Crude focuses on a lawsuit by Ecuadoreans against Chevron over pollution in the Amazon. Chevron is seeking 600 hours of footage from the film in an effort to shore up their case in the long-running lawsuit. Lawyers for Berlinger are arguing on First Amendment grounds that his material is protected by journalistic privilege.

Hundreds of filmmakers, organizations and concerned citizens have shown their support for Berlinger since the subpoena was issued in May. The IDA supported an open letter spearheaded by Patrick Creadon and Doug Blush, (see full letter here) which has been signed by hundreds of other filmmakers since its release (see the comments sections of the following articles on documentary.org and AJ Schnack's blog to read additional signees).

Notably, Robert Redford expressed his support of Berlinger with a piece he wrote for The Huffington Post on June 4, stating, "Filmmakers like Joe Berlinger fulfill a crucial role in today's society by providing independent information on pressing contemporary human rights and social issues. Their success as storytellers depends on access to those men and women willing to talk on camera. If the subjects of those documentaries are fearful of the ramifications of telling the truth then the filmmaker has no story."

Get the latest on Crude and these legal developments at the film's website.

Editor’s Note: Restrepo, an Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature, will be screening Saturday, February 26, at 8:30 p.m., as part of DocuDay LA at the Writers Guild of America Theater in Beverly Hills, and at 12:05 p.m. at DocuDays NY at The Paley Center for Media in Manhattan.

Who wouldn't want to spend the better part of 15 months at a hot, dusty, flea-bitten outpost, precariously perched on a mountain ledge overlooking a tree-lined valley that provides cover for people who shoot at you daily? Oh, and there's no electricity, no Internet, no TV, no running water, no bathroom, no heat, no privacy and no one from the opposite sex. No comforts at all. Not even a chair. Just unremitting boredom broken up by whizzing bullets that ping the dust long before the sound makes it to you.

Not the stuff of romance that typically fills the lines at Army recruiting offices, but this alluring scenario was too good for a pair of seasoned war correspondents to pass up.  Author/journalist Sebastian Junger and photographer/journalist Tim Hetherington convinced Vanity Fair, ABC News and the US Army that it would be a splendid idea to send the team to the Korengal Valley--"The deadliest place on earth."

 "I wanted to be with the best unit in the worst place," says Junger, who has reported from Afghanistan on and off since 1996 and from numerous other war zones. As Captain Kearney says in the film that resulted from their experience, "The road ends at the Korengal outpost and where the road ends, the Taliban begins."

Hetherington covered the civil war in Liberia, the wars in Chad, Nigeria and Sudan and the post-conflict zones of West Africa. He saw this assignment as "kind of a distillation of our war experiences over the ten years we've been doing this. This is what we've done; we know what to expect."

Their experience embedded with one platoon that's been tasked with securing a hilltop combat outpost as part of the Army's counter-insurgency offensive on the Afghan/Pakistan border is the subject of their riveting new documentary, Restrepo, winner of the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

This 94-minute film takes the audience inside the none-too-glamorous life of the foot soldiers in a dangerous yet beautiful setting. "It was an anti-paradise," Junger explains. "Everything young men enjoy wasn't up there, and everything they didn't like was." 

Junger and Hetherington toted small HD cameras with them because they had a deal with ABC to supply footage, but they also wanted to make a film. Hetherington became a still photographer or "image maker," as he prefers to be called, when he wasn't accepted in NYU's film school. He'd shot one documentary, Liberia: An Uncivil War, and several short, nonfiction TV projects, but he had never tackled a "long form narrative" film before. Nor had Junger, who is a print journalist first and foremost. But they divvied up the camera chores to insure they got enough coverage.

 "We basically did everything together, put it in a pot, shook it up and it came out," says Hetherington. Asked about his neophyte cinematographer partner, Hetherington issued a warning: "If he gets any better I'll push him off a cliff." Hetherington and Jungher earned an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for broadcast journalism for "The Other War: Afghanistan," which the filmmakers produced for ABC News Nightline in 2008. The production team remains in the background while providing us with a window into this "anti-paradise." We're front-and-center with the soldiers from 2nd Platoon from the moment they helicopter into the Valley. We stay with them during their 15-month tour as they get shot at, build their remote outpost, suffer the deaths of comrades, witness the human cost of counterattacks on villagers, wile away the boredom strumming guitars, engage in horse play and, finally, pack their rucksacks to hike back to the helicopters waiting to take them home. Most embedded reporters stay with an outfit for two to three weeks, which is what Mark Boal did for a Rolling Stone assignment that inspired his feature film writing debut, The Hurt Locker. Junger and Hetherington took the deep-dive approach in an attempt to create a more "nuanced" view of what life is like in combat.

The platoon was assigned to set up one of a string of Combat Outposts (COPs) that have been affectionately referred to by some as "bullet sponges" that would draw fire from the Taliban and allow American forces to use their overwhelming superior firepower to eliminate them one by one. Embedding in the "sponge" allowed the crew to capture plenty of chilling "bang-bang" scenes, sometimes occurring four or five times a day. The filmmakers are right there as the platoon takes fire, and in the ensuing chaos we see the soldiers scramble to locate the enemy and return fire. We stay in the mix as they leave their Spartan confines to venture out on patrol. Without the rock-filled plastic battlements to protect them, they are exposed from every angle. And when the inevitable attacks come, Junger and Hetherington capture every potentially heart-stopping moment. You'll have to forgive the occasionally shaky camera work during these scenes. This is not an MTV-like conscious effect to pump up the intensity of the moment, but an honest record of the experience. 

But it's the little human moments that occur during downtime that began to excite Hetherington about the unique possibilities of the film they were making. "I understand my work is about building links to an audience," he observes. "How do I connect them to a conflict in Liberia or Afghanistan? Moral outrage is not enough. Pictures of dead West Africans are not enough. Witnessing is important, but to move an audience we have to connect in a way that shows them their sons and their brothers" as complete human beings with a range of emotions.

The soldiers' candid dialogue in the field, and the 40 hours of interviews shot after they'd returned to their home base in Italy, bring us into the story with their own words. We hear 25-year-old Corporal Pemble-Belkin tell us his hippie mother wouldn't let him play with toy guns, not even a squirt gun, as we see his face light up while he energetically sways a tripod-mounted 50-caliber machine gun back and forth, up and down. But he also says that he doesn't want to worry her, so in his most recent letter home he didn't include news about the deaths in the platoon or their upcoming dangerous mission. 

On that mission down the hill and into the villages, the platoon stops to question a young man, who tells the translator, "If we let you know about the Taliban, we will get killed."

Notes Junger, "A lot of Afghans feel caught between two realities." They remember the "bloodbath" of the '90s after the Soviets pulled out. They also remember greeting the Americans as liberators after they toppled the Taliban but saw them get distracted by the war in Iraq and not carry out the hoped-for reforms in Afghanistan.

 "Afghans are conflicted," and fear that if NATO pulls out it will be like the '90s again, Junger continues. We're left to wonder how the villagers felt when the US Army pulled out of the Korengal Valley in April of this year.

While telling the story of the soldiers, the filmmakers also wanted to convey "the nuanced sense of Afghans caught in-between," says Hetherington. They allow this to unfold without any reference to the policy decisions that sent the soldiers to this dangerous post, or the arguments surrounding this seemingly endless war. "I wasn't interested in writing about the politics or the geopolitics of the situation," Junger maintains. "I went in as a blank slate."

Instead, the filmmakers focused on the soldiers' lives in a way reminiscent of John Huston's 1945 documentary classic, The Battle of San Pietro, which was initially censored because of his realistic portrayal of an Army campaign. 

