POV Blog

Outside the Frame: If It's on the Web, Can It Be Transgressive?

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:24:25 -0500

When the King of Pop passed away last week, the news spread like wildfire online, and the Web exploded with spur-of-the-moment tributes. My brother-in-law, a child of the 80s, was up until 2 a.m. on Facebook Chat, sharing memories and links to videos on YouTube. Others took their reactions to the streets, creating graffiti memorials, like this one:

Photo from: Cain and Todd Benson

From Spokane, Washington to Sydney, Australia, street artists documented the death of their King:

Photo from: baddogwhiskas

As I poured over these images on Flickr, I started wondering: What does it mean, culturally, when photographs of street art are so pervasive online?

Doc Soup: Oral History in "Life. Support. Music."

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:04:30 -0500

Independent journalist Tom Roston checks in and writes about the world of documentaries in his column, Doc Soup.

Wow. Life. Support. Music. is quite a documentary. I think it's hard not to be moved by this stirring story of a totally decent guy (and a great musician) who collapses onstage with a near-fatal brain hemorrhage. The man, Jason Crigler, and his family are sympathetic enough, and the narrative arc is intensely dramatic, but I think there's something else that's at play here: the film is oral history at its best.

Director Eric Daniel Metzgar signals early on to the viewer that this is primarily a story being told by the people who know Jason: the screen shows a talking head in a box, retelling an incident. Then, another box appears with another talking head, and so on, until there are several people speaking, practically finishing each other's sentences. Although Metzgar doesn't return to this visual motif, the rest of the film maintains this structure of people telling different parts of the same story, that of Jason's recovery.

I'm currently writing an oral history for Spin Magazine, so I can appreciate the skill and the hard work it takes to weave together these voices. It certainly helps that Jason's family is hyper-articulate. The modern tradition of oral histories is rooted in the work of Studs Terkel during the Great Depression, and, more recently, was well applied by Legs McNeil (Studs and Legs sound like names cut from the same cloth, no?) in his book about the history of punk. But there's something especially appropriate about Metzgar's use of the form here in this heartbreaking depiction of a guy whose memory went blank for about a year and the people who were there to help him, and who remember what he went through.

Watch "New Muslim Cool" and "Beyond Hatred" Online

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:17:29 -0500

If you missed the first two POV films of this season, Jennifer Maytorena Taylor's New Muslim Cool and Olivier Meyrou's Beyond Hatred, we have some good news: both films are available online!

New Muslim Cool will be streaming until July 24, 2009.

Beyond Hatred will be streaming until July 16, 2009.

Check back throughout the summer to find out watching more POV films online.

Doc Soup: Keeping Violence Off-Screen in "Beyond Hatred"

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:23:59 -0500

Independent journalist Tom Roston checks in and writes about the world of documentaries in his column, Doc Soup.

Truth in absence. That's what I was thinking about while watching Beyond Hatred, POV's stirring doc about the murder of a gay man by skinheads in France, which airs this week (check your local listings). There's a very deliberate way this sad story is told. The fact that it's in French, with subtitles, enhances the almost cerebral way the filmmakers follow the impact on the family of the victim.

I was most moved by the long shot of an empty park at dusk, the light fading in the trees. It is foreboding at the same time that it is utterly mundane, as we hear the sister talk about finding out about her brother's death. As joggers run by, the shot of the park, where the crime occurred, goes on so long, it almost has an anti-cinematic quality. Eventually, the lights come on in the park and the sister breathes heavily. The camera doesn't move; it feels like one of those Warhol real-time movies. (Read more in the filmmaker interview, where Olivier Meyrou explains why he held that single shot for eight minutes.)

Read more after the jump...

Chat with the Director and Star of "New Muslim Cool" on Monday Night

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:14:10 -0500

Just a heads up that POV director Jennifer Maytorena Taylor will be joined by New Muslim Cool star, Hamza Pérez, on Monday, June 29, for a live chat at the fabulous Firedog Lake Book Salon with La Figa.

They'll be online for 90 minutes of question and answer time, starting at 8pm East Coast, 5pm West Coast. Please bring your thoughts, comments, questions, criticisms, praises, what-have-you — and they'll look forward to talking to you!

Watch "Beyond Hatred" on Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:50:02 -0500

The second film of the 2009 season is entirely in French (with English subtitles), with a slow and meditative pace — and is altogether extraordinary. Beyond Hatred, by Olivier Meyrou, begins two years after the murder of François Chenu. Three skinheads had been roaming a park in Rheims, France, looking to "do an Arab," when they settled for François, a 29-year-old gay man, instead. François fought back fiercely, but he was beaten unconscious and thrown into a river, where he drowned.

