After screening in nineteen countries and winning accolades at home and abroad, the locally (South Australian) produced experimental documentary film ‘A Shift in Perception’ has pushed filmmakers Dan Monceaux and Emma Sterling into the international spotlight. Currently screening at the Burnside Library as part of the exhibition ‘Watch This Space’ until May 4^th, the film has shared the stories of three vision impaired women from the Port Adelaide Enfield area with audiences the world over.

“Since the film premiered at IDFA in the Netherlands last November (like the Cannes of documentary), it’s continued to surprise us. The film’s now screened as far a field as Uruguay and Croatia, and has won several awards at festivals in the USA and Canada. It won first prize at the Black Maria Film & Video Festival in New Jersey, and is currently in their touring program, with over seventy scheduled screenings in cinemas, art galleries, libraries and universities. Locally we’ve screened at Adelaide International Film Festival, and Sydney International Film Festival has it programmed for their prestigious event in June. The audience it’s reaching is enormous.”

For the dedicated young couple, the thrills keep coming with FreeSpeechTV, an American cable and satellite network buying a license to broadcast the work to a potential audience of 130 million viewers. The Danimations team has also been selling the film through their website to people internationally, and are currently producing a version for the education market to be distributed in Australia by Ronin Films.

“The reward of reaching such a wide audience is wonderful,” says Monceaux. “The film aimed to provide its viewers with insight into the blind person’s world, and clearly it’s a concept that appeals to regardless of culture or verbal language. The film puts you inside the heads of its subjects- Leander, Rhonda and Edna- and does so in an often abstract way. The result is a conversational narrative from the women illustrated experimentally- a far cry from traditional documentary.”

The exhibition currently screening the work at Burnside Library is a showcase of emerging artists’ artwork with a focus on animation and short film- a perfect match for ‘A Shift in Perception’.  Incorporating techniques of time lapse, animation and soft-focus, the work premiered locally at Higher Ground, Adelaide during the South Australian living Artists’ Festival last year. The film is also available for sale at the Royal Society for the Blind’s Low Vision Centre, 230 Pirie St, with part proceeds going to the organisation.

 

Visit the film’s website for more details: http://www.danimations.com.au/perception

(March 23, 2007) Now in its 41st year, the BAC International Film and Video Festival (May 5 – 12, 2007) screens 58 films over 6 days at 4 venues with three feature narratives having their World or New York premieres at the festival. Keeping with Brooklyn Arts Council’s tradition of showcasing a wide variety of high quality films directed by emerging artists from around the world, this year includes 8 award winning short documentaries, 15 short narratives, 8 animation and 5 experimental pieces, plus 6 innovative installation videos by filmmakers from Brooklyn to China to Botswana. 11 films shot and directed by youth filmmakers will also be screened.

This year’s festival kicks off on Saturday, May 5 from 2 – 5 pm at the Brooklyn Museum with “Brooklyn Filmmakers,” a screening of shorts and feature works. This year Brooklyn Arts Council partners with the Brooklyn Museum in conjunction with the museum’s new Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art by curating Pharaohs, Queens and Goddesses, a wonderful selection of films that deal with Global Feminism that screens on Saturday, May 5, 2007 from 6:30 – 10:30pm during Brooklyn Museum’s acclaimed Target First Saturday series.

We’ve expanded our ability to meet and support the ever increasing number of films shot, produced, directed and serviced by Brooklyn artists with additional collaborations. New initiatives allow screenwriters, for example, to benefit from our “Story Structure and Creative Explorations” professional development seminar and to compete for prizes generously donated by Writers Boot Camp. Filmmakers can enjoy wider, more diverse audiences at the Target First Saturday screening at the Brooklyn Museum, and network with each other at our closing party at Bar Sepia, on Friday, May 11th. The “Independent Filmmakers” screening, also at the Brooklyn Museum, showcases Independent talent from as far as the Chech Republic, while the “New Visionaries” screening at Long Island University focuses on fresh, new films by local and international college students. Sony Wonder hosts our seventh “Youth Shorts” screening at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab in Manhattan on Thursday, May 10. And on Friday, May 11 the festival features provocative new films during the “After Hours” screening at the Brooklyn Museum. We wrap up our festival week with the Sixth Annual Women of African Descent Film Festival, hosted by the Brooklyn chapter of the Links at Long Island University, which showcases films directed or produced by women of the African Diaspora.