The end result of Junger and Hetherington's approach is a film about all wars--a film that transcends Outpost Restrepo as it puts you in the boots of these soldiers who spent every day, for 15 months, trying not to do anything to get one of their brothers killed as they counted the days remaining before they could go home. I resolved that there are other ways to learn about the context, but this is the only way I've discovered, outside of a 15-month hitch, to learn what it's like on the ground.

Restrepo, which the platoon named their outpost in honor of fallen comrade PFC Juan Restrepo, opens June 25 in New York and Los Angeles, through National Geographic Entertainment, and will roll out nationally through the month of July. The film airs on National Geographic Channel in the fall.

Michael Rose is a writer and documentary filmmaker.

For more information on this subject:

Sebastian Junger's book WAR, about his time in the Korengal Valley was released in May 2010.
www.twelvebooks.com

Tim Hetherington's book Infidel, about this experience in the Kornegal will be published in October 2010 by Chris Boot Ltd.
www.timhertherington.com

Into the Valley of Death
By Sebastian Junger
Photos by Tim Hetherington
Vanity Fair
January 2008
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/01/afghanistan200801?currentPage=1

Return to the Valley of Death
By Sebastian Junger
Photos by Tim Hetherington
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/10/afghanistan200810?printable=true

Institute for the Study of War Report: "Kunar and Nuristan: Rethinking U.S. Counterinsurgency Operation"
http://www.understandingwar.org/report/kunar-and-nuristan

Overview of Combat Operations in Kunar Province by 173d Airborne Brigade
Tactical Leader: "Lessons Learned in Afghanistan"
Military Review, July/August 2009
Colonel William B. Ostlund, U.S. Army
http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/MilitaryReview/Archives/English/MilitaryReview_20090831_art004.pdf?q=predeployment

Pare Lorentz Jr., the son of the legendary documentary pioneer Pare Lorentz, died this past Friday at his home in Frankfort, Kentucky. He was 73.

Lorentz, a graduate of Harvard University, made a number of industrial films and documentaries in the 1970s and early 80s. But he was especially instrumental to the International Documentary Association in helping to establish the IDA/Pare Lorentz Award, which, since 1997, has honored documentaries that best reflect the spirit and aesthetic vision of Lorentz Senior, addressing the issues he cared about--the environment and social justice--and how those issues are rendered cinematically.

Over the years, the IDA/Pare Lorentz Award has gone to such films as Davis Guggenheim's An Inconvenient Truth (2006), Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke (2007) and Charles Guggenheimn's Berga: Soldiers of Another War (2003), and Lorentz Jr. served on the award's Blue Ribbon Committee from the very beginning. 

Lorentz Jr. also provided invaluable support and counsel for IDA's Pare Lorentz Film Festival, launched in 2007 through a grant from The New York Community Trust

For more information, here's an obituary from the Frankfort State-Journal

Filmmaking team Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg are not known for shying away from difficult subject matter. Through their company, Break Thru Films, they have created powerful, character-driven documentaries for years: The Trials of Darryl Hunt (2006), The Devil Came on Horseback (2007), The End of America (2008). Their most recent effort, Joan Rivers--A Piece of Work, produced, directed and written by Stern, and produced and directed by Sundberg, is just as hard-hitting and just as intense as their other films. Don't let the comedic material fool you; this film is far from a celebrity puff piece. The humiliation of their subject is real, the self-denigration is real and the angst is real--as is the pain and fear of being an aging has-been in a world obsessed with youth and beauty.

For those of us who grew up watching Joan Rivers on TV and have been lifelong fans, her perseverance, strength, groundbreaking work and decades-long career in the most unforgiving business in the world is not a revelation. But for those who only know her as a plastic-surgery freak, QVC jewelry maven or red-carpet hostess, this film shows, to wonderful effect, the unbreakable spirit of an aging woman still working her ass off, and making every moment of her life matter. We journey with Rivers for a little over a year as Stern and Sundberg capture the full scope of her life in quite poignant and moving ways.

Rivers is a close friend of Stern's mother, so the director has known her for years, and because Stern grew up in the business, she's no stranger to the types of personalities that are drawn to performing as a lifelong obsession. In making the film, Stern says that she was equally obsessed with her subject. "There was an instant rapport; we immediately trusted one another. She gave us access when others around her, trying to protect her, were shutting us out." To enhance that intimacy, the production team always stayed small. Oftentimes, it was just Stern and DP Charles Miller, hopping on the subway to Rivers' palatial Manhattan penthouse, cameras in tow, shooting in whatever light was available. Stern captured as much as she could and spent as much time with Rivers as possible throughout the year. It wasn't so much the concrete or material aspects of Rivers' life that the filmmaker wanted to capture, but the drive, needs, fears and passions of this force-of-nature septuagenarian. The archival interludes throughout--stills, television and film excerpts, family home movies and other materials--remind us that, no matter what we might think of Rivers (and she garners plenty of negative criticism), no one can discount her legacy. As well, no one can disregard the utter brutality of a comedic performer's life, and how much, especially as a female, she's had to fight and sacrifice over the decades.

Rivers has never been a shrinking violet. The raw and visceral nature of what she allows the camera to capture only enhances our empathy. However, lest this be mistaken for some kind of "cotton candy treat of a tribute," as Stern describes what she distinctly did not want to make, in true Rivers fashion, the comedienne tells the story of a young woman who said to her, "You opened the doors for me."  (Note the past tense.) Rivers says she wanted to say to her, "Fuck you. I'm still opening the doors." And she is.

The film contains many painful moments, ones in which a viewer might want to turn away. Yet Rivers is the one who always keeps it real, fresh, compelling us to never give short shrift to what it takes for her to keep going. This is a woman who was born and raised in the tony bedroom community of Larchmont, New York, daughter of a doctor and a housewife, schooled at Barnard and expected to marry a nice Jewish man and have babies. But from a very early age, Rivers explains that the theater was the only place in which she was ever interested: "The only time I'm truly happy is when I'm on the stage. I am a performer. That is my life. That is what I am. That's it."

Joan Rivers--A Piece of Work shows us this workhorse in action--day in, day out, collaborating and brainstorming with her assistants, her agent, her manager and others, on how to keep doing what she's been put on the earth to do. But the imperative to never stop is not for her alone, at this point. Rivers is the sole supporter of the many people (and their families) in her employ. "I'm a small industry," she informs us. "I send my employees' kids to private school. I support many members of my own family." She equates "fear" with an empty calendar, the days and months stretching out on a blinding white canvas with nothing to fill them--no jobs, no gigs, no prospects. This is a woman, mind you, who is an entertainment legend and an internationally renowned comedienne, Tony-nominated actress, best-selling author, Emmy Award-winning television host, film director (1978's hilarious Rabbit Test, a comedy about the world's first pregnant man, starring Billy Crystal in his first major movie role), playwright, screenwriter, jewelry designer, businesswoman, mother, grandmother and on and on and on. And the last thing we will ever see her doing is chilling on one of her silk sofas, popping bon-bons, perusing the fashion mags and filing her perfect nails. Her schedule would undo your average ambitious and energetic 25-year-old starlet on the rise. This is also a woman who still titters at her own fart jokes like a 12-year-old boy. She is, indeed, ageless and timeless. 

Throughout the year Stern and Sundberg shot, we traverse the different aspects of Rivers' life: at home with her staff; her complex relationship with long-time manager, Billy Sammeth, who's been with her for 35 years and who disappears on her regularly; Jocelyn Pickett, her personal assistant for the last 15 years, who came to work for the performer at a particularly low period in Rivers' career; with her family, most notably, her daughter, Melissa, who is just as candid and forthright as her mother as they both try to parse a deeply loving, but incredibly complicated, relationship; and, her painful memories of husband, Edgar Rosenberg, who helped manage her career, and committed suicide in 1987.