Mostly, Beyond Hatred is the story of François's parents and siblings, and their struggle to understand what they cannot excuse and to rise above hatred and the desire for revenge. The Chenu family fight not only to save themselves from bitterness, but also to uphold the principles of tolerance for which François lived and died. As we watch François's parents struggle to mourn their son, to comprehend the logic of the killers and to truly rise "beyond hatred," our admiration for them grows. The film — gradual, subtle and moving — allows us to feel the family's experience and travel alongside them in their search for justice and understanding.

Find out more about the film and watch filmmaker Olivier Meyrou talk about the Chenu family and his cinematic choices in POV's extended filmmaker interview:

Check out POV's website for Beyond Hatred to read more about Olivier's production process and read essays about the film from experts including Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard.

Outside the Frame: Q&A with NPR Social Media Strategist Andy Carvin

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:23:01 -0500

Freelance writer Amanda Hirsch, former editorial director of PBS Interactive, blogs about documentaries and the Web in her column, Outside the Frame.

If you meet Andy Carvin, it's almost certain that he'd tweet about it — and for a brief moment, the 11,000+ people who follow him on Twitter would know your name. He might also post photos of you on Flickr, write about you on his blog and interview you for Rocketboom — or just live-stream an interview with you from his phone. In short, Andy is someone who lives online, and when you enter his orbit, you live online, too.

As is fitting for a citizen of the Internet — someone Washingtonian recently named a "Tech Titan," alongside the likes of Steve Case and Ted Leonsis — Andy's bio is readily available on Wikipedia. I won't regurgitate that information here — I'll just say that this is a guy who "got" the Web right off the bat, and has been a leader and advocate for using the Internet in a socially responsible, democratic way since the early '90s. These days, Andy's on the payroll at NPR, which is how I met him, public media being the intimate world that it is. Read on for his perspectives on how filmmakers should be using the Web, especially so-called "social media," and why being friends with someone online doesn't necessarily mean you'd invite them to your bar mitzvah.

Amanda Hirsch: You're a "social media strategist" for NPR. Tell us what that means.

Andy Carvin: Well, let's start with the meaning of social media. Basically, social media encompasses the universe of digital tools that foster interaction, content sharing and knowledge creation. In the early days of the Web, it was largely a one-way medium — you'd read, watch or listen to content but couldn't easily create it or participate in a dialogue. Over time, the tools improved as the Internet became more ubiquitous. Now most websites have significant social media elements — blogs, wikis, user-generated content, etc. Some people refer to this as Web 2.0, but in many ways, it's just what the Web is today.

As social media strategist, my job is to develop ways for NPR to engage the public — and vice versa — as a way to expand and strengthen our journalism. Public radio has always had a strong community of listeners, but we didn't have the tools available for them to interact with us, and each other. Social media is changing all of that; "listeners" no longer have to be passive.

Read more after the jump...

Doc Soup: Thinking About the Name Game and Documentaries

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:17:30 -0500

Independent journalist Tom Roston checks in and writes about the world of documentaries in his column, Doc Soup.

What's in a name? I find myself approaching the new POV season the same way I used to love cracking the college course catalog, eating up the clever names teachers would give their courses, such as my comp-lit favorite, "Uncanny Tales."

What sounds good? Life. Support. Music., Hold me Tight, Let Me Go and Bronx Princess each have a particular ring that makes me want to see more. But the one that grabs me most is the first up, New Muslim Cool.

There's something so enticing about those three words together, complemented by the image of the film's main subject, Hamza Perez. The notion of a new form of Islam, coupled with something cool, is so seemingly incongruous and yet appealing, that I was hooked.

World Refugee Day

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Today is World Refugee Day, a time to think about the more than 42 million people around the world who have been uprooted and displaced from their homes. Activities are taking place around the world to bring attention to the plight of refugees.

Several POV films have put a personal face on refugees, including Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars (POV 2007), The Lost Boys of Sudan (POV 2004) and Rain in a Dry Land (POV 2007). Check out their websites and watch the films for a closer look at what individuals and families go through when they are displaced.

This season, the Academy Award-nominated The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) by Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath, which premieres on July 21, follows Thavi and his family, who escaped to America from Laos after the Vietnam War. Their difficulties in their new country are a reminder of the many challenges that confront refugees, and why it's important to remember them not just on June 20, but during the rest of the year.

Watch the trailer for The Betrayal:

"New Muslim Cool" Premieres on POV Next Tuesday Night!

