Since 1990, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have been bringing their unique take on the world to screens both big and small. In an industry where yesterday’s doc becomes tomorrow’s reality show and the gay channel has to become less so to survive, the duo has not only produced some of the most most-watched, cutting-edge programming of the past two decades, but have also created one of the media world’s most successful independent production companies and distinctive brands, World of Wonder.

From award winning in-depth character studies (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Monica in Black in White) to social issue docs (The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell; The Last Beekeeper) and glitzy and splashy reality franchises (Rupaul's Drag Race, Million Dollar Homes), their productions defy traditional labels and assert that compelling story and characters are what create good programs, across genres, niches, and expectations.

On Monday, November 19, Join producer Eddie Schmidt (Beauty is Embarrassing, Troubadours) for a discussion with Randy and Fenton on the challenges of running a transatlantic production company, crossing genre boundaries, and managing the famous and infamous, while also hosting a cutting edge culture blog with over 200,000 hits per month.

The evening's on-stage conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A, and a reception on the Cinefamily's backyard Spanish patio!

Purchase your tickets here.

The IDA has decided upon this year’s recipients of the Creative Recognition Awards for cinematography, editing, writing, and music. The winners were decided by the Creative Recognition Awards Committee, which is made up from the co-chairs of the Features Screening Committees. At this year’s IDA Awards ceremony, Best Cinematography will go to Women With Cows, Best Editing to Room 237, and Best Music to Searching for Sugar Man. The Best Writing Award goes to Ann Richards’ Texas.

Best Cinematography recipient Women With Cows, which is also nominated for the Best Feature Award at this year’s IDA Documentary Awards, was directed and shot by Peter Gerdehag. The film focuses on 79-year-old Britt Georgsson, who has devoted her entire life to cows. Her sister Ingrid, one year her junior, cannot stand the cows. Even so, she generally helps her sister to look after the bovine family inheritance. Respected Swedish photographer and documentarist Peter Gerdehag observes both sisters over a period of time, not only during their frequent spats, but also in moments of mutual accord.

For Best Editing, the Creative Recognition Awards Committee decided on Rodney Ascher’s Room 237, a documentary that explores the many theories behind Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining and its hidden meanings. The film guides us through the many attempts to decode this endlessly fascinating film. With interviews from foreign and domestic ABC News correspondent Bill Blakemore, Albion College Professor of History Geoffrey Cocks, playwright Juli Kearns, author and hermetic scholar Jay Weidner, and KDK12 editor John Fell Ryan, Room 237 creates a new maze of sorts with endless detours and dead ends.

The Best Music honor will be bestowed upon Malik Bendjelloul’s Searching for Sugar Man, which details the efforts of two fans who wish discover if the rumored death of American musician Rodriquez was true, and, if not, to discover what had become of him. The soundtrack is comprised of a compilation containing materials from Rodriguez’s two albums, and original composition by Bendjelloul.

Lastly, the Creative Recognition Awards Committee decided on Keith Patterson’s Ann Richards’ Texas, which is also a part of IDA’s fiscal sponsorship program.

Ann Richards’ Texas is a timely documentary about the life and lessons of the late great Governor, Ann Richards. A feisty straight-talking West Texas girl, Ann Richards was a hippie housewife who traded late nights with Willie Nelson and the progressive Austin music scene for a beehive hair-do, the Governor's Mansion, and battles with special interests.

For more on all of the Creative Recognition Award recipients and nominees, download the full press release.

This year, the esteemed Pare Lorentz Award will go to The Island President, directed by John Shenk. Each year, the IDA gives this award to a film that demonstrates concern for the appropriate use of the natural environment, justice for all and the illumination of pressing social problems. Previous winners of the Pare Lorentz Awards include The Last Mountain, Wasteland, and An Inconvenient Truth.

IDA’s Pare Lorentz Award recipient The Island President, directed by Jon Shenk, is the story of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives. Nasheed brings democracy to the Maldives after thirty years of despotic rule, but faces an even greater challenge: rising sea levels threatening to submerge the 1200 islands of the Maldives enough to make them uninhabitable. The Island President captures Nasheed’s first year of office, culminating in his trip to the Copenhagen Climate Summit in 2009. When hope fades for a written accord to be signed, Nasheed makes a stirring speech, which salvages an agreement. Despite the modest size of his country, Mohamed Nasheed has become one of the leading international voices for urgent action on climate change. The Island President is produced by Bonni Cohen and Richard Berge, and Executive Produced by Jon Else.

