Editor’s Note: Anne Drew, with husband Robert Drew, carried on the pioneering tradition that Robert and his team of cinema vérité legends had begun with the seminal Primary in 1960. Anne joined Drew Associates in 1967 and married Robert in 1970. What follows is an account, by Robert Drew, of Anne’s generous contributions to the documentary form, and of her richly rewarding life.
Anne Drew, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, died April 12 at her home in Sharon, Conn., after a long bout with lung cancer. As a central partner for more than four decades in the documentary film company Drew Associates, Drew edited and produced cinema vérité films on ballet, war, Duke Ellington, Indira Gandhi and President John F. Kennedy, among others. Her work was broadcast on television and celebrated at film festivals worldwide.
Drew was fearless in going after her stories. Filming in mobs in India, or being arrested by Noriega's thugs in Panama, or facing armed militiamen in Montana, she produced films with a human touch that moved and informed.
Anne Drew was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 4, 1941. She grew up in New York, attended Mount Holyoke College, and received her master's degree from New York University's film school. She joined Drew Associates in 1967. The first film she edited was Man Who Dances: Edward Villella (1968), on a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. It won an Emmy Award.
Drew was known for her warm and friendly manner in professional dealings and in "Dialogue," a woman's discussion group, where she was elected president a number of times over the years. In 1970, Anne married Robert Drew.
Anne Drew's Kathy's Dance (1977), about dancer Kathy Posin, won the New York Film Festival Blue Ribbon.
Anne traveled often to India to produce films on two prime ministers, Indira Gandhi and her son, Rajiv Gandhi. Herself, Indira Gandhi (1982), won the Global Village Festival first prize and a Cine Golden Eagle.
Anne later worked with Robert Drew on editing her India films together with a previous Drew Associates film on Jawaharlal Nehru to make Life and Death of Dynasty (1991), the story of India's Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty. The 90-minute special was broadcast by PBS and the BBC.
Anne edited more than a dozen one-hour broadcast specials, including programs on violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin, jazz great Duke Ellington and President John F. Kennedy. She co-produced prize-winning television specials with Robert Drew, including Marshall High Fights Back (Frontline; 1984), Your Flight is Cancelled (Frontline;1988), and For Auction: An American Hero (1986; Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for Best Documentary).
Anne also produced From Two Men and a War (2005), an account of Robert Drew's experiences as a fighter pilot in World War II, and how his friendship with Ernie Pyle contributed to the development of the groundbreaking documentary style cinema vérité.
The most recent film Anne produced was A President to Remember: In The Company of John F. Kennedy, which broadcast on HBO in January 2012.
Anne moved to Sharon, Conn., in 2006. She loved the ballet, gardening and travel, particularly to Finland, where she had many friends. She is survived by her husband of 42 years, Robert Drew; her brother, Peter Gilbert; her sister, Dorothy Gilbert Goldstone; and her stepchildren, Thatcher Drew, Lisa Drew and Derek Drew.
Films that Anne edited and produced are being preserved by the archive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Services will be held in Sharon, Conn. on April 29 and in New York City on May 6.
Lee Storey, an attorney in the area of water rights and a documentary filmmaker, learned today that her documentary film Smile ‘Til It Hurts: The Up With People Story has been considered a for-profit endeavor in the eyes of the US Tax Court. She is therefore forgiven the outstanding amount owed to the IRS from her 2006-2008 Federal tax returns. This ruling sets a precedent for documentary filmmakers to come, hopefully causing future auditors to uphold a standard for upcoming productions and burgeoning filmmakers who find themselves in similar situations.
Back in March, Storey participated in one of IDA’s Doc U educational panels, entitled The Business Side of Documentary Filmmaking. During the panel, Storey detailed her ongoing legal struggles against the IRS' claim that "attorneys cannot also be filmmakers." After working on her film for five years, the IRS stated that her filmmaking was more a "hobby" than a viable means of income. The IRS claimed that she owed them around $300,000 in back income taxes from the three years that she spent making her film.
But as of today, April 19, the United States Tax Court filed its findings of fact and opinion, which clears Storey on all counts. "The primary issue," the judge stated, "is whether [Storey], a law firm partner and full-time attorney, was involved in the trade or business of film production under section 162 during the years at issue. We hold that she was engaged in the trade or business of film production during each of the years at issue and that she was engaged in this business for profit."
Michael C. Donaldson and Christopher L. Perez, the two attorneys from Donaldson + Callif, LLP who filed an amicus brief on Storey's behalf, were delighted with the outcome of the case. "Even if it takes six years, the making of a documentary, in spite of educational and public good, is also a business," said Donaldson. "The win is particularly important because the issue has rarely been addressed by a court in such a direct fashion."
