Editor's Note: Bradley Beesley's Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo comes out in DVD October 25 tghrough Carnivalesque Films. This article ran last year in conjunction with the film's airing on HBO.

Bradley Beesley's Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo (Prods.: Amy Dotson, James Payne), which airs September 17 on HBO/Cinemax Reel Life, focuses on female rodeo inmates from the Eddie Warrior Women's Correctional Center in Taft, Oklahoma. Through their journey to the 2007 Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo in Oklahoma City, they compete in the 2nd annual women's prison rodeo, billed as "the only behind-the-walls rodeo in the world." In the state with the highest female incarceration rate in the United States, prisoners-- both male and female--compete on wild broncos and bucking bulls, risking injury and pride. The story also features Danny Liles, a 14-year rodeo veteran incarcerated for murder. Additional female counterparts include Brandy "Foxie" Witte, Jamie Brooks (also incarcerated for murder), Rhonda Buffalo and Crystal Herrington, the latter three of whom have children.

With an impressive list of films under his belt, including Okie Noodling (2001) and The Fearless Freaks (2005), Bradley Beesley says that childhood memories growing up in Oklahoma inspired his latest tale. Always knowing about the prison rodeo, a tradition since 1940, he had in the back of his mind a story, but not until he read about the rodeo's invitation for women to compete, did he figure out the hook. After working with nearly 150 hours of footage, Beesley reveals a unique take on the documentary prison genre. Documentary talked to Beesley about his focus on Oklahoma stories, the ins and outs of a prison film, and the journey itself.

Documentary: What are the benefits and pitfalls to being coined a "backyard filmmaker"?

Bradley Beesley: Whether it be The Flaming Lips [featured in The Fearless Freaks], who I've known for 20 years, or growing up and always hearing about the prison rodeo, these are just things I know about, so when I start talking about them, people see I'm not coming in from New York or Los Angeles. I think I am able to reach an understanding early on and a lot of trust with the subjects and be consumed with their lifestyle through whatever it is. Since The Flaming Lips are from Oklahoma, my being from here allows me to fit in with the subjects; I think that's a huge aspect. If there was any sort of con at all, I think it might be getting sort of typecast as a regional filmmaker.

D: In your pre-production process, were there obstacles to acquiring access to film inside the prison?

BB:  Well, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, because it's a maximum security prison, with Danny, the main character, we weren't allowed to go into his cell, so each time you see him, he's in a holding cell. But it looks cool because it's got the bars and stuff, but that's not actually where he lives.

So that was tough to get access to, but thankfully the director of the department of correction--sort of an artistically-minded guy, a photographer--was really into my film Okie Noodling. So he was behind the project from the get-go, and that was a huge asset, even when the warden of the facility would say, "Oh no, you can't do that." And I would go right to the director of that facility to get all-access. However, at the rodeo itself, we had helicopters, a crew of 55, 20 cameras, and a jib cam mount. We did whatever we wanted to.

D: How did you find and then decide which women to feature in the film? 

BB:  In March before the rodeo practice started, we did casting calls. The practices started in May. We had about 15 to 20 girls that we knew from scouting, who were sort of the charismatic girls we thought might be good. So we did the initial casting calls and then just picked four or five girls. It evolved over us filming practices from girls we didn't know about, like Crystal and Foxie, who appeared in the film and actually became the main characters.

We didn't know that going into it, but they were such strong personalities at the practices. They were the new girls, so we were basing this on the previous teams. So that was nice to be able to go, which is always the case with documentaries. You think that somebody is really going to pop and they have a vibrant personality, and then all of a sudden you get into the editing room, and realize you have all these great sound bites from characters you didn't realize were going to be your main characters.

D: What is the appeal to average viewers watching Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo when they take into account they are watching murderers and former drug dealers? Are they heroes to other prisoners and non-prisoners alike because they are mending their ways?

BB:  Well, I think that's why we spend the first two acts of the film--the first 60 minutes--getting to know these characters. At first you hear, "Oh, Jamie shot some guy in the head." Well, we also provide you with some context as to why she shot this guy in the head: She was molested and abused from the time she was six, and the guy she shot was a trick that her boyfriend--10 years older--was prostituting her out. So hopefully we provide you with enough backstory where you care about these girls, not as inmates, but as people.

D: During the film's premiere run at SXSW, the girls talked about being heroes and how they are motivational speakers for juvenile prisoners. How does this newfound role crossover to the general public? 