BACKGROUND

Each year, Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) hosts the International Film and Video Festival to give film and video artists an opportunity to show their work to critics, the media and an enthusiastic New York audience. In operation since 1966, the festival is the longest running event of its kind in Brooklyn.  For some young filmmakers, the BAC Film Festival is an important first step in launching a successful career. In 2002, a recent college graduate named Ryan Fleck screened a short film at the BAC Film Festival. Ryan went on to write and direct the critically-acclaimed feature Half Nelson, which won the New York Film Critic’s Best First Feature Award, among others. Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea), directed by Javier Fesser, was shown in our festival last year and was recently nominated for an Academy Award in the “Best Live Action Short Film” category.

UPDATE: The Bridge will be released to DVD on June 12, 2007. 

The Golden Gate Bridge, with its views of the San Francisco Bay and skyline, is an American icon and a major tourist destination. But it is also the site of more suicides than any other place in the world. The question of why this particular bridge is such a magnet for suicides (along with the broader issue of suicide, and mental illness in general) is explored in Eric Steele’s debut documentary, which he began to work on after reading Tad Friend’s New Yorker article on the subject. Every day during 2004, Steele set up his cameras and filmed the Golden Gate Bridge during daylight hours. Day after day, he and his crew observed thousands of people crossing the bridge on foot from San Francisco to Marin County and back. They filmed everyone from tourists to bicyclists, but ever so often a person would climb over one small part of the bridge’s mile-long railing and let go. However, while the camera can record the act of suicide, it cannot tell us what leads a person to such an extreme action or what thoughts run through someone’s mind during those last moments. In an attempt to uncover some of these mysteries, Steele crossed the country in order to interview friends and families of the jumpers he captured on film, on-scene witnesses to various jumps, and even a jump survivor. These testimonials elevate the jumpers in the film from nameless statistics to human beings whose lives have inexorably led them to a tragically decisive moment on the Golden Gate Bridge. Like the bridge itself, this film is beautiful, powerful, and possesses an underlying darkness.

–David Wonk, Programmer for Tribeca Film Festival

From January through December 2004, Steel used 10-to-12-person crews to train his cameras day and night on this landmark — using both close-up lenses and wide angle shots to see the full expanse of the bridge.

By the time he finished, he had taped 23 of the 24 suicides that occurred that year. Now he has released a documentary called “The Bridge” that shows some of the jumps. The film has produced both praise and condemnation for his choices.

–ABC News Story

Trailer

UPDATE:  Read Bryan Newbury’s review of The Bridge.

www.joerednerthemovie.com

Loved…Admired…Hated!!!

Charismatic to some and revolting to others. Joe Redner is most often associated with owning one of the most famous nude clubs in America, the Mons Venus.

Although Joe has been fighting the city’s zoning laws, and winning, since the 1970’s, Joe Redner and the Mons Venus came into the national spotlight in 1999 when Tampa’s City Council, with support from Mayor Dick Greco, tried to ban lap dancing. The city ordinance passed, but not without an explosive fight that made national headlines with feature stories on ABC’s “20/20” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”

Many terms have been used to describe Joe, including: pimp, pervert, patriot, philanderer, politician, instigator, intellectual, self- promoter, humanitarian, hypocrite, publicity hound, male pig, exploiter, criminal, narcissist, hero and genius.

This is the FIRST full- feature, completely independent documentary to explore the life of legendary Florida strip club owner, Joe Redner, also known as the father of the nude lap dance.

Directed by Shelby McIntyre and produced by Chris Woods, this documentary explores the man that has been arrested over 140 times, earned his GED in jail at the age of 40, became an avid student of the law, got clean and sober in the mid- 1980’s, and has run for local public office 7 times.

With interviews from family members, friends, and foes, this documentary explores the many facets of the enigma named Joe Redner, not just what you have seen on the TV and in newspapers.

Whether you love him or hate him this intriguing documentary makes you want to watch him every step of the way!!

