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Crossing Time Zones: Negotiating International Expectations So I Can Finish My Documentary

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  • Image
    Headshot of a smiling female with medium-light skin tone and black ear-length hair, wearing glasses and brown plaid blouse.
    Pei-hua Chung, Moderator | 鍾佩樺 影視聽中心 TIDF節目策劃
  • Image
    Headshot of a middle-aged male of South Asian descent in a brown polo shirt.
    Farid Ahmad, Speaker | 法里.哈瓦德
  • Image
    Headshot of a person with camera in the woods
    Huang Yin-Yu, Speaker | 黃胤毓

 

About the Event

As Western festivals and funding entities attempt to be more equitable and supportive of indigenous and non-Western filmmakers, they continue to exert pressure on filmmakers’ expectations of the commercial viability and artistic merit of their films, even if the filmmakers are tackling local topics. Furthermore, the labyrinthine systems of talent development, granting bodies, broadcast and streaming commissioners, and international co-production can be especially confusing for emerging filmmakers looking to access Western sources of funding and film festivals. How can you navigate the many markets and festivals? How can you remain true to your artistic vision, while strategizing about support? What are the challenges of various talent development and artist support programs in the name of “underrepresented” communities? What could be the responsibility of festivals and funding bodies in this dynamic? 

This 90-minute event is developed through IDA’s Getting Real Fellowship and will bring together filmmakers from Bangladesh and Taiwan who have experience negotiating the international film circuit. Facilitated by programmer Pei-hua Chung (Taiwan International Documentary Festival), filmmakers Huang Yin-yu (Green Jail) and Farid Ahmad (Waiting for Winter) will share a film with event registrants ahead of their conversation around shared concerns. They will discuss this complicated landscape, touching on topics from international co-productions, the assumptions behind ideas of universality in narrative structures, and the unsaid challenges of being platformed. This event is presented in partnership with Dhaka DocLab, TFAI and Taiwan Docs.

The following questions will be addressed:

  • What impact do Western festivals and audience receptions have on documentary filmmaking in South/East Asian (or other non-Western) countries in terms of narrative and visual style, especially for the ones tackling local topics? 
  • What makes a story universal or global? What are the global/international components of storytelling? Who recognizes it? 
  • What are the challenges of various talent development and artist support programs from Western Europe or the U.S. in the name of the underrepresented community? 
  • How does the application process, such as the industry-specific terms in the applications itself, affect filmmakers from South Asia while applying for talent development and artist support programs from Western Europe and U.S.?
  • Does programming at larger-scale festivals really help promote documentaries from these countries? Are there chances that programming helps create stereotypes?

This panel will be free and open to the public. Films will be available to registrants via a password-protected link beginning April 27th.

This event will be conducted in English. ASL interpretation, simultaneous Chinese interpretation, and live CART captioning will be provided.


About the Getting Real Fellowship

The Getting Real Fellowship seeks to spotlight emerging and mid-career documentary professionals who have inspired visions that will benefit their communities and the field at large. 

After attending Getting Real, the fellows spend the next year programming workshops and discussions inspired by their time at the conference.

This event is developed and facilitated by Getting Real ‘22 Fellows Pei-hua Chung and Farid Ahmad.


從在地到國際觀點——跨越時區,通往紀錄片完成之路

長期以來,歐美影展、資助機構試圖以更公平方式支持所謂「在地」與非西方電影工作者,但不論他們處理的是否為在地題材,仍會被施加壓力,期待作品需具有商業與藝術價值。

此外,人才培育、資助機構、電視台、串流媒體、國際合製等複雜的產業系統,對於希望獲得歐美資金和各大影展關注的創作者來說,猶如進入迷宮一般看不清楚前方道路。 

創作者如何穿梭在眾多市場和影展之中遊刃有餘?在取得資源的同時,又該如何保有對於作品的忠誠與藝術堅持?專為非西方創作者量身打造的人才培育和扶持計畫,可能會面臨哪些挑戰?身為影展和資助機構是否該肩負哪些責任?

本場論壇由美國國際紀錄片協會(IDA, International Documentary Association)的「Getting Real Fellowship」推動,同時與達卡紀錄片提案大會(Dhaka DocLab)、國家電影及視聽文化中心Taiwan Docs合作。邀請孟加拉導演法里.哈瓦德(Farid AHMAD)、旅居日本的導演兼製片黃胤毓,他們將以自身參與的國際合製作品為例,分享與影展和資助者交涉斡旋的經驗,揭開埋藏在敘事結構背後的普世原則,拆解影片踏上國際舞台可能面對的難題。

時間:2023.05.04(四)台灣時間21:00-22:30/美東時間09:00-10:30

講者:法里.哈瓦德、黃胤毓

主持:鍾佩樺

線上報名:https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_If7RxctFSXO32yQzFO662Q