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:06:37 -0500

Clear your calendars! Set your DVRs! POV's 2009 season kicks off on Tuesday, June 23rd with the premiere of Jennifer Maytorena Taylor's New Muslim Cool. The film, which follows the spiritual journey of Puerto Rican-American rapper Hamza Pérez, has received glowing reviews and is sure to start many fascinating conversations. Hamza pulled himself out of drug dealing and street life 12 years ago and became a Muslim. In the film, he moves to Pittsburgh to start a new religious community, gets married and spreads his message of faith to other young people through his music. But when the FBI raids his mosque, Hamza must confront the realities of the post-9/11 world, and himself.

Find out more about the film and watch filmmaker Jennifer Maytorena Taylor talk about her subject, Hamza Pérez, and about her film, in POV's extended filmmaker interview:

The film premiered in New York City last night with a screening at Lincoln Center, and on Saturday, June 20th, New York's Rooftop Films will be screening it on the roof of El Museo del Barrio. Check out Rooftop's interview with Jennifer.

We can't wait for you to see the film, and we're eager to hear what you think. Visit the POV website for New Muslim Cool!

Links and Events Roundup

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:45:53 -0500

The June 19 premiere of The Reckoning at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival was a great success. The film played to a packed house full of luminaries, including many of the people featured in the film like Nuremberg prosecutor Ben Ferencz, attorney Christine Chung and the deputy prosecutor for prosecutions of the ICC Fatou Bensouda. Read more about the film on the Miller-McCune website.

If you're in New York, head on over to Brooklyn to check out the BAMcinemaFEST. They've got some great documentaries lined up over the next two weeks, including Reporter by POV filmmaker Eric Daniel Metzgar (Life.Support.Music., POV 2009 and Chances of the World Changing, POV 2007). Eric follows New York Times reporter Nicholas Kristof as he reports on the humanitarian crisis in the Congo.

BAMcinemaFest runs through July 2nd at BAM. Learn more about the festival on the BAM website.

Read more after the jump...

In Theaters Now: "Food, Inc."

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:48:04 -0500

Do you know how the food you're eating got to your table? Food, Inc., a new film by Robert Kenner, aims to remove the veil of mystery that has shrouded our nation's food supply and illuminate exactly how corporations are putting profit ahead of our health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of farm workers and the environment.

The film features interviews with experts such as Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma as well as social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farm's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joe Salatin.

Food, Inc. opened in select theaters in New York and California this weekend, and will be coming soon to a theater near you.

An Interview with Sky Sitney, Artistic Director of Silverdocs

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:18:27 -0500

POV's Executive Director Simon Kilmurry interviews Sky Sitney, artistic director of the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival. Silverdocs will run from June 15-22 in conjunction with the International Documentary Conference. For the full line-up and schedule, visit www.silverdocs.com.

Simon Kilmurry: Can you tell us a little about how films are chosen for the festival? With almost 2,000 submissions, I imagine it's an exhaustive process?

Sky Sitney: The selection process is both a highly intuitive endeavor, and a strategic one. We privilege our emotional and intellectual responses to a film as the ultimate determining factor, but we must also consider many other factors when building the program. We consider every film on its own terms, but then we also step back periodically to examine how the individual films are coming together to form a larger, cohesive program. We try to strike a balance in the final lineup — a balance of themes, of tone, of premiere status (launching new works alongside a slate featuring the "best of fests"), of countries represented — both in terms of origin and interest, and of filmmakers (masters and novices alike). We don't want to find ourselves at the end of the day with a redundancy of subject matter. Nor do we want to find ourselves with a slate that is absent of films that grapple with some of the most topical issues of our time: the global economy, the environment, etc. It's all about striking a balance between the individual films that stand out, while keeping an eye on the program as a whole, while not letting any criteria eclipse the more important visceral, instinctual reaction to a film. Every single film that gets submitted is watched and carefully considered.

Simon: What qualities make a documentary a good fit for Silverdocs?

Sky: First and foremost, we celebrate artistic excellence and a filmmaker's unique vision. Before we concern ourselves with the topics of the films themselves, we are committed to a mastery of the form. Now, by "mastery," I do not mean to say that every film has to have super high production values, or be hyper-slick — in fact, quite the contrary. But we do expect filmmakers to have a bold cinematic vision. Then we look at the various ways this cinematic vision is articulated. It could be a film that addresses a gripping social issue; or a film that showcases an important artist; or a film that is an art work unto itself, pushing the boundaries of what the documentary form can be. But we begin by celebrating the artist and his or her vision.

Read more after the jump...