The moment that saddened me the most, however, and gave real insight into the damaged psyche of a "star," was a short exchange that most might regard as a throw-away scene: After a triumphant performance at London's Leicester Square Theatre of her autobiographical play, Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Progress, she greets an adoring crowd, signing autographs and receiving compliments about how funny and brilliant she is. One man says to her, "Do you feel the love we have for you?" And she looks directly at him and says, "No. I'll feel it when I read the reviews." It turns out the reviews are pretty horrible and cruel. As Jocelyn reads one insulting review after another to Rivers as they ride in the back of her limo, we see that she is utterly destroyed, as if the accolades of the adoring crowd the night before never happened.

But then she is back in the saddle, unstoppable, hopping planes, zigzagging across the country to do live performances, special appearances, lectures, book signings, etc., etc., etc. The film does end on a high note, although Stern admits that that wasn't really important to the narrative arc of the film. But Rivers has won Season Two of Donald Trump's The Celebrity Apprentice, and is, once again, the "golden girl," in high demand, her calendar filled to capacity. The unrelenting taskmaster of fame has smiled down upon her once again. The entire piece makes for one of the most satisfying profiles of a major celebrity that I've seen.

After winning the US Documentary Editing Award at Sundance this year, and playing a number of high-profile festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival and Hot Docs, Joan Rivers--A Piece of Work will be the Centerpiece screening at New Fest, the New York LGBT Film Festival, on Wednesday, June 9, where Rivers will be making a special appearance in a post-screening conversation with Village Voice columnist Michael Musto. The film opens Friday June 11, in theaters in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, through IFC Films.

Pamela Cohn is a New York-based independent media producer, theatrical outreach and social engagement producer, film programmer, and freelance arts journalist writing for many publications and sites including Hammer to Nail, Filmmaker Magazine and DOX Magazine. She writes a well-regarded blog on nonfiction filmmaking called Still in Motion.

WESTDOC: The West Coast Reality and Documentary Conference, which made its debut last year, returns to Santa Monica, Calif., September 13-15, 2010. The WESTDOC Conference gathers producers and directors of nonfiction/documentary and reality TV programming and the executives who fund and/or acquire such programs.

More than 100 industry speakers are expected to participate in the three-day conference of panels, case studies and exclusive networking sessions. The conference's climatic event is an all-day PitchFest, where new projects are pitched directly to network and development executives in front of a live audience for potential acquisition or co-production funding.

For the second year, WESTDOC will be held at the Doubletree Guest Suites Santa Monica. Conference fees cover all aspects of the day, including breakfast and lunch sessions. "We plan the conference so that it is rich with real-world information and as many strategic business contacts as possible," says Richard Propper, Past IDA President, distribution executive and managing partner/co-founder of the event. As co-founder, Academy Award-nominated producer/director Chuck Braverman explains, "WESTDOC provides a forum where producers can actually meet and interface with those networks that do the financing and buying of projects. In our first year, the turn-out was amazing - people in LA need an event where deals can be cut in the hallways." 

More than 30 panels are scheduled regarding financing, shooting and selling a documentary or reality TV one-off or series. Contemporary topics covered will also include distribution models from theatrical presentation to digital platforms. Among the companies that will be participating are Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Spike TV, National Geographic Channel, ITVS, TV Land, SyFy, History Channel, WE, OWN, RDF,  BBC, Lonely Planet and The Doc Channel, with more networks to be announced shortly. Open to all documentary and reality TV professionals, more than 400 people attended the inaugural WESTDOC in 2009. The evenings' mixers and screenings gather all participants in one venue. "It's a real community for three days," says Propper.

Registration information as well as an updated list of panels, speakers, master classes and instructions on how to participate in PitchFest can be found at www.thewestdoc.com. Discount rates are now available. The IDA Discount code is "IDA2010" which is 10 percent off of the listed price, until September 1. The rates are graduated, so earlier registration gets a lower price.

Updates will also be posted on WESTDOC's Facebook.com page and via twitter.com/thewestdoc (#westdoc2010).

Although he was best known for tackling such seemingly unfilmable works of literature as James Joyce's Ulysses, Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer and Jean Genet's The Balcony, Joseph Strick did earn an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject in 1971 for Interviews with My Lai Veterans. He died June 1 in Paris of congested heart failure at age 86.

According to an obituary in the Los Angeles Times, Strick was an aerial photographer for the US Army during World War II. His first film, the 1948 documentary Muscle Beach, profiled body builders in Southern California. In the 1950s, he collaborated with Ben Maddow and Sidney Meyers on the experimental documentary The Savage Eye, about a young divorced woman attempting to start a new life. The film won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts' Robert J. Flaherty Award for Best Documentary.

Cinematographer Haskell Wexler, who shot both The Savage Eye and Interviews with My Lai Veterans, told the Los Angeles Times, "Joe was interested in looking at the underside of things. You see that he is a maverick and was never a conventional filmmaker. You have to make your own judgment about the films that he's made. I found them all very interesting and inventive content-wise, if not in style."

Interviews with My Lai Veterans features US Soldiers who were present at the infamous 1968 My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War.

With five docs having just opened this past Friday, Summer 2010 is in full effect. Among the recently opened, AJ Schnack's Convention, which takes a behind-the-scenes look at 2008 Democratic National Convention, showcases the cinematography of some of the brightest stars in the docmaking galaxy--Laura Poitras, Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar, Daniel Junge and Paul Taylor among them. Another June 4th opener, Tom Shepard and Tina DeFelicination's Whiz Kids follows four high school students in their quest to win the coveted Intel Science Talent Search prize; Shepard himself was a finalist in the Talent Search before embarking on his filmmaking career, so Whiz Kids brings him back to his original career path.   

June also brings to the big screen a handful of Sundance hits, including Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg's Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work and Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger's Restropo--both of which will be featured in the June Documentary online--and Reed Cowan's 8: The Mormon Proposition, about the campaign by the Mormon Church for Proposition 8, the controversial 2008 ballot imitative in California that bans same-sex marriage.

Rounding out the month is Vikram Jayanti's long-awaited The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector, which Jayanti made during the famed music producer's first murder trial.

Opening:                    June 4
Venue:                        Cinema Village/New York City
Film:                           Burzynski
Dir.:                            Eric Merola               
Distributor:                Self-Distributed
http://www.burzynskimovie.com/

Burzynski is the story of a medical doctor and Ph.D biochemist named Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski who won the largest, and possibly the most convoluted and intriguing legal battle against the Food & Drug Administration in American history.
His victorious battles with the United States government were centered around Dr. Burzynski's belief in and commitment to his gene-targeted cancer medicines he discovered in the 1970s called Antineoplastons, which have currently completed Phase II FDA-supervised clinical trials in 2009 and will begin the final phase of testing in 2010.
When Antineoplastons are approved, it will mark the first time in history a single scientist, not a pharmaceutical company, will hold the exclusive patent and distribution rights on a paradigm-shifting medical breakthrough.
Antineoplastons are responsible for curing some of the most incurable forms of terminal cancer. Various cancer survivors are presented in the film who chose his treatment instead of surgery, chemotherapy or radiation--with full disclosure of medical records to support their diagnosis and recovery.
Burzynski takes the audience through the treacherous, yet victorious, 14-year journey both Dr. Burzynski and his patients have had to endure in order to obtain FDA-approved clinical trials of Antineoplastons.

