While funding films is as difficult as it ever was, technology has lowered the hard costs of production to such a degree that there is now a literal deluge of movies inundating the gatekeepers who oversee festivals and distribution. A lot of these films are fantastic, but with such a flood of them, it's now even harder for all the good films being made to get the attention they deserve. Last year, I wrote an article for this publication about our successful crowd-sourcing campaign to raise some finishing funds for Battle for Brooklyn. Now I'd like to share our story of doing whatever it takes
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Over the next month, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work is represented in the DocuWeeks TM Theatrical Documentary Showcase, which runs from August 12 through September 1 in New York City and August 19 through September 8 in Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films--the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far. So, to continue this series of conversations, here is Phie Ambo, director of The Home Front. Synopsis: The Home Front is about conflicts in our
'Miss Representation' airs October 20 on OWN.
Over the next month, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work is represented in the DocuWeeks TM Theatrical Documentary Showcase, which runs from August 12 through September 1 in New York City and August 19 through September 8 in Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films--the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far. So, to continue this series of conversations, here are Alysa Nahmias and Benjamin Murray, directors/ producers of Unfinished Spaces. Synopsis: In
NOVA scienceNOW, the hour-long news magazine from WGBH in Boston, launched its second season on October 3 with a dynamic new host and focused, original segments exploring the leading edge of science. Topics covered in the program included the threat posed to Earth by major impacts from asteroids, appetite control, creating new elements and a profile of robotics engineer/author Karl Iagnemma. Respected scientist, author and teacher Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson replaced first season host Robert Krulwich, who moved on to National Public Radio. Tyson has served as director of the Hayden Planetarium in
A lesbian couple shares heartfelt feelings about motherhood. Scientists separate fact from fiction about the abilities of robots. A racecar driver describes his scariest driving experience--bringing his daughter home from the hospital. A 100-year-old doctor reminisces about creating heart therapies for children. You may be wondering what documentary films these scenes are from, but they are actually all moments from commercial campaigns. Documentarians directing commercials is nothing new--after all, the Maysles brothers were hired to helm an American Express commercial in the mid-1980s, when
Twenty years ago, SXSW was born as a music festival in the self-proclaimed capitol of live music, Austin, Texas. The film component of the festival was launched seven years later, soon followed by an interactive section. Needless to say, there's a lot going on in Austin these days. In addition to being one of the top music festivals in the world, SXSW is considered one of the top places to premiere your documentary film. The venues at SXSW are spread out all over Austin, from the classic Paramount movie house to Landmark's Dobie Theater in the Dobie Mall, to what Entertainment Weekly named one
If you're looking for a little spice in your fall public television line-up, check out Voces , a new 13-part series showcasing Latino culture that premieres September 2. Curated by Luca Bentivoglio, executive director of Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), and distributed by American Public Television (APT), the series covers everything from music to portraits of Latino and Chicano icons to suburban ethnicity. Says Bentivoglio, "One of the reasons I came up with Voces is because I think that even though PBS and public television in general do a very good job at broadcasting Latino films across
Over the next month, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work is represented in the DocuWeeks TM Theatrical Documentary Showcase, which runs from August 12 through September 1 in New York City and August 19 through September 8 in Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films--the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far. So, to continue this series of conversations, here is Nick Brandestini, director/producer of Darwin. Synopsis: Darwin is a documentary film about an
Over the next month, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work is represented in the DocuWeeks TM Theatrical Documentary Showcase, which runs from August 12 through September 1 in New York City and August 19 through September 8 in Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films--the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far. So, to kick off this series of conversations, here is Phil Grabsky, director/executive producer/writer of The Boy Mir--Ten Years in Afghanistan