Celesta Davis reports that Awful Normal made its New York City premiere this past November as part of IndieWire's Undiscovered Gems Series at the IFC Film Center. The film follows Davis, her mother and sister as they go confront the man who molested the girls as children, resulting in one of the most provocative interviews ever caught on camera. Touching, healing and full of cathartic power, this film offers an opportunity not just to better understand the issue of sexual abuse, but to step inside the human soul.

Martin Doblemaier is working with Journey Films, whose most recent production was Bonhoeffer (www.bonhoeffer.com), the documentary about German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer who offered one of the first voices of resistance to Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer will be broadcast on PBS nationally on Monday, February 6, at 10:00 p.m., two days after the 100th anniversary of Bonhoeffer's birth. Doblmaier's new productions include Schweitzer, about Albert Schweitzer, for the Hallmark Channel, and Power of Forgiveness, an upcoming series for PBS. 

Pedro Carvajal's Popaganda: The Art & Crimes of Ron English continued its successful festival run at the Ojai Film Festival this past October. The film looks at subversive billboard artist Ron English, and invites the viewer to really consider public versus private space and high versus low art.

Producer/director Karen Everett's new film, Women in Love, played at the Film Arts Festival in San Francisco this past November. Said Karen in an e-mail to the IDA: "I'm pleased to say that the film is doing great on the queer film festival circuit and has even crossed over to a few straight festivals!" 

Executive director Scott Hillier is pleased to announce the launch of the website for the European Independent Film Festival 2006 (otherwise known as the ECU Film Festival 2006)-www.ecufilmfestival.com. While the festival is a showcase of European filmmaking talent, there are a limited number of categories for films from America, Asia and Africa. After the festival, the award-winning films will be taken on the road to New York City, Los Angeles, Sydney, Beijing and Moscow.

Independent film company KPI recently shot Roswell, a one-hour show for the History Channel. Shooting took place in the desert near Palm Springs, and included a variety of recreations. Shooting was done on a Panasonic Varicam, and included extensive props and costuming.

MacGillivray Freeman Films' giant screen co-production Mystery of the Nile was awarded the Best Cinematography and Best Soundtrack Awards at the 2005 GSTA Achievement Awards ceremony in Boston. Producer/director Jordi Llompart and producer Greg MacGillivray were presented with a Special Achievement Award for their extraordinary individual accomplishments producing the film. The MFF Distribution Company also received the MAC Award for Best Marketing by a Distributor. Mystery of the Nile has taken in more than $17 million worldwide since its release in February, making it the highest grossing giant screen film released in 2005 to date.

Barbara Rick's award-winning documentary feature In Good Conscience: SisterJeannine Gramick's Journey of Faith was recently featured in the "Real to Reel" segment on the popular In The Life program on PBS. www.itltv.org/inthelife/episodes

Filmmaker Bill Rose's The Loss of Nameless Things will be broadcast on PBS in February 2006. In 1978, Oakley Hall III was in every sense an enfant terrible. He was 28, the charismatic playwright and co-founder of the Lexington Conservatory Theater in upstate New York, and his work had been optioned by Joseph Papp's Public Theater. He had just completed work on his epic verse play, Grinder's Stand, when his life was violently interrupted: He suffered horrific head injuries in a fall from a bridge, was hospitalized for nearly a year and was incapacitated much longer. The Loss of Nameless Things tells his haunting story. www.thelossofnamelessthings.com.

Roger Weisberg's Waging a Living opened at the Fairfax Theatre in Los Angeles in November 2005. The film chronicles the day-to-day battles of four low-wage earners fighting to make work pay. Shot over a three-year period in the Northeast and California, this observational documentary captures the dreams, frustrations and accomplishments of a diverse group of people who struggle to live paycheck to paycheck.

Mark Wexler's critically acclaimed documentary Tell Them Who You Are is now available on DVD. The film centers on Wexler's relationship with his father, legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler.

Ira Wohl (Oscar-winner Best Boy and the 1997 sequel Best Man) has just finished the "three-quel," Best Sister. At press time, the film was planning on making its world premiere in January at the New York Jewish Film Festival, at Lincoln Center. The LA premiere will be in February, as a part of the Motion Picture Academy's screening series of best documentaries. The first two films told the ongoing story of Philly, Wohl's adult, mentally retarded cousin, and his journey from life at home with his parents, to a more independent and fulfilling existence. Best Sister examines a week in the life of Philly's sister Frances--his most vital family connection since the death of his other sister.