Opening:                    June 4
Venue:                        IFC Center/New York City
Film:                           Convention
Dir.:                            AJ Schnack               
Distributor:                Sundance Selects/IFC
http://conventionfilm.com/

Filmed during the historic 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, Convention focuses on the efforts of local Denver citizens as they host, report on and protest the massive event. In this breathtaking documentary, a team of uniquely talented cinematographers, producers and directors, led by accomplished documentary filmmaker AJ Schnack, assemble together in an unprecedented effort to cover the behind the scenes perspectives of this landmark moment in our country's history.  Through the intertwining stories of several protesters, reporters from the Denver Post, the Mayor of Denver and his staff, the convention planners, protest groups and many more, Convention delivers a complex, beautiful and completely unique portrayal of this historic event. 

Convention was produced by Jennifer Chikes, Britta Erickson, Shirley Moyers, AJ Schnack and Nathan Truesdell. It was filmed by Steven Bognar, Daniel Junge, Laura Poitras, Julia Reichert, Wayne Robbins, AJ Schnack, Paul Taylor, Nathan Truesdell and David Wilson.

Opening:                    June 4
Venue:                        IFC Center/New York City
Film:                           Cropsey
Dirs.:                           Joshua Zeman, Barbara Brancaccio                      
Distributor:                Antidote Films
http://cropseylegend.com/

Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of "Cropsey." For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who lived in the old abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution, who would come out late at night and snatch children off the streets. Sometimes Cropsey had a hook for a hand, other times he wielded a bloody axe, but it didn't matter, Cropsey was always out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to get them.

Later as teenagers, the filmmakers assumed Cropsey was just an urban legend: a cautionary tale used to keep them out of those abandoned buildings and stop them from doing all those things that teenagers like to do. That all changed in the summer of 1987, when a 12-year-old girl with Down syndrome named Jennifer Schweiger disappeared from their community. That was the summer all the kids from Staten Island discovered that their urban legend was real.

Now as adults, Zeman and Brancaccio have returned to Staten Island to create Cropsey, a feature documentary that delves into the mystery behind Jennifer and four additional missing children. The film also investigates Andre Rand, the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances.

Embarking on a mysterious journey into the underbelly of their forgotten borough, these filmmakers uncover a reality that is more terrifying than any urban legend.

Opening:                    June 4
Film:                           Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders
Dir.:                            Mark N. Hopkins                 
Distributor:                Truly Indie
http://www.livinginemergency.com/

For the first time in its history, a film crew has been allowed access to the field operations of the world largest medical NGO--Doctors Without Borders. Filmed in the war zones of Liberia and Congo, Living in Emergency follows four volunteer doctors as they struggle to provide emergency care in extreme conditions. Amidst the chaos, each volunteer must confront the severe challenges of the work, the tough choices and the limits of their own idealism.

Opening:                    June 4
Film:                           Whiz Kids
Dirs.:                           Tom Shepard, Tina DeFeliciantonio                      
Distributor:                Shadow Distribution
http://www.whizkidsmovie.com/

At a time when American teens lag behind other countries in math and science, Whiz Kids is a coming-of-age documentary that tells the story of three remarkably different yet equally passionate 17-year-old scientists who vie to compete in the nation's oldest, most prestigious science competition-the Intel Science Talent Search, in which over 2,000 students compete for prizes totaling more than $1.5 million. In the end, 40 finalists travel to Washington, DC to present their research to top scientists and vie for a $100,000 grand prize. Win or lose, these "whiz kids" raise questions about class, courage, personal sacrifice, success and failure, and in the process, learn as much about themselves as they do about science.

Over the past eight years, countries like China and India vastly increased support for research and development, while US funding remained largely stagnant. Not surprisingly, US teens now rank 24th in the world in math and science.

As global economies become increasingly competitive, America's future rests on the shoulders of our next generation. The main characters in Whiz Kids demonstrate that American students can meet that challenge.

Opening:                    June 10
Film:                           Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
Dirs.:                           Sam Dunn, Scott McFadyen                       
Distributor:                Alliance Films
http://www.rushbeyondthelightedstage.com/

Rush is one of rock's most influential bands, ranking third in most consecutive gold or platinum albums after the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. But despite having legions of devoted fans and being revered by generations of musicians, they have been ignored by critics and continually overlooked by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Featuring never-before-seen- archival footage and interviews with some of today's most respected rock artists, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage explores the 40-year career and phenomenon behind what could be the world's biggest cult band.

Opening:                    June 10
Film:                           Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Dirs.:                           Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg                      
Distributor:                IFC Films
http://joanriversapieceofwork.com/

Joan Rivers:A Piece Of Work exposes the private dramas of irreverent, legendary comedian and pop icon Joan Rivers as she fights tooth and nail to remain the queen of comedy. Filmed as a cinema vérité documentary, the film reveals a rare glimpse of the comedic process and the toxic mixture of self-doubt and anger that often fuels it.

Joan's story is both an outrageously funny journey and a brutally honest look at the ruthless entertainment industry, the trappings of success and the ultimate vulnerability of the life of a performer.

With unguarded access, the film cuts intimate scenes with Joan's personal archive creating a lush visual landscape and cinematic backdrop for the narrative as it unfolds.

Over the course of the year, Joan fights to reinvent herself and put herself back on top. She reveals in private that the years of exposure have taken a toll on her, leaving her raw and alone. Her longest lasting relationship is with her manager, whom she ends up firing during the course of filming, severing her last tie to her past. In a dressing room before a show, she exposes a much-guarded vulnerability revealing all she has left is her performing.

An inspiration to some, a plastic surgery whore to others, Joan Rivers' controversial personas are what continue to fascinate the public and draw audiences to her. The film provides a rare look at an iconic performer, stripped of her comedy masks and laying bare the truth of her life and inspiration.

Opening:                    June 14
Venue:                        Museum of Modern Art/New York City
Film:                           Reel Injun
Dir.:                            Neil Diamond            
Distributor:                Lorber Films
http://www.reelinjunthemovie.com/site/

Hollywood has made over 4,000 films about Native people; over 100 years of movies defining how Indians are seen by the world.

Reel Injun takes an entertaining and insightful look at the Hollywood Indian, exploring the portrayal of North American Natives through the history of cinema.

Traveling through the heartland of America, Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond looks at how the myth of "the Injun" has influenced the world's understanding--and misunderstanding--of Natives.

With candid interviews with directors, writers, actors and activists, including Clint Eastwood, Jim Jarmusch, Robbie Robertson, Sacheen Littlefeather, John Trudell and Russell Means, clips from hundreds of classic and recent films, including Stagecoach, Little Big Man, The Outlaw Josey Wales, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Atanarjuat the Fast Runner, Reel Injun traces the evolution of cinema's depiction of Native people from the silent film era to today.

Opening:                    June 16
Venue:                        Film Forum/New York City
Film:                           Stonewall Uprising
Dirs./Prods.:               Kate Davis, David Heilbroner                     
Distributor:                First Run Releasing
http://firstrunfeatures.com/stonewalluprising.html

"It was the Rosa Parks moment," says one man. June 28, 1969: New York City police raid a Greenwich Village Mafia-run gay bar, The Stonewall Inn. For the first time, patrons refuse to be led into paddy wagons, setting off a three-day riot that launches the Gay Rights Movement.

Told by Stonewall patrons, reporters and the cop who led the raid, Stonewall Uprising recalls the bad old days when psychoanalysts equated homosexuality with mental illness and advised aversion therapy and even lobotomies; public service announcements warned youngsters against predatory homosexuals; and police entrapment was rampant. At the height of this oppression, the cops raid Stonewall, triggering nights of pandemonium with tear gas, billy clubs and a small army of tactical police. The rest is history.

