The IDA is excited to announce the newest additions to our Board of Directors. Beginning with a strategic planning meeting on Saturday, May 19, the IDA will welcome Fonda Berosini, Executive Director of Communications for the Digital Media team at Disney/ABC Television Group; Lauren Lexton, co-founder of Authentic Entertainment; filmmaker Billy Luther; Ted Mundorff, President and CEO for Landmark Theatres; and Stephen Nemeth, head of Rhino Films, to join the existing members of IDA's Board. We know that the addition of these five individuals will create a new dynamic within the Board, ushering in a new era in IDA's ongoing legacy.

Fonda Berosini is currently Executive Director of Communications for the Digital Media team at Disney/ABC Television Group. Over the course of her career in digital marketing at companies such as Participant Media and Warner Independent Pictures she has worked on The Cove, Food, Inc., The 11th Hour, Darfur Now, Jimmy Carter Man From Plains, Chicago 10, and March of the Penguins, among others.

Lauren Lexton, co-founder of Authentic Entertainment, expressed her anticipation for being selected for the BOD. "I am so excited to be part of an organization that dedicates itself to arming filmmakers with the tools necessary to tell stories that need to be told," Lauren said recently in an email. "Whether they be comedic, heartbreaking, or a combination of both, they are the truth. I feel that we on the board have the responsibility to support those out there on the front lines, dedicating their life to revealing worlds which would remain hidden if someone didn't capture them for all the world to see."

Prior to co-founding Authentic, Lauren worked as a Show Runner, Director, Story Editor, Writer and Producer. She has been awarded several CINE Golden Eagles, the "Life in America" award from the National Association of Broadcasters and numerous Telly awards. Ms. Lexton graduated cum laude from NYUʼs Tisch School of the Arts. She serves on the annual award screening committee for the International Documentary Association, and is a member of the Directors Guild of America. Her greatest passion is finding great talent and stories, and discovering that truth is stranger than fiction.

"New technologies, new platforms make this is a golden age for docs, and IDA is front and center of this renaissance," said new Board member Billy Luther. "Being on the board of IDA is simply the best way to engage with this amazing community." Luther, who belongs to the Navajo, Hopi and Laguna Pueblo tribes, studied film at Hampshire College. He has worked on various projects for the New York City-based Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian's Film & Video Center. Luther is the director of the award-winning documentary Miss Navajo, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and aired nationally on PBS' Independent Lens. He currently serves on the Sundance Institute Alumni Advisory Board. Luther is in development on Miss Navajo: The Musical and The Untitled Hopi Project.

"I'm honored to be on the Board of IDA where I can help create opportunities for documentary films to be in the marketplace," said Ted Mundorff, President and CEO for Landmark Theatres. Leading an organization of over 1400 employees, his responsibilities include oversight for all film bookings, theatre operations, real estate, sales, marketing, sponsorships, advertising and training. Mundorff was integral to the rebuilding, rebranding and resurgence of Landmark which included the extraordinary success of the opening of their flagship theatre, located in West Los Angeles. The Landmark has become one of most important theatres to launch independent film in the country and has consistently received rave reviews including "Best Theatre in L.A." from the Los Angeles Times. Additionally, Mundorff was Executive Producer on Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview, which was recently released nationally.

"Documentaries can change the world and the IDA can change the lives of documentary filmmakers, said Stephen Nemeth, who heads Rhino Films. "I needed to be involved and so grateful to be a part of it." Nemeth has produced and executive produced dozens of films. He worked with Amnesty International through Artists for Amnesty on developing and producing human rights related projects. His Producer credits include The Surrogate, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Dogtown and Z Boys, What We Do Is Secret and You and I, and the upcoming Radio Free Albemuth and Snake and Mongoose. Nemeth executive produced the Academy Award-nominated documentary War/Dance, Sundance Audience Award winner Fuel, Flow, Climate Refugees, Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story, Mr. Bitchin', Beisbol, Patriocracy and Pick Up The Mic and the upcoming State of Control and A Nuclear Family.

