Latest Posts

"Amazing." A fitting adjective for the unfolding of the 1996 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in mid-October. From one documentarian: "You don't understand what it feels like not to be pushed off into some sidebar event. At this fes­tival, we're honored for our commitment to the documentary form. It's amazing." And from an audience member: "I've never been so moved or so challenged." For residents of Arkansas and for others who travel from around the country to this national park setting, the event is a bold invitation to celebrate glimpses of lives and cultures in sharp contrast to this

Dear IDA Members, I've recently returned from the Independent Feature Film Market (IFFM), which I attended with my documentary Breaking Up. Since many filmmakers, both novice and veteran, call me throughout the year to ask if it's worth their time and money to attend certain markets and festivals, perhaps a short report on the IFFM, and markets/conferences in general, is in order. The first day, I sat through three thoughtfully prepared orientation panels. One panelist told the audience that she attended the market alone one year. At the end of each of the first two days, she went home and

BREATHING LESSONS: THE LIFE AND WORK OF MARK O'BRIEN Produced, directed and written by Jessica Yu Director of Photography: Shana Hagan Music Composed by Sandra Tsing Loh Edited by Jessica Yu Sponsored by the International Documentary Association Distributed by Inscrutable Films 35 min. BREATHING LESSONS explores the unique world of Mark O'Brien, the poet-journalist who has lived for four decades paralyzed in an iron lung. Incorporating the vivid imagery of O'Brien's poetry and his candid, wry and often profound reflections of work, sex, death and God, this provocative documentary asks: What is

Increasingly becoming one of Europe's more closely watched inter­national docu­mentary festival, France's Vue Sur le Doc and its companion market Sunny Side of the Doc convened June 17-22 in a converted 19th Century chateau set high on rocky cliffs overlooking Marseille's majestic old harbor. For the first time since its inception in 1989, the festival and market were housed at the same location. Strategies for achieving successful international co-production was the dominant theme of this seventh edition of the annual event. The festival and market screenings focus exclusively on non-fiction

People who attend film festivals—especially those featuring student work—would probably agree that there's a plateau above which very few films (or videos, of course) manage to rise. The explanation seems self-evident—after all, how many can be "best"? But the divide online, I think, is less one of professionalism than of emotional effectiveness. Very few films really and strongly connect with an audience's emotions: this is particularly true for short fiction. The dearth is often explained as a talent issue: "You either have it, or you don't... and few do. Don't expect too much." So goes the

EDITOR'S NOTE: In 1976, having just become editor of The Journal of the University Film and Video Association , I felt privileged that my second issue could include "Ultimately We Are All Outsiders: The Ethics of Documentary Filming ," written by my graduate school colleague and mentor, Calvin Pryluck. The article 'finally placed ethics on the agenda of serious debate," as Alan Rosenthal correctly noted when he reprinted the piece in his New Challenges for Documentary (1988). A month ago, as I accepted the editorship of International Documentary , I asked Cal if he'd be willing to update this

The National Film Board of Canada, a unique cultural organization, was established by an Act of the Canadian Parliament on May 2, 1939. John Grierson, the pioneer documentary filmmaker and visionary, founded the Film Board and was the first Government Film Commissioner. His dream was to make the NF BC "the eyes of Canada'' and to ensure that it would, "through a national use of cinema, see Canada and see it whole: it's people and its purpose." Now almost sixty years later, and with 9,000 film s to its credit, the National Film Board of Canada is internationally recognized for the quality of

It's that time of year again, when the IDA celebrates the outstanding documen­taries of the past year, as well as saluting individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to non-fiction filmmaking. The IDA Awards were conceived 12 years ago by former IDA president Harrison Engle to reward creative excellence in the documentary form. This year, three dedicated juries screened over three hundred documentary films and videos to select six films to honor (also, please see the list of the films receiving honorable e mention). Each jury noted the high quality of submissions

"It is my ambition to walk to the edge of the world and the end of time and fall into an absolute nothingness for ever and ever-no feelings, no dream is. But one always has to be back for tea—alas!—at least at this time of year." -Angela Thirkell Several members, who have just joined our organization, have expressed interest in the genesis of the IDA awards. Th is being an appropriate issue of the magazine, a short history of the awards is in order. The IDA was founded in 1982 th rou gh th e efforts of a gifted, determined young woman, Linda Buzzell. However, the concept of the IDA awards did

1995 America and Lewis Hine Produced by Daniel Y. Allentuck and Nina Rosenblum; Directed by Nina Rosenblum George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey Written, produced and directed by George Stevens, Jr. Sixteen Days of Glory Written, produced, and directed by Bud Greenspan The Times of Harvey Milk Produced by Richard Schmiechen; Co-produced/directed by Robert Epstein 1986 Jacques Cousteau: The First 75 Years Produced by John Soh Las Madres: The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Produced and directed by Susana Munoz and Lourdes Portillo Shoah Produced and directed by Claude Lanzman Soldiers in Hiding