Opening:                    June 18
Venue:                        Film Forum/New York City
Film:                           8: The Mormon Proposition
Dir.:                            Reed Cowan             
Distributor:                Red Flag Releasing
http://www.mormonproposition.com/

Director Reed Cowan initially planned on making a documentary about gay teen homelessness and suicide in Utah, but soon realized that the homophobia that prompts otherwise loving parents to kick teenagers out of their homes is deep-seated in current Mormon ideology. Cowan, who, with his fellow filmmakers, had experienced first-hand what it was like to grow up gay in Utah in the Mormon faith, turned his attention to the historic campaign by the Mormon Church to pass Proposition 8 in California believing that it was the cornerstone of an ideology that has worked for decades "to damage gay people and their causes." The film is their emotional outcry to what they found.

Opening:                    June 18
Venue:                        The Quad Cinemas/New York City
Film:                           The Nature of Existence
Dir.:                            Roger Nygard                       
Distributor:                Self-Distributed
http://thenatureofexistence.com/

What is the most important question there is? After exploring the phenomenon of Star Trek fans in the acclaimed documentary Trekkies, filmmaker Roger Nygard is taking on The Nature of Existence, traveling the globe to the source of the world's philosophies, religions and belief systems, interviewing spiritual leaders, scholars, scientists, artists and others who have influenced, inspired or freaked out humanity.

"I made a list of the eighty-five toughest questions I could think of," says Nygard, "Starting with biggest one: ‘Why do we exist?' And then I began interrogating the widest cross-section of humanity possible."

After a four-year, world-wide odyssey beginning in 2005, the filmmakers had over 450 hours of footage to boil down to an hour and a half, bring audiences the best and the most transcendental moments, and present a fascinating look at humanity and our Universe, as seen through the eyes of some of the most interesting people on our planet, and perhaps, some of the most interesting beings in our Universe.

Opening:                    June 25
Film:                           Restrepo
Dirs./Prods:                Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger                     
Distributor:                National Geographic Entertainment
http://restrepothemovie.com/

Restrepo is a feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of US soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, "Restrepo," named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the US military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the valley; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been

through a 94-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you.

Opening:                    June 25
Film:                           South of the Border
Dir.:                            Oliver Stone              
Distributor:                Cinema Libre
http://southoftheborderdoc.com/

There's a revolution underway in South America, but most of the world doesn't know it. Oliver Stone sets out on a road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media's misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents. In casual conversations with Presidents Hugo Chávez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brazil), Cristina Kirchner  (Argentina), as well as her husband and ex-President Nėstor Kirchner,  Fernando Lugo  (Paraguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador) and Raúl Castro  (Cuba), Stone gains unprecedented access and sheds new light upon the exciting transformations in the region.

Opening:                    June 30
Venue:                        Film Fourm/New York City
Film:                           The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector
Dir.:                            Vikram Jayanti                    
Distributor:                BBC Arenea/VIXPIX Films
http://filmforum.org/films/spector.html

Legendary pop music genius/record producer Phil Spector created the "wall of sound" behind some of the greatest hits of the '60s: "Be My Baby," "He's a Rebel," "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," to name just a few. Today he is imprisoned serving 19 years-to-life for the murder of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson. During his first trial (a hung jury), Spector gives a rare freewheeling interview to filmmaker Vikram Jayanti, filmed at his castle, seated before the white piano that he bought with John Lennon, for his Imagine album. He lucidly holds forth on his life and work: his father's suicide when he was a child, the process through which he achieved his distinctive sound, his friendship with Lennon, and his case that (despite Paul McCartney's position), he salvaged the Beatles' album, Let It Be. Then there is Spector's curious enmity toward Tony Bennett and Buddy Holly ("He got a postage stamp even though he was only in rock 'n' roll three years."), and a grandiosity that has him likening himself to Bach, da Vinci, Michelangelo and Galileo. And, yes, there is an endless parade of hairstyles and flamboyant outfits.

With her eight-month-old baby in tow, the well-traveled, New York-based Fernanda Rossi led a day-long seminar on documentary trailers as the May edition of IDA's Doc U seminar series, held this time around at the Eastman Kodak screening room in Hollywood. Rossi has been taking her Trailer Mechanics seminar around the world for years, and motherhood has not slowed her down; by the May Doc U, her son had traveled 12 times since entering the world.

Rossi started out the day by breaking down the numerous terms for what filmmakers produce for promotional, marketing or fundraising purposes: "work in progress"..."teaser"..."featurette"..."special feature"..."DVD extra"..."work sample"..."show reel"..."demo"..."taster"..."pitch video"..."sizzler"..."fundraising trailer"..."clip"..."rough cut"..."promo"..."preview"..."assemble"...and, of course, "trailer." It does come down to semantics and semiotics, and it depends on whom you ask or to whom you pitch when parsing the distinctions among these terms, but all are in the service of showing potential funders and supporters what your work is about, your style, the story you're trying to tell, etc. 

The length of your trailer can range from one minute to 20 minutes. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, for example, prefers the term "work-in-progress," and advises that submissions be 10 to 30 minutes-which is the benchmark range for most grantmakers. For pitch forums like Sheffield Doc/Fest's Meet Market, IDFA's Forum and Hot Docs' Toronto Documentary Forum, the trailer ranges from one to 5 minutes. For fundraising events, your trailer can be as long as seven minutes. And a general fundraising trailer might be as long as 20 minutes.

In general, do your homework about your potential funders; you may need to create a range of trailers--or whatever the preferred term is--that conveys the story you're trying to tell. Start with a 10-minute "generic," from which you'll cut other versions. And don't wait until the film is finished to cut your trailer; that, like your website, will evolve and grow with your film. Along those lines, over the course of the process, if you re-apply to a prospective funder, don't send the same trailer as before; most grantmakers won't allow you to do so. You want to show that you've made progress on your project. And always ask prospective funders for specifications and guidelines regarding trailers.

Honing in on the fundraising trailer, Rossi advised to think of your fundraising process as a pyramid, the top of which is the trailer, with the verbal pitch and the written proposal anchoring the base. While all three elements ideally work together as one, the most important element is the trailer, and you need to produce one that encompasses the essential ingredients of a compelling narrative: story, characters, theme, style, genre and, above all, structure.

The trailer should reveal a clear voice and vision that shows to the viewer not only the story you're going to tell but how you're going to tell it. Is your story character-driven? Conflict-driven? Goals- or obstacles-driven? Rossi discussed the virtues of a "cliffhanger" ending, which, if well executed, leaves the door open for viewers, rather than giving a sense of closure. In terms of material, live action is better than interviews, and interviews are better than stock footage. But if you're going to use stock footage in your trailer, make sure it's as close to live action as possible. Also, given that this is a short-form work, anchor your ideas with one line-"Don't make a Law and Order beginning," she advised, in which you explain the story too much. Use a strong emotional hook, such as shock or humor, or offer an unresolved statement that both conveys information and asks questions. Maintain the momentum with scenes that will give you the sense that you're watching a film, and with the end of the trailer, "Do whatever it takes to tell people there's more to it."

Rossi treated the audience to a series of examples of different versions of trailers created by some of her clients. The first version of one example, about hip-hop in Cuba, started out slow, given the subject, and weighed heavily on the performances. The improved second version minimized the performance footage and instead emphasized a scene in a kitchen depicting a spirited discussion about the significance of hip-hop in Cuba vs. in the US. In another example, about Mexican children trying to cross the US border to reunite with their mother, the main story got lost in a crowd of too many characters from either side of the border; moreover, the voiceover narration was a bit of a distraction. The improved version accentuated the story, bringing out the tension and conflicts, and replaced the narration with title cards.

