Our condolences to his family and friends.
The following statement was issued by First Run Features this afternoon:
Today we mourn the loss of author, activist, historian and beloved folk hero Howard Zinn, who has been an integral part of the First Run legacy for many years. Howard lent his support to countless of our films, several in which he plays a central role. The most recent of these is The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, which opens in theaters tomorrow. Howard protected copies of the Pentagon Papers for Ellsberg--even hid them in his apartment for a time, and he later served as an expert witness for the defense at Ellsberg's criminal trial. In his recollections of Zinn on antiwar.com, Ellsberg writes that his friend is "the best human being I’ve ever known [and] the best example of what a human can be"
We invite you to learn more about this remarkable man through the biographical Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train, based on Zinn’s memoir of the same name, as well as the documentaries Sacco and Vanzetti, The Camden 28 and One Bright Shining Moment.
Find out more about Howard Zinn on his website.
Another experiment with video Doc Shots from Sundance 2010! Shot this one on a li'l mini-DV cam. Many thanks to Alex Gibney, who was willing to brave the cold so we could escape the verrry loud background music playing at Starbucks, the location of our interview (though I guess if you're brave enough to take on the task of breaking down the story of Jack Abramoff, a little chill in the air isn't going to put you off).
We're shooting outside, close to the Yarrow and Holiday Village theaters. Between Alex's frozen breath and the sounds of Park City in the background, now you've got a sense of what it was like up there this past week. Enjoy this glimpse into the life and work of Alex Gibney, including tennis, Lady GaGa and a twisty tale of greed and corruption. And for more on the film, read my colleague Tom White's reaction to the screening.
THE DOC SHOT
Alex Gibney
Director, Casino Jack and the United States of Money
Editor's Note: A Small Act airs July 12 on HBO. Here's Tamara Krinsky's video interview with director/writer Jennifer Arnold, when the film premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
This year at Sundance, I decided to experiment with some video Doc Shots. As you know, the Doc Shot is a regular feature on the site wherein we get a li'l insight into the work and lives of those creating and supporting documentary film. Seemed like a natural development to try a few video Doc Shots at Sundance this year, as so many fantastic filmmakers are in attendance.
This one's our first, and I shot it on my iPhone. Please forgive the slightly shaky cam...I promise, it gets better as it goes! I'll be trying different ways of shooting these throughout the week, so expect to see some changes as we play around with them.
THE DOC SHOT
Jennifer Arnold
Director, A Small Act
Krinsky at Sundance: Day 2 - Secrets of the Tribe and Gen Art's '7 Fresh Faces' Party
Friday afternoon I caught Secrets of the Tribe, the latest offering from Jose Padilha's (Bus 174). The doc examines the field of anthropology, looking at its history of studying and interacting with the Yanomami Indians of the Amazon Basin. There are allegations of sexual and medical misconduct, and a whole lotta anthropologists who disagree with one another.
While I was fascinated by the subject matter, I felt the film was a bit too inside. There is an assumption that the audience is familiar with the different schisms and players in the field, and by the time I caught up, I was feeling very frustrated. A quick fix: add a teeny tiny primer at the beginning of the film so that those who don't know about the different anthropological schools of thought can enjoy the academic infighting from the very start.
After a lovely dinner with my condo-mates, I spent the evening at the packed Gen Art/7 For All Mankind "7 Fresh Faces in Film" party, hosted by Malin Akerman. Honorees included Shawn Ashmore, Amy Ferguson, Shiloh Fernandez, Zoe Kazan, Zoe Lister Jones, Jennifer Lawrence and Kevin Zegers. The shin-dig was held at the Gen Art Lodge at Sky Lodge, one of the new party hotspots this year at the fest.
Sunday evening at Sundance featured two rich celebrations of the art of non-fiction by companies with multiple films playing in the fest.
Participant Media and Entertainment Weekly held a Conversation with filmmakers Alex Gibney (Casino Jack and the United States of Money), Davis Guggenheim (Waiting for Superman), Lucy Walker (Countdown to Zero) and Mark Lewis (Cane Toads: The Conquest 3D) at the Gen Art Lounge @ Sky Lodge.
Moderated by EW Los Angeles bureau chief Sean Smith, the spirited panel discussion touched on the creative possibilities of the form, choices about topics and social action films. Plus, there were cocktails and yummy soft pretzels! Here's an excerpt from the conversation:
Later that evening, I joined HBO Documentary Films to "Party in Real Time" and celebrate their festival films at a dinner held at the Cabin restaurant at the Canyons. HBO Sundance titles include U.S. Competition docs 12th and Delaware (Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing) and A Small Act (Jennifer Arnold); World Cinema Competition doc Secrets of the Tribe (Jose Padilha); and Shorts Program doc The Fence (Rory Kennedy).
The food was fantastic and the crowd even more so. Attending doc filmmakers and supporters included director Amir Bar-Lev, composer Miriam Cutler (Family Affair), Lisa Leeman (editor/writer, Made in L.A.), SnagFilms Andrew Mer, Tribeca Enterprise's Julie La'Bassiere, editor Kate Amend and the IDA's Board president Eddie Schmidt and executive director Michael Lumpkin.