"It's such an important decision," said Perez after the results of the case were announced. "Yes, documentary filmmakers are beneficial to society because their films educate and expose. But so many documentarians rely on their filmmaking to make a living—and they should be treated as such."
Read more details of the court's findings.
We were extremely happy to have been a part of filing the amicus brief that lead Storey's case into trial. We are proud to say that the outcome of her trail is one that was well-deserved and long-coming. A special thank you to Michael C. Donaldson and Christopher L. Perez for filing this brief on our behalf in conjunction with Film Independent, National Association of Latino Independent Producers, Women Make Movies, National Alliance for Media Art and Culture and University Film and Video Association.
Thought Equity Motion, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based video management and licensing services, recently announced that the company has changed its name to T3Media, Inc.
From T3Media's press release about the rebranding:
"T3Media reflects the evolution of our company as we grow both our Licensing and Platform businesses to serve the needs of leading digital content producers as well as sports, news, and entertainment library owners worldwide," said T3Media's CEO, Kevin Schaff, who founded the company in 2003. "The name T3Media better resonates with our global customers and partners, and expresses the extension of our brand across a range of video technology and services. The 'T' ties back to our original name and the '3' represents the three core tenets of our business: storage, access and licensing."
To learn more about the company and its Licensing and Platform business lines, visit www.t3media.com.
T3Media is a sponsor of our Doc U educational seminar program, as well as Trustee level donors to our organization. They will also be a part of our upcoming Doc U on Archival Footage and Licensing, taking place in Los Angeles in July.
More on T3Media:
T3Media offers cloud-based storage, access, and licensing for enterprise-scale video libraries. Its technology Platform and services enable media owners to generate new value from their content while managing cost and complexity. Through www.t3licensing.com and its global sales force, the company licenses sports, news, and creative footage to producers in advertising, entertainment, publishing, and emerging media.
T3Media works with the world’s leading video libraries, including BBC Motion Gallery, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, National Geographic, The New York Times, and the NCAA®. Connect with T3Media on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.
With the growing popularity of documentary film, many have admirably seized on the power of non-fiction storytelling to affect change around social and political issues. But in all the discussion about content and impact, have we forgotten to explore documentary as cinema, as art? In a lively conversation about how they mobilize aesthetic choices to generate meaning, filmmakers discuss stylistic strategies, creative inspirations, story structure, and the tension between form and content.
On Wednesday, April 18 join Caroline Libresco, Senior Programmer at the Sundance Film Festival, as she moderates a discussion with filmmakers Ondi Timoner (BYOD, We Live In Public) and Marina Zenovich (Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, Who is Bernard Tapie?) whose documentary work not only delivers a powerful message, but also storytelling impact through visual imagery.
Since 2001, Caroline Libresco has been Senior Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, where she selects features in all sections, with a special expertise in documentary and international film, and acts as conduit between artists and industry. She spearheaded Sundance’s World Cinema Narrative and Documentary competitions and serves on Sundance’s Women’s Initiative, Creative Producing Initiative, and Film Forward teams. Previously, she was an executive at ITVS (Independent Television Service), the San Francisco Film Festival, and the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. She produced the award-winning documentary, Sunset Story; the Academy Award-winning featurette, Barrier Device; associate-produced the HBO documentary Cat Dancers; and was developing producer on The Grace Lee Project. She also co-wrote and produced the independent feature, Fanci's Persuasion. She serves as consultant to Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, Hot Docs, and the Zurich Film Festival, on the board of Women Make Movies and the Advisory Council of IFP New York.
Caroline holds a B.A. from Oberlin College, an M.A. in History of Religion from Harvard, an M.F.A. from UCLA Film School, and teaches documentary at Film Independent in Los Angeles. She has appeared widely on film juries internationally—including the Sarajevo Film Festival, Jerusalem Film Festival, Cartagena Film Festival, Istanbul Independent Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, and Hot Docs.
The National Endowment for the Arts, one of the nation's largest source of monetary assistance to the arts, announced on Monday plans to slash substantial funding for PBS programs, including Independent Lens and POV. These cuts, which take effect April 25, would take away over $1 million in production assistance from not just the aforementioned shows, but also to American Masters, Art21, and Great Performances.
This is not the first hit Independent Lens and POV have suffered this year. Just one month ago, we learned that Independent Lens suffered a major drop in viewership after being switched from their regular night on Tuesdays to a new time on Thursdays. In March, we partnered with Kartemquin Films in an attempt to remind PBS of the importance of independent programming on their station. We await a decision on this issue from PBS after their annual meeting in mid-May.
You can read more about this decision below:
N.E.A. Is Said to Cut Aid to Arts Programs on PBS -New York Times
N.E.A. Will Slash Funding to 'Independent Lens' and 'POV' -Indiewire
CBC, NFB announce major cutbacks -The Gazette
When people ask to see your trailer, what is you usual reaction? Do you jump at the chance with confidence? Or do you stammer and hesitate as you explain why it's not quite where it should be?
