The University of Texas at Austin offered its first degree in broadcasting in 1939. In 1965, the university formed its Department of Radio-Television-Film, which today offers a broad range of courses in the media arts that lead to bachelor of science, master of fine arts and PhD degrees. The school claims to have been “consistently ranked as one of the top 10 programs in the country,” and proudly notes, “It is one of the few departments offering degrees in both media production and media studies.” Filmmaker Paul Stekler came to Austin to head the RTF program in 1997. His documentaries have
Latest Posts
Werner Herzog: Interviews Edited by Eric Ames from the Conversations with Filmmakers Series, edited by Gerald Peary Published by University Press of Mississippi 2014 “Will the real Werner Herzog please stand up?” Surely, the panelists would have been fooled if Werner Herzog had been a contestant on the 1950s TV game show To Tell the Truth. It is ironic that one of greatest enigmas in the art world of the 21st century is also one of its most prolific, discussed, revered and occasionally dismissed filmmakers. While many have attempted to get at the “truth” of the man through analysis of his
Enjoying its second year in the city center, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) thrives as a multi-layered event, offering up so much richness that one person cannot absorb it all. Forced to choose among some 300 documentaries, including 12 competitive categories, one can reach overload just by reading the program. Then there are the special screenings: master retrospectives, this year including films from Frederick Wiseman, Hubert Sauper, Nick Broomfield, Wim Wenders, Lixin Fan, Julien Temple; the 2014 IDFA Tribute to Heddy Honigman who, as is customary for the
Clearance & Copyright: Everything You Need to Know for Film and Television4th Edition, Revised, Updated and Expanded 2014By Michael C. Donaldson and Lisa A. Callif It takes a combination of self-confidence and chutzpa to include "Everything You Need to Know…" in the title of any book, but in the case of authors Michael Donaldson and Lisa A. Callif, that self-confidence is well earned. Back in 2008 I enthusiastically reviewed the 3rd edition of Clearance and Copyright: Everything You Need to Know for Film and Television for Documentary magazine. Then, I regarded issues surrounding clearance and
Another year means another chance to get funds for your documentary! Below is your essential guide to grants, awards, open calls, and opportunities to be had in the first quarter of 2015. GRANT DEADLINES TRIBECA FILM INSTITUTE (TFI) LATIN AMERICA MEDIA ARTS FUND Supports innovative film and video artists living and working in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America whose works reflect their diverse cultures in the documentary or mixed media form. Grants up to $10,000 for projects that are in production or post-production. The Latin America Workshops are within the fund. Opens
The 18th edition of the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival ran October 23-28, and no sooner had I disembarked from my crisscrossing the international date line twice in five days to cover the Taiwan International Documentary Festival when I was on a plane again, on an epic journey to the other side of the world. Jihlava, an industrial town in the Czech Republic, two hours east of Prague, plays host to the annual five-day event in a fall season packed with doc fests. Running concurrently with the Jihlava fest was Dok Leipzig, and just around the corner would be CPH: DOX. The Czech
As the documentary world now knows, Michael Lumpkin will be stepping down as IDA’s executive director after six transformative and impactful years to take up the director position at AFI Docs. In that short tenure, he, in concert with the Board and staff, managed to move the IDA into a position of unprecedented prominence in the documentary community. New, expanded offices...departments in communications, development, education and filmmaker services...an organization-wide rebranding...and the GETTING REAL conference: These are the major milestones that have helped solidify IDA’s service to
On Monday, eleven federal judges took the bench in Pasadena, CA to hear a copyright case that could have deep and lasting implications for documentary filmmakers everywhere. At issue is whether anyone who appears in a film production and makes even the slightest creative contribution could have a separate copyright interest in their appearance in the film. Until recently, that question was fairly well-settled: the one who controls the film’s production is the author and owns the copyright in the entire film. But earlier this year, a three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit court of appeals held
Autumn in Montreal invites cool, crisp evenings and a stunning rainbow of leaves on view in daylight. The season also offers two documentary-rich film festivals: the Festival du Nouveau Cinema (FNC) and the Montreal International Documentary Festival (Recontres Internationales du Documentarie de Montréal). The Festival du Nouveau Cinema, held this year between October 8 and 19, offered over 150 films, including over 40 documentaries. It also featured retrospectives of several documentarians this year, including the late Montreal-based Peter Wintonick ( Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and
Five feature-length documentary films have been selected to receive a total of $95,000 from the Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund this year. The Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund was created with support from The New York Community Trust to honor the legacy of legendary American documentary filmmaker Pare Lorentz. Grants are made to documentary projects that shed light on critical issues in the United States and focus on Pare Lorentz’s central concerns: the appropriate use of the natural environment, justice for all and the illumination of pressing social problems. This year the Fund received over 460