BB:  At least with me, I can certainly see myself having a few drinks and getting a DUI and something or manslaughter or something, and I think a lot of us are closer to going to prison than we'd like to think. So if you think about that, then you can see yourself being in that situation where a good person was in a bad situation and did something wrong. 

D:  In an interview at SXSW, you asked yourself if these women are deserving of your attention. In bringing these prisoners to light, how did your inner conflicts change from the beginning of production to the end?

BB:  We just spent so much time with them, they became like close friends. Initially, we were a little bit intimidated being in prison, and now we go back there. We had a screening there a few months ago. It really feels like you're going in there to see some long-lost friends or family members or something like that. So now there's no question in my mind they deserve my attention.

Whereas, initially I think typically with Jamie and Rhonda, since they had murdered people, that was what I was referring to. Because when there are victims of the two people who Danny murdered and the one person who Jamie murdered, I think about their families and what their families think when they see this film.

These [inmates] are the heroes of our film--not to say they're heroes in the world, but of our little film, they are heroes. How does that make them feel when watching it and seeing this person who is lifted up? So that's been a little bit conflicting. And we did try to reach both of the family members, but were unable to do so. I would love for them to come to one of the screenings, get some feedback and have an open dialogue.

D: From a technical perspective, do you do create a shot list with your documentaries? Your film is so well constructed and has a fair amount of coverage; what type of process do you have in filming what you need?

BB:  I had two cameras while we were shooting, so it's usually just one camera getting the coverage, the dialogue coverage, and focusing on our three or four main characters. Then the other camera was getting beauty shots, B-roll, cutaways, that kind of stuff.  Early on in the filmmaking process, I want to get as much sound as I can, since I want to get the story early on and I knew that we had this story to tell.

Then we went back in and did pick-ups like you would with a feature narrative. Most of the film takes place at the 2007 rodeo, but there were certain elements, certain shots missing. We didn't know Foxie was going to win the bronco riding, so we didn't cover it as well as we hoped because she was getting on a bronco for the first time. So the next year we went back to the rodeo, and we shot all the inserts of her, which we faked for the 2007 rodeo, but obviously no one knows the difference. We're not actually faking any dialogue, or we're not trying to skew the story or anything like that. We're just using the visual experience to make a more solid film as far as the coverage goes.

D: What is the learning curve from your first film, Hill Stomp Hollar (1998), to Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo?

BB:  Oh, it's huge. I think that first film I did in 1998. I was enrolled in graduate school, and I had a choice between finishing graduate school or making a film. I was like, ‘If I'm going to make a film, I just want to go do it, as opposed to learn how to do it.' Essentially, that was my graduate school. I was so insanely naive about the practical elements of what you do with the film once you've made it. I didn't even know you had to get the publishing rights. I was doing a music documentary, and I was filming all these guys. I had their personal releases, which I thought was great. Then when the film was done, we premiered it at SXSW, and the record label didn't like it. They weren't going to give us the publishing rights at the end of the film. 

So I think if I had not just jumped into it and said, "I'm going to make this film on credit cards," I wouldn't be confident enough. We shot with the on-board mic; we didn't even have a sound guy for that film.

So you know, with every film I feel you learn more and more about it, working a lot on these reality television shows and getting to work with large crews and learning from them. I still enjoy working on TV shows (Roller Girls; A & E, 2008). I feel like I learn something on every show I've made with my films.

In conjunction with Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo, Beesley and his team started a scholarship fund for the women in the film, and developed an outreach program dedicated to changing laws in Oklahoma City for female prisoners. For more information, visit the film's website

When Laura Michalchyshyn took the helm at Discovery Communications' Planet Green five months ago after over a decade at the Sundance Channel, she convened a meeting with her new team, and the consensus was that they weren't airing enough documentaries.

"We realized that there was a great opportunity," Michalchyshyn explains. "There are so many great one-off docs available in the marketplace that aren't getting much television play." 

Planet Green decided to seize this opportunity by creating Reel Impact, a new Saturday evening slot that will feature long-form documentaries that explore pressing issues from bee colony collapse disorder to the acidification of our oceans.

Introduced in June 2008, Planet Green reaches over 57 million cable subscribers with original programming focused on environmental sustainability and individual action. Reel Impact will feature about 80 percent premieres and 20 percent "classics," like Davis Guggenheim's Oscar-winning Al Gore platform, An Inconvenient Truth. Films will also be rebroadcast on Thursday nights and selectively released online as Video on Demand.