No Average Joe: The Story of Joe Redner will be complete this Summer 2007.

www.joerednerthemovie.com

The feature-length documentary film ADDICTION is the centerpiece of the Addiction project. Bringing together the nation’s leading experts with award- winning filmmakers, it consists of nine separate segments, including: “Saturday Night in a Dallas ER,” by Jon Alpert; “A Mother’s Desperation,” by Susan Froemke and Albert Maysles; “The Science of Relapse,” by Eugene Jarecki and Susan Froemke; “The Adolescent Addict,” by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner; “Brain Imaging,” by Liz Garbus and Rory Kennedy; “Opiate Addiction: A New Medication,” by D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus; “Topiramate: A Clinical Trial for Alcoholism,” by Alan and Susan Raymond; “Steamfitters Local Union 638,” by Barbara Kopple; and “Insurance Woes,” by Susan Froemke. ADDICTION is produced by John Hoffman and Susan Froemke; executive produced by Sheila Nevins.
http://www.hbo.com/addiction/

When: November 8-18, 2007
Where: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
What: The Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) was founded in 1998 by documentary filmmakers who wanted to give documentary film a showcase that would encourage the emergence of new ways of looking at the world.  An annual event with an international scope, the RIDM is now in its 10th year. Each edition offers some one hundred films from the four corners of the world, with a focus on films that stand out for their unique vision and artistic merit. Recognizing that documentary film truly is a privileged means for understanding the challenges facing our society and our planet, the program is organized around themes – social, political and environmental, and features workshops and events, that engage audiences, film professionals and partners in conversation and debate. In numerous workshops and the RIDM Forum, industry people can also share ideas on the creative process involved in documentary making, and discuss political and artistic concerns.
Website: www.ridm.qc.ca

When:  April 21 & 22, 2007
Where: Tishman Auditorium, TheNew School, 66 West 12 Street, New York, NY 10011.
What: The theme of the festival is the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). To be considered, a film must reflect one or more of the MDGs. The Festival is open to all filmmakers from or contracted by United Nations offices, funds, programmes, and agencies, and to the general public. THE CALL FOR ENTRIES IS NOW CLOSED. Film finalists will be announced on March 12, 2007, and listed on the Festival Web site shortly thereafter. Winners will be announced at the Festival. In addition to the film screenings and award presentations, there will be workshops and panel discussions featuring the filmmakers, and invited representatives from the United Nations, The New School, MCAINY, and, for the first time, The Mount Sinai Hospital and School of Medicine, which will lend its expertise to those discussions that center on global health.
Website: www.storiesfromthefield.org

The Documentary Channel (DOC) and VMIX.COM are co-sponsoring a Do It Yourself Documentary Contest and are seeking immediate submissions of digital videos from registered members of www.vmix.com. The DIY Doc Contest is soliciting entrants to submit a 1-10 minute documentary film around any subject they are passionate about. Music documentary and ‘mockumentary’ films are permissible and encouraged.

The contest will accept official entries between March 1 at 12:01 a.m. ET and May 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET. A panel of judges from the DOC Programming Department will determine the top three winning entries. Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity and originality, adherence to required topic, and popularity via VMIX members’ five-star ratings. VMIX members have the opportunity to vote on entries through May 15. Winning entries, notified by VMIX, will be announced publicly on June 7.

The Grand Prize Winner will have their entry telecast on The Documentary Channel in primetime this summer and also will be awarded an 80 GB video iPod. The Second Prize Winner will receive a six-month subscription to www.greencine.com; and the Third Prize Winner will receive a prize pack of autographed DVDs from award-winning documentarians.

“We are thrilled to partner with VMIX.com on documentary contest of the DIY variety to encourage budding filmmakers to put their skills to the test and to provide a rare opportunity for that fledgling talent to receive national television exposure,” says Kate Pearson, DOC senior vice president of programming. “We’re looking forward to judging the entries and seeing who can make the most of this opportunity.”

Complete DIY Doc Contest details are available at vmix.com.

By Umut Newbury
March 5, 2007

What do Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Danny Kaye and John Huston have in common?

They are legendary Hollywood stars beloved to this day by average Americans. No one would dare call them unpatriotic today. In September of 1947, they had the courage to form a group called the Committee for the First Amendment to stand up and protest the infamous McCarthy witch hunt of House Committee on Un-American Activities.

In the following 60 years, Americans seem to have forgotten that sometimes, it takes high profile celebrities to capture the spotlight and speak up against government activities that regular folks question. Somehow, in the post 9/11 world, we are OK with gawking at photos of Tom Cruise’s baby, Britney Spears’ head shaving adventures and the televised custody proceedings for Anne Nicole Smith’s orphaned infant. But we’ve made sport of making fun of the likes of Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn and Kanye West. We want to know every little dirty secret of our celebrities, except for what they have to say about what’s going on in the world.