Links and Events - June 2009

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:42:01 -0500

The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival returns to The Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater starting June 11. The festival opens with a special presentation of The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court by Paco de Onís, Peter Kinoy and Pamela Yates (POV 2009) on June 12 which will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and experts on the issues. Read more about the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in our our interview with John Biaggi, the festival's director.

POV, Human Rights Watch and the Film Society of Lincoln Center are also teaming up to present a special screening of New Muslim Cool by Jennifer Maytorena Taylor (POV 2009) on June 18. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Taylor and the film's star, Hamza Pérez. For more information, visit the website of the Film Society of Lincoln Center

New York Women in Film and TV and Women Make Movies presents: "Fundraising and Financing for Independent Documentary Films: An Intensive Seminar" at Hunter College on Saturday, June 13. The day long seminar will feature a mix of panels and case studies. Panelists include POV's Executive Director Simon Kilmurry.

Rooftop Films features two panel discussions prior to the screening of Persona Non Grata by Fabio Wuytac on Saturday, June 13. The panels include "Filmmaking Strategy: Tips, Tools and Wisdom to Help You Make the Right Decisions for Your Film" featuring POV's Executive Director Simon Kilmurry.

See more screenings and events after the jump.

Outside the Frame: Twitter: The Mother of All Travel Documentaries

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:17:18 -0500

Freelance writer Amanda Hirsch, former editorial director of PBS Interactive, blogs about documentaries and the Web in her column, Outside the Frame.

With the economy in the toilet, many Americans will be skipping their summer vacations this year — but thanks to Twitter, the opportunities to experience other people's travels vicariously are greater than ever.

Think of Twitter as a real-time, on-demand travel documentary, with the search feature delivering any kind of adventure you want, anytime.

For example: Craving your very own European vacation?

"People watching at an outdoor Cafe in Paris" - Twitter user VonMessick, from Michigan

"Love the gregarious nature of the Irish. You can get into the most interesting conversations with just about anyone here." -TravelSavvyKayt, a freelancer writer and mom based in Germany

"Heading through sublime Don Quixote countryside today...the real Spain! The most olive trees you'll ever see too! Love this drive." -soultravelers3, a family of three that's been traveling the globe since 2006

An Interview with John Biaggi, Director of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:36:12 -0500

The 20th Human Rights Watch International Film Festival (HRWIFF) takes place in New York from June 11 to June 25. POV's Executive Director Simon Kilmurry took the opportunity to ask John Biaggi, the director of the festival, about the history of the festival and what's on slate for this year. Check out HRWIFF's website to see the full schedule of films.

Simon Kilmurry: This year Human Rights Watch International Film Festival is presenting its 20th edition of the festival. Congratulations on reaching that landmark! Can you tell us how the festival was founded and how it has evolved over the years?

John H. Biaggi: The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival was created by Human Rights Watch in 1988 and had a year hiatus in '89, hence our 20th Anniversary year in 2009. The impetus for creating the festival was that 1988 marked the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and from the perspective of Human Rights Watch, it seemed that few people outside the human rights community (which was small back then) knew what the declaration was. The thinking was: film was (and remains) the dominant media form, so the best way to educate and activate the general public to human rights was through a film festival. Back then, this was quite a forward-thinking, gutsy endeavor. It has proven to also be a very fruitful decision, as the festival has grown and blossomed, and certainly played a strong role in launching many human rights films and raising awareness of human rights among a broad audience worldwide.

Simon: What have been some particular highlights of the past 20 years?

John: Wow, there have been so many. Here are some of them: hosting the films of SaGA, the Sarajevan film group, in 1994, who brought it to the festival while the war was still raging; presenting the world premiere of Calling the Ghosts in 1996, a seminal film on rape as a tool of war in the Bosnian War; closing night in 1999 when we screened Strike by Sergei Eisenstein with live accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra; hosting a Q&A in 2000 with legendary Black Panthers Bobby Seale, Kathleen Cleaver and Jamal Joseph, following the screening of Public Enemy by Jens Meurer; the festival's remarkable moment as a distributor of the film Jung: In the Land of the Mujaheddin, on the heels of 9/11/2001 — we made the film available to hundreds of organizations, theaters, museums and NGOs to screen and helped put a human face to the people of Afghanistan; the unprecedented crowds and feeling of togetherness at the festival for the 2002 edition, when a post-9/11 America wanted to learn more about the wider world — that year the festival broke the attendance record at the Walter Reade Theater, a milestone that still stands today; that same year, and most fitting for the time — listening to Ziggy Marley sing his father's "Redemption Song" on the Walter Reade stage after the screening of Life and Debt by Stephanie Black; sitting down to dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant in London with three generations of Van Peebles (Melvin, Mario and Mario's son whose name escapes me) when we showcased Baadasssss! at our 2005 London festival; listening to Michael Gallagher speak so movingly and with such a universal appeal to justice and peace, at our Benefit Night in 2005 following the screening of OMAGH, the dramatic film about his personal tragedy in the Northern Ireland conflict; in 2007, meeting the incredibly brave Malalai Joya, the Afghan women's rights activist and politician who spoke out, defying the warlords in her country — whose story is captured in the film Enemies of Happiness by Eva Mulvad.

