For documentaries seeking theatrical distribution in a crowded marketplace, a premiere at a major film festival is still the primary way to generate buzz. All six films nominated for Best Feature at the 2016 IDA Documentary Awards premiered at a major festival, although two of them arrived there with a distribution deal in place. But many successful docs follow a different path, whether by choice or circumstance. This case study will focus on one such example. When their film was passed over by certain international film festivals, the team behind 2016's critically acclaimed biographical
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Vancouver-based doc maker Ryan Flowers preceded his roundtable pitch at the 2014 International Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) Forum by doing a set of push-ups with producer Sahand Zamani. The pair dropped to the ground in the Compagnietheater in a Rocky-style warm-up and, amidst cheers from bemused observers, worked up a sweat to present their feature doc Jimbo. "It's a big thing," recalls Flowers, who was tackling his first feature film and pitch. "It felt like I had to give a TED talk. It's not just rolling up and winging it—we really worked hard on the pitch." The Canadian director spent
When film theoretician, professor, author and critic Bill Nichols comes out with a new book, we sit up and take notice. His ten previously published books form a comprehensive and engaging exploration of the genre. Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary, published in 1991 by Indiana University Press, is perhaps Nichols' most widely referenced book by practicing filmmakers. The best-selling Introduction to Documentary, second edition, 2010, has become a staple text in college film studies programs. His "Documentary Modes of Representation," drawn from his book Axes of
By Susan Margolin and Jon Reiss During IDA's Getting Real 2016 conference back in September, we held a panel called "So Your Film Didn't Get Into Sundance (and Even If It Did): Navigating the New Distribution Landscape." As the title suggests, the panel aimed to address the problem of finding a distributor, and/or determining a path to self-distribution. In this ever-complicated media landscape, with disruptors everywhere, and the challenge of breaking through the noise an increasingly difficult proposition, we sought to bring some clarity and guidance to filmmakers whose films weren't being
In October 2010, I attended a screening of Primary at the Paley Center in New York, followed by a conversation with filmmakers Robert Drew, Richard Leacock, Al Maysles and DA Pennebaker. For a young filmmaker who had never set foot inside a film school, this was one of those moments when your view of the world shifts. Seeing this pioneering film––the prototype for the modern-day documentary––with those four luminaries was an almost spiritual experience. That day, I felt the full power and possibility of vérité filmmaking, of experiencing reality as it occurs, unscripted and unplanned. Primary
For the past several years, America has witnessed almost daily incidents of unarmed black men and women being killed by the police—and these incidents have been documented by both citizens and the police themselves. The situation has fueled anger, fear and anxiety in the black community, and beyond it; organizations like Black Lives Matter, in addition to the mothers and families of slain victims and other advocacy groups, are taking action and fighting back. WNET, with the support of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, takes on this issue with The Talk: Race in America, a two-hour
Fact Box: Duration of Program: 2 years Degree Offered: MFA in Documentary Filmmaking Components of Program: First year: fundamentals ofcomplete documentary production process from concept to distribution. Second year, collaborate (in teams of three) on production of thesis documentary project (target length 25 minutes) under mentorship of accomplished doc filmmakers. Students will present proposal for feature version of thesis film. Dodge provides $4,000 toward budget. Chapman University's Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts is located in Orange, California—less than an
Dear Readers, Since The Election lurched half of America into a maelstrom of dread and anxiety, we in the documentary community have been retrenching and thinking about what we can be doing better and how we can forge our collective creative might into a force for good. At the podium at the IDA Awards in December—and in her column in this issue—Board President Marj Safinia stressed the need to "to do what we do best and bridge differences with reflections of shared humanity. It is harder to hate the Other when you know them, so let's hold up a mirror and show America both her sides." As we go
Dear Community, I had prepared a different column for you, but post election, everything is different. This nation is as divided as it can be. We've long talked about two Americas, but now half of us are waking up in that stark reality. It seems the others feel they have been living it for years. These Americas are made up of radically different experiences, media and Facebook feeds, each in a distortive echo chamber, with scant substantive dialogue or sense of shared truth. Disconnection and a steady stream of uncontested lies have brought us to this moment. So what now? To move forward, we
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 The New York Times, Brooks Barnes reports that climate change is the main theme of Sundance 2017. As the pre-eminent showcase for American independent film, Sundance sets the pace for what art house audiences will be watching for the coming year. Mr. Cooper and Mr. Groth said that they decided over the summer