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

If you are an IDA Member and would like your news to be featured in the Members News column, please send your blurb (150 words max) to Documentary associate editor Tamara Krinsky at krinskydoc@ca.rr.com. You must include your name and the words "Member News" in the subject line.

The Money Stone, a new documentary feature, has received the 2008 Roy W. Dean Los Angeles Video Grant. The grant is awarded annually by Carole Dean and From the Heart Productions. The filmmakers will receive goods and services valued at more than $30,000 from a variety of donors, including Universal Studios Sound, Lightning Dubs and Edgewise, among many others. The film, which is being produced by Paula Ely and directed by Stuart Harmon, brings to light one of the world's most hazardous professions-the galamsey gold miners of Ghana.

Los Angeles-based writer/director Petra Haffter and her team went off In Search of America. From coast to coast and back again, Haffter and her crew crossed four time zones and 32 states, from New York City across the northern US and from Los Angeles along the southern states to Florida. Inspired by John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, Haffter wanted to absorb American life, and she was curious, but cautious. As the Bush administration was coming to an end, was the country ready for change? Could they embrace an African-American man or a woman as president? The five-part documentary was broadcast throughout Europe in October in prime time, where the timely topic was met with extremely high ratings and stunning reviews. An international version was produced as well, with the goal of being presented in America.

ITN Source has signed an exclusive representation deal with Asian News

International (ANI) to license its content across all platforms globally. ANI has the most comprehensive compilation of footage from South Asia, including the Asian Films library, which dates back to the late 1930s. ANI footage is gathered from over 100 bureaus in India and South Asia and comprises news, entertainment, lifestyle, business, sports, science and quirky content. The collection includes memorable footage from India's freedom movement, the birth of economic reforms and the wedding of Sonia Gandhi with Rajiv Gandhi. ITN Source has digitized 5,000 of the most popular clips, which can now be downloaded in broadcast quality from www.itnsource.com.

KPI's The White House behind Closed Doors premiered November 26 on History.

Brooklyn Girl Productions presents the DVD release of the award-winning documentary From Silence to Sound, directed by Chase Matthews and produced by Jenine Mayring. Visit www.fromsilencetosound.com to buy a copy of this inspiring story today and witness the miracle! IDA members receive a special 20 percent discount for a limited time only (coupon code NN9Q7JTX).

Jeffrey Schwarz's In the Gutter, a one-hour original special exploring the origin and popularity of gross-out comedy, became available on DVD beginning December 2.

Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts presented the world premiere, on November 24, of Giant Steps, a documentary about how dance is changing the lives of at-risk kids in Cambodia. Completed in conjunction with Chapman University School of Law and Chapman's Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the film is the first product of Chapman's new interdisciplinary documentary program, which sends teams of students around the world to profile leading human rights and development organizations. Shot throughout Cambodia in the summer of 2008, Giant Steps was created by a group of Chapman students who were led by faculty members Professor Jeff Swimmer and Dr. John Hall. Prior to the trip, the students spent the spring semester researching the area and organizations and the legal and cultural implications of their work. They spent the fall semester working on the editing, post-production, marketing and distribution of the film.