Enter into this twisted worldview some unlikely characters and you’ve got a very fascinating documentary about the Orwellian madness in which we live. Shut Up & Sing chronicles the First Amendment battle of the Dixie Chicks – three Texan country stars who previously brought the American public such culturally illuminating songs as “Goodbye Earl.”

In 2003, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison and Martie Maguire sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl. They were the best selling female group of all time and Lipton tea was the official sponsor of their “Top of the World” tour. It just so happened that at the same time, the United States was preparing to go to war in Iraq. When the Dixie Chicks showed up in London on March 10, there were thousands of people in the streets rallying against the war. With that backdrop to their concert, Natalie Maines did what a lot of entertainers would have done, which is to make sure that the frustration people feel about some people from Texas does not spread to others like herself and her bandmates. So, she said a few words: “We’re with you on this one. We don’t want this war. We’re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.” And the crowd cheered loudly. The band had a great performance, their manager Simon Renshaw told them they rocked the house and they moved on to their next stop. In the meanwhile, The Guardian proceeded to quote Maines and the U.S. media soon followed. Within days, the reputation as well as the lives of three good ole girls from the Lone Star state would change forever.
–Read the rest of this entry »

By Bryan Newbury
February 26, 2007

Last month Showtime announced that it would air six episodes of a television adaptation of WBEZ’s acclaimed This American Life. Regular listeners will hardly miss a beat, as the screen version is a nearly identical experience right down to host Ira Glass’ herky jerky cadence now with visuals! On second thought, they’ll miss a number of beats along with… Iraglass…. on…. Thisamericanlife… Act II. But these are the out of the pocket rhythms to which they’ll be accustomed.

Viewing episodes one through four, it is quite clear that Glass and Co. have retained complete creative control. The format is instantly recognizable, and the single detraction is Glass narrating from a desk with Walter Winchell microphone in various locales. Retaining the geek chic of the show seems to be nonnegotiable. Fans of the show will no doubt be pleased. Whether it will play in Pittsburgh is yet to be seen.

For those not acquainted with the somber singing of Garrison Keillor or the admonitions of the brothers Magliozzi not to drive like them, a little background. Since 1995, This American Life has brought listeners engaging and offbeat stories of not-so-regular regular Americans. The subjects range from quirky to delusional. Glass serves as the personality, along with a cast of sidepeople that all seem to share what can only be described as an urban privilege aesthetic. He has enough of a presence of personality to keep each program consistent and coherent, though that choppy manner of speech (presumably to avoid bridge words such as “like/you know”) can be trifling. It is singular, and it places Glass in the category of a postmodern Rod Serling, guiding us through short stories where the subjects are the stars.

About those subjects. It is difficult, especially with the knowing irony that serves as constant companion in the show, to judge whether these strange everymen whose stories fill This American Life are being looked at with wonder or derision. The answer seems to be a combination of both. In four 30 minute episodes, viewers are treated to a rancher so bereaved by the loss of his bull that he clones him with nightmarish consequences; a Vermont band who is pranked into a dream gig; a retiree focused on screening her first short subject at Sundance; and, among others, a woman who spent her youth getting out from under the yoke of her strict Mormon upbringing only to return to Utah because her boyfriend becomes iconic to the father as a result of his striking resemblance to Jesus.

One can’t accuse the show of lacking imagination or the ability to captivate. Glass himself turns out to be a sympathetic interviewer, and this no doubt elicits more information from the show’s subjects. There is still that nagging feeling that despite such empathy for outsiders, the subjects are much like Ghosts of Pasha: they aren’t quite in on the joke, good natured though it may be. The dichotomy necessitates ambivalence in the listener or viewer. These people are far from commonplace, but they are common. In this respect, all are tragicomic. If This American Life can be accused of one principle weakness, it is that they focus more on the comic than tragic in their role as observer.

