The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has a deserved reputation as one of the best in the world. There had been much criticism in the past few years about the large quantity of films screened, which led to a reduction this year; of course, that resulted in critics pointing out that the box office was lower, which was to be expected, with 60 fewer features being shown. While TIFF's organizers had to deal with people sniping away at the festival at large, the documentary component sailed on with nary a complaint. Thom Powers handled the Doc Conference and the majority of the
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Whether or not you grab Arabic booza from your local corner store, the summers in Beirut are still humid. Half a million people are finally out of their homes, not counting the steady flow of refugees crowding the streets, and the city reeks of burning gasoline, over-piling garbage and citrus. The news that I got accepted into NeXt Doc's 2017 Fellowship felt like a relief, to say the least. There is a sudden time in life that no one prepares us for—an eerie, discouraging limbo filled with false hopes, doubt and irrational expectations. We leave film school confident with our vision—or rather
Screen Time is your curated weekly guide to excellent documentaries and nonfiction programs that you can watch at home. Currently streaming at MUBI is Tadhg O'Sullivan's The Great Wall, a film that audaciously looks the migration crisis in the eye by considering the resonance of Franz Kafka's universe in today's Europe. The Irish Times called it "extraordinary...a beautiful, puzzling film." Premiering on Starz tonight, October 9, is Natalie Avital's The Three Hikers, telling the story of three Americans who went hiking in Northern Iraqi Kurdistan in July 2009, and were captured and held as
Essential Doc Reads is a weekly feature in which the IDA staff recommends recent pieces about the documentary form and its processes. Here we feature think pieces and important news items from around the Internet, and articles from the Documentary magazine archive. We hope you enjoy! At Realscreen, Justine Nagan reflects on the state of PBS's "POV," entering its 30th season. "One of the challenges for us is asking how we can continue to serve this growing field and bring top quality films to public television audiences and viewers across America for free, whether they have access to high-speed
By Shaia Araghi and Lauren Wertheimer For nearly a decade, a national coalition led by Film Independent and the International Documentary Association has worked to protect filmmakers' fair use rights by seeking exemptions to the copyright laws that allow filmmakers to "rip" from DVDs, Blu-ray and other technologies for fair use purposes. The current exemption covers documentary filmmakers, but it expires next year. That’s why we're going back to Washington to seek a new exemption that covers not just documentarians, but all filmmakers. But we can't do it without you. Scroll down to find out
Screen Time is your curated weekly guide to excellent documentaries and nonfiction programs that you can watch at home. R.I.P. Tom Petty. Streaming at Netflix is Peter Bogdanovich's four-hour Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream, which tells the story of the legendary rock band and its magnetic frontman. Premiering on POV tonight, Monday, October 2 is Lara Stolman's Swim Team, which chronicles the extraordinary rise of three diverse young athletes, capturing a moving quest for inclusion, independence and a life that feels like winning. Premiering Saturday, October 7 on HBO is
Essential Doc Reads is a weekly feature in which the IDA staff recommends recent pieces about the documentary form and its processes. Here we feature think pieces and important news items from around the Internet, and articles from the Documentary magazine archive. We hope you enjoy! At S ight & Sound, Helen de Witt writes in praise of Kevin Jerome Everson's new Election Day-set 16mm film Tonsler Park. At the time of filming an election, the outcome is unknown, and on this occasion, the result was a great shock. This timeshift of awareness gives the film a palpable irony. Instead of being
American flags, open roads, mixed drinks and Andy Warhol eating a Whopper: In 66 Scenes from America, Jørgen Leth's collection of cinematic postcards from a road trip across the country, the Danish director accepts Sei Shonagon's challenge, by way of Chris Marker, to compose a "list of things that quicken the heart." I saw 66 Scenes in a class taught by the filmmaker Dick Rogers. It was my first documentary production course, and Dick screened many films that have become touchstones for me, like Portrait of Jason, Titicut Follies and Sans Soleil, but Leth's film has left the greatest impact on
By Steven Beer, Jake Levy and Neil Rosini Lawyers from Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo answer frequently asked legal questions by documentary filmmakers. In this column, the focus is errors and omissions (E&O) insurance. Future columns will include questions about financing, production and distribution, and content. What is E&O Insurance? Documentary producers obtain various types of insurance to mitigate the risks of their productions and general operations. These policies include general liability, automobile liability, workers compensation, excess liability, accidental death and
Dear IDA Community, IDA recently announced some of the honorees that we'll be celebrating at this year's IDA Awards. It's an illustrious bunch whose work stretches the boundaries of documentary's artistic ambitions, and screams for justice and accountability. Lourdes Portillo, the Career Achievement Award honoree, has been documenting the Latin American, Mexican and Chicano/a experience for almost 40 years, always through the lens of an artist, and simultaneously inspiring and mentoring a generation of filmmakers. Amicus Award honoree Abigail Disney, as a funder, producer and director, has