After fielding and reviewing trailers brought by audience members, Rossi concluded the afternoon with a wealth of helpful tips and words of wisdom on basic elements: Avoid a flashy, MTV-style montage...Grab your viewer from the opening scene, since viewers might not watch the entire trailer.... Don't make your menu complicated; a simple "play" button will suffice...Check your DVD format and make sure it can play everywhere before you send it out...Don't submit your work on BluRay...Label your DVD with the title of your work, your name and contact information, total running time and the date you created it....Use only bubble-wrap envelopes to send your work... ...

And with that, the day-long seminar concluded. But Rossi responded to many online questions in the week following Doc U; click here and scroll down for her responses.

Editor's note: This obituary for Irwin Rosten comes to us courtesy of Mr. Rosten's son, Peter. We added additional information, as reported in the Los Angeles Times

Irwin Rosten, writer, producer, director, world-traveler and consummate gentleman, passed away Sunday May 23, 2010, in Hollywood, after a brief illness. He was 85.  

Rosten grew up in Brooklyn, and worked for television in its infancy at the DuMont Network in New York where he wrote news. He moved to Los Angeles in 1954 where he worked for KNXT and KTLA, writing news and producing half-hour specials.

Rosten's credo was simple: "I hire the best people I can--I get out of the way--and somehow I get a lot of credit for it." He fiercely resisted self-promotion. When he was nominated for an Emmy for the National Geographic documentary Grizzly, Irwin's friends and business associates bought a full-page ad in Variety, and at the bottom of the page wrote: "This space paid for by the admirers of Irwin Rosten, a modest man who cannot be trusted to blow his own horn."

In the late 1960s Rosten and his business partner, 2009 IDA Pioneer Award honoree Nicolas Noxon, created the first stand-alone documentary unit at a major studio. During their partnership with MGM, Rosten wrote and produced Hollywood: The Dream Factory, the first of numerous award-winning programs made for the studio and National Geographic. Over a long and extraordinary career he created hundreds of hours of first-quality television, taking home a Peabody, four Emmys, several WGA awards and two Oscar nominations.

According to an obituary in the Los Angeles Times, among other documentaries that Rosten produced for National Geographic and PBS include The Incredible Machine, from 1975, which took viewers inside the human body via the medical imaging technology that was available at the time. "It was very, very popular and sort of opened people's eyes to what could be done with a documentary," Noxon told the Los Angeles Times. "It was groundbreaking for its time." The film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature; Rosten had received an earlier Oscar nomination in 1969 for The Wolf Men, about the hunting of timber wolves in North America. He would later win an Emmy Award for Mysteries of the Mind, which aired on PBS.  

True, Rosten was an extraordinary writer and producer--but something should also be said about Irwin Rosten, the man. He was gentle and kind, strong as steel, quiet and unassuming and entirely non-judgmental. He was a great cook, a generous friend, a loving father and husband and a mentor to many. His was the quintessential American success story: a first-generation American born to immigrant parents, a child of the Depression who made an unparalleled success of his life. He traveled broadly and lived well, and will be sorely missed by his wife Marilyn, son Peter, family and friends.

The AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival unveiled its slate of films for this year's edition, taking place June 21 to 27 in the Washington, DC area. Films will screen in five sections: Sterling US Feature Competition, Sterling World Feature Competition, Sterling Short Film Competition, and the to-be-announced Silver Spectrum and Spotlight Programs.

The eight-year-old festival received a record 2,163 submissions. "This year we received more high-quality submissions than ever before, making it harder than ever to select the films for the 2010 program," said artistic director Sky Sitney, in a statement. "This festival slate represents the very best the documentary form has to offer, covering a wide range of issues and voices, and focusing on cinematic excellence."

Here are the films:

Sterling US Feature Competition

Beyond This Place (Dir.: Kaleo La Belle)--Cloud Rock La Belle is the quintessential hippie, still living a perpetually stoned and carefree lifestyle 40 years after the '60s ended. His son attempts to re-connect with his absentee father by taking a 500-mile bike trip together around the Pacific Northwest. US Premiere.

Camera, Camera (Dir.: Malcolm Murray)--In Laos, the digital camera is the universal sign of the tourist, but when westerners take photos in seemingly exotic locals, what are they really capturing? A snapshot of reality, or a highly-distorted caricature that reveals more about the photographer than the landscape? This poetic film invites you to reconsider what it means to be a stranger in a strange land. East Coast Premiere.

Circo (Dir.: Aaron Schock)--Circo is an intimate look at a family's struggle to preserve the institution of their small traveling circus in rural Mexico. At once producers, performers and roadies, the Ponce family--the driven owner-father, his questioning wife, and their dedicated children--forms the heart of Circo, which explores the inner workings of the circus business as well as family sacrifice, loss of childhood and the preservation of a fading art form. East Coast Premiere.

The Disappearance of Mckinley Nolan (Dir.: Henry Corra)--Forty years after Pvt. McKinley Nolan vanished in Vietnam, his family learns there is hope the beloved brother, husband and father is alive and the decades-long mystery of his disappearance may be solved. World Premiere.

Holywars (Dir.: Stephen Marshall)--The film follows two deeply committed men of faith--a Muslim and a Christian--as they travel the world spreading messages they both feel represent "the truth." What happens when the men are put in the same room? This thought-provoking film is sure to push buttons and instigate discussions about the nature of religion, extremism and tolerance. World Premiere.

The Kids Grow Up (Dir.: Doug Block)--In his previous film, 51 Birch Street, director Doug Block examined the marriage between his parents and, in particular, his relationship with his father. In this film, Block turns the camera on his daughter Lucy, meticulously documenting her life from birth, with the hopes that this will be a gift she one day enjoys, and that it might somehow help stave off the looming separation he hopes to avoid as she grows older and more independent.

Monica and David (Dir.: Alexandra Codina)--Like many couples blissfully in love, Monica and David are getting married. Yet unlike most married couples, Monica and David have Down syndrome. The film offers an intimate glimpse into the first year of marriage for this charismatic young couple and reveals the joys and struggles that are much the same as that of any newlyweds.

My Perestroika (Dir.: Robin Hessman)--The film's intimate and heartfelt portrait of the last generation of Soviet children brought up behind the Iron Curtain presents a complex picture of the challenges, dreams and disillusionments of this cross-over generation.

On Coal River (Dirs.: Francine Cavanaugh, Adams Wood)--When residents of the Coal River Valley begin noticing that a host of medical problems are linked to a Massey-owned coal-waste dumping ground that sits above the local elementary school, they demand action. World Premiere.

Sons of Perdition (Dirs.: Tyler Measom, Jennilyn Merten)--The film offers an eye-opening look into the world of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a branch of Mormonism that has continued the practice of polygamy since its emergence in the early 20th century. Far too often, they exile young men, who are forced to find their way in a world previously unknown.

Wo Ai Ni Mommy (I Love You Mommy) (Dir.: Stephanie Wang-Breal)--Eight-year-old Chinese Fang Sui Yong is adopted by a Jewish couple from Long Island who name her "Faith." The film follows Faith and her parents' twist-and-turn journey over a year and a half. East Coast Premiere.

Sterling World Feature Competition

The Arrivals (Dirs.: Claudine Bories, Patrice Chagnard; France)--Arriving on the shores of France is merely the beginning of a labyrinthian journey for more than 50,000 refugees seeking asylum through the municipal reception center in Paris each year. North American Premiere.