Audiences will also be able to see additional footage, read filmmakers' blogs, participate in forum discussions and play educational games on PlanetGreen.com and its sister site, TreeHugger.com, a popular online destination that highlights creative responses to environmental challenges.

"We're creating custom content on our site to help support the broadcast, which is very important because our audience is a really engaged and they're often online--if not simultaneously with, then shortly after, the broadcast," says Michalchyshyn.

This multimedia approach is familiar territory for Laura Gabbert, co-director/co-producer of No Impact Man, which premiered at Sundance and opens in theaters nationwide through Oscilloscope Pictures this fall starting with New York and Los Angeles on September 11. Following the one-year journey of Colin Beavan, a.k.a. No Impact Man, and his family to radically minimize their environmental footprint, the film is one component of a growing advocacy empire, which includes a blog, book and the newly launched No Impact Project, a nonprofit campaign supported by The Fledgling Fund and Working Films that aims to "empower citizens to make choices that better their lives and lower their environmental impact through lifestyle change, community action and participation in environmental politics."

While Gabbert is currently focused on gearing up for the film's theatrical release, she is looking forward to the world television premiere on Reel Impact in early 2010. "My previous films have been on PBS, but I'm always excited to try something new," she says. "I met a bunch of folks from Planet Green when we were at SilverDocs, and it feels like a very appropriate place for the film. I also feel that it could play on a general interest channel, but I think this is a great place to launch it."

No Impact Man seems to be the right fit with the Reel Impact series, which highlights stories of individuals who are compelled to take action when they realize what's at stake for current and future generations. Gabbert and her filmmaking team, including co-producer Eden Wurmfeld and co-director Justin Schein, were themselves inspired to rethink not only their personal daily habits, but also the way they make films. They minimized air travel, employed only practical lighting and used four rechargeable nine-volt batteries for the entire year and half of shooting, as opposed to the hundreds thrown in the garbage over the course of the making of most doc features. They even felt compelled by the Beavans to go car-free, capturing tracking shots from the seat of a rickshaw attached to the back of a bicycle.

"It felt kind of wrong to be documenting Colin and following him around in an SUV," Gabbert maintains. "But I also think it lent the film an intimacy and it makes you feel like part of the family."

While some dismiss the efforts of the Beavans to eliminate their impact, including getting around exclusively through biking and walking and not buying anything other than food (local, of course), as too radical for most Americans, the point is to invite viewers to consider making changes that feel right for them.

"The tagline for Reel Impact is ‘Watch at eight, talk at ten,'" says Michalchyshyn. "The idea, really, is that these films will engage and provoke. We're not taking a position. There is no right answer in this movement and there is no right answer in these films."

This helps to explain the inclusion of Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog's haunting 2005 profile of Timothy Treadwell, an arguably suicidal naturalist whose passion to protect bears makes him believe he is immune to being attacked by them. Michalchyshyn agrees that "a lot of people would say that Timothy pushed it, and unfortunately lost his life over some of the decisions that he made. That's what Werner does so well as a filmmaker: He presents the facts and sort of says, ‘Here it is; you make your decision on how you feel.'"

While many of the films in the series focus on individual choice, they also examine systemic negligence and corporate greed, from the literal and financial demolition of the electric car industry in Chris Paine's 2006 film Who Killed the Electric Car? to environmental contamination by natural gas extraction companies in Split Estate.

Debra Anderson, director of Split Estate, got an offer from Planet Green as a result of her participation in The Good Pitch, a partnership between the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation, the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Working Films UK that aims to bring together social issue docs-in-progress with representatives from NGOs, foundations and the media to forge alliances around the films. "We're very excited about the Reel Impact premiere," says Anderson. "We hope the film raises awareness of what's really going on in communities all over the country where folks don't have money or resources to publicize what's happening to them. Because the industry has plenty of both, and they use them liberally to support their side of the story."

Planet Green is excited to provide a new platform for documentaries like Split Estate. Michalchyshyn concludes, "It's a big move us for us and it carries on the tradition of satisfying curiosity, which Discovery Communications is really all about. That is our mantra, and that is our mission. And there's nothing that satisfies curiosity more to me than some great, provocative documentary stories."

Reel Impact airs Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., starting September 12 with the world premiere of Jeremy Simmons' The Last Beekeeper (Prods.: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato).