Fortunately, it will be easy to decide if the show is for you. Just tune in on public radio (it is broadcast on most local stations) and listen for a few weeks. One of three options will present itself. You’ll tune in to Showtime because you love it, you’ll throw your radio out of the kitchen window because you don’t love it so much, or you’ll like it, tune in, and then discover that you’re not gaining a whole lot by watching rather than listening to it. Indeed, you’re losing a half hour. Even if option three is your choice, it is advisable to stick it out through episodes three and four, whose visual contributions add much to the narrative.

It would be fair to say that This American Life isn’t destined for a long television run. Part of the show’s success has been its hipper-than-thou stance, which plays well to selective public radio audiences. This attribute makes it hard to see a broad audience. It isn’t so much that such shows are “too smart” for the viewing public… just that they tend to tell you “I’m pretty smart” over and over. Perceptive viewers will likely sense some condescension. It is not beyond consideration that the engaging characters who fill the program will be enough to see past that. Judging from the initial episodes, Showtime will be enjoying a loyal following for the show… even if… it… isn’tforeveryone.

—–

This American Life, Episodes 1-4

Showtime & Chicago Public Radio

An Inconvenient Truth (Paramount Classics and Participant Productions)
A Lawrence Bender/Laurie David Production
Davis Guggenheim

The Blood of Yingzhou District
A Thomas Lennon Films Production
Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

Bar-Ilan University Prof. Amos Kloner, the Jerusalem District archeologist who officially oversaw the work at the tomb in 1980 and has published detailed findings on its contents, on Saturday night dismissed the claims. “It makes a great story for a TV film,” he told The Jerusalem Post. “But it’s impossible. It’s nonsense.”

Kloner, who said he was interviewed for the new film but has not seen it, said the names found on the ossuaries were common, and the fact that such apparently resonant names had been found together was of no significance. He added that “Jesus son of Joseph” inscriptions had been found on several other ossuaries over the years.

“There is no likelihood that Jesus and his relatives had a family tomb,” Kloner said. “They were a Galilee family with no ties in Jerusalem. The Talpiot tomb belonged to a middle-class family from the 1st century CE.”

Full article at The Jerusalem Post

The cave in which Jesus Christ was buried has been found in Jerusalem, claim the makers of a new documentary film.

If it proves true, the discovery, which will be revealed at a press conference in New York Monday, could shake up the Christian world as one of the most significant archeological finds in history.

The coffins which, according to the filmmakers held the remains of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother Mary and Mary Magdalene will be displayed for the first timeon Monday in New York.

Jointly produced by Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici and Oscar winning director James Cameron, the film tells the exciting and tortuous story of the archeological discovery.

The story starts in 1980 in Jerusalem’s Talpiyot neighborhood, with the discovery of a 2,000 year old cave containing ten coffins. Six of the ten coffins were carved with inscriptions reading the names: Jesua son of Joseph, Mary, Mary, Matthew, Jofa (Joseph, identified as Jesus’ brother), Judah son of Jesua (Jesus’ son – the filmmakers claim).

Full article by Ariella Ringel-Hoffman at YnetNews.

The familiar and disturbing pictures of torture at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison raise many troubling questions: How did torture become an accepted practice at Abu Ghraib? Did U.S. government policies make it possible? How much damage has the aftermath of Abu Ghraib had on America’s credibility as a defender of freedom and human rights around the world? Acclaimed filmmaker Rory Kennedy looks beyond the headlines to investigate the psychological and political context in which torture occurred. Premieres Thursday, February 22 at 9:30pm on HBO.

DVD Releases February 20, 2007

Dixie Chicks: Shut Up & Sing – Review – Purchase at Amazon.com – Shut Up & Sing finds two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple (American Dream) and co-director Cecilia Peck following the lives and career developments of the Dixie Chicks in the wake of singer Natalie Maines’ denunciation of the Iraq war and President Bush in 2003. The film returns to the pivotal moment in which Maines, speaking to a London audience, raised opposition to America’s invasion of Iraq, resulting in a backlash in America. The Chicks, as one sees, have had little peace of mind since then, banned from country music stations, picketed at concerts, and targeted by death threats. Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Robison respond to the extensive and sometimes scary criticism they’ve faced, though their latest music, including a song called “Not Ready to Make Nice,” also speaks for itself. Kopple and Peck spend a lot of time with the band on a human level as well, in homes and dressing rooms and recording studios.