Current IDA Board President Marjan Safinia had this to say about the new additions to the Board: "I couldn't be more excited or proud of the tremendous talent we are bringing onto our Board. It is a continued validation of just how important the work of documentary filmmakers is in the world, and how passionately people believe in supporting these amazing artists. The professional caliber of our new Board Members is just outstanding. To know that IDA is attracting the highest level talent to our Board of Directors is a sign that all the hard work we have been doing as an organization over in the last several years is really paying dividends. I am more excited than ever for our strategic planning and the work of the Board in shaping the vision for the IDA in years to come. Watch this space."

NBC News Archives continues to support the documentary film community by becoming sponsors of the 16th Annual DocuWeeks. This marks the second year in a row NBC News Archives is offering its support to this event. DocuWeeks helps to qualify outstanding new feature and short documentaries for Academy Award® consideration by providing its participants a commercial theatrical exhibition in Los Angeles and New York.

NBC News has been a leading source of global news and information for more than 75 years and NBC News Archives is one of the world's oldest and largest footage libraries offering historical and current news content. Broadcasts since the late 1940's, including "Meet the Press", the longest running show on television, the "Today Show", the first TV morning news program, and "Nightly News with Brian Williams", have created an unrivaled collection of exclusive footage, iconic shots and unmatched news coverage that explore and define our time.

Today, NBC News Archives is providing unprecedented access to documentary filmmakers to never used before outtakes and field material as well as content from its local affiliates and other NBCU brands. With news of the day, from local to global, wars won and lost, crime and natural disasters, statesmen and rock stars, landmark political events and cultural milestones, exclusive interviews, investigative reports and social commentary, NBC News Archives is a window to history as it unfolds.

With news of the day, from local to global, wars won and lost, statesmen and rock stars, landmark political events and cultural milestones, exclusive interviews with news-breakers, investigative reports and social commentary, NBC News Archives is a window to history as it unfolds.

Stay Connected with NBCUniversal Archives:
www.nbcuniversalarchives.com
www.twitter.com/nbcuarchives
EMAIL: footage@nbc.com
TEL: 1-855-NBC-VIDEO

To become a sponsor of DocuWeeks, please contact IDA's Development Department at cindy@documentary.org or (213) 534-3600 x7400.

In anticipation for our upcoming Doc U on the future of documentary film on PBS, we dove deep into the archives to prove that this conversation is one that has been going on for quite some time. We dusted off an issue of Documentary magazine (then titled International Documentary) from all the way back in 1988, one that dedicated all of its pages to the discussion of PBS and the future of its non-fiction and independent programming. Articles focus on P.O.V.—then a fledgling series in its first year—a program which author Marc Weiss calls "a new hope for documentaries on PBS"; in another, David Bolt inquires "How Public is Public TV?" While the nature of the conversation has shifted just slightly, one thing remains a constant from 24 years ago to today: the uncertain future of non-fiction programming on public television.

To keep up on the conversation and prepare yourself for our event at the Cinefamily, you can now read the entire issue online. We will keep this up as a resource. You can also click the link below to expand the issue and read now.

Independent Film Week (September 16-20, 2012) is the oldest and largest forum in the U.S. for the discovery of new projects in development and new voices on the independent film scene. The Project Forum is a meetings-driven forum connecting filmmakers with producers, funders, distributors, broadcasters, sales agents, festival programmers, and more.

IFP’s objective is to create a destination where the community of individuals involved with independent film can annually convene—from the emerging filmmakers and established producers selected for their strong new projects to the individuals from companies, festivals and organizations aimed at helping the work get made and ultimately seen by public audiences.

Spotlight on Documentaries connects filmmakers in production or post-production with financing partners, broadcasters, distributors, and film festival programmers. Previous participants include Lauren Greenfield's The Queen of Versailles; Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman's If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front; Marie Loiser's The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye; Michael Collins' Give Up Tomorrow; Laura Poitras' The Oath, and Jennnifer Arnold's A Small Act.

Spotlight on Documentaries is for feature-length (>50 minutes) U.S. projects in any stage of production, as long as some footage has been shot, and the film is not complete. The program accepts approximately 60 projects. Projects must submit compelling assembled material to be considered for this competitive program.