Read more after the jump...

Film Update: Putting a Stop to Patenting Human Genes

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:28:25 -0500

Filmmaker and POV alum Joanna Rudnick writes in with an update about the ACLU's recent lawsuit against Myriad Genetics, which challenges Myriad's patent on the breast cancer genes.

In the documentary film In the Family, which had its broadcast premiere on POV in October 2008, I shared my own story of testing positive for the "breast cancer gene." The focus of the film was the life-saving, yet excruciating consequences of learning about that test result: I was living with an up to 87% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, and an up to 60% lifetime chance of developing ovarian cancer.

While making the film, I learned that a private company based in Salt Lake City called Myriad Genetics owns the patent on the breast cancer genes. During the 13 years that women have been getting their blood drawn to find out whether they have an extremely high risk of developing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, Myriad has been the only place in America where diagnostic testing could be performed, making it the only place where research on these genes can be conducted.

Recently, the ACLU has challenged the patent on BRCA1 and BRCA2, filing a lawsuit against Myriad. When I heard the news, I was in between my bi-annual MRI monitoring for breast cancer and packing to attend the Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE) conference in Orlando, which was celebrating ten years of advocacy around issues affecting high-risk women.

POV Launches New Website!

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:50:20 -0500

You might have noticed that things have been a little bit quiet on the POV front recently, and that's because we've been hard at work behind the scenes, readying the new POV website for launch! Well, it finally happened last night:

Check out the new POV website!

We're thrilled with the new website, and we hope you can spend a little time perusing it. There are videos galore to watch, topics to explore, filmmaker interviews to read and a whole lot more! We've designed the website so that all of our content from the past 22 years are a lot more accessible and integrated. What do you think? Have we succeeded?

Please note that the code monkeys are still hard at work on the back end of the site, so if you run into unexpected 404s, or if something goes awry, let us know! We'll try to fix it as soon as possible.

Special thanks to the superstar teams at PBS Interactive, Six Apart, and Mule for all their help!

We'd love to hear from you in the comments below or through our contact form! In the meantime, we're just going to put our heads down and close our eyes for a little nap...

"Made in L.A." Wins the Hillman Prize!

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:39:48 -0500

Alexandra Lescaze, executive director of the Sidney Hillman Foundation, Made in L.A. filmmakers Robert Bahar and Almudena Carracedo, and Hillman Awards judge Hendrik Hertzberg, senior editor of the New Yorker

Congratulations to filmmakers Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar, whose film Made in L.A. (POV 2007) has been awarded a 2009 Hillman Prize. The Hillman Prizes are among the most prestigious awards for books, magazines, broadcast journalism and more that foster social and economic justice. The awards give recognition to journalists and public figures who demonstrate a sense of social responsibility, investigating and telling the difficult stories that need to be told.

This year's distinguished panel of judges include: Hendrik Hertzberg, senior editor, The New Yorker; Harold Meyerson, editor-at-large, The American Prospect and columnist for the Washington Post; Katrina vanden Heuvel, executive editor, The Nation magazine; Susan Meiselas, Magnum photographer and author; and Rose Marie Arce, senior producer, CNN. For the full list of award winners, visit the website of the Hillman Foundation.

Made in L.A. will have an Encore Broadcast on August 11th as part of POV 2009 season.

Media That Matters: More Than a Festival

Fri, 29 May 2009 10:37:38 -0500

The Media That Matters festival is an Arts Engine project that brings high-impact shorts and take-action tools to audiences around the country. If you’re in the New York area, join me and other POVers at the 9th Annual Media That Matters Film Festival Premiere on June 3rd.

The festivities kick off on Wednesday June 3, 2009. Doors open at 6:00 pm: Arrive early to take part in the impACT salon with some of our presenting partners for Take Action opportunities and a chance to meet the festival filmmakers.

From 7:00 - 9:00 pm, attend the world premiere of the ninth annual Media That Matters Film Festival. Be among the first to see the 12 new inspiring short films selected this year by a jury of 12 incredible activists and media makers.