American Hardcore – Review – Purchase at Amazon.com – The history of hardcore punk–the tougher, faster, and more politically minded stepchild of the ’70s punk movement that arose in the ’80s–is examined in exuberant detail in Paul Rachman’s documentary American Hardcore. Rachman’s cameras careen across the landscape of the U.S. to trace the movement’s beginnings in cities like Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York, and cherrypicks interviews with the musicians that helped shape its sound and impact, including Henry Rollins and Greg Ginn of Black Flag, H.R. (frontman for the highly influential, all-African American outfit Bad Brains), Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat (and now Fugazi), and many others. Hardcore’s violent reaction against the Reagan administration and the complacent mindset of middle-class America is also detailed in countless performance footage clips and poster-art reproductions, which do much to dismiss the popular opinion of hardcore as nothing more than mindless hooliganism. Some fans may find the omission of certain bands a considerable oversight (San Francisco’s lethally satirical Dead Kennedys are not mentioned only in passing), but for most punk devotees, American Hardcore will be vital and essential viewing.

Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl – Review – Purchase at Amazon.com – The Journalist and the Jihadi – The Murder of Daniel Pearl Narrated by CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour, this 80 minute film tracks the parallel lives of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and British-born jihadi Omar Sheikh. Both men were passionate, intelligent individuals from privileged backgrounds, and both were sympathetic to the plight of Muslims around the world, though Pearl was Jewish. With the rise of Islamic militancy in the 1990s, however the two men?s paths diverged; in 2002, those paths collided when Sheikh executed cunning con game that ended in Pearl?s headline-making kidnapping and murder in Pakistan ? and the remorseless Sheikh?s arrest under mysterious circumstances.

disinfo.con – Review – Purchase at Amazon.com – You say you want a revolution? If your world-view is left of center, you challenge cultural cognoscenti and the establishment at every turn and really wonder who the “they” is in “that’s what they say,” then turn on, tune in and drop out to the now-legendary Disinfo.Con. Dubbed by The New York Times as “Cyberpalooza”, Disinfo.Con was a revolutionary 21st-century gathering of the greatest countercultural minds in New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom in the Year 2000. Now, The Disinformation Company proudly offers viewing audiences of all walks the opportunity to experience this singular, once-in-a-lifetime event from the comforts of home with DISINFO.CON.

When: Februrary 2007
Where: Shahbagh, Bangladesh
What: A total of 33 selected documentaries, made by Bangladeshi documentary filmmakers during the years 2005 and 2006, will be screened during the festival. The four-day festival organised by Bangladesh Documentary Council, also includes a seminar and publications.  The festival aims at promoting the documentary film culture in Bagladesh.

The Department of Media Studies at The New School is now accepting applications for its fall 2007 Documentary Media Studies certificate program. Launched in September 2006, this one-year intensive program is designed for college graduates and working professionals interested in hands-on documentary filmmaking. Working closely with faculty and visiting filmmakers like D.A. Pennebaker and Peter Davis, students are encouraged to use the documentary medium to create works of social and political significance.

The program offers a select group of students the unique opportunity to learn about documentary history, theory and video and film production in the heart of New York City. The curriculum culminates with a 30-minute individual documentary, which each student films and edits over the course of the program. Upon completion, students may apply their credits toward a master’s degree in media studies at The New School — the largest media studies MA program in the country — or use their skills to enter the world of professional documentary filmmaking.

For more information about this exciting opportunity, please visit www.newschool.edu/docstudies or call 212.229.5630.

A biting documentary about the twilight years of Yves Saint Laurent’s haute couture fashion house screened at the Berlin Film Festival after a court blocked its release in France.

The designer, who is credited with putting women in tuxedos, peacoats and sheer chiffon blouses, is losing his sharp eye and depends on his helpers who treat him like a child.

After the film was completed in 2001, Berge went to court in France and managed to prevent its commercial distribution. Meyrou was also ordered to pay a fine.

The director’s previous films includes gritty documentaries about apartheid and the gay world.

He said in a press statement here that he wanted to show the secret life of Saint Laurent with the film which was originally called “5 Avenue Manceau” after the Paris address of the fashion house.

“He is a unique artist whose personality and life are, however, a mystery.”

In the end only Loulou de la Falaise, the designer’s discreet long-time collaborator, and the clothes themselves emerge from the picture unscathed.

The documentary is screening in the Panorama fringe section of the 57th Berlinale which runs until Sunday.