Sunday was jam packed with documentary activities, both social and cinematic. I began the day with The Tillman Story, Amir Bar-Lev's exploration of the life and death of NFL player Pat Tillman. A star safety with the Arizona Cardinals, Tillman turned down a lucrative renewal contract to enlist in the U.S. Army in 2002.
He served multiple tours with the Army Rangers before he was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004. The U.S. government lied about the cause of his death, saying that he had single-handedly saved the lives of dozens of men during an ambush in the mountains of Afghanistan, sacrificing his own life for the safety of his comrades. Outraged, his family sought to bring to light the real story behind Pat's death, including exposing those responsible at the highest levels of command.
Bar-Lev's film left myself and those with whom I exited the theater wanting to punch the government, for lack of a more eloquent phrase. But we weren't in the mood to be eloquent - were were pissed! While the friendly fire incident was unfortunate and sad, you don't blame the soldiers who were responsible (in fact, though the film attempts to reconstruct the incident, ultimately, it's still guesswork as to what really happened). Rather, the anger we all felt was directed at the U.S. government, who sought to turn Tillman's death into a propaganda tool.
Mary, Pat's mother, is a force to be reckoned with, providing the emotional heart of the film. In a particularly poignant moment, she expresses how horrible it is that the military would take a young man with honorable intentions who served his country and lie about how he died in order to promote a war.
A clip from The Tillman StoryIn the attempt to get to the truth, Mary plows through over 3000 pages of material, trying to fill in the blanks of the redacted documents and figure out what really happened. Another indication that the cover up reached beyond Tillman's unit: the fact that his body armor, diary and helmet were all destroyed - something that would have needed approval from above.
In April 2005, Patrick Tillman, Sr. (Pat's father) writes a letter to military investigators accusing them of white watching the facts and ending with a lovely suggestion to fuck off. This letter was taken as an official accusation of criminal activity and forwarded to the Department of Defense, which initiates an investigation in to the Army's handling of the Tillman incident. The blame finally - conveniently - falls on a general, who just happens to be newly retired.
Eventually, Tillman's family discovers a leaked memo from General Stanely McChrystal that proves that the entire chain of command knew about the cover up and were concerned about the effect Tillman's death might have on the morale of the war effort. The memo allows them to go beyond the military to Congress for a hearing, which involves a lot of officials uttering the phrase "I don't recall."
Towards the end of the film, a defeated, frustrated Mary says, "There's not much else that can be done." But this is where Bar-Lev's documentary comes in. The Tillman family's prime motivation in clearing up the real story around Pat was to make sure the world was left with an accurate picture of him, not one constructed by government propaganda. The Tillman Story allows them to do so. The film was picked up for distribution by The Weinstein Company.
After such an intense morning, I needed to chill out for a bit. Luckily, the SAG Actor's Brunch, held at Cafe Terigo on Main Street, provided just such an opportunity. As attendees traded film reviews over fruit and spicy egg casserole, I caught up with my WGAW colleague Kay Schaber Wolf. Yep, for those of you who don't know, I recently started a new gig at the Writers Guild of America West. They've created new position to keep track of New Media. I'll be focusing on original online content, tracking both creative and business developments in the space.
I then briefly stopped by the Women In Film brunch, where I nibbled on a few more tasty treats (thank goodness for the uphill walk on Main St. or else I'd come home from Sundance a lot bigger than I started!). The brunch featured a panel, "Choosing Artistic Freedom: How Singular Vision Can Lead to Heroic Filmmaking" with a stellar array of filmmakers, including producer Lesley Chilcott (Waiting for Superman), Liz Garbus (producer, A Family Affair), Laurens Grant (producer, Freedom Riders), Patti Lee (DP/producer, A Small Act), Laura Poitras (director/producer/DP, The Oath), and the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program's Cara Mertes (executive producer, Stories of Change, including To Catch A Dollar: Muhammad Yunus Banks on America).
Women in Film assembles a stellar collection of documentarians
During the brunch, WIF presented the Women In Film/National Geographic All Roads Film Grant to director Jennifer Arnold and Patti Lee for their work on A Small Act. The award recognizes a deserving female documentarian in the Sundance Film Festival Program, and includes $5000.
Jill Miller, Managing Director, Sundance Institute said in a statement, "Women make up a major part of the talent in independent documentary, and increasingly have important contributions in fiction filmmaking. We love the inspiration and encouragement for women storytellers that this panel and the awards highlight every year."
Sadly, I could not stay for much of the panel, as I had to skedaddle back to the Holiday Village theaters to catch a press screening of Alex Gibney's Casino Jack and the United States of Money. For more on the film, see my Doc Shot with Gibney and my colleague Tom White's write up on the film.
Couldn't make it to Park City this year? That's ok, you can watch the films from the festival on YouTube.
Huh?