Shira Golding is an Ithaca, New York-based filmmaker and community activist who has been reducing her environmental impact by sharing resources locally through the group Share Tompkins, sharetompkins.wordpress.com. Check out her work at www.shirari.com.

One school of thought posits that geography is destiny. A new film on Yellowstone National Park makes the case that geology, in fact, is destiny; more, it directs evolution.

Yellowstone: Land to Life premiered on PBS September 8, with a repeat broadcast scheduled for September 13. The film takes the audience on a journey through the greater Yellowstone ecosystem to tell a compelling story about how powerful forces of geology, from fire to ice, created breathtaking landscapes that support an extraordinary array of wildlife.

A 20-minute version of the film has been playing at the Canyon Visitor Education Center at Yellowstone since Memorial Day.

"We envisioned a sweeping interpretation of  how geologic forces--volcanism, mountain-building and glaciers--created this landscape, including the gigantic caldera of a super volcano," says John Grabowska, who produced the film for the Harpers Ferry Center of  the National Park Service, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Grabowska brought an eclectic background to the project. He began his career as a television reporter and news cameraman, then worked as a legislative analyst on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Grabowska went on to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Central America, where he taught subsistence farmers how to manage killer bees "for fun and profit." Grabowska has been producing and directing films for the Harpers Ferry Center since 1991. Three of his films have been featured as PBS specials: Crown of the Continent (2003), Remembered Earth (2006) and Ribbon of Sand (2008). Yellowstone: Land to Life is his fourth PBS primetime special.

Yellowstone National Park has long been a part of Grabowska's life: His parents told him stories about honeymooning there, and during his youth, he would visit the park on family vacations. He and his wife took a six-week camping trip throughout the West during their own honeymoon; Yellowstone was their last stop.

"On my first planning trip for this film, the park geologist took me roaming around Yellowstone," Grabowska explains. "He talked about how the geology is broader, deeper and older than the hot spot volcano, which last erupted 600,000 years ago. In geologic time, that's only yesterday. The older Cascadian type volcanoes that are further to the east--the Absaroka Range--are more like those in the Pacific Northwest, completely unlike the hot spot's caldera. During the glacial period, the place was buried under 4,000 feet of ice. It seems every park in the West had its 'vast inland sea.' Yellowstone did too."

Grabowska decided to tell a bigger story than just about the super volcano. "The volcano is the reason for the thermal features--all the geysers, hot springs and mud pots," he explains. "The beginnings of life on earth--single-celled microorganisms like Archaea--first emerged in acidic hot springs like those at Yellowstone. The broader story is that geology, like volcanism and glaciation, dictates where life exists and how it evolves. For example, when the glaciers carved valleys and then melted, they created an environment perfect for grasslands. Grasslands attracted bison, moose and elk, which attracted predators, like wolves. We tried to make those connections clear and comprehensible for viewers, but in a more lyrical, poetic way. We weren't producing a didactic science film."

Grabowska kept those geologic connections in the front of his mind during pre-production as he hiked to locations with his 16-year-old daughter, Hilary, a budding photographer who documented the sights with still photographs. He used her pictures and his memories and notes to plan the film, including specific locations and times of day he wanted to film scenes.

"In natural history filmmaking, you have to invest an incredible amount of time to know the locations, the light, the animal behavior and weather patterns that tell the story," he maintains. "It's always a conundrum figuring out how to get images that will do justice to both the landscape and the unique subject matter."

Grabowska began by looking for a cinematographer who lived in the region and had extensive experience shooting natural history documentaries. That's when Jeff Hogan entered the scene. Hogan has made a living taking still photographs and shooting films documenting natural history since he moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 1980. Additional camera work was done by Bob Landis, another cinematographer who specializes in shooting nature films in Yellowstone.

"Jeff just lit up when I told him that we would be shooting on film," Grabowska explains. "I prefer film because of its natural, organic look, which is important to me for natural history films--and because film is an archival medium.

"The Park Service is often referred to as the nation's premier conservation and preservation agency," Grabowska continues. "That extends beyond the landscapes and historic structures. Using a proven archival medium was another form of preservation."