Read the complete article at Breitbart.

When: February 23-26, 2007
Where: Adelaide, Australia
What: Conference offers a mix of classes, panels and a marketplace. Social events and informal meetings offer networking opportunities. Filmmakers can apply for the pitching forums and submit documentaries to the videotheque.
Website: http://www.aidc.com.au/

When: February 28-March 8, 2007
Where: Prauge, Czech Republic
What: One World has many missions that shape the content of their festival; they are broad and fairly inclusive.  Activist and investigative works are actively encourage, and are viewed along side other documentaries.  One World is involved in year around outreach that involves dealing with issues in large part with the documentary medium.
Website: http://www.oneworld.cz/

When: February 23-March 3, 2007
Where: Pamplona, Spain
What: The Festival is open to all non-fiction audiovisual forms, such as author’s documentaries, creation documentaries, experimental essays, diary films or works created using home, orphan or recycled materials.  Punto de Vista aims to be a meeting point for all documentary film makers who, in a free and experimental way, explore the cinema ability for recording time.
Website: http://www.cfnavarra.es/puntodevista/

THE DIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT FUND (DDF) provides up to $15,000 in research and development funding for both seasoned and emerging producers of color. From writing a script to creating a trailer, DDF cultivates new projects destined for Public Television that are in the early stages of development. Producers must identify themselves as minority producers belonging to one or more of the following communities of color: African American, Latino/Latina, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native American/Native Alaskan, or Arab American. Deadline: March 30, 2007. Guidelines and applications at www.itvs.org/producers/funding.html. Questions? Call Kathryn Washington (415) 356-8383 x258; Kathryn_Washington@itvs.org

FUNDING FOR INDIE PRODUCTIONS: LINKING INDEPENDENTS AND CO-PRODUCING STATIONS (LINCS) from Independent Television Service (ITVS) provides completion funding in the form of matching funds up to $100,000 for collaborations between public TV stations and indie producers. Projects must already be in production as evidenced by a work-in-progress tape of at least five minutes and all genres are eligible, including documentary, fiction, animation and innovative combinations. Only single shows of standard broadcast length (26:40 or 56:40) are eligible – no series. Programs should stimulate civic discourse and find innovative ways to explore regional, cultural, political, social or economic issues. Indie film and videomakers are encouraged to seek collaborations with their local public TV stations. Deadline: May 24, 2007. Guidelines and applications at www.itvs.org/producers/funding.html. Questions? Call Rod Minott (415) 356-8383 x270; Rod_Minott@itvs.org

FUNDING FOR INDIE PRODUCTIONS: ITVS OPEN CALL provides completion funding for programs that are already in production. It is our largest funding initiative with two funding rounds per year.  There is no minimum or maximum funding amount. Producers may apply with single shows in any genre (fiction, documentary, animation, experimental). Documentary producers must submit a work-in-progress tape of at least five minutes , and a previously completed documentary work. Producers of fiction or animation projects must submit a sample of a previous fiction/animation project and a complete script for the current project. Applicants must be independent producers with previous film or TV production experience in a principal role (i.e., director, producer, co-director, or co-producer). Producers must be U.S Citizens, or legal resident; students and employees of broadcast organizations are not eligible. Open Call Round 2 deadline: July 13, 2007. Guidelines and applications at www.itvs.org/producers/funding.html. Questions? Call Karim Ahmad (415) 356-8383 x259; Karim_Ahmad@itvs.org

DVD Releases Feburary 13, 2007

The U.S. vs John Lennon – Review by Bryan Newbury – Review yourself – Purchase at Amazon.com – Though certain reviewers have called comparisons to the antiwar movement during the Nixon administration to that of today’s tumult, one would need blinders fitted for a thoroughbred to avoid obvious parallels. The U.S. vs. John Lennon begins with an archetypal image of the scene in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. A concert is being held for jailed MC5 manager and marijuana legalization activist John Sinclair. Sinclair’s offense? Offering two joints to an undercover agent. His sentence? Ten years maximum security.

Enter a cast of fellow musicians and activists. At center stage is John Lennon, armed with National Resophonic guitar and his wife Yoko. We are to find out that the simple act of singing on Sinclair’s behalf coincided with the Michigan Supreme Court summarily overturning the conviction they’d recently upheld. Maybe there’s something to this whole rock ‘n roll thing.

