the Elephant, Quest for Honor and the DocuWeeks Shorts program, which includes Mozambique, Keep Dancing and The Labyrinth. Films screening through August 19 in New York include Colony, Family Affair, Freedom Riders, ...

DocuWeeks 2010 - Press and Reviews

IDA Editorial Staff — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:10:43 -0400

Read what critics are saying about the films playing in DocuWeeks™.

ColonyVariety

Freedom RidersVariety

MOST VALUABLE PLAYERSLos Angeles Times | suite101.com | The Morning Call

Pushing the Elephant Los Angeles Times | Huffington Post

Waste LandVariety

Louder Than a BombVariety | Los Angeles Times | The Wrap | suite101.com

Steam of Life (Miesten vuoro)Los Angeles Times

Summer PastureLos Angeles Times | NYC Film Critic | Libertas Film Magazine

BudrusNew York Times

For Once in My LifeLos Angeles Times

HolyWarsLA ...

DOCUWEEKS: WEEK 2 OPENS TODAY!

IDA Editorial Staff — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Week 2 of IDA's 14th Annual DocuWeeks begins today with six films screening daily at the ArcLight Hollywood and at the IFC Center in New York. The Los Angeles lineup for August 6 through August 12 includes Apaporis, Louder Than a Bomb, My Perestroika, Steam of Life (Miesten vuoro), Summer Pasture and This Way of Life. Films screening through August 12 in New York include Budrus, For Once in My Life, HolyWars, Most Valuable Players, Pushing the Elephant and Quest for Honor.

Tickets are available online at the links above or at ...

DOCUWEEKS OPENS TODAY!

IDA Editorial Staff — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Week 1 of IDA's 14th Annual DocuWeeks begins today with six films screening daily at the ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles and five features and a shorts program screening daily at the IFC Center in New York. The Los Angeles lineup for July 30 through August 6 includes Budrus, Colony, Family Affair, For Once in My Light, HolyWars and Waste Land. Films screening through August 5 include Apaporis, Louder Than a Bomb, Steam of Life (Miesten vuoro), Summer Pasture, This Way of Life and DocuWeeks Shorts program, which includes Killing in the Name ...

Documentary Filmmakers Win Exemption from Digital Millennium Copyright Act

IDA Editorial Staff — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Documentary filmmakers today gained access to previously "locked" DVD content for fair use in their productions under an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act granted to them by the US Copyright Office.

The exemption was granted as a result of an action spearheaded by entertainment attorney Michael Donaldson, who assembled a coalition of documentarians and filmmaker organizations led by the International Documentary Association and Kartemquin Films, the Chicago-based nonprofit. Donaldson provided legal counsel for the effort on a pro bono basis, along with the USC Gould School of Law ...

Video DOC SHOT: Lucy Walker--'Countdown to Zero'

tkrinsky — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Editor's Note: Countdown to Zero opens in theaters July 23 through Magnolia Pictures. Here's Tamara Krinsky's video interview with director Lucy Walker, when the film premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

SnagFilms Announces Multi-Platform Roll-out for Docs

twhite — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

SnagFilms, the advertising-supported site for documentaries online, announced today, on its second anniversary, a major expansion of its distribution infrastructure, bringing its library of 1,500 titles to a suite of new platforms. Among the new ventures: the creation of VOD offerings with Comcast, the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products; and with Verizon FiOS TV, the converged communications platform.

Founded by AOL Vice-Chair Emeritus and award-winning documentary producer Ted Leonsis (Nanking; Kicking It), SnagFilms has become the Web's largest and most broadly-distributed home for nonfiction films, with its library ...

Appeals Court Issues Order Following 'Crude'/Chevron Hearings

IDA Editorial Staff — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Court of Appeals issued an order in the case of Joe Berlinger, a day after hearing arguments from attorneys for both the filmmaker and for Chevron, which underscores the court's recognition of the urgency involved in such matters. Berlinger had been ordered by the trial court to turn over 600 hours from his documentary Crude to Chevron. This order is a partial victory for both sides. Chevron gets some but not all of what it wants. Berlinger has to turn over some, but not all 600 hours of footage. The many ...

Awards Roundup: July 9-15, 2010

twhite — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Awards

The News & Documentary Emmy Award nominees--lots of them--were announced yesterday from the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, with PBS and HBO leading the charge, as usual. Among the multiple nominees, Rebecca Camissa's Which Way Home earned four, Irene Taylor Brodsky's The Final Inch took three, and Tulia, Texas (Dirs./Prods.: Cassandra Herrman, Kelly Whalen), Trouble The Water (Dirs./Prods.: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin), In a Dream (Dir.: Zeremiah Zagar), The Reckoning (Dir.: Pamela Yates), War/Dance (Dirs.:: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine) and Smile Pinki (Dir.: Megan Mylan) each earned two ...

Appeal Court Hears Arguments in 'Crude' Case

IDA Editorial Staff — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Yesterday, July 13, a panel of three Federal Appeal Court judges heard arguments to determine whether filmmaker, Joe Berlinger will have to turn over to Chevron 600 hours of raw footage he shot while producing the documentary Crude. Chevron went to court to gain access to the footage to help in defending itself against a massive Ecuadorian class-action lawsuit brought by workers and residents of the Amazon who are seeking redress for years of environmental pollution.

Attorney Michael C. Donaldson filed an Amicus Brief on behalf of International Documentary Association, as ...

Can We Talk? 'Joan Rivers' Tops $2 Million

twhite — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work continues its impressive summer run at the box office, showing a gross cume of $2,000,548 since its June 11 debut. The Ricki Stern/Annie Sunberg helmer is the fourth doc to cross the $1 million mark this year, following Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud's Oceans, Thomas Balmes' Babies and Bansky's Exit through the Gift Shop, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

Here's a roundup of the top ten grossing docs at the box office for 2010:

1) Oceans $19,406,406

2) Babies ...