Hogan shot Super 16mm film during all four seasons over a two-year period. The temperature ranged from 25 degrees below zero to more than 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and the weather varied from snow, clear and cloudy skies to "beautiful" rainfall. "I had never worked with Jeff  before, but he knows the park thoroughly, from weather and terrain to animal behavior," Grabowska notes. "When I saw footage from his first shoot, I knew I would work with him again. Jeff and I share the same aesthetic sensibilities. All filmmaking is a subjective form of expression. You choose angles, composition and the right light. It's the same as choosing words to tell a story; images are a visual language. Backlight and light reflecting off of objects make different statements."

Hogan and Grabowska discussed visions for different locations, using Hilary's still images as references. Hogan also made suggestions based on his extensive experience filming in Yellowstone.

"For example, I told John about a canyon where ice is squirting through cracks in the ground," Hogan notes. "It is a fascinating example of geology in action today. Another part of my job is serving as the eyes and ears of the producer in the field." His modest tool kit consisted of an ARRI SR camera that was modified to record images faster than 24 frames per second. The camera was mounted with an Angenieux 11.5 :138 mm zoom lens that records "incredibly sharp images," said Hogan. He limited his palette to Kodak Vision 7201 (50D) "because it sparkles."

Decisions about where and when to shoot weren't random. "I tried to shoot where and when the light was right for the emotions that we want the images to express," Hogan explains. "You can perform magic in post-production, but I believe that painting natural scenes with light on film is where it begins.

"The park is stunningly beautiful and unique," he continues. "Nature augmented our plans with daily surprises, including the weather. I had to be at the right place at the right time. It was an incredibly emotional experience; I was in tears half the time."

Grabowska hired a pilot who flew a Cessna 210 airplane, and Hogan shot aerial scenes of mountain peaks, geyser basins, rivers, places where water meanders through the meadows, and the Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. "I knew we could shoot a lot more footage for less money than renting a helicopter with a Tyler mount or another way to rig the camera," Hogan maintains. "I asked the pilot to bank and do some really steep turns over the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the Lower Falls. Shooting at 100 frames a second smoothed out the images beautifully, just as though I was in a hovering helicopter."

"I didn't believe handheld shots from a fixed wing aircraft would look so good," Grabowska admits. "Jeff convinced me it would look great because he had worked with the pilot before, and he was right. The aerials are superb."

The film was processed at NFL Films in New Jersey and transferred to HD format for post-production by colorist Jim Coyne. It was edited by Mike Majoros at Northern Light Productions in Boston. John De Lancey wrote the script, which was narrated by Grabowska. John Kusiak composed and provided original music.

After production was completed, Grabowska got together with Hogan and created a detailed log of locations, times of year and other specifics about the archived footage. Grabowska noted that scientists as well as filmmakers are always asking for film of the geysers and wildlife in Yellowstone.

"Fifty or 100 years from now, they will be able to see what Yellowstone was like today," he concludes. "Geology isn't static. The landscape is always changing, but these images will last."

Bob Fisher has been writing about documentary and narrative filmmaking for nearly 40 years, mainly focusing on cinematography and preservation.

Over 30 musicians, actors, writers, poets and others tell the story of Big Sur, Jack Kerouac's soul-searching memoir of desperation and redemption in the new documentary One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur. The movie will be released Oct. 20, along with a 30-city theatrical release and a new album featuring 12 original songs--with lyrics based on the prose of Kerouac's 1962 landmark novel--composed and performed by Jay Farrar of Son Volt and Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie. (via the One Fast Move or I'm Gone site)

Documentaries have continued to be one of the most popular genres on Hulu and they're expanding the lineup with the online premiere of 3 Points, a film that details NBA star Tracy "T-Mac" McGrady’s journey to Africa and throughout the Darfur refugee camps in Chad. The site also features an exclusive Q&A with McGrady about the film. (via Hulu)

We are now thrilled to announce that Adobe will offer 15% to IDA members from here forward. No changes throughout the year, it’s simply 15% off Adobe products purchased through the Adobe store.

Some key benefits of getting software through this program include:

• All standard commercial Adobe products are eligible for the savings. See terms and conditions below and atwww.adobe.com/go/cspartners
• The more you get, the more you save, since you receive a percentage discount off your total order
• Save on shipping by ordering the downloadable version, and benefit from instant registration as well

Here are the simple steps required to get the discount:

• Visit www.adobe.com/go/cspartners
You will need to provide your name, e-mail address, validation number 72360, and association name code DVPRO'; } else { print '
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• The Adobe Store URL with the embedded coupon code will be e-mailed to you. The email may take up to two hours to arrive. If it doesn’t arrive within that time period, please check your spam folders. If you have any problems receiving the Adobe Store coupon email, you may also contact Adobe Sales at 800-585-0774 from 5am to 7pm Pacific Time Monday through Friday. You need to identify themselves as an association IDA member and let the Adobe rep know that your are eligible for the 15% savings as part of their association membership benefits.
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The body of Poveda, 52, was discovered in a car in Tonacatepeque, a poor rural area 10 miles outside the capital San Salvador. Police say that he was driving back from filming in La Campanera, an overcrowded ghetto that is a stronghold of the Mara 18 gang, when he was apparently ambushed.