※本場論壇免費參加,以中英文、線上方式進行,備有同步翻譯。

※04.27-05.11可免費註冊並線上觀看兩位講者特別選映的紀錄片:《海的彼端》(台灣、日本)、《Fantasy in a Concrete Jungle》(孟加拉)

討論內容:

  • 歐美影展和觀眾的反應與回饋,對於東南亞紀錄片(或其他非西方)的敘事和視覺風格有什麼影響(尤其是處理在地題材的紀錄片)?
  • 什麼樣的故事具有普遍性或全球性?可以建構敘事的全球/國際元素是什麼?由誰認定?
  • 由歐美大型影展發起的各種人才培育和藝術家支持計畫,會面對哪些挑戰?
  • 申請歐美大型影展人才培育和藝術家支持計畫時,過程面臨種種要求,包含報名文件上的專業術語,對來自南亞的獨立創作者有什麼影響?
  • 大型影展的節目策劃是否真的有助於推廣非西方國家紀錄片?節目策劃是否會助長對這些國家的刻板印象?

Getting Real Fellowship

由美國國際紀錄片協會(IDA, International Documentary Association)所舉辦的兩年一度研討會,1982年成立於美國洛杉磯。旨在透過匯聚紀錄片創作者、影評人、北美電視台委製編審等產業專業人士,藉由專題講座、大師講堂、產業交流,與世界各地的紀錄片社群展開對話,共同探討面臨的困難與挑戰,是全球最大的紀錄片業界交流盛事之一。參加Getting Real的學員將在未來一年,根據在研討會獲得的啟發,策劃一系列講座與論壇。


About Our Partner Organizations

alt text tbd Taiwan Docs is a platform based under Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute. The mission is to promote Taiwanese documentaries abroad and to assist local filmmakers in reaching a wider audience. We think of ourselves as a window between international festival curators, media, institutes, or anyone who is interested in Taiwanese documentary films and filmmakers. We hope to provide promotional resources for local filmmakers and reliable information for professionals overseas.
alt text tbd

 

Dhaka DocLab is a documentary co-production project market for Asian filmmakers in Bangladesh, organized by the Dhaka Independent Film Network.

 

 


Event Participants

    Image
    Headshot of a smiling female with medium-light skin tone and black ear-length hair, wearing glasses and brown plaid blouse.

    Pei-hua Chung, Moderator | 鍾佩樺 影視聽中心 TIDF節目策劃

    Pei-hua is one of the programmers at the Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF), mainly in charge of the non-competition section. She has more than ten years of experience working at film festivals and has developed a passion for documentary cinema along the way. She has been on the TIDF programming team since 2019. 


    2022年「Getting Real Fellowship」學員,從事影展工作逾十年,2019年加入TIDF台灣國際紀錄片影展節目組,參與觀摩單元的專題研究策劃,並負責影片版權聯繫。

    Image
    Headshot of a middle-aged male of South Asian descent in a brown polo shirt.

    Farid Ahmad, Speaker | 法里.哈瓦德

    Farid Ahmad is an independent filmmaker from Bangladesh. He also spent 10 years working at local television stations. His films are focused on freedom and memory. His latest short film 'Antara' (2020) was awarded at the Tokyo Docs (2020), UNICEF Innocenti (2021) & published in the New Yorker Documentary Section. He is currently working on his first feature 'Waiting For Winter' which received support from Doc Station, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, Open Doors Locarno, Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) and Brouillon d'un rêve (Scam).

    He is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents and has been awarded a fellowship by the International Documentary Association (IDA). He co-founded Noyakar Productions, which produces indie documentaries. He has an academic background in Media Studies & Communication. He is actively involved in building communities through organizing, training and writing documentaries.


    2022年「Getting Real Fellowship」學員,孟加拉獨立紀錄片工作者。曾在電視台工作十年,作品主題聚焦在自由與記憶。短片《Antara》(2020)在Tokyo Docs、聯合國兒童基金會(UNICEF)Innocenti獲獎,並刊登於《紐約客》紀錄片專欄。曾獲選柏林影展新銳營(Berlinale Talents),並獲得IDA獎學金。

    目前正在製作他的首部長片《Waiting For Winter》,已獲得許多影展支持,包括柏林Doc Station、日舞影展協會紀錄片項目、盧卡諾Open Doors、香港亞洲電影投資會(HAF)。創立Noyakar Productions製作獨立紀錄片,積極參與規劃、培訓及撰寫評論,建立紀錄片社群。

     

    Image
    Headshot of a person with camera in the woods

    Huang Yin-Yu, Speaker | 黃胤毓

    HUANG Yin-Yu is a director and producer based in Okinawa. He began documentary filmmaking in 2010 and founded Moolin Films, Ltd. (Taiwan) in 2015, and later Moolin Production Co., Ltd. (Japan) in 2019. His films include “After Spring, the Tamaki Family...” (2016) and “Green Jail” (2021) which were theatrically released in Japan and Taiwan, and his films were selected in Visions du Réel, DOK.fest München, Taipei Film Festival, Kinema Junpo Best 10 Documentaries, Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival and many others. He is the only alumni representing Taiwan at the Emerging Producers at Jihlava IDFF, and one of the mentors at ASIADOC 2021. As a producer, he focuses on international projects with Asian perspectives and aesthetics. Besides film production, he’s the executive director of Cinema at Sea International Film Festival. 