Jon Shenk is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, and founder of Actual Films who has spent his career telling socially-relevant stories with a human touch. He was the Director of Photography for the Academy Award-winning Smile Pinki (2009). He was awarded an Emmy for Blame Somebody Else (2007), a feature story about human trafficking which he wrote, produced and photographed for PBS. Shenk directed and photographed the Emmy-nominated Lost Boys of Sudan (2004), a feature documentary that follows two young refugees of Sudan’s civil war through their first year in America. Shenk has produced and photographed dozens of documentaries for PBS, the BBC, A&E, Bravo, CBS, NBC, and National Geographic. He has been nominated twice for Emmys for his cinematography.

The Award's namesake, American filmmaker Pare Lorentz, was known for his non-fiction films about the New Deal. Lorentz is rightfully celebrated for making a distinct contribution to more than just American film history. Arguably the most influential filmmaker of the Great Depression, Pare Lorentz made films that set out to document the American experince in the Dust Bowl and the great American Plains. His sensitivity to American's impact on the environment is precisely why he is remembered today.

Each year IDA recognizes the achievements of a filmmaker who has made a significant impact at the beginning of his or her career in documentary film. This year IDA will honor David France, the producer and director of one of the year’s most-acclaimed films How To Survive A Plague, with the 2011 Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award.

Since his film's premiere last January at the Sundance Film Festival, award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author David France has received tremendous praise from critics, programmers and fellow filmmakers for his directorial debut. A former Newsweek senior editor known for his pieces bridging science and culture, his work has appeared in the New York Times and New York magazine, where he is a contributing editor, and has been recognized with a National Headliner Award and a GLAAD Media Award, among others. His three nonfiction books include Our Fathers, the critically acclaimed epic examination of the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis. Several films have been inspired by his work, including the Emmy-nominated Showtime film Our Fathers, for which he received a WGA nomination. He is at work on a major new history of AIDS, due from Alfred A. Knopf in 2014.

Previous recipients of the Donnet Award include Marshall Curry (If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front; Racing Dreams), Danfung Dennis (Hell and Back Again), Natalia Almada (The General), and Jonathan Caouette (Tarnation, Walk Away Renee) .

David France will receive his award at the 28th annual IDA Documentary Awards ceremony, to take place Friday, December 7 at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles.

Back in November 2011, the IDA and Kartemquin Films sent out a request for your help as we were preparing to submit comments to the Library of Congress regarding the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). We were requesting that an exemption be renewed to allow all filmmakers to obtain the clips they need to tell their stories under the protection of the law. With your help and support, we submitted these comments for consideration of appending the DMCA’s current restrictions for accessing footage on Thursday, December 1, 2011.

Yesterday, on Thursday, October 25, the Librarian of Congress made his determination in the DMCA Rulemaking. Under the former DMCA exemption, documentary filmmakers were allowed to take materials from DVDs for fair use in their films. We were asking that all filmmakers would be recognized under the exemption.

Most of what was asked for was granted: the exemption was renewed for documentary filmmakers and granted for nonfiction e-book authors "offering film analysis," on both DVD and online distribution services. This can be considered a HUGE step forward toward making sure that encryption doesn't prevent documentary filmmakers and e-book authors from fully envisioning their projects.

Jack Lerner, Clinical Associate Professor of Law at the University of Southern California, had this to say about the decision: "This is an important day for documentary filmmaking. In today's digital environment, technological locks are ubiquitous and confounding. Without this exemption, filmmakers simply could not continue to do what they've done for decades: use the language of film to examine and illuminate our culture, history and civic life." Professor Lerner's USC Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic and Michael C. Donaldson served as counsel for the filing of the comments mentioned above.

"This is a huge expansion of the permission allowing documentary filmmakers to crack DVDs," said Michael Donaldson, founding partner of Beverly Hills law firm Donaldson & Callif. "Now they may also crack online distribution services. This is a huge step forward. I must acknowledge my co-counsel, Jack Lerner of University of Southern California Gould School of Law." Michael Donaldson helped to organize the request for the exemption.

"While enthusiastic that the Librarian of Congress has seen the importance of preserving fair use rights for documentary filmmakers in the digital age, I am even more excited to see all the amazing films that that will use this exemption over the next three years," said Alex Cohen of the USC Gould School of Law.

Another cohort from USC, Brendan Charney, also weighed in about the rulemaking: "We were thrilled to have the opportunity to advocate for such a critical exemption, but the most important work was done by documentary filmmakers who told their stories to the copyright office and made clear why fair use is essential to their compelling work."

Read more about the decision here. The IDA wants to thank all who submitted their stories for your support in helping to ensure that filmmakers are no longer harmed by the DMCA!

Further reading: USC Gould’s IPTLC Wins Battle on Behalf of Filmmakers, E-book Authors

This is a guest post by Matt Holzman, host of KCRW's Matt's Movies and creator of The Business. Please read on to learn more about how Peter Gilbert's and Steve James' doc inspired a 1/2 hour radio show, which will air Friday, October 26 on KCRW's Unfictional.

