In the days leading up to the Oscar-cast, we at IDA will be introducing-and in some cases, re-introducing-our community to the filmmakers whose work has been nominated for an Academy Award for either Best Documentary Feature or Best Documentary Short Subject. As we did in conjunction with the DocuWeek TM Theatrical Documentary Showcase that we presented last summer, we have 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, and the impact of an Academy Award nomination. So
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This week, we at IDA are introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work will be represented in the DocuWeek TM Theatrical Documentary Showcase, August 17-23. 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 Bill Haney, director/producer of The Price of Sugar . Synopsis: In the Dominican Republic, tourists flock to pristine beaches, unaware that a few miles away thousands of dispossessed Haitians have toiled
Keri Putnam, who recently served as president of production for Miramax Films, has been named executive director of the Sundance Institute. Ken Brecher, her predecessor, stepped down last April. Putnam is scheduled to start her new position in mid-April. "In the spirit of moving forward with new ideas and a fresh approach in the environment that surrounds us, Keri's appointment reflects the new direction in which Sundance Institute is headed," Robert Redford, the institute's founder and president, said in a statement. "Keri Putnam has a passion for the arts, a leading profile in the film
Brazil evokes a wealth of associations, from soccer to samba, but recent films such as City of God, Bus 174 and Favela Rising have pointed up the gross class disparities that the post-Cold War global economy has wrought in South America's wealthiest country. When the very rich and the very poor cohabit such huge cities as São Paolo, corruption and violent crime rule the day. Kidnappers and kidnap victims, corrupt politicians, bullet-proof car manufacturers, plastic surgeons, cops, prosecutors, money launderers...and frog farmers: these are the players in Jason Kohn's Manda Bala (Send a Bullet)
Over the next week, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work will be represented in the DocuWeek TM Theatrical Documentary Showcase, August 17-23. 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 Bruce Broder, director/executive producer of Chops. Synopsis: Chops tells the story of a group of kids, born with extraordinary musical ability, who learn to make the most of their gifts in an
Twenty years after launching The Real World, MTV hopes to reinvent Reality TV all over again with The Buried Life, a new nonfiction series that captures four young men traveling the country performing community service. " The Buried Life feels more like a documentary than anything we've ever done," Brent Haynes, MTV's senior vice president for series development, declared at the "Future of Reality TV" panel the WestDoc Conference in Santa Monica, California, this past September. And that's no accident. According to Haynes, MTV's core demographic (12 to 24-year-olds) is, like, totally over self
In the nearly two years since IDA with other film organizations launched the Documentary Filmmakers' Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use, the rapidity of its adoption has been almost startling. "I never anticipated, frankly, that the Statement would have such an immediate effect," says Professor Peter Jaszi, one of the facilitators of the creation of the statement and the lead legal counsel behind it. The Statement clarifies when it is safe for a filmmaker to assert fair use, which is the unauthorized use of copyrighted material under certain circumstances. The clarification makes it
The adventure behind 'The Cove,' Hot Docs new Doc Library, a possible Comic-Con doc, more.