Dear Members,
It's been a busy summer for me, the IDA, and documentarians everywhere. I just got back from the Republican National Convention in San Diego, where I began shooting Fender Philosophers, a documentary for PBS about Americans and their bumper stickers. I'm also finishing up my personal documentary, Breaking Up, which I will be taking to the Independent Feature Film Market in September. Stay tuned for a report on that market.
The IDA staff and three volunteer juries have been working all summer screening documentaries from around the world submitted for the 1996 IDA Distinguished Documentary Achievement Awards. Nearly 350 films and videos, one-fourth of them from outside the United States, arrived in our offices for consideration in the categories of best feature, best short, and best student documentaries. As I write this, the juries are picking the nominees. A Blue Ribbon Panel will go on to make the hard decisions of the final award winners. Congratulations to all the filmmakers for your vision, determination, and the sheer stamina it takes to complete a documentary. The winners will be honored at the 12th Annual IDA Awards Gala on November 1. The winning films will also be screened to the public in our popular all-day Docufest on November 2. Watch the October issue for more details about these events.
The following is another installment of news from the international field. This report is from Clara Zappetini, an independent film director and producer in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her works include Women in Argentina, a recent weekly television documentary series; The Other Land: Immigration to Argentina; History of Applause: Great Argentine Cultural Leader; and Eva Peron: interviews with People Who Knew Her.
Lisa Leeman
IDA President