As Lilith (Dir.: Eytan Harris; Israel)--After a 14-year-old Israeli girl commits suicide, her mother, Lilith, wants the body cremated. Before she can proceed, she must fight ZAKA, one of Israel's most powerful religious organizations, which is fundamentally against cremation. East Coast Premiere.

Budrus (Dir.: Julia Bacha; Israel/Palestinian Territories)--This rousing film about one Palestinian village and its unlikely hero--humble family man turned activist Ayed Morrar--reveals the power of ordinary people to peaceably fight for extraordinary change.

Familia (Dirs.: Mikael Wiström, Alberto Herskovits; Sweden/Peru/Spain)--Swedish filmmaker Mikael Wiström captures the emotional ups and downs of an impoverished Peruvian family struggling to create a better life and stay together in the midst of great difficulty. US Premiere.

A Film Unfinished (Dir.: Yael Hersonski; Germany/Israel)--In never-before-seen footage from a lost reel of an incomplete Nazi-produced propaganda film about Warsaw's Jewish ghetto in 1942, the film captures images of manipulated and staged ghetto life mixed with stunning photographic evidence and testimony-all making for a riveting experience.

Into Eternity (Dir.: Michael Madsen; Finland)--This film ponders how to caution explorers from future civilizations who may be driven by curiosity, or a desire to understand their distant past, to stay clear of buried nuclear waste.

Presumed Guilty (Dirs.: Roberto Hernández, Geoffrey Smith; Mexico)--In its stunning indictment of Mexican jurisprudence, the film invites unsettling suspicion that legions of hapless prisoners face groundless decades behind bars. East Coast Premiere.

Regretters (Dir.: Marcus Lindeen; Sweden)--Mikael and Orlando are two aging Swedes with something unusual in common: They are both biological males who have undergone sex reassignment surgery but now wish to "change back." The pair's startling testimony forms a complex philosophical interrogation of gender performance and selfhood. 

Space Tourists (Dir.: Christian Frei; Switzerland)--Amid the crumbling infrastructure of the former Soviet military space program, Russians allow civilians to travel into space for the low, low price of $20 million. Meanwhile, poor herders in Central Asia wait expectantly for the discarded remains of the rocket to sell on the black market. East Coast Premiere.

Steam of Life (Dirs.: Joonas Berghāll, Mika Hotakainen; Finland)--It's neither a therapist's office nor a lover's bed where Finnish men's deepest feelings about life, love and family are brought to the surface: It's the sauna. The film allows the viewer to become a fly on the wall as it listens in on men--naked men--talking to other men (or occasionally a grizzly bear) in the sanctuary of the country's ubiquitous saunas. US Premiere.

The Woman with The Five Elephants (Dir.: Vadim Jeydrenko; Germany/Switzerland /Ukraine)--Witness to unspeakable horrors, 85-year-old Svetlana Geier has dedicated her life to language. Considered the greatest translator of Russian literature into German, Svetlana has just concluded her magnum opus, completing new translations of Dostoyevsky's five great novels--known as "The Five elephants." US Premiere.

Sterling Short Competition

Albert's Winter (Dir.: Andreas Koefad; Denmark)--A young boy in Germany struggles to deal with his mother's devastating terminal cancer. As the illness lingers unspoken in the background, Albert goes through the motions of his day-to-day life but knows that something is terribly wrong.

Arirang-- Letter to Barack (Dir.: Gerd Konrad; Germany/North Korea)--The world appears very different from inside the hermit kingdom of North Korea. Huge mosaics created by 100,000 schoolchildren holding aloft colored cards in unison are a source of national pride, but so is the nation's stockpile of nuclear weapons. Pageantry and atomic blasts are juxtaposed in this chilling thought piece.

Arsy-Versy (Dirs.: Miro Remo; Slovakia)-Lubos is a happy-go-lucky 50-something who lives with his aging mother in what some would call a codependent relationship. The film takes a unique look at a mother-son relationship and the way in which Lubos lives his free-spirited life, like the title says, upside down.

Between Dreams (Dir.: Iris Olsson; Finland/France/Russian Federation)--A hundred souls lost in dreams in the dead of night cross a Siberian moonscape aboard a battered Russian train. A fortunate few dream happily and carefree, but most toss uneasily, gripped by fears for the future or guilt about the past.

Big Birding Day (Dir.: David Wilson; USA)--Competitive bird watching comes alive in this delightful short. As three friends attempt to catch a glimpse of as many species as possible within the course of 24 hours, the special camaraderie that emerges between friends who enjoy the rituals of a unique hobby together is highlighted.

Born Sweet (Director: Cynthia Wade; USA/Cambodia)--Vinh, a rural Cambodian teen, dreams of falling in love, moving to the city and becoming a karaoke star. Alas, for Vinh and the millions of other children worldwide suffering from chronic arsenic poisoning, even reaching adulthood is a dream in doubt.

Bye Bye Now (Director: Aideen O'Sullivan; Ireland)--The film offers a charming look at the gradual disappearance of phone booths in Ireland. With the advent of modern technology, the phone booth has all but vanished all over the world. In a loving tribute to this soon-to-be relic of the past, the film is a nostalgic reminder of yesteryear.

Corner Plot (Dir.: Ian Cook; USA)--In this heart-warming short, 89-year-old Charlie Koiner cares for a one-acre piece of farmland that rests just inside urban Washington, DC. With help from his daughter, Charlie works the land and shares his crops at the local farmer's market. In a rapidly changing modern world, this unique farmer remains dedicated to the life he has always known.

The Darkness of Day (Dir.: Jay Rosenblatt; USA)--This moving and thought-provoking meditation on depression and suicide stretches the boundaries of "documentary." Built from found footage, and using both biographical details from Rosenblatt's life and readings from a journal of someone who committed suicide, the film gently spurs you to ask exactly what it aims to document.

The Faux Real (Dir.: Suzanne Hillinger; USA)--This engaging short documentary introduces three biologically born females who identify as drag queens. Challenging traditional ideas of gender and drag, these unconventional women don wigs, false eyelashes, heavy makeup and chokers to perform burlesque as women trying to pass as men in drag.

Flawed (Dir.: Andrea Dorfman; Canada)--Unfolding like a graphic novel, director and artist Andrea Dorfman illustrates her way through her unlikely pairing with a cosmetic surgeon. This animated short is a lovely meditation on falling in love, when the most trying battle is the one fought between the heart's desires and the mind's insecurities.

Found (Dir.: Paramita Nath; Canada)--For Laotian-Canadian poet Souvankham Thammavongsa, a discarded scrapbook sheds light on a harsh infancy in Southeast Asia emphasizing how family memory is often an aggregation of disparate pieces.

The Herd (Dir.: Ken Wardrop; Ireland)--One of these things is not like the other. But don't tell that to the newest addition to the cow herd on the filmmaker's family farm. When a little fawn finds herself out of place amid the sole company of cows, she attempts to fit in unnoticed. Can she succeed?

Holding Still (Dir.: Florian Riegel; Germany/USA)--Imagine if the last 20 years of your life were lived entirely in one room, yet you have the ability to see and photograph the world outside. This is the story of Janis, a woman whose artistic voice is remarkably unconstrained by physical obstacles or tragedies in her past.

The Housekeeper (Dir.: Tali Yankelevich; Scotland)--The care bestowed on a venerable priest by his elderly Greek housekeeper may at first blush appear to be all in a day's work, but beneath the surface flow strong currents of platonic love and mutual need.

If These Walls Could Talk (Dir.: Anna Rodgers; Ireland)--This haunting and visually stunning short film explores several desolate and abandoned psychiatric hospitals throughout Ireland. The voices of former long-term patients permeate the corridors, still struggling to understand the circumstances that brought them there.

