The New Americans, a Kartemquin Films documentary about immigration that airs on PBS from March 29-31, couldn't be more timely. From fear about terrorists—especially within the community of Arab and Muslim immigrants—to concern about undocumented Mexican laborers flooding the job market, immigration is directly linked these days to the topics of homeland security and the economy. And, thus, to politics in a presidential election year: witness the controversy over President Bush's new proposal to give temporary guest-worker status to those considered "illegal aliens." But when Steve James, co
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Park City, Utah, has a population of just over 7,000 people, but when the Sundance crowds—whom the locals refer to as "the people in black"—arrive every January, the population mushrooms—this year to nearly 50,000. This makes for a pretty crowded little place. Everyone needs to lodge, eat, ski and, naturally, watch movies. Regardless of the fact that Sundance screened about 150 films this year, nearly everything was sold out, with people lining up for the infamous wait-list tickets up to two hours in advance. For many people, there was just no getting in. But at the Treasure Mountain Inn at
Back in 1983 I was living in San Francisco, and I read in the newspaper one day about a new documentary called The Atomic Café that had just opened. I was in the early stages of producing my first documentary that also dealt with atomic power, a film that would eventually evolve into Radio Bikini. Given the similar subject matter, I made a point of going to see The Atomic Café. Walking out of the theater with my girlfriend that rainy night was a revelation. Here was a documentary that had me riveted in my seat like the best fiction. It was hip, ironic, hilarious, shocking, brimming with
To school myself in documentary filmmaking after a career in journalism, I gave myself a daily assignment, which I held to faithfully for nearly two years: Every morning before heading to work, I watched a movie. Most were documentaries, but not all. I also watched films that had what I called "journalistic pretensions" and were based on reporting, like The Insider or Argo. I saw hundreds and hundreds of films. Most of them made strident arguments about their subject matters, for or against. That seemed easy enough—maybe too easy. I found myself drawn to stories where the filmmaker let me be
The Sundance Film Festival is an amazing, wild ride, with so many screenings, panels and events taking place simultaneously that it's tough to choose which one to attend. The Filmmaker Lodge, located on Main Street in Park City, is a cozy retreat from the swirl of activity. The Filmmaker Lodge, which merged with the House of Docs in 2003, also hosts panel discussions and informal industry meetings. "The House of Docs was initially established to bring the documentary film community together at Sundance," says Diane Weyermann, director of the Documentary Film Program. "It worked so well that we
In September 2013, I traveled to Morocco as a film envoy for the American Film Showcase (AFS), a partnership between the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the USC School of Cinematic Arts; IDA and Film Independent are partners. AFS' mission is to foster cultural diplomacy by presenting independent films to audiences who would otherwise not have access to such work. The plan was to screen my film Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey-about Filipino musician Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the front man for iconic American rock band
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival earned its reputation as the "filmmakers' festival" by becoming a showcase for powerfully intimate stories, most often about people. "Character-driven" can be a redundant quality when it comes to most modern documentaries, but Full Frame distinguishes both its films and its own character as "bold, personal and very brave." This was how programming director Sadie Tillery introduced Darius Clark Monroe's Evolution of a Criminal, which went on to win both the Reva and David Logan Grand Jury and the Center for Documentary Studies Filmmaker Awards. Evolution
Those of you who read this column regularly know that I believe the future for documentary makers includes a significant change in the way technology connects filmmakers with audiences. Having just returned from my annual sojourn to the world of ultra-geeks and techno-nerds, I thought I'd report on some far-out tools that I suspect will shape our world in the months and years to come. The PC Forum, held each year in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a 20-year-old gathering of information technology folks that tries to look around corners and explore the future of technology and society. It's run by
When I finished Bill Siegel's film The Trials of Muhammad Ali, my first thought was, "That must have been some kind of trial for Bill, on so many different levels." Siegel has a history of working on films that confront America's complicated past in ways that many people would want to avoid. In large part, Muhammad Ali is remembered for his poetic speech and powerful left hook, but his political punch was just as strong, and The Trials of Muhammed Ali addresses that cultural impact. Even with its lack of direct stridency, the film confronts mainstream ways of thinking about the past, the
On December 29, 2013, three Al Jazeera English journalists were imprisoned in Cairo. Today marks the 100th day of the detainment of Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste, and Bahar Mohammed in the Egyptian capitol, who were charged with spreading false news, belonging to a terrorist group and operating without a permit. Al Jazeera is holding a press conference and symposium in New York City this afternoon to mark the occasion, and to call on the Egyptian Authorities to immediately release its journalists.The International Documentary Assocaiation was invited to include a letter of support in the press