The IDA Membership is composed of directors, producers, composers, editors, writers, cinematographers, students and non-fiction enthusiasts, among others. Members News is the place to find out about their accomplishments and activities.

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Robert Bahar and Almudena Carracedo have started a May Day Community Screening campaign for Made in LA. Between April 15 and May 31 (and beyond), national organizations, grassroots groups, faith-based congregations and individuals are coming together in a nationwide effort to share the Emmy-winning Made in L.A. and put a human face on the issues of immigration, immigrant workers' rights, and supporting humane immigration reform. “By creating a climate of empathy and understanding around immigration reform, we can use Made in L.A. to help lay the foundation for change. Join  the movement at www.MadeInLA.com/MayDay!” the filmmakers maintain. They also report that the film was screened on Capitol Hill on April 1, bringing together Congressional and community leaders to discuss the film and the current state of the immigration debate. This event was hosted by Congresswoman Diane Watson, Chair of the Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus, and included comments and conversation with Congressmember Luis Gutierrez, Chair of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus’ Immigration Taskforce, and a number of leaders and experts around the issue. www.MadeInLA.com.

Paul Devlin reports that Blast! won a Best Documentary award at Vedere la Scienza Festival in Milan, Italy; played at Academia Film Olomouc, Czech Republic; and at the University of Pennsylvania. It also was broadcast on VPRO-Netherlands in April. Info@blastthemovie.com

Susan Froemke has directed the new documentary The Audition. The film was presented by The Metropolitan Opera and NCM Fathom on April 19 in a special one-time-only showing at over 400 movie theatres across the country. The film is about the intense challenges and pressures young opera singers face as they try to become opera stars. The documentary crew was given unprecedented access to the singers, judges and events backstage at the Met.

The folks at High Plains Films report that the western regional news site NewWest.net will present free content from High Plains Films as a "Clip of the Week." The debut clip is a segment from the feature doc, Libby, Montana, which features three former WR Grace employees from Libby talking about what it was like to work at the mine. All three have since died of asbestos-related illnesses. The initial clip is the first of several installments of short scenes from the complete Libby, Montana documentary. Future clips will include trailers, original interviews, rare archival reels, and more.

Executive Director Justine Nagan and Artistic Director Gordon Quinn of Kartemquin Films announce that the company is the proud recipient of a 2008 Peabody Award for Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita, directed by Maria Finitzo. The film sheds light on the basic science, related ethical issues and what is possible and what is still unknown. Congratulations also to ITVS/Independent Lens, joint recipients of the award.
In other Kartemquin news, Milking The Rhino had its national broadcast on PBS' Independent Lens on April 7. Another Kartemquin title, At the Death House Door, won the Silver Hugo Award at the Chicago Film Festival Hugo Television Awards Ceremony in Chicago. At the Death House Door will continue to screen across the US and will be available for purchase on DVD June 23 at kartemquin.com.

Dan Katzir and Ravit Markus are delighted to share that their latest documentary Praying in Her Own Voice aired on Israeli TV on the International Women's Day. Over the next several months, the film will be playing in Kansas, Tampa-Florida, New Haven-Connecticut, Los Angeles and Chicago. For more details: www.newlovefilms.com

Long-time IDA member Joan Meyerson is once again writing PBS' National Memorial Day Concert, which airs live from the US Capitol on Sunday, May 24 at 8 p.m. (as always, check local listings!). The concert is a multi-media blend of music, documentary and dramatic readings, honoring soldiers from all of America's wars. Hosted by Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise, the program features dramatic readings by Laurence Fishburne as Abraham Lincoln, and Dianne Wiest as a mom caring for a son severely wounded in Iraq. Musical highlights include performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, Chinese pianist Lang-Lang, opera singer Denyce Graves and Broadway performer Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Allen Mondell and Cynthia Salazman Mondell premiered their new film A Dallas Jewish Journey in April at the Dallas Historical Society. The film is narrated by Stephen Tobolowsky, and takes viewers through the story of the challenges and growth of the Dallas Jewish community, from the first Jew in Dallas to Soviet Jewry’s flight for freedom and beyond. www.mediaprojects.org

Mark Mori, producer/director at Single Spark Pictures, is beefing up his team for the home stretch of production of Bettie Page Reveals All (working title). The film is the only documentary authorized by cult figure and 1950s pinup/fetish model extraordinaire Bettie Page. New additions to the team include Kevin Nicklaus (associate producer, webmaster), Audrey Wu(social networking), Elliot Christ (production associate, assistant to Mark Mori), and John Sidoti (forums and blogs).
Mori is pursuing a hybrid distribution strategy. He says, "BettiePageMovie.com will drive both the marketing and distribution of the film. We'll distribute the film in all the traditional venues: festivals, theaters, retail DVD, TV, etc. We'll gather thousands of Bettie fans via the website and 'put them on the street and cyber pathways' as marketers and distributors for the film. We'll be distributing in ways that haven't been seen before." http://bettiepagemovie.com

Filmmaker James Spione (American Farm) is completing post-production on a new film, Inauguration, about the ebullient, record-breaking crowd that turned out to witness Barack Obama's historic swearing-in last January. Spione's street-level, verité doc details a 24-hour period of excitement in Washington, from the huge anticipation and feverish preparations on the eve of the ceremony, to the jubilant parade that followed, from the long, cold walk of thousands through neighborhood streets on that frigid winter morning, to the incredibly packed National Mall at midday. Spione is planning a direct-to-DVD release for July 4, and a new trailer is up and running now on the film's official website and on YouTube. www.inaugurationthemovie.com

Moon Beat, a documentary by Kevin Stirling, recently won a 2009 Remi Award at the WorldFest Houston Film Festival. www.moonbeatthemovie.com

Lots of updates from Ondi Timoner about We Live in Public. Over the last several months, the film played at the Sarasota Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, Independent Film Festival Boston 2009, Full Frame Festival and was the closing night film of the prestigious New Directors/New Films series at the Museum of Modern Art in April. In May, the film will play at Hot Docs and the Seattle International Film Festival.
Says Timoner: “Our NYC premiere at MOMA was amazing!  The two screenings were packed to the gills and sold-out weeks in advance (which bodes well for our theatrical release in NYC later this summer.) Familiar faces from the bunker were in attendance and very vocal (!) and we webcasted our colorful Q+A live on weliveinpublicthemovie.com in conjunction with pseudo.com. In case you missed it, we've put the discussion on our site and posted pics and videos from the interrogation photo booth at our raging post-premiere party.”
Additionally, Ondi, Josh Harris (star of We Live in Public) and some of the filmmakers who created the documentary My Suicide spoke at the Apple Store in SoHo as part of Apple’s Meet the Filmmaker series. The group talked about the ramifications of new technology and social networking -- "living in public" -- on the formation of identities and relationships. The talk will eventually be available on iTunes.  Weliveinpublicthemovie.com

John Vizzusi’s Electric Heart, the story of the incredible jazz artist Don Ellis, had its Kansas City premiere on April 25 as part of The Kansas City Film Festival, where it picked up the award for Best Feature Documentary. The film was also just presented at a special screening and dedication at The Library of Congress, The Mary Pickford Theater in Washington DC. The film has been released on DVD in the United Kingdom by Sleepy Night Records. www.DonEllisFilm.com.

Humble Beauty: Skid Row Artists, a one-hour documentary about talented homeless painters by Letitia Schwartz and Judith Vogelsang, will play in May at the Echo Park Film Center and the Pacific Palisades Film Festival. www.humblebeauty.com