The festival takes place at:

School of Visual Arts (SVA)
Visual Arts Theater
333 West 23rd Street
New York, NY

The theater is accessible by wheelchair. Presenting Partners for the impACT salon includes WITNESS, POV, MercyCorps, Creative Commons, Miro and Breakthrough.

Buy your tickets today before they sell out! You can also watch online.

Outside the Frame: Q&A With Guerilla Artist Keri Smith

Wed, 27 May 2009 10:53:13 -0500

Freelance writer Amanda Hirsch, former editorial director of PBS Interactive, blogs about documentaries and the Web in her column, Outside the Frame.

Keri Smith is an author/illustrator-turned-guerilla artist. She is the author of several bestselling books about creativity, including How to be an Explorer of the World — The Portable Life/Art Museum and Wreck This Journal.

I discovered her blog, Wish Jar, a few years back, and it quickly became one of my favorite sources of inspiration and provocation, with musings on changing your perspective, things to do besides shopping and getting lost.

I recently chatted with Keri via email about navigating the line between public and private online, and whether she sees her blog as a documentary of her life. An edited transcript of our discussion follows.

Amanda: Why do you blog?

Keri: I began blogging initially as a way of connecting with a wider audience, growing my illustration business and just generally documenting my process (and everyday life). This has changed over the last few years. I would say my focus is still on process, but I would expand that more into using the blog as a forum for experimenting with ideas. One of the benefits of having an audience is that it requires a regiment, a need to create on a regular basis. I don't believe in waiting for the muse to visit.

Doc Soup: Fundraising Woes

Tue, 26 May 2009 10:57:49 -0500

Independent journalist Tom Roston checks in and writes about the world of documentaries in his column, Doc Soup.

Oh, the woe of the documentary filmmaker. Nothing strikes a filmmaker to the core more than that singularly sad, stress-inducing word: funding. My POV minders recently directed me to filmmaker Patrick O'Brien, who has sought out a creative way to get financing. O'Brien has joined forces with Skinny Corp, a progressive, community-based company that backs a line of tee shirts called The Storytellers Collection. And now the tee shirts are backing his film: 100% of the proceeds garnered from the sales of these shirts goes to his film, Everything Will Be Okay which is very much about a worthy cause. O'Brien is documenting his battle with ALS, the terminal disease which results in the gradual degeneration of the body.

Patrick O'Brien (l) and some of the tee shirts from the Storytellers Collection.

I got in touch with a couple of other filmmakers who are in the throes of pre-production on their respective films, and they're all encountering the bleak doc-financing climate, too. Ultimately, I think, they are all coming to the same conclusion as O'Brien: The best hope for getting financing is from private donors.

What Does Your Fridge Say About You?

Fri, 22 May 2009 21:00:06 -0500

Just thought I'd share this. I was looking for a new salad recipe online and started surfing around... I ended up on Bitten, Mark Bittman's NYT blog, and one of his recent posts featured this link to a "beautiful photo essay about refrigerator's contents." Of course, I had to click.

A photo from Good magazine's Refrigerator Picture Show

All I gotta say is, what's up with the snake? You'll see what I mean.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Gaming and Social Media

Fri, 22 May 2009 10:17:04 -0500

Games for Change is presenting their upcoming Sixth Annual Games for Change Festival, May 27 - 29, in New York City! This is the central event dedicated to the exciting new movement of video games for social change — games about poverty, global conflict, climate change and more. Called "the Sundance of video games" for "socially-conscious game-makers" Games for Change are building a new genre of video game — games to change the world — for the better. This year's festival features an Opening Keynote by Pulitzer-Prize winning author and world-changing New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof, who will give a sneak peek into his new book, documentary series and video game! Panels on documentary-makers making games, games for raising awareness, and a hands-on 101 workshop for those new to social issue game-making are features of special interest to filmmakers. For more information visit the Games for Change website.

A recent report by the Pew Center found that 97% of teenagers play games, and also noted that "some particular qualities of game play have a strong and consistent positive relationship to a range of civic outcomes," making games, perhaps, one of the most powerful media of our day for fostering positive social change. The Annual Games for Change Festival brings together the world's leading foundations, NGOs, game-makers, academics, filmmakers and journalists to explore this potential and examine how best to harness games in addressing the most critical issues of our day, from poverty to climate change, global conflicts to human rights. And some of these new games are being played by (literally) millions of people of all ages! The festival is now the biggest game event in New York City and draws people from around the world. It should be a fun and fascinating few days.

