What do Elmo, former gang members, gypsy Romanian school children, bullies, a horse whisperer and crowdsourcing all have in common? They were the big hits at the 9th annual AFI/Discovery Channel SilverDocs Film Festival and Conference in Silver Spring, Maryland, this past June. As always, there was far too much to do in one day, or five days; the offerings were so diverse. This year over 100 films from 60 countries were selected from the 2,200 submitted. But, says festival director Sky Sitney, "I would rather have people overscheduled than sitting around for hours." If that was the goal
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Extensive Research Underscores Impact beyond the Box Office
To get a sense of just how intensive and comprehensive the Sheffield Doc/Fest has become, take a look at a single time slot. At 5:00 p.m. on Friday, right in the middle of the five-day festival, you had your choice of no fewer than 13 options of where to turn your attention. You could be in a hub of the Sheffield Hallam University student union, taking a critical look at the inevitably complicated relationship between filmmakers and charities when they partner to make films. In a former chapel up the road, you could witness that same relationship up close, in the Wellcome Trust Broadcast
The True/False Film Festival (T/F) in Columbia, Missouri enjoyed its third incarnation this past February. Already hailed as a haven for nonfiction makers from across the world, T/F continues to amaze and delight. Not that any is necessarily needed, but this festival is more proof that the popularity of documentary films is on the rise. But it is also evident that there is much more to a festival than merely screening films. The creation of David Wilson and Paul Sturtz, T/F is pushing the boundaries of what a documentary film festival can be. "It's a playful name for us," quips Sturtz. "The
indieWIRE was born as a free daily e-mail publication in 1996, and over the past 10 years has been honored with a "Webby" Award for best film website, called a "must read" by Variety , branded the "online heartbeat of the world's independent film community" by Forbes , and dubbed "best indie crossroads" by film critic Roger Ebert. Documentary interviewed co-founder and editor-in-chief Eugene Hernandez to reflect on indieWIRE 's beginnings, how it bloomed and where it's headed in the future. When you started indieWIRE in 1996, did you have grand thoughts? Or did you just think it would be fun
Twenty-Four Films To Be Shown in New York And Los Angeles.
Editor’s Note: On October 1 at the Lakeside Theater in Oakland, IDA will present a special Bay Area edition of its Conversation Series, featuring The Black Panthers director Stanley Nelson talking with Orlando Bagwell, director of the Documentary Program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Learn more and purchase tickets. When we think of the 1970s, we generally think of Vietnam and Watergate, the Me Decade and disillusionment, double-digit inflation and the American hostages in Iran. The '70s as a decade has not quite reached the iconic status of the '60s; one thinks of the '70s
Docs on Andy Warhol, Jack Smith and Matthew Barney
Looking at nature/wildlife filmmaking programs in academia.