Over the next month, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work is represented in the DocuWeeks™ Theatrical Documentary Showcase, which runs from August 3 through August 30 in New York City and Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films—the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far. So, to continue this series of conversations, here is Kelly Richardson, director of Without A Net. Synopsis: Djeferson, Bárbara, Rayana, and Platini live in a drug controlled slum of Rio
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One year into making my first documentary, Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon, I lost everything. Not in the literal sense; I still had a roof over my head and food to eat. But I lost the film. A catastrophic hard-drive failure wiped out most of my project files- files that I thought were automatically backed up by my computer, but weren't. I believe a part of me, subconsciously, knew that I wasn't backing up the project files. Part of me yearned to sabotage the film, to see it end so that I could go back to narrative filmmaking. My first foray into feature documentary had not been easy
The struggle behind re-releasing 'Eyes on the Prize.'
With the passing of Mel Stuart last week, another "Hollywood Legend" moved from manic life to memory. His obituaries listed his numerous film credits, awards and the number of documentary films he directed, wrote or produced. This total varied widely from 50, to 150, to 180 as reported in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Hollywood Reporter., respectively. Any one of these numbers is remarkable. The fact that he was planning production of a new film in the last weeks before his death bears witness to his stamina, his insatiable curiosity and his character. In all of the reporting
Editor's Note: Open Heart is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject. What follows, in part, is an interview with director/producer/writer Kief Davidson, when the film screened as part of IDA's DocuWeeks. Sections of the interview have been updated and amended. Synopsis: Eight Rwandan children leave their families behind to embark on a life or death journey seeking high-risk heart surgery in Sudan. Their hearts ravaged by a treatable disease from childhood strep throat, the kids have only months to live. Open Heart reveals the intertwined endeavors of Dr. Emmanuel
Over the next month, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work is represented in the DocuWeeks™ Theatrical Documentary Showcase, which runs from August 3 through August 30 in New York City and Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films—the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far. So, to continue this series of conversations, here is Dafna Yachin, director/producer/writer of Digital Dharma: One Man's Mission to Save a Culture. Synopsis: When ancient writings of
Over the next month, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work is represented in the DocuWeeks™ Theatrical Documentary Showcase, which runs from August 3 through August 30 in New York City and Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films—the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far. So, to continue this series of conversations, here is Mai Iskander, director/producer of Words of Witness. Synopsis: Every time 22-year-old Heba Afify heads out to cover the historical
Every April, over 100,000 delegates converge on the Convention Center in Las Vegas for NAB (National Association of Broadcasters), the largest electronic media convention in the world. According to John Milner of NAB, the show floors cover the equivalent of 68 football fields (800,000 square feet) to accommodate 1,400 exhibits of audio, video and moviemaking equipment. This is the show of shows for the unveiling of new equipment. This is clearly the year of high-definition video (HDV). Although JVC introduced a single-chip HDV camera, the GR-HD1, at NAB 2003, soon followed by a prosumer
Over the next month, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work is represented in the DocuWeeks™ Theatrical Documentary Showcase, which runs from August 3 through August 30 in New York City and Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films™the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far. So, to continue this series of conversations, here is Nelson Cheng, director/producer of The Magic Life. Synopsis: Three aspiring individuals try to turn their passion into a career. Can
The 27th annual IDA Documentary Awards will take place December 7, 2012.