The U.S. vs. John Lennon follows this scene with a bit of exposition. Much of it isn’t altogether necessary to fans of Lennon. For that matter, fans of popular culture in the second half of the twentieth century. It does, however, serve to build the foundation for a narrative pacing that is commendable in documentary filmmaking.

So Goes The Nation – Review – Purchase at Amazon.com – As John Kerry presidential campaign volunteer Miles Gerety puts it, “As goes Ohio, so goes the nation.” Directors Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern, who were behind The Year of the Yao (about NBA superstar Yao Ming), attempt to get a handle on the 2004 presidential election by focusing on this swing state in the weeks before the big day. Senator Kerry and President George W. Bush staffers recount their experiences in trying to win the White House. Speakers include everyone from door-to-door campaigners to Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe and RNC chairman Ed Gillespie. Even some of Kerry’s most dedicated followers admit that there were times their man let them down, like his failure to take a more aggressive stance against the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. On the other hand, at least one Bush staffer feels that her candidate made too big a deal about same-sex marriage. As longtime Republican Leslie Ghiz remarks about his campaign promises, “Notice there’s [been] no marriage amendment.”

F**K – Review – Purchase at Amazon.com – This challenging and provocative documentary takes a look on all sides of the infamous F-word. Its taboo,obscene and controversial, yet somehow seems to permeate every single aspect of our culture-from Hollywood, to the schoolyard to the Senate floor in Washington D.C. It’s the word at the very center of the debate on Free Speech – and everyone seems to have an opinion. F*** will exam how the word is impacting our world today thru interviews, film and television clips, music, and original animation by Oscar nominee Bill Plympton. Scholars and linguists will examine the long history of f***. Comedians, actors, and writers who have charted and popularized the upward course of f*** will be heard from, often while defending the Constitutional Right of Free Speech, all the way to the Supreme Court. F*** will visit with those who actually f*** for a living. We’ll hear from advocates who oppose f*** and it’s infringement into our everyday lives. We’ll watch some of the most famous and infamous film and television clips that feature f***, we’ll hear some of the most famous f***s ever uttered and we’ll feel the impact of f*** on our everyday lives.

When: May 13-15, 2007
Where: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
What:Arab broadcast journalists and other individuals who have a specific idea for a documentary film, have until March 15 to apply for a workshop to be held in Dubai from May 13 to 15.  The “Arabic Documentary Workshop” (ADW2007), is organized by Al-Arabiya Satellite channel and supervised by O3 Productions Company.  A total of 25 applicants will be selected to attend the all-expenses paid workshop. Participants will present their proposals to a selection committee and five proposals will be chosen to be produced by the Arabic news channel.

Documentary proposals can be submitted by email in either Arabic or English. Organizers will provide funding and supervision for the five winning proposals that will eventually be broadcast on Al-Arabiya. A maximum of three proposals can be submitted by each applicant. For more information or to apply, contact workshop2007@o3productions.com
Website: http://video.alarabiya.net/ADW2007.htm

The public premiere of this film was at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.  Documentary Film .Net’s Bryan Newbury attended the premiere, and you can read his Fall from Grace review here.  The film is continuing on to the film festival circuit with a high profile showing at SXSW in March.

News on the showing at SXSW reported by KC infoZine.

“Fall From Grace,” a film created by University of Kansas senior K. Ryan Jones, has been selected for screening at the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas.

The announcement of the premiere of Jones’ documentary about the Rev. Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka was made Feb. 6 in Austin. The screening times for the film will be announced Feb. 15.

The film festival, which attracts nearly 5,000 people, takes place March 9-17. Included during the festival are screenings, panels, workshops and one-on-one mentoring sessions for new filmmakers. Some of the major guests for the 2007 festival are directors Morgan Spurlock, Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater.

“Fall From Grace” started in fall 2005 as a project for a class taught by Matt Jacobson, associate professor of theatre and film. Jones continued working on the documentary during the spring 2006 semester when he wasn’t in class or working. He credits Jacobson and Kevin Willmott, associate professor of theatre and film, for providing advice and assistance. The original cut, completed in May, won the 2005-06 Tensie Award, given by the Department of Theatre and Film, for Best Of Show. For the next few months, Jones shot additional footage and re-edited the film before it was first shown in November at the Kansas Union.