Links and Events

Wed, 20 May 2009 17:34:47 -0500

Coverage of the fantastic Kim Longinotto (Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go, POV 2009) retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art included articles by Cynthia Fuchs at Pop Matters, who writes, "Longinotto's documentaries explore moral and emotional intricacies, the shifting relations between individuals and communities," and indieWire, which called Kim "England's answer to Frederick Wiseman." Interviews with Kim are also available on the Hammer to Nail and Mother Jones websites. The MoMA retrospective of Kim's work continues on through Saturday, May 23rd. Catch it while you still can!

The Camden International Film Festival up in Maine, which runs from October 1- October 4, 2009, is open for submissions. Submit documentaries of any length — visit the Camden Film Fest's website for details!

....

Rooftop Films Kicks Off!

Tue, 19 May 2009 16:54:41 -0500

POV production assistant Andrew Catauro reports back from the 2009 Rooftop Films premiere in New York City.

I know it's a few days after the fact (I definitely can't keep up with blogger Brooklyn Vegan, who blogged about the event later that night) — but I want to write about what a great time I had at the Rooftop Films premiere in New York City for the summer season. A program of short films aptly titled "This Is What We Mean By Short Films" was projected high over the Lower East Side, on the roof of the New Design High School. One of my favorite new bands, Cymbals Eat Guitars, kicked off the evening with a short set. The sightlines were awful — with hundreds of people in attendance, my group was one of many who were stuck watching the band from around a corner — but the overall atmosphere was top-notch.

The first film of the evening was Beholder, a short doc by POV alum Eric Daniel Metzgar (The Chances of the World Changing, Life. Support. Music.), who was in the audience. Rooftop called it "A perfect opening film... crafted in our signature style... and investigating our home town."

Eric Daniel Metzgar at his POV filmmaker interview. Be sure to catch Eric's full-length feature Life.Support.Music when it airs on POV in July.

I might be biased, but overall I felt the doc shorts in the program stood out. Ken Waldrop's The Herd was a particular highlight for me, as he returned to Rooftop after a couple of memorable showings last year.

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Doc Soup: The Last Word on "Dear Zachary"

Mon, 18 May 2009 10:34:53 -0500

Independent journalist Tom Roston checks in and writes about the world of documentaries in his column, Doc Soup.

I've always been a little bothered by what I perceive as the different standards with which film critics (and audiences) approach docs, basically giving greater leniency toward a film because of its noble subject matter. That's partly why I've been talking about Dear Zachary here at Doc Soup. Well, I think it's time to put an end to this discussion by giving its director the last word on the matter. I emailed Kurt Kuenne, and he sent me a note back which I'll print in its entirety. I'll just say that his decency and forthrightness makes me feel like a bit of a cad.

Hi Tom,

Sorry to hear you didn't like the film; I certainly can't please everyone. I find discussions about opinions to be fairly pointless because in the subjective evaluation of things artistic, there is no right or wrong. For example, you weren't crazy about the editing; Erik Childress (VP of the Chicago Film Critics Association) and Peter Debruge of Variety loved the cutting, as have scores of others, including the critic who reviewed it for your former publication, Premiere. You didn't like my music; the International Film Music Critics nominated my score for Best Documentary Score of 2008, and I receive frequent requests to buy the soundtrack album. You seemed put-off by my voice-over; it was nominated for the WGA Documentary Screenplay Award at Silverdocs last year. Who's right? There's no answer to that question. It's all subjective. I don't go out of my way to read reviews anymore, good or bad, as the ups and downs will drive you crazy and make it impossible to do the most important thing, which is to keep working. The film is my testimonial of what it was like to live through that nightmare, and it was only released publicly to help promote change, which it is doing. I deliberated over every second of it and I wouldn't change a frame of picture or a dial in the mix. It may not be to everyone's taste. So be it. It's honest. Every film ever created has people who like it and people who don't, and I doubt that will be changing anytime soon. (Incidentally, you mentioned that you liked the trailer: I wrote and cut that as well.)

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Yo!TV Interviews Hamza Pérez

Fri, 15 May 2009 17:03:59 -0500

POV's premiere film of our 2009 season is New Muslim Cool, the story of a young Muslim hip-hop artist confronting the realities of the post-9/11 world — and himself. New Muslim Cool had its world-premiere screening last month at the San Francisco Film Festival. Director Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, Hamza Pérez and others associated with the project attended the opening.

Yo!TV, a project of Youth Outlook Media, is an award-winning literary journal of youth life in the Bay Area. During the festival, Yo!TV interviewed Jennifer Maytorena Taylor about the film and Hamza Pérez about what it was like to be the subject of a documentary film.