    1988年出生於台東市,目前定居沖繩。2010年首部紀錄短片《五谷王北街到台北》以民族誌手法紀錄台灣工廠的泰國勞工,入選杭州亞洲青年電影節、北京獨立電影展等多項影展。2013年發表私紀錄片《夜晚的溫度》,入圍瑞士真實影展國際競賽單元、布宜諾斯艾利斯國際紀錄片影展、台北電影節台北電影獎等影展。

    2015 年成立木林電影有限公司,首部紀錄長片《海的彼端》(2016)以一大家族之返鄉之旅為主軸,爬梳80年移民史,榮獲2017年新藤兼人賞「製片賞」、入圍台北電影節台北電影獎、韓國DMZ國際紀錄片影展亞洲競賽、大阪亞洲電影節、夏威夷電影節。

    2019年於日本設立「木林製作」,積極參與國際製作並擔任製片,曾獲選捷克伊赫拉瓦國際紀錄片影展「新銳製片人工作坊」(Emerging Producers 2020),並於2021年擔任印尼日惹紀錄片影展工作坊(ASIADOC)導師。2021年以戰前「西表礦坑」為題材的「狂山之海」第二部曲《綠色牢籠》於大阪亞洲電影節首映,入圍台北電影節「國際新導演競賽」及台北電影獎三項獎項、入選日本電影旬報「文化電影年度十佳」。

     


Mon. August 27, 2012 @ 7:00pm
What does it mean to document change? From violent revolution and the fight for basic human rights, to single projects that change a community in multiple ways, more and more documentary filmmakers are finding themselves at the epicenters of a rapidly evolving world.

Mon. July 16, 2012 @ 7:30pm
IDA invites you for a discussion about the benefits and challenges in researching, procuring, and licensing archival footage for your film.

Fri. June 15, 2012 @ 11:00am
Join doc filmmakers who have traveled the globe and film commissioners whose job it is to make filming in their countries as straightforward as possible, as they discuss the logistics of overseas doc filmmaking.

Thu. May 10, 2012 @ 7:30pm
With these shifting realities, as well as significant cuts in funding to PBS' nonfiction programming from the National Endowment for the Arts, what does the future hold for independent documentary films and public broadcasting? What can you do to impact the decisions and changes being made right now?

Sat. April 21, 2012 @ 9:30am
"Can I see your trailer?" A fundraising trailer can make or break your film. Stop the guess work of what works and what doesn't with this full-day workshop for producers, directors, writers and editors.

Wed. April 18, 2012 @ 7:30pm
With the growing popularity of documentary film, many have admirably seized on the power of non-fiction storytelling to affect change around social and political issues. But in all the discussion about content and impact, have we forgotten to explore documentary as cinema, as art? In a lively conversation about how they mobilize aesthetic choices to generate meaning, filmmakers discuss stylistic strategies, creative inspirations, story structure, and the tension between form and content.

Wed. March 21, 2012 @ 7:00pm
Join moderator Lisa Leeman (One Lucky Elephant, Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chogyam Trunga) as we look at case studies from filmmakers working in the field and hear from industry experts on the best practices of accounting and business management, with a focus on the impact and things to know when filing your taxes.

Mon. February 20, 2012 @ 7:30pm
What does it take to mount a successful Oscar campaign, and how much does it cost? What does an award really mean for the future of your film and your career? And what do the new rules really mean for doc filmmakers?

Mon. January 30, 2012 @ 7:30pm
The Fair Use Doctrine allows for copyrighted materials to be used without permission or payment—under certain circumstances. But what are these circumstances? How is fair use determined? What is the impact the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and its exemptions on documentary filmmaking? And how does using copyrighted material under Fair Use impact documentary filmmakers?

Mon. December 19, 2011 @ 7:30pm
Join director/producer/writer Lisa Leeman (One Lucky Elephant; Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chogyam Trunga), in a conversation with directors Kirby Dick (Outrage, This Film is Not Yet Rated), Ondi Timoner (Dig!, We Live in Public) and David Weissman (The Cockettes, We Were Here) to discuss the art and craft of the successful documentary interview.