I'm Just Anneke (Dir.: Jonathan Skurnik; USA)--Anneke is a 12-year-old girl who has begun taking a hormone blocker so that she can delay puberty to ultimately decide for herself whether or not she wants to grow up as a woman or a man. This thought-provoking film brings to light the choices of a new generation facing gender identity issues with remarkable sensitivity and respect.

Keep Dancing (Dir.: Greg Vander Veer; USA)--Well into their ninth decade of life, dance icon Marge Champion and Tony-winning choreographer Donald Saddler became fast friends while performing in the 2001 Broadway revival of Follies. Now 90, the two continue to rehearse and choreograph original work, revealing a passion for dance undimmed by the passage of time.

Last Address  (Director: Ira Sachs; USA)-A series of exterior shots of buildings that all have one thing in common: they were the last residential addresses of some of New York's most prominent artists who lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses. This simple yet poignant short film is an elegant tribute to those remarkable people whose voices were silenced much too soon.

Lies (Dir.: Jonas Odell; Sweden)--With playful animation and lively narration, three people share their individual stories of lying, and the surprising consequences of their deception. 

Listening to the Silences (Dir.: Pedro Flores; UK)--What does it feel like to hear voices inside your head? Roy Vincent attempts to explain. Living alone in the isolated countryside, Vincent's battle with mental illness is a daily struggle. This quiet, penetrating film presents a sympathetic portrait of a man accepting his inner demons.

Maria's Way (Dir.: Anne Milne; Scotland/Spain)--A feisty elderly woman's sole purpose in life appears to be setting up an isolated roadside stand along the historic Camino de Santiago pilgrim route. A seemingly mundane daily task soon evolves into a humorous and charming observation on the importance of purpose, commitment and tradition.

Missed Connections (Dir.: Mary Robertson; USA)--This delightful film is an amuse-bouche for anyone who has ever perused the "Missed Connections" section of the classifieds in the hope they will recognize themselves as the "missed connection" in question.

A Moth in Spring (Dir.: Yu Gu; USA/Canada)--While attempting to produce a film in China inspired by her parents' involvement with the Student Democracy Movement of the 1980s, a young filmmaker's life and work quickly begin to parallel her parents' trials and alienation when the film is shut down and she is ordered to leave the country.

Mrs. Birk's Sunday Roast (Director: Kyoko Miyake; UK)--This beautifully shot slice-of-life short introduces Mrs. Fukio Birks, a Japanese woman living in England with her British husband. Embracing the new life she has created, Mrs. Birks dedicates herself to embracing English culture-beginning with its cuisine. As she prepares a delectable English Sunday dinner, Mrs. Birks shares her thoughts on cooking, home, culture and family.

Notes on the Other (Director: Sergio Oksman; Spain)--Ostensibly about Ernest Hemingway, this intriguing short is more a meditation on reality and simulation-like a Baudrillard lecture, except more fun. Contrasting Hemingway with his impersonators in Key West, the film questions the writer's account of the running of the bulls, moving quickly to challenging the concept of the Real.

On the Run with Abdul (Dirs.: James Newton, Kristian Hove Sorensen,David Lalé; UK/France)--When 16-year-old Abdul's life is suddenly in jeopardy because of his involvement with a film on refugees, the filmmakers take it upon themselves to protect the boy. Exploring the delicate balance of how involved documentarians should become with their subjects, the film is a remarkable reassessment on the craft of nonfiction filmmaking.

Overnight Stay (Dir.: Daniela Sherer; USA)--Using hand-drawn animation, the film illustrates an 83-year-old woman's vivid memory of an event during World War II that likely saved her life when she was a young girl. On a cold night in Nazi-occupied Poland in 1941, she was taken in by strangers and given a place to sleep.

Para Fuera: Portrait of Dr. Richard J. Bing (Dir.: Nicholas Jasenovec; USA)--How could a centenarian who is an accomplished doctor and musician sum up the totality of experiences in his life in one word? Dr. Richard Bing is able to do so-and along the way you will learn what motivated and assisted him in living his challenging yet charmed life.

Plastic and Glass (Dir.: Tessa Joosse; France)--In a recycling factory in the north of France, workers settle into the daily grind of reprocessing plastic and glass. In an effort to transcend the routine, the workers playfully adapt the steady rhythm of the machines into a melody for a song and dance.

The Poodle Trainer (Dir.: Vance Malone; Russia)--Irina Markova is a Russian poodle trainer who has dedicated her life to training her 20 colorfully costumed poodles to perform clever acrobatic tricks. Fueled by a childhood tragedy that sparked a fierce desire to avoid people, Markova welcomes the solace of her animals and the isolation she finds behind the red velvet curtain of the circus.

Prayers for Peace (Dir.: Dustin Grella; USA)--Through the use of stop-motion animation, a man reflects on the memory of his younger brother, recently killed in Iraq. This deeply personal film offers an elegant introspection about a brother and soldier whose loss is deeply felt by those who loved him.

Quadrangle (Dir.: Amy Grappell; USA)--In the '70s, two "conventional" couples embark on a most unconventional arrangement when they attempt to ward off marital ennui by swapping partners. Moving into the same home, merging families, sharing in a group marriage, can this four-way affair ever work?

Seltzer Works (Dir.: Jessica Edwards; USA)--New York's last seltzer bottler makes for a refreshing subject in this effervescent look at a tradesman who refuses to compromise on taste while facing the inevitable decline of a dying commercial tradition.

The Space You Leave (Dir.: James Newton; UK)--Thoughts of their long-vanished children are never far off for several British parents whose lives seem all but consumed by overarching loss. The daunting impact of an estimated 200,000 annual disappearances in the UK is brought to scale in three gripping portraits of lives now defined by the presence of absence.

They Are Giants (Dir.: Koert Davidse; Netherlands)--The Bibliotheca Thurkowiana Minor is a breathtakingly beautiful old world library filled with hand-crafted leather tomes nestled in exquisite mahogany bookcases. No human has ever walked its halls, climbed its stairs, or sat at its tables because this library is no more than eight feet long and four feet high; its books no taller than your little finger.

This Chair Is Not Me (Dir.: Andy Taylor Smith; UK)--While cerebral palsy confines Alan Martin to a wheelchair and inhibits his speech, he refuses to limit himself. When he gains access to technology that enables him to find a voice, his life is transformed.  Utilizing stunning visual vocabulary and subtle re-enactment, the film presents a cinematic experience as unique as the subject himself.  

Trash-Out (Dir.: Maria Fortiz-Morse; USA)--This deeply affecting and simple short shows workers cleaning out a house that has been foreclosed. What do the things left behind say about a family? What does an empty house that was once a home say? In a mere six minutes, Trash-Out makes a poignant statement on a timely subject. 

Unearthing the Pen (Dir.: Carol Salter; UK/Uganda)-- Beautifully photographed, this film poignantly tells the story of a young Ugandan boy's desperate desire for an education in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds: most daunting is the possibility that the symbolic burying of a pen decades earlier by tribal elders has resulted in a curse on formal education.

The Veil (Dir.: Mattia Colombo; Italy)--A young postulant prepares to enter the convent. Older nuns go about their quotidian routines. This intimate portrait of Franciscan sisters in a small Venetian convent reveals the vibrant lives played out beneath the subdued cloth of their vocation.

World Champion (Dir.: Moonika Siimets; Estonia)--Eighty-two-year-old Herbert Sepp is a man's man. He works out, he speaks his mind, and he knows what he wants in life: a world masters title in pole vaulting. For him, it's all about the run, the plant... and the very, very short amount of time in the air.