Upon acceptance in mid-July, filmmakers receive guidelines for preparing for the week. IFP staff will schedule individual check-in calls with all selected projects during August to answer specific questions regarding preparations and goals for the week’s activities and meetings.

For more info and to apply, click here. The final deadline to enter is May 25th.

Co-curated by Marina Goldovskaya and Samuel B. Prime and co-sponsored by the French Film & TV Office, Consulate General of France in Los Angeles, Melnitz Movies and Documentary Salon present Return to Sender, Address Unknown—A Tribute to Chris Marker. On Tuesday, May 8 at 730pm, UCLA's James Bridges Theater will screen One Day in the Life of Ardrei Arsenevich (Chris Marker, 1999) and To Chris Marker, An Unsent Letter (Emiko Omori, 2012). There will be a Q&A with director Emiko Omori following the screening.

Through film clips, journal entries, and personal musings, One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich is renowned French filmmaker Chris Marker's homage to his friend and colleague, Andrei Tarkovsky, who died in 1986. Performing close readings of Tarkovsky’s films—including rare scenes from his student film (an adaptation of Hemingway's The Killers) and a practically unknown production of Boris Goudonov—Marker attempts to locate Tarkovsky in his work. Parallels drawn by Marker between Tarkovsky’s life and films offer an original insight into the reclusive director. Personal anecdotes from Tarkovsky's writings—from his prophetic meeting with Boris Pasternak (author of Dr. Zhivago) to an encounter with the KGB on the streets of Paris (he thought they were coming to kill him)—pepper the film.

With behind-the-scenes footage of Tarkovsky obsessively commanding his entire crew (including famed Bergman cinematographer Sven Nykvist, during the filming of a complicated sequence from his final film The Sacrifice), and candid moments of Tarkovsky with his friends and family, bedridden but still working on the editing of his final film, One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich is a personal and loving portrait of the monumental filmmaker.

A collective cinematic love letter to the elusive French filmmaker Chris Marker in documentary form, Emiko Omori’s timely film To Chris Marker, An Unsent Letter captures the persona of a filmmaker who is at once both contradictorily present in and distant from his body of work. Notoriously private, self-described as the "best known author of unknown works," Marker is widely known for a few key cinematic works such as La Jetée (1962) and Sans Soleil (1983), but his wider filmography remains undiscovered. Through interviews with Marker's many colleagues and admirers, Omori lovingly describes a man whose preference for personal privacy has rendered him perhaps cinema's most famous enigma: a man who is his works. Marker's films have affected many, both those who know him personally and those who only know him through his films. Please join us for this special event as we pay tribute to a legendary and ephemeral French filmmaker, the "cat who walks by himself," Chris Marker.

This event is free and open to the public.

For more information on this event, please visit UCLA's GSA website.

 As reported in IndieWire and Rolling Stone, Adam Yauch, who parlayed his Beastie Boys bone fides into a parallel career in film production and distribution, died this morning at age 47, following a long struggle with cancer.

Yauch launched Oscilloscope Laboratories in 2008 and in four short years, the company distributed some of the more acclaimed docs of that time period: The Garden, If a Tree Falls, No Impact Man and Dear Zackary are just a few of the titles on Oscilloscope's roster. The company also handled DVD distribution for the Academy Award- nominated Exit Through the Gift Shop. Yauch himself directed two docs: Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That, in which he distributed cameras to fans to shoot a Beastie Boys concert, and Gunnin' for That #1 Spot, about the top high school basketball players in the US.

"Growing up, a couple of friends used to make fun of me because I watched documentaries so much," Yauch recalled in an article about Oscilloscope Laboratories in Documentary magazine. "I remember one saying, 'You're probably going to grow up to be a documentary filmmaker.' " For the complete article, click here.

IDA has announced that it will present the 16th Annual DocuWeeks™ Theatrical Showcase from August 3-23, 2012 at the IFC Center in New York, and from August 10-30, 2012 at the Laemmle NoHo 7 in Los Angeles.

This announcement of dates and venues comes on the heels of an announcement from IDA Executive Director Michael Lumpkin that the LA Times has agreed to review all films in this year's DocuWeeks. Steve Pond of TheWrap.com clarifies: "Those Times reviews will enable all 17 feature films to qualify for Oscar consideration."