No, no one's pirating the films. YouTube and Sundance have teamed up to collaborate on YouTube's new rental product, currently in beta. From January 22nd - January 31st, three films from the Festival's new NEXT section will be featured on the video sharing site. Bass Ackwards (Linas Phillips). Homewrecker (Brad and Todd Barnes) and One Too Many Mornings (Michael Mohan) are the three films taking the plunge. Additionally, two titles from 2009 are available for rental as well: Louie Psihoyos' The Cove and Tze Chun's Children of Invention.
YouTube trailer for One Too Many Mornings
Todd Barnes is choosing to look at this endeavor as a new way to have a massive screening. During a press conference announcing the deal he said, "People here at the festival buy tickets to come see screenings. Now we have this huge 'theater' - YouTube - available to us, and anyone who wants to can come buy a 'ticket' to come see our film."
As part of their marketing for the film, he and Brad have sent out e-mails saying, "We're about to premiere out movie at Sundance. Why don't you watch along with us at home?"
This fits right in with YouTube's mission, which David Eun, VP, Content Partnerships, Google, described as two-fold. They want to provide as much content choice as possible for users. And they want to help content creators connect with audiences around the world.
The films are available for rent at YouTube Movies for $3.99, which includes an unlimited number of views for 48 hours (except The Cove, which has a 24-hour viewing window).
At a panel hosted by producers Participant Media later in the week, Guggenheim explained that 10 years after The First Year, he realized that nothing seemed to have changed with the public schools and, "I needed to talk about those uncomfortable truths."
The film does indeed explore controversial territory, with much of the blame for system failure laid on the teachers' unions. But the film also offers hope, in the stories of inspirational teachers and school leaders who are trying to innovate through charter schools and special programs.
Guggenheim essentially weaves two different movies together: the story of a group of kids waiting to find out if they win the charter school lottery, and a more logical film that delves into the complex questions of why the dysfunction in American public schools exists. The interplay between the two makes for compelling movie-watching, as you see the facts and figures play out as real-life consequences in the stories of the children.
There are a few voices missing from the film. There are many incredible, dedicated teachers working in U.S. public schools, and we don't hear their side of the story in this film. Guggenheim also does not delve into issues of peer pressure or apathetic parents. Instead, he's chosen to focus on families who desperately want more, who have dreams, who yearn to make their lives better. Their combination of hope and frustration is palpable, and by the time the film climaxes in the lottery, many a tear was being shed in the theater (including several by yours truly).
This is an important film, but it's also powerful storytelling, and that's why you should see it. Guggenheim said during the panel, "We start making films like this because we want to change a great social injustice. But you can't tell the audience what to do. So instead, you tell them a great story and hopefully, that will lead them to action."
The day started with snow and ended with snow...in between, my attention drifted, Catfish received an avalanche of applause and luckily, no one flaked.
I began the day with the world premiere public screening of Catfish, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, which is playing in the Spotlight section. The film follows the adventures of Nev (rhymes with "Steve"), a 24-year old New York-based photographer, when an eight-year old girl from Michigan contacts him asking permission to paint one of his photos. Eventually, he becomes friends (online) with her whole family. The filmmakers requested that we not reveal the details of the story so as not to ruin it for others, but it's not giving anything away to say that when everyone finally meets face-to-face, the family is not quite what Nev expected.
Nev Schulman, subject of Catfish
Catfish is a story about how we live NOW - an age where technology touches almost every aspect of our communication with one another. At the same time, it's a classic doc of discovery, a personal story about connection, relationships and deceit. The film earned a standing ovation from the audience. A big reason that it works is because Nev is an incredibly appealing subject to follow - he's funny, attractive and not shy about revealing his inner emotions in front of the camera. I'll be talking to the Catfish filmmakers later in the week, so stay tuned for a closer look.
And speaking of later, more on attention drift and YouTube in a bit...heading off for a screening of Waiting for Superman, David Guggenheim's new doc which was picked up at the start of the fest by Paramount Vantage.
Saturday afternoon, I headed over to New Frontiers for "Cross Platform and Transmedia Storytelling for Filmmakers," a panel that looked at several innovative projects making use of online tools to tell stories in new and innovative ways. Produced by Jigsaw Global, the panel was part of Digital Dive, an immersive series of workshops aimed at helping filmmakers improve their digital media literacy. During the panel, Wieden + Kennedy delved into the marketing strategy for Coraline, Jason Yim (President/Exec. Creative Dir, Trigger LA) showed off cutting edge content created for District 9, and MTV's EVP of New Media David Gale outlined the production process for $5 Cover, a multi-platform series for the network comprised of both narrative and documentary content.
and directed by Lynn Shelton, will debut later this year.
After a full day of films and panels, I headed over to decompress at an intimate party co-hosted by IDA and ro*co films, graciously presented at Sundance House by HP. The event celebrated the documentary filmmakers at the fest, and featured a live performance from singer Dana Parish.
Afterwards, I joined Ryan Harrington and the crew from the Tribeca Film Festival for cocktails celebrating the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund, before ending the night with a visit to the Digital Dive Wrap Party at the New Frontier on Main and the Late Night Filmmaker Lounge.