Gangsters are suspected to be behind the killing. La Vida Loca focused on the tattooed members of Mara 18 gang. Several of the gangsters were killed or jailed during filming and the documentary records disturbing scenes of gang members gunned down in the streets, relatives crying over coffins and young female gangsters with tattooed faces, the report said.

In a statement, Wide Management said:

Christian [Poveda], was a militant, a war journalist engaged in a fair cause and wanted to calm the political and sociological tensions down in San Salvador, unfortunately, it leaded to his own death last night. Since his time as a journalist for Paris Match and Newsweek, covering already civil war in Salvador, Christian Poveda has been very moved by the young generation situation emerging from it and worried about the consequences of the war. La Vida Loca remains a testimony of this lost generation.

See some of the images from the film and the Mara 18 lifestyle on the La Vida Loca Flickr page.

Read the entire Times Online article here.

An article in the Los Angeles Times from April 2009 details the making of La Vida Loca and is accompanied by a video profile and interview.

Find out more about La Vida Loca on the film's official website.

The IDA's condolences go out to Poveda's family and friends.

Crude director/producer Joe Berlinger has just released the following letter about his documentary that examines "the real price of oil" and the infamous $27 billion "Amazon Chernobyl" case. The film opens at the IFC Cetner in NYC on Sept. 9 (prepare by watching the trailer here and reading an article from Documentary magazine here). And now the letter:

Dear Friends,

We’ve certainly had cushier assignments. Bouncing along an unpaved Amazon road on the back of a bald-tired pick-up truck in blazing 120-degree equatorial heat can lead to reflection on how you wound up in your current situation. Making documentaries, we have filmed all over the world under a variety of conditions. Some places – Maui, Copenhagen, Vienna – have been beautiful and sometimes even luxurious. Others not so much, like this part of the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. Once a pristine Eden, today this place bears numerous scars and open wounds, both literal and figurative, left by forty years of oil extraction.

For the past eight or ten hours we’ve been breathing noxious petroleum fumes while filming at some of the oil pollution sites that contaminate 1700 square miles of the rainforest here. The physical effects of even very short-term exposure to the pollution are palpable and unpleasant.

Crude, the film we are shooting, tells the story of the largest environmental lawsuit on the planet. 30,000 indigenous people and poverty-stricken campesinos (peasant farmers) are suing Chevron for $27 billion, claiming that Texaco – which was purchased by Chevron in 2001 – destroyed their rainforest home and created a “cancer death zone” the size of Rhode Island in one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems on Earth. Known as the “Amazon Chernobyl” case, the suit has been going on since a year after Texaco left the country in 1992, when the local people charged that the American oil company used outdated technology and irresponsible practices in order to save money on their operations in a place they knew no one was paying any attention. We spent three years documenting the case, during the most exciting and dramatic period of what has now stretched to 17 years of epic conflict.

All day and over the course of the past two years, we’ve heard stories from indigenous people about the health problems they and their families say they face on a daily basis. They’ve told us about losing their land, their culture, their loved ones, and their dignity. Village elders have described this place as a former paradise, before the fish, animals and plants that for millennia allowed them to live in harmony with nature were destroyed by oil production. The voices and faces of these people echo in our minds as the breeze on the back of the moving pick-up cools the sweat that seeps through our layers of DEET-soaked jungle clothing, providing a respite from the extreme equatorial heat and the mosquitoes that the CDC label as carriers of malaria.

In the early 1960s, Texaco began exploring for oil here. Back then, the company made a deal with Ecuador’s government, and the first place they struck black gold was underneath territory that belonged to the Cofán indigenous group. “A tremendous noise came from the sky,” says Cofán leader Emergildo Criollo, remembering the sound of Texaco’s helicopters descending on his village. “We wondered, ‘What kind of animal is this?’” He laughs, with more bemusement than bitterness, at his own naïveté. Emergildo was just a boy when Texaco arrived, and now his two sons have died from what he believes were the effects of oil contamination.