Your trailer should be the ultimate pitch, the one thing that sells potential funders on the potential of your project. A fundraising trailer can make or break your film. We want you to stop guessing what works and what doesn't.
IDA has asked internationally renowned author, speaker and story consultant Fernanda Rossi to host a full-day workshop for producers, directors, writers and editors to help make your trailer all that it can be. In this workshop, held on the 3rd floor of The Annex in Santa Monica, you will learn the foundational story structures for fundraising trailers, and hear some of the most common mistakes filmmakers make when crafting their proposals, budgets, and trailers. This workshop will also give you a chance to see Fernanda's work applied to actual trailers, with before and after examples and a few of the successful fundraising trailers.
The event kicks off with registration at 9:30am on Saturday, April 21. Bring your work-in-progress for analysis and discussion!
For more details about Fernanda and the event, and to register, click here.
Story Consultant Fernanda Rossi will answer three questions on fundraising trailers from our members in anticipation of this upcoming Doc U event. Submit your question by posting a comment below. We'll let you know when Fernanda's answered your questions after the workshop. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out!
IDA has stepped up their involvement in a movement to support public television's continued service to the public by backing Kartemquin's efforts to uphold PBS's main goals and mission. This weekend, a committee of filmmakers formed to help steer and streamline all efforts dedicated to supporting independent programming on PBS. Along with IDA Board Member Beth Bird, the members of the committee include Heather Courtney, Marshall Curry, Tim Horsburgh, Byron Hurt, Brad Lichtenstein, Steve Mendelsohn, Paco de Onis, Gordon Quinn, Julia Reichert, Bernardo Ruiz, Carlos Sandoval, Renee Tajima-Pena, Michael Winship, and Pamela Yates. This group is made up of veteran and award-winning filmmakers who have both long supported and been supported by public television, and we are certain that together, their work will help organize community-wide support for independent programming.
In the following new open letter to PBS, the committee states their new level of involvement in this cause, and offers ways you can help. Please submit your comments and signatures to PBSNeedsIndies@kartemquin.com to insure your inclusion and participation.
Second open letter to PBS from PBS Needs Indies:
This steering committee came into being because PBS had moved Independent Lens off the core schedule, to Thursdays, the one night in the week that PBS has pledged not to program. This put it into direct conflict with many stations' local programming. We were alarmed to see, in a recent Current article, the immediate effects on the viewership for Independent Lens, and feared for POV's audience should that series also be moved when its season starts in June. Our "PBS Needs Indies" open letter received high profile support from groups such as the IDA, WGA East, NALIP, and Women Make Movies, as well as a wave of PBS viewer support resulting from a blog by Bill Moyers. Over 1,000 filmmakers and viewers have now pledged their support for these programs.
We are grateful and appreciate PBS' willingness, announced as of March 23, to reconsider that move. We eagerly look forward to PBS giving both of these series a designated slot on the PBS core schedule, where audiences can find it in the same place every week.
We highly value PBS' role in showcasing programs that allow viewers to become more active members of their society. While Independent Lens and POV shows are far from the only examples of such public television programs, they join other such work in showcasing overlooked issues, reaching underserved audiences, connecting with younger and more diverse viewers, engaging viewers far beyond the screen, and enriching the nation’s media landscape.
This incident has renewed our community’s awareness of the critical value of PBS to the national media ecology. We know that public broadcasting, uniquely funded by taxpayers, reaches people at every level of society, in virtually every locality in the country. And we will continue to foster dialogue among the community of independent filmmakers about the significance of public broadcasting, and their own role in it.
If you want to participate in the movement to support the public purpose of public TV, among other ways by supporting the visibility of Independent Lens and POV, consider:
- Adding your name to the signatories of the open letter, by commenting on it or emailing us at PBSNeedsIndies@kartemquin.com.
- Explaining why you value such programming in a comment below or an email to PBSNeedsIndies@kartemquin.com.
- Contacting your local station to ask them when they are programming Independent Lens and POV, and asking how you can help support and promote them.
- Tweet using the hashtag #PBSNeedsIndies
The International Documentary Association proudly presents Decoding Deepak, a film by Gotham Chopra which chronicles a year in the life of his father, spiritualist and pop-culture icon Deepak Chopra. A film for "spiritualists and skeptics alike, for fans of father-son relationships, the cycle of parenting, journeys of self-discovery, and Twitter," Decoding Deepak focuses not just on the filmmaker’s relationship with his father, but is also paralleled by Gotham's relationship with his own son.
Now in it's 10th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) will take place at the state-of-the-art Arclight Hollywood on Sunset and Vine. Decoding Deepak is set to play IFFLA on Thursday, April 12th at 8:30pm.