DocuWeeks™ 2012 will feature 17 feature-length documentaries and a shorts program in theatrical runs designed to qualify films for The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences annual Oscar® awards. DocuWeeks™ takes place each summer with screenings in these two major cities.

Since its premiere in 1997 DocuWeeks™ has qualified over 186 short and feature length films for Oscar® consideration and yielded 32 nominations and 7 winners. Documentaries presented in past DocuWeeks™ programs include Oscar® winners Smile Pinki (2008), Taxi To The Dark Side (2007) and The Blood of Yingzhou District (2006), as well as Oscar® Nominees Hell and Back Again (2011), The Barber of Birmingham (2011), Wasteland (2010), Sun Come Up (2010), Killing in the Name (2010), Rabbit à la Berlin (2009), The Betrayal (2008), War/Dance (2007), Salim Baba (2007) and Sari’s Mother (2007).

A full list of films participating in the DocuWeeks™ Theatrical Showcase line-up will be announced in July.

Submissions to DocuWeeks are still being accepted with the deadline for entry on May 11, 2012. Visit www.documentary.org/docuweeks for more information.

DocuWeeks is sponsored by Chainsaw. 

PBS has long been an important outlet for independent documentary programming. Through POV and Independent Lens, millions of households gain free access to documentary programming addressing the most important issues of our time.

But the landscape is changing for these programs. PBS announced a change in schedule for Independent Lens and POV, resulting in less favorable and inconsistent time slots. The documentary community responded with the public advocacy campaign PBS Needs Indies, and it received such support from independent producers that PBS announced it would reconsider the schedule move for both series. A steering committee has been formed to chart the next steps in preserving the visibility and accessibility of POV and Independent Lens.

With these shifting realities, as well as significant cuts in funding to PBS' nonfiction programming from the National Endowment for the Arts, what does the future hold for independent documentary films and public broadcasting? What can you do to impact the decisions and changes being made right now?

On Thursday, May 10, 2012, IDA invites you to join Simon Kilmurry, Executive Producer of American Documentary | POV; Lyn Goldfarb, award-winning documentary director and producer; Gordon Quinn, Artistic Director and founding member of Kartemquin Films; Brenda Brkusic, Executive Producer of Program Development and National Productions at PBS SoCaL; and Lois Vossen, founding and Senior Series Producer of Independent Lens, to discuss these issues and participate in the discussion of the changing outlook, and opportunities for growth in independent documentary programming at PBS.

Purchase your tickets to this Doc U today!

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has today confirmed cuts to several PBS-based arts and independent documentary series, including POV, Independent Lens, Art21, Great Performances, and American Masters. 2012 is the first year PBS programming falls under the new "Arts in Media" category (formerly "Arts in Radio and Television"), where it has to vie for funding against interactive websites, mobile phone and tablet apps, multimedia and transmedia (multi-platform storytelling) projects.

Last year, the 64 projects that fell under the Arts in Radio and Television category received over $4 million in funding. In 2012 under the newly coined Arts in Media category, 78 projects were granted just $3.55 million, down $450 thousand from the year prior. That means that less money will be going to 14 more projects in 2012, presenting several PBS documentary series with significant cuts to the funds they expected to receive.

Perhaps the hardest hit were American Masters and Great Performances, which each received $400 thousand in 2011 to support the broadcasting of documentary profiles of major cultural figures and 12 fully-staged operas, respectively. This year, each project will receive only $50 thousand, collectively losing out on $700 thousand of support. Art21, available via telecast and online streaming, will be granted $100K, down from $150K in 2011.

Indepedent Lens, which has been suffering a loss of viewers since its move from PBS’s core schedule on Tuesday nights to Thursdays, took another blow today when the NEA confirmed its grant amount of $50K. This amount is a significant drop from the $170K it received in 2011, further emphasizing the peril in which this program has found itself in recent months. Another PBS program, POV, which also moves to the Thursday night schedule when it airs in June, will receive $100K, down $150K from last year’s $250 thousand received under the Arts in Radio and Television category.