To the Cofán and a number of other indigenous groups in Ecuador, Texaco’s arrival was both an attack and an occupation. The native people tell us about their ancestral territories being invaded first by missionaries, then by heavy machinery, explosives, bulldozers, drills, riggers, strange white men, and other people from various parts of Ecuador, who came here in search of work. The fertile land once named in the Cofán language of A’ingae was re-christened “Lago Agrio,” meaning “Sour Lake,” after Sour Lake, Texas – birthplace of Texaco.

For me, the making of this film was a wake-up call. The treatment of native people in both of the Americas by the “white man” over the past six centuries is one of the most disturbing chapters in human history.The behavior of profit-driven multinational companies, particularly in the extractive industries, is just the modern-day continuation of this shameful trend.

As the sun dips below the jungle canopy, it’s easy to appreciate all that has been lost in this part of the Amazon. Squinting toward the empty spaces between the gas flares that spew toxic filth into the air, one can imagine how this place – one of the only locations on Earth to survive the last ice age – must have looked before it was decimated in pursuit of economic “progress.”

As I mentioned at the outset, we have certainly had easier assignments. In making this film, we endured oppressive heat, nasty toxic fumes, numerous bouts of chiggers (tiny insects that burrow under your skin to lay eggs), and even a case of Hepatitis A. But in shedding light on a story that has been swept under the rug for decades, we remember why we got into this business in the first place.

In bringing Crude to film festivals over the world over the past nine months – from Sundance to Quito – we have been moved by the incredibly warm reactions the film has received. Anger, tears and even peals of laughter have filled the cinemas. We hope that you will come to see Crude when it opens next week in the hope that, like ourselves and the festival audiences with whom we have been fortunate enough to share the film, you too will be moved and even entertained by this important story which affects us all.

Joe Berlinger
Producer/Director, Crude

For more information about Crude go to www.crudethemovie.com.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, two American journalists sentenced to 12 years of hard labor (and later pardoned) for crossing into North Korea from China, are finally speaking out and telling their side of the story.

The piece "Hostages in the Hermit Kingdom" is posted on the Current TV website. The two were working for the company and reporting on human trafficking for when captured.

Ling and Lee talk about the moments before their capture:

There were no signs marking the international border, no fences, no barbed wire. But we knew our guide was taking us closer to the North Korean side of the river...

...When we set out, we had no intention of leaving China, but when our guide beckoned for us to follow him beyond the middle of the river, we did, eventually arriving at the riverbank on the North Korean side. He pointed out a small village in the distance where he told us that North Koreans waited in safe houses to be smuggled into China via a well-established network that has escorted tens of thousands across the porous border.

Feeling nervous about where we were, we quickly turned back toward China. Midway across the ice, we heard yelling. We looked back and saw two North Korean soldiers with rifles running toward us. Instinctively, we ran.

We were firmly back inside China when the soldiers apprehended us. Producer Mitch Koss and our guide were both able to outrun the border guards. We were not. We tried with all our might to cling to bushes, ground, anything that would keep us on Chinese soil, but we were no match for the determined soldiers. They violently dragged us back across the ice to North Korea and marched us to a nearby army base, where we were detained.

The two go on to recount their time in captivity, what they did to protect their sources and sanity. And more importantly, point out:

...We do not want our story to overshadow the critical plight of these desperate defectors.

Since our release, we have become aware that the situation along the China-North Korea border has become even more challenging for aid groups and that many defectors are going deeper underground. We regret if any of our actions, including the high-profile nature of our confinement, has led to increased scrutiny of activists and North Koreans living along the border. The activists' work is inspiring, courageous and crucial.

Read the entire account on the Current TV website.

In celebration of this anniversary, Docurama Films, in partnership with Stranger Than Fiction and the IFC Center, will be screening nine of the classics from its library—as well as a hidden treasure of documentary filmmaking—over ten weeks. The kickoff begins on September 22nd at 8 p.m. at the IFC Center, with a one-time screening of the legendary documentary Jane (1962), a lost gem from the cinema vérité movement about Jane Fonda’s Broadway debut. As a special Stranger Than Fiction event, the film will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Thom Powers with filmmakers Robert Drew, D.A. Pennebaker, and Hope Ryden. A private reception will follow for filmmakers and members of the documentary community to raise a glass to toast a decade of documentaries.