I used to love loitering in the video store, rummaging aimlessly through the documentary section and coming across an intriguing-sounding film I'd never heard of. iTunes doesn't offer quite the same visceral joy of discovery, but at the end of the day I've unearthed a lot more great films that way.

And it was on one of those late-night, trance-like, remote-clicking jags that I came across Hoop Dreams'  Peter Gilbert's and Steve James' 2008 film At The Death House Door. What a joy to realize that you haven't seen a movie by some of your favorite filmmakers!

Death House is the powerful story of a "speak softly and carry a big bible" kind of Texas minister named Carroll Pickett. As the chaplain of the State Penitentiary at Huntsville for 15 years, he ministered to 95 inmates that died in the Texas death house.

Pickett is an amazing character and his story is one of subtle transformation. But there was something else. Those tapes.

In the wee hours after every execution, Pickett would go across the street to his house, sit down, turn on his little tape recorder and talk. He would describe what he'd seen in the particularly stoic-sounding drawl of an old Texas lawman. For the most part, it was just the facts, ma'am—but it is that clear-eyed recollection of events—both mundane and extraordinary—that make the tapes so riveting.

Of course, Gilbert and James could only include so much audio in their film...it is, after all, a film. But I'm a radio guy, and I have no such limitation. For me, those tapes represented a deep vein of precious ore. They were a mother lode of rare audio, if you will. A radio-makers' dream. You cannot imagine my excitement at the thought of listening to them.

And so I worked up the nerve to call Steve—a complete stranger—and asked if we would help me convince Reverend Pickett to let me make a radio piece from the tapes. Pickett is cautious and conservative—he's had a lot of bad experiences with the press and the Texas prison people are not at all pleased with his anti-death penalty activism. But after working with him on what Pickett calls "our" documentary, he trusts James explicitly, and for reasons I still don't fathom, Steve indeed vouched for me. In the months since our original conference call, Pickett's said "If Steve James says you're ok, than I guess you must be OK..." about 1,000 times.

Reverend Pickett gave the green light to my project, and Zak Piper, Co-Producer on At The Death House Door at Kartemquin Films, sent tons of audio—I listened to about half of the tapes, some 30 hours in all. As I've said, they are largely unemotional; they lack the purple prose that has become associated with the "death house scene." But then again, most of the people writing those scenes have never attended a real execution, let alone 95 of them. And none of them has spent the day with the man about to be executed, getting to know him as a man.

The result is Ministry of Presence, a 1/2 hour radio doc that will air on KCRW's UnFictional this Friday at 7:30pm, repeated Tuesday at 2:30. You'll also be able to stream and podcast it on the show's site. I am very proud of the piece, which will air, not coincidentally, a few days before Californians vote on the death penalty. I am grateful to Carroll Pickett for putting his amazing story in my hands, and to Peter Gilbert and Steve James for making such an amazing film and helping make my piece possible. It makes me wonder why doc filmmakers and radio-makers don't work together more often!

Listen now

The International Documentary Association is pleased to announce the five feature-length documentary films that have been selected to receive a total of $75,000 from the Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund. The Fund, which was created with support from The New York Community Trust, goes to projects that illuminate pressing issues in the United States and honor the legacy of the landmark documentary filmmaker Pare Lorentz.

This year IDA received a record number of grant applications from 216 filmmakers from across the U.S. and around the world. Submissions were judged on their objective research, artful storytelling, strong visual style, and high production values, as well as the reflection of the spirit and nature of Pare Lorentz’s work.

Pare Lorentz was an American original. His documentary films The Plow That Broke The Plains (1936), The River (1938) and The Fight for Life (1940) were among the first to demonstrate that films can educate and rally a nation around its history, its greatness, and its problems. After first working as a journalist and a film critic, Lorentz became a director in the 1930s and was appointed as film advisor to the U.S. Resettlement Administration. In 1939 Lorentz founded and began running the U.S. Film Service.

"Using the power of nonfiction storytelling, each of these films has the potential to change how our society views some of the most pressing issues of our time," said Michael Lumpkin, IDA’s Executive Director. "With the support of The New York Community Trust and the Elizabeth Meyer Lorentz Fund, IDA is able to further support the vital work of documentary filmmakers."

Here are the productions receiving Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund grants:

After Tiller - Directed and produced by Martha Shane and Lana Wilson. After the assassination of Dr. George Tiller, the last four late-term abortion doctors in America confront harassment from protestors, challenges in their personal lives, and a series of tough ethical decisions.

