Over the past few years, the ten-day run of the Sundance Film Festival has coincided with events of historic and revolutionary import-the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009, the calamitous Haiti earthquake in 2010, the Tahir Square uprising in 2011. This year's festival showcased both panels and films that addressed change and the power of filmmaking to both capture this change and move it forward. Jeff Skoll, the force behind Participant Media and the foundation that bears his name, is a fierce advocate of social change and the power of media to affect it. The partnership that the
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With the continued support of NATPE (due to the effort of IDA Trustee Bram Roos), IDA is proud to be a sponsor of the "Documentary Pavilion," along with Real Screen Magazine, for its' second year. Considering the success of the "Documentary Pavilion" at NATPE '99, IDA is very excited about NATPE 2000!! This year IDA's booth will be bigger and better, serving as an information center and home base for independent producers, buyers and distributors working in nonfiction. In its 37th year, NATPE is one of the largest television markets in the world and is also the most affordable for U.S
Music rights clearance is often a cloudy subject for filmmakers and production companies. Oftentimes, this legal necessity is neglected by independent filmmakers until the last minute—when the film is ready for distribution. It is only then, some are horrified to discover, that the obscure 1940's song sung by the main character in their film will cost more to use than the entire budget of the film itself. In an effort to provide clarity around this important issue, three industry veterans were consulted and have provided some helpful hints to help filmmakers understand the necessity of
Welcome to Y2K. For one. l'm relieved that the suspense is over. Now let's get on with it. The documentary community brings a lot to this new century. First, we have a heritage of which we can be truly proud. For within 100 years, the documentary has gone from an experiment by the Lumière brothers in capturing motion picture images, to a powerful and popular genre which records, interprets and preserves human experience for posterity. No small feat for the pioneers who have paved our way! As we enter this new century, documentarians will continue to be in the forefront of testing and
When it started to look like a rumpled dishtowel I was saved by my friend Labul, who arranged it for me as he had many times before. Labul's cousin Peroji looked at me slyly from fireside, then stood up and mimicked a confrontation that I had had with the camp dogs the night before. They had been barking and fighting during much of the moonlit night until I finally confronted them in my sweatpants and sandals, chasing and waving my herding staff at them. Peroji's imitation was brilliant and everyone laughed, knowing that this was merely the first jest of the day in a reparte between Peroji and
As long as we have been documentary filmmakers, we had always wanted to do a film on children in war. To us, it was one of those great classic themes that seemed at once immensely challenging and truly meaningful. With the brutal ethnic wars raging in Bosnia and Rwanda in 1994 in which children were being deliberately targeted and killed, the time seemed right to try and launch the project. We had just completed our Academy Award-winning documentary film about a troubled inner-city elementary school in North Philadelphia entitled I Am A Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School. We
A wise man once said, "If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere." A year and half ago we embarked on a journey that few would want to travel. It was a journey down a path leading to Death's Door'. Autopsy: Through the Eyes of Death's Detectives documentary that explores the much-maligned character and work of clinical pathologists and forensic experts. It's also an unflinching, uncensored look at autopsy and its role in medicine and society. The documentary is our attempt to demystify subject matter that has forever been taboo, in no small thanks to Hollywood
Image Properties Dear IDA, I want to thank you for selecting Just a Wedding to participate in the DOCtober Festival. The film is newly released, as you know, so I was happy to see it projected on the big screen. People seem to really like the film—I'm encouraged by that. I'm sure you know already, but let me tell you anyway how hard your special events coordinator, Melissa Disharoon, worked and how helpful she was. Thelma Vickroy's outreach program is a great idea. I must admit, when I saw all of those elementary school children pile into the theater, I was a little alarmed at the possibility
Michael Friend, director of Film Archives at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is working with Les Blank on the archiving and preservation of his film catalogue. “We wanted to preserve all of Les’s films and are fortunate to be able to do this with his participation,” Friend says. “I think Les is one of the most important American documentary filmmakers, and it would be a shame for his work to be lost, damaged or destroyed. In this case, the prints are in pretty good condition, although some of the works had been cut for sales and distribution. We are in the process of restoring
The First Beirut "DocuDays," took place September 28 through October 4 in the capitol of Lebanon. The festival was organized by Marcel and Mohammed Hashem of the Arab Company for Radio Television and Cinema, and was partly sponsored by the Eastman Kodak Company and Paris-based Capa Productions. It was named in honor of IDA’s own DocuDay, and IDA Executive Director Betsy McLane was honored as one of six international jurors who attended as guests of the festival. The majority of the works shown at the festival were produced in Lebanon by Lebanese documentarians. Currently there are four