CHAINSAW, an ongoing supporter of the documentary film community, joins as a Contributing Sponsor of the 16th Annual DocuWeeks Theatrical Showcase. CHAINSAW is the first sponsor confirmed for our annual theatrical showcase of some of the year's best docs from around the world. We welcome them again as we did in 2011.
Thank you CHAINSAW for being so awesome and for all that you do for documentary filmmakers!
CHAINSAW, based in Hollywood, CA, provides creative editorial and post finishing services from concept to completion. Emmy Award winning editors Bill DeRonde and Mike Polito used their years of hands-on experience to build a full-service post facility that gives editors what they need to get the client what they want. From American Idol to the Academy Awards, to award-winning documentaries, Chainsaw has been helping producers for over 15 years.
To learn more about CHAINSAW, visit their website.
The beginning of 2012 marked the end of Eddie Schmidt's three-year run as IDA Board President. As he passed the title over to Marjan Safinia, Eddie answered some questions about his time with IDA and gave some advice for the incoming Board President.
What did you do while you were at IDA?
I served on IDA's Board of Directors for six years, beginning in 2006. For three of those years, 2009-2011, I was the organization’s Board President, and during the latter half of 2008, I stepped in as its interim Executive Director until we found a great guy named Michael Lumpkin. In addition to those administrative/spokesperson roles, I participated in the advocacy committee (formed in the wake of IDA’s work on behalf of Joe Berlinger and his film Crude), the development committee [and] the annual Awards show (which included co-hosting in 2011); moderated events and panels; and often contributed to Documentary magazine and to documentary.org.
There were three main goals that guided all my work: relevance, inclusion, and fun—in that order. I believed strongly that IDA held a unique position in representing the documentary community, and our renewed commitment to advocacy during that time (on issues including free speech, fair use and net neutrality) was a direct result. By speaking up for documentary filmmakers, and asking other filmmakers to speak out, too, obviously increased our relevance—but also our inclusiveness, making the community stronger and more connected. I also felt it was important to try to make our Awards screening process more reflective of the entire membership, and we eventually accomplished this, thanks to digital technology and a dedicated staff who made it possible for judges across the country to watch films online and vote. And while "fun" may sound like a trivial goal, it isn't. Who wants to belong to a member organization that isn't fun? Not me. So I tried to bring some humor and irreverence wherever it was appropriate. And probably even a few places where it wasn’t.
What were you up to before joining the IDA Board of Directors?
I was a documentary filmmaker, TV writer/producer, and former sketch comic coming off of an Oscar nomination (for Twist of Faith in 2005) and starting to feel more connected to the greater doc community beyond my own projects. At the same time, I recognized that the individual members of the community (including myself) were looking for streamlined and specific information and advice—as well as a unified voice—that an organization like IDA could provide. So it seemed like an organization that I could give a lot to, but one that would also give something back to me. And that was true on both fronts. Two then-current board members, (publicist) Nancy Willen and (attorney) Michael Donaldson, encouraged me to join. As I said in my remarks during the 2011 Awards show, within my six years on the board I went from young punk to elder statesman.
What's next for you (besides your film premiere at SXSW in early April!)?
I'm currently directing something for television that I can't yet discuss, and I've been producing a documentary with BMP Films (Bunim-Murray). They did Autism: The Musical—that’s in post. I'm also one of the directors making a film for Cinelan’s Focus Forward omnibus project. And yes, I executive produced a terrific film about artist / raconteur Wayne White (Pee-wee's Playhouse), called Beauty is Embarrassing, which premiere[d] at SXSW [this year]. And along with Morgan Neville, I'm exec producing another new documentary about one of my favorite all-time bands, Devo. So, you know...not much.
Do you have any advice to incoming President Marjan Safinia?
Wear comfortable shoes. No, that's the advice they give new film directors. Honestly, I think the hardest thing for the President is to maintain patience. Non-profit organizations can make great strides, but it really doesn't happen overnight. It’s a gradual thing. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to move mountains, but you have to listen to others, attempt solutions that may not work the first time out, make prudent small changes so you can later make bold, bigger ones, etc. It's a hard thing to learn when you jump in excited to (allow me to take back a phrase that’s been denigrated unfairly in the culture) "community organize."
What will you miss the most about your time at IDA?
I'll miss the intellectual workouts; the problem-solving around societal issues that face documentary filmmakers as journalists and as citizens. Areas where we really did make a difference.
And I'll miss the camaraderie—of our board and executive committee meetings themselves (which really evolved into enjoyable sessions), as well as the public events. As Board President I felt like it was my duty to go as many events as possible, and as a result I got to meet a lot of interesting people and learn about fascinating projects I may not have otherwise known about. I’ll try not to be a stranger, but I also know my family's glad to have me around a bit more.