Other organizations seeing major cuts this year include NPR, Washington-based PBS station WETA, and the LA-based Craft in America.

The IDA is very concerned at the level of funding cuts for the most important and most watched nonfiction series on broadcast television.

We invite you to join us to discuss the future of PBS and their independent documentary programming at our upcoming Doc U: The Future of Docs on PBS on Thursday, May 10 at the Cinefamily in Los Angeles. Stay tuned as we announce panelists and provide resources to prepare you for this important conversation.

For most documentary filmmakers, the impetus behind launching a documentary project usually comes from a passion for an issue or a relationship with an intriguing figure. At least in the initial stages, it’s difficult to turn the emphasis away from the story to focus on the desired artistic form for the visual part of the story.

For too long now, far too little importance has been placed on the artistry inherent in documentary filmmaking. This is why we brought together three accomplished documentary filmmakers for a discussion that kicked off with the question "Why talk about art in documentary?"

On Wednesday, April 18, Senior Programmer at the Sundance Film Festival Caroline Libresco moderated a panel that focused on just this question. As the woman who spearheaded Sundance’s Documentary competition program, Libresco is no stranger to recognizing the value of aesthetics in non-fiction cinema. "The choices that artists make cause us to feel things," she stated at the start of the panel. "Documentary is intrinsically aesthetic."

Documentarty filmmakers Ondi Timoner (We Live in Public, DIG!) and Marina Zenovich (Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired) joined Caroline onstage at the Cinefamily in Los Angeles, fielding questions from both their eloquent moderator and members of the audience. One of the inital questions revolved around the best way to honor your subjects in the most honest and righteous way possible. Ondi was asked how she was able to maintain her artistic integrity and reach a mass audience. All she knew, she answered, was that she had to follow her subjects, had to let this story unfold over time. She didn't have to know where it's headed; she just knew that she needed to follow it.

Both filmmakers discussed their main characters in two of each of their major films and how the relationships they fostered evolved and shifted over time. Sometimes, resentment or fatigue set in, especially after spending eight hours in a closed room with just your camera and the thoughts inside their heads. When you have a complicated character that maybe doesn't elicit sympathy or a sense of identification and empathy from the audience, both filmmakers stressed the importance of showing a reason for the audience to care about this character who is worthy of both critique and compassion. "Sometimes," Ondi said, "you have to reach deep to find compassion and love for your characters."

"So Marina," Caroline inquired, "do you love Polanski?"

"I do, but don't tell anyone!" Marina answered with a laugh.

"On some level," Ondi said a bit later, "we have to care about our characters. We don't have to love them, but we have to care."

Both women went on to discuss the aesthetic choices they made in their films. For Marina, she went for straight ahead contemporary interviews for Roman Polanski, incorporating images from his own films to help tell the story of his life. While the film begins and ends with the Rosemary's Baby theme, the rest of the score is original—she didn't want the film to be overly-referential, and music was one place where she had some flexibility.

For her, Roman Polanski was such a hard story to put together, especially because she couldn't get access to him for an interview. "I make movies about dead people or people who are not available," she joked, pointing out that she had flesh some of the creative ideas for these films herself. She went back to Polanski's student films to get the shots of him that she needed, as well as some of the B-roll. She pushed herself because she had no other choice—interviewing her subject just wasn't an option.

Ondi spoke about making the decision to be her own editor. "I shot too much footage for anyone else to do it," she stated. "I tried to hire people and they would give up." For her, deciding to edit her own film was not just an aesthetic choice, but also a practical one.

Per usual at our Doc U event, the members of the audience had a chance to mingle with the panelists and fellow members of the documentary community on the Cinefamily's cozy back patio. The close-knit crowd got some one-on-one time with Ondi, Marina and Caroline, giving them the chance to ask more specific questions of the three women and the art behind their work.   

Doc U is the International Documentary Association's series of educational seminars and workshops for aspiring and experienced documentary filmmakers. Taught by artists and industry experts, participants receive vital training and insight on various topics including: fundraising, distribution, licensing, marketing, and business tactics.

Find exclusive video clips from this and past Doc U events on our YouTube channel.