Citizen Corp - Directed and produced by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, Citizen Corp is about the influence of money in US politics. Set against the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision and the rise of the Tea Party and Occupy movements, the film explores the consequences for democracy when private interests determine who is elected to deliver public good.

Four Walls Around Me - Produced and directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky and produced by Sophie Harris, Four Walls Around Me follows three ex-cons their first year out of prison. Through their earnest attempts, grave missteps and a frightening end game, the film asks, is it possible to truly reinvent yourself?

The New Black - Directed by Yoruba Richen and produced by Yvonne Welbon, Yoruba Richen, and Angela Tucker, The New Black is a documentary that uncovers the complicated and often combative histories of the African-American and LGBT civil rights movements.

Remote Area Medical - Directed by Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman and produced by Jeff Reichert, Farihah Zaman, and Dan O’Meara. Over three days, Remote Area Medical, the pioneers of “no-cost” health care, treat nearly 2,000 patients on the infield of Bristol, Tennessee’s NASCAR speedway.

Learn more about the Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund.

We are SO excited to finally announce all of the nominees for our 28th annual IDA Documentary Awards ceremony, which will be held Friday, December 7, 2012 at the Director's Guild in Los Angeles. Our Executive Director Michael Lumpkin expressed his enthusiasm about this year's selections: "This year’s documentaries have once again shown us the power of the documentary art form," Lumpkin said. "The record number of submissions we received reflects the cultural relevance of documentary storytelling."

The five films nominated in IDA’s Best Feature category include The Central Park Five (Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon), The Invisible War (Kirby Dick), The Queen of Versailles (Lauren Greenfield), Searching for Sugar Man (Malik Bendjelloul), and Women With Cows (Peter Gerdehag).

The five nominated films in the Best Short category are God is the Bigger Elvis (Rebecca Cammisa), Kings Point (Sari Gilman), Mondays at Racine (Cynthia Wade), Open Heart (Kief Davidson), and Saving Face (Daniel Junge, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy).

To see the nominees in the Best Continuing Series, Best Limited Series, the HUMANITAS Documentary Award, the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award, and the ABCNEWS VIDEOSOURCE Award, please visit the Awards page.

We're thrilled that Penn Jillette will be hosting the IDA Awards. He is a cultural phenomenon as a solo personality and as half of the world-famous Emmy®-Award­ winning magic duo Penn & Teller. His solo exposure is enormous: Howard Stern to Glenn Beck to the Op-Ed pages of The New York Times. Dancing With The Stars, MTV Cribs and Chelsea Lately, and hosted the NBC game show Identity. As part of Penn & Teller, he has appeared more than twenty times on David Letterman, as well as on several other TV shows, from The Simpsons and Friends to Top Chef and Jimmy Fallon. He co-hosts the controversial series Penn & Teller: Bullsh*t!, which has been nominated for sixteen Emmy® Awards. His documentary, The Aristocrats, features 100 top comics telling their version of the world's dirtiest joke and was a 2005 official Sundance entry.

Winners in the Best Feature and Best Short categories are selected by IDA’s membership. Screening committees of industry professionals based in New York City, Washington, DC, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles determine other award categories.

In addition to recognizing the year’s best in documentary filmmaking and nonfiction programming, the 2012 IDA Documentary Awards will be honoring producer Arnold Shapiro with the organization’s Career Achievement Award, and presenting The Sundance Institute's groundbreaking Documentary Film Program and Fund with IDA’s Pioneer Award, which recognizes extraordinary contributions to advancing the non-fiction form and providing exceptional vision and leadership to the documentary community.

Winners will be announced live at the awards ceremony. Tickets available now!

Read the official press release.

Check out two of IDA's fiscally sponsored films that are creating meaningful social change. Sin by Silence, a film about domestic violence, made legislative history after Assemblywoman Fiona Ma attended a screening of the documentary in 2011. The result? The Sin by Silence Bill was signed into law by Governor Brown this September. Rebecca Richman Cohen's Code of the West hit headlines last month when it was used as part of the defense of a man facing federal drug charges. Instead of 20 years in prison, he received 5 years probation. Read the Indiewire article.

Can you think of other instances when documentaries have sparked social change? Leave a comment below!

Here are a few deadlines to take note of in the next few weeks. Feel free to contact Amy Halpin or myself about this or any other grant opportunities you come across.

October 31: The Frameline Completion Fund - grants to emerging and established filmmakers making projects about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their communities.

New!: The Bertha BRITDOC Documentary Journalism Fund is an international film fund dedicated to supporting long form feature documentaries of a journalistic nature. Rolling deadline.

November 5: Tribeca Film Institute Grants (TFI)  - Latin America Media Arts Fund, Documentary Fund, All Access Tribeca.