The series continues with eight films from the Docurama library spotlighted in IFC Center's "Weekend Classics" program, with weekend matinee screenings October 2-December 6, plus a special Stranger Than Fiction presentation of The Weather Underground on November 16, with filmmakers Sam Green and Bill Siegel and Weathermen founder Mark Rudd in person

To ensure the entire country will be able to join the celebration, Docurama Films has partnered with Gigantic Digital Cinema to stream the anniversary program. Online tickets are available for individual titles or the full package, with films streaming in ultra high quality and ad-free. Eight of the titles will be available online for ten weeks, starting September 22nd, and a special online presentation of Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back will be available for a limited two-week window, beginning on the same date.

From the beginning, with the 1999 release of D.A. Pennebaker’s Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back, co-founders Susan Margolin and Steve Savage sought to create a label exclusively for documentaries, believing that the genre could speak to audiences in fresh ways. A decade later, they continue to support documentary filmmakers by acquiring and distributing every kind of doc: political, environmental, spiritual, comedic, personal and controversial. Recent and upcoming releases include Stacy Peralta’s explosive Crips And Bloods: Made In America, the entertaining yoga film Enlighten Up! and the powerful ocean doc The End Of The Line.

On September 8, 2009, the IFC Center honors Docurama Films with a special event screening before the series begins. The landmark documentary Brother’s Keeper, which follows a real-life murder mystery as suspenseful and compelling as any Hollywood whodunit, will be followed by a Q&A with directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky.

All screenings take place at the IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave. (at W. 3rd St.), 212-924-7771. Tickets available at the box office or online at ifccenter.com

The American Documentary Showcase is looking for nominations of documentaries for possible inclusion in the 2010 series of the program. With the renewal of a grant by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to UFVA, the ADS is able to include 5-10 new titles and filmmakers in its second round, which runs through December 2010.

Mission:
The American Documentary Showcase, funded by and as a cooperative program with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of States, and administered through a cooperative grant to the University Film and Video Association, is a curated selection of contemporary documentaries that is offered to US Embassies for screening abroad. The Showcase is designed to travel American documentaries and their filmmakers to international overseas venues, including U.S. Embassy organized events and/or U.S. Embassy supported international documentary film festivals.

The goal of The Showcase is to offer a broad diversified look at life in the United States and the values of a democratic society as seen by American documentary filmmakers. The Showcase is intended to demonstrate the role documentary plays in fostering understanding and cooperation among people.

Qualifications for Consideration:
Documentaries nominated can be of any length and style, although the emphasis is on shorter, under one hour films in this grant cycle.  They must have a release date no earlier than January 2007and must be completed by September 2009, and available on DVD.  They must be made by an American citizen, focus primarily on American subject (this can be Americans overseas, but the main emphasis must be on American citizens), and fit in to one or preferably more, of the following categories.  Filmmakers may nominate their own films. Student films of exceptional quality are welcome.

Subject Categories:
The Democratic Process
Emigration/Immigration
Environment, Nature, Our Planet
Ethnic Diversities
Health
Innovation in Education
Music and Society (no concert films or music videos)
Popular Culture
Women, Families and Children

A panel of experts will vet up to 10 films for possible inclusion.  The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs makes final decisions about selection.  To nominate a film, four NONRETURNABLE DVDs must be submitted along with a short SYNOPSIS and CREDIT LISTS.  Entries must be shipped PREPAID.  Nomination Postmark Deadline:  SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

Nomination to this curated Showcase grants the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, the UFVA and the IDA the right to use brief clips, photographs, and biographical data of filmmakers and their subjects for publicity and promotional purposes, including UFVA/ IDA/DOS websites, podcasts and internet feeds.  If the film is chosen to be in the American Documentary Showcase, the copyright holder further grants permission to the Showcase to make DVD duplicates, to screen the entire documentary, or portions thereof, at American Embassies and overseas venues selected by the Embassies, including foreign film festivals.  The copyright holder also agrees to allow the Showcase to subtitle their film as deemed necessary by the Showcase.

All materials must be shipped/mailed with all charges prepaid to:
Betsy A. McLane, PhD
Showcase Director
3801 University Avenue
Suite 260
Riverside, CA 92501

For more information visit www.ufva.org/showcase
Any questions not addressed above should be directed to:
betsymclane@documentarydiva.com

Read more about the 2009 American Documentary Showcase program here.