From Mark Kitchell's Berkeley in the Sixties. Courtesy of California Newsreel In 1968, as international socio-political movements thrived, the San Francisco Bay Area characterized the epitome of countercultural revolutions. Berkeley was rife with Civil Rights sit-ins, the Free Speech movement and anti-war protests. The Black Panther Party, founded in Oakland by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, struggled to promote civil rights and self-defense as it fed, clothed and educated underprivileged children. Across the Bay, a lengthy student strike erupted at San Francisco State, led by the Third World
Latest Posts
In 2001, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Board of Governors voted to establish a Documentary Branch--some 60 years after the first Oscar was awarded to a documentary. In the years leading up to this development, the documentary form had twisted precariously in the wind--on two occasions, the governors voted to eliminate the short-form category altogether, reversing its decision after a strong letter and e-mail-writing campaign from the community calling for the category's reinstatement. Five years later, the Documentary Branch, represented by governors Michael Apted, Frieda
'Addiction,' a nine-part series, features the work of some of the greatest documentary makers working today.
Plus: Directory of Documentary Training Programs in the Bay Area
Producing documentaries, which have become much more popular and visible on TV, DVD and in theaters in recent years, has never been an undertaking for the faint of heart. And fundraising for such projects is undeniably a challenge. When I last wrote about fundraising for documentaries, in the February 2006 issue of Documentary, there was no recession; in fact, people were feeling pretty flush. And what I said then is all the more true today. Competition is even fiercer, since funders have less cash to award, and there is still not enough money out there--even for the really good projects
'Teenage Paparazzo' and 'Smash His Camera'
A profile of the Ninth Street Independent Film Center.
A review of the third edition of Morrie Warshawski's 'Shaking the Money Tree.'