A little-known chapter in documentary history is that of Japan's pre-World War II proletarian film movement. The organization at the core of this movement was the Proletarian Film League of Japan, known as Prokino for short. The founding meeting for the group was in 1929, and it was active for about five years after that. But these facts were little known after the war, let alone before it, and rarely appeared even in the histories written by scholars of Japanese film. In the 1960s there were some, particularly young activists and filmmakers, who wanted to take up Prokino's work, and people
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"When Strangers Meet" was the motto of the 14th Hawaii International Film Festival, held November 4-17, 1994, in Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, and neighboring islands. At least it must have appeared that way when, following an evening of screenings and a morning dive trip, I lumbered out of the sea with clumsy flippers and a dangling snorkel to congratulate Native American filmmaker Victor Masayesva Jr. while simultaneously dripping salt water on the blanket of Museum of Modern Art film curator Sally Berger. Such is the casual nature of this unique event. As a producer, along with my partner Matthew
New technologies such as digital imaging, interactive movies and television, TV on demand, interactive kiosks, virtual reality, CD-ROM, and CD-I are opening up a new relationship between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. The Hollywood-based Women in Film's New Technologies Council organized a three part series of interactive seminars to showcase some of the opportunities for creative professionals that are being created as a result of this entertainment and computer industry marriage. The first seminar, "Creating an Interactive Project," held last May, began with a case study of an interactive
It's nice to see that Hoop Dreams (one of the 1994 IDA Distinguished Documentary Achievement Award winners) has made almost every "best ten" list of movies this year. Not only that, but quite a few critics, like Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, think it's the best picture of the year. According to Turan, " Hoop Dreams is as out and out entertaining as any film of the year, and it offers more substance than almost any that could be named....There is yet another reason to anoint Hoop Dreams, and that is to call attention to the critical mass of exceptional documentaries that visited Los
Eternity. One day this single word mysteriously appeared on the sidewalks of Sydney, Australia, chalked in beautiful copperplate script. For 40 years it reappeared in different places, always written under cover of dawn's early light. To some it was poetry, to others a spiritual message, and for some it was the purest form of art. Like the magic of ancient wall paintings, the word left its impression on the soul of a city. In 1956, 20 years after the word first appeared, the identity of the writer was discovered. His name was Arthur Stace. He had been a derelict, a petty criminal, and a
Those of us who love the nonfiction film and have seen many of the documentaries released each year are often surprised by the choices made by the film and television critics for their annual "best" lists, but rarely are we surprised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' Oscar nominations. One might ask, why Hoop Dreams? How does one get on these critics' lists? And, finally, how does one get an Academy nomination? Every year, critics who are members of the Los Angeles, New York, and other national and local critics' associations select the year's "best" films, actors, directors
"Hey, did you hear that Martin Scorsese is making a film in Toronto?" "No, what is it?" "It's called Clean Streets." That's an appropriate joke for the neatest, spiffiest, shiniest megalopolis in North America. Newcomers to the annual Toronto Festival of Festivals (renamed in 1994 as the Toronto International Film Festival) can't help but express their astonishment at the spotlessness— and law-abidingness—of this lovely Canadian city. In response, Torontonians shudder and bow their heads in shame, wishing, alas, for more grime and more crime. In contrast, nobody shows anything but pride who is
Many people ask, and rightly so: Of what use it is to spend the money and time schmoozing at festivals and markets? Whether one has a clearly defined goal, such as finding a distributor, or a more diffuse goal, such as meeting other members of the restless nomadic tribe known as filmmakers and their hangers-on, my advice is, GO! You may ask yourself, But what HAPPENS? All this buzz, fermentation, clash of personalities, and encounters with people with interests similar to yours causes you to produce more ideas and energy in a week than you usually generated in a month or two or three. If you
This October, Turner Broadcasting climaxes a company-wide initiative focusing on Native Americans with a comprehensive documentary presentation, The Native Americans. With a creative team of Native American directors, writers, field producers and advisors, the series comprises six segments, each focusing on a specific American region and its spiritual and cultural history. Anchoring each segment is the council, a group of tribal leaders who act as a chorus, bridging past and present and sharing values, ideals and culture among themselves and with viewers. The six-hour, three-part series is
When Ken Burns' monumental documentary miniseries The Civil War aired on PBS in 1990, no one anticipated the massive popularity and unanimous acclaim the film would generate. Hailed by critics as "heroic television," The Civil War captured the hearts and minds of an unprecedented number of viewers, launched a trend in documentary miniseries "event" programming, proved that still photographs and talking heads carry the power to fascinate, and catapulted the filmmaker to a level of public fame and private financial security virtually unheard of among contemporary American documentarians