Speaking at the Commonwealth Club of California earlier this year, Albert Maysles made a comment that many in the audience may not have heard. He said, "You make a film of social significance, and the repercussions go on and on." Many probably missed that moment because it was one of those half-muttered gems that can get lost inside of a live conversation, but becomes profound when watching it again on video. At the time, Maysles was speaking about the controversy that was to become Gimme Shelter, his and brother David's elegy to the 1960s. Much like the decade that birthed it, the film
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Distribution U, the brainchild of DIY distribution consultant Peter Broderick and new media expert Scott Kirsner, debuted in November 2009 to great acclaim as a comprehensive primer to getting your doc out there, using the social media tools wisely and creatively to do so. (For Tamara Krinsky's report on the 2009 Distribution U, click here.) Distribution U returned this year, with a New York edition added to complement its Los Angeles edition. The daylong seminar at UCLA (of which this writer could only attend half of the offerings) attracted a bevy of indie docmakers, as well as a legion of
Fall is always a busy festival time for those of us in the business of buying, selling, making and funding documentary films. Choosing where to go can present a dilemma for a first-time filmmaker who has a project to pitch or for a buyer/acquisitions person on a limited budget. Combining some sort of industry conference and pitching session within the context of a film festival is a great two-for-one that provides distributors like me the best opportunity to both see great finished films that are looking for distribution as well as talking to filmmakers who are looking to raise funds for works
The Calling, which airs December 20 and 21 on PBS' Independent Lens, is a two-part, four-hour series that follows seven Muslims, Catholics, Evangelical Christians and Jews as they undertake their respective journeys on the road to professional clergy. The series is, in large part, a snapshot on faith in America and the ongoing challenges of reconciling the exigencies of modernity with the teachings and principles of faiths that date back thousands of years. Chicago-based filmmaker Danny Alpert, the series director and executive producer, enlisted the services of four seasoned vérité filmmakers
Plus Camerimage, which ran from November 27 through December 4, is a unique film festival celebrating the art of cinematography; eight days are devoted each year honoring the importance of these artists/technicians whose visual imagery contribute so much to cinematic storytelling. Overlooked, downplayed or not fully understood, it is the intelligence, originality and beauty of the photography and camerawork that can intensify the emotional impact of a scene, convince the audience to suspend reality, or energize enough brain cells to process large quantities of information--something today's
The Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival--CPH:DOX-- has quietly been building a buzz for a few years. I was happy to get the opportunity to attend this year to experience what the fuss was all about first-hand. Sandwiched in the calendar between Sheffield and IDFA, this is one festival that doesn't have to worry about getting lost in the mix. CPH:DOX has an identity all its own, an "out of the box" vision so singular you wouldn't even think to compare it to anyone else. It's emerged, now in its sixth year, as a stop on the festival circuit very worthy of international attention
IDFA (International Documentary FilmFestival Amsterdam) 2010 was an impressively well run, multi-faceted event, with hundreds of films to see, dozens of opportunities to drink for free and meet people from countries you might not ever have given serious thought to, and a legendary pitching forum. The festival showcased five of the 15 documentary features on the Academy Awards short list, and many more that demonstrate the vast expressive world beyond that measure. Festival director Ally Derks opened the festival with a challenge to Dutch authorities who have announced a 25 percent cut in
When it comes to being able to see documentaries in a city like New York, more often than not, there's an abundance of riches. In addition to theatrical releases that open at venues like Film Forum, Cinema Village and The Quad, there are the ongoing series at media arts organizations like Maysles Cinema, Flaherty NYC and DCTV, as well as the nonfiction festivals that occur throughout the year--MoMA's annual Documentary Fortnight, the Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival, not to mention other annual festivals such as the New York Film Festival, New Directors/New Films and Tribeca, as well as a
This year's Preservation & Scholarship Award honoree, Mark Jonathan Harris, has taught filmmaking at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts since 1983. The award celebrates the impact Harris has made as a teacher and mentor--inspiring students, alumni and colleagues alike to make a difference in the documentary community. Harris, whose career has blended filmmaking, writing and teaching, is the first to maintain that he's more of a practitioner than a scholar. Indeed, when he graduated from Harvard, the last place he expected to land was academia. "I graduated