Watch the video interview:

Outside the Frame: Social Networks as Fodder for Art

Wed, 13 May 2009 10:34:15 -0500

Freelance writer Amanda Hirsch, former editorial director of PBS Interactive, blogs about documentaries and the Web in her column, Outside the Frame.

The beauty of nature, the gruesomeness of war...and Facebook status updates? Yes, Facebook can now count itself among the muses of history, having inspired Wisconsin artist Stacey Williams-Ng to create a series of paintings showcasing her friends' answers to the Facebook prompt, "What are you doing right now?"

For example:

Molly E. is hot for Robert Frost.

Rafiq A: Spring... the end of my winter of discontent or just the next pithy chapter?

To learn more about the paintings, read this article from Mashable, or visit the artist's website.

This series got me thinking — if status updates can inspire paintings, what other forms of art can they inspire? Imagine, for example, crafting a documentary by collecting people's status updates, from either Facebook or Twitter — after all, as filmmaker Louis Abelman opined earlier this year, here on this very blog:

Certainly you can observe a lot about someone by reading the accumulation of in-the-moment information they have left behind in tweets. In that sense, it is similar to vérité.

Kim Longinotto: Not a "Fly on the Wall"

Wed, 13 May 2009 10:15:27 -0500

POV series producer Yance Ford reports back on a couple of Kim Longinotto events from last week.

POV's Chris White and filmmaker Kim Longinotto at her POV filmmaker interview.

If you were in New York City last week, you may have noticed that filmmaker Kim Longinotto was, well, everywhere. On Thursday afternoon she was interviewed by Chris White, POV's Director of Programming, at the studios of Downtown Community Television. (DCTV is the new location for all POV filmmaker interviews this season, and we've updated the look. Check them out at the end of each broadcast once our season begins, and tell us what you think!) Longinotto's MoMA retrospective opened later that evening with the New York premiere of Rough Aunties, and was followed by a full weekend of screenings from her body of work, including Divorce Iranian Style (1998), The Day I Will Never Forget (2002) and Shinjuku Boys (1995).

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Doc Soup: A Review of "Dear Zachary"

Mon, 11 May 2009 10:12:25 -0500

Independent journalist Tom Roston checks in and writes about the world of documentaries in his column, Doc Soup.

Last October, I wrote a post about the documentary Dear Zachary because I was so impressed by the trailer and the intensely (and perhaps suspiciously) hyperbolic raves it was getting from critics. That entry garnered quite a bit of traffic here on this blog; and I was intrigued by the slew of negative comments that appeared in response. So I felt I ought to follow up, now that I've finally had a chance to watch the film. (With a Netflix account, it’s easy as pie to stream it direct online.)

First, let me say, that as far as subject matter goes, Dear Zachary is probably the most cataclysmic, disturbing doc I’ve ever seen. It’s about the murder of director Kurt Kuenne’s friend — and that’s just the beginning of the sad tale. It really underscores the notion that fact can be stranger than fiction — and more dramatic, too. I was floored by this story of injustice and sorrow. And you can see how affecting the film is by the reviews and responses it has received on the Dear Zachary website.

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Link Roundup

Thu, 07 May 2009 10:05:54 -0500

MoMA's retrospective of Kim Longinotto's work starts this week. This is a rare chance to see all of Kim's masterful films in America, and to hear from Kim herself — she is considered one of the foremost vérité filmmakers in the documentary world. Kim's film Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go will air on POV on July 28th. We'll also be heading to this evening's screening and discussion of Rough Aunties, so check back for a report on the event next week. Also, don't forget about Kim's master class at DCTV on May 9th. There is also a wonderful interview with Kim over on AJ Schnack's blog, where she talks about her obsession with American Idol's Adam Lambert!

Variety reviews New Muslim Cool (POV 2009) and calls it "a fine illustration of the melting pot's latest cultural flavors, as well as a helpful look past post-9/11 Islamic stereotypes..." New Muslim Cool kicks off POV's 22nd season on June 23 at 10 p.m. (check your local listings).

The D-Word, a worldwide community of documentary professionals, has kicked off an online discussion of the Stranger Than Fiction (STF) series, which takes place at the IFC Center in New York. STF just screened The Way We Get By, which will air on POV in November 2009. STF hosts Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen have been answering questions about the possibility of STF in other cities, why they started the series and more.

Update to "The Double Life of Ernesto Gomez Gomez"

Tue, 05 May 2009 11:08:06 -0500

Filmmaker Gary Weimberg is a two-time POV alum. His film, Soldiers of Conscience, premiered on POV in 2008. An earlier film, The Double Life of Ernesto Gomez Gomez, was on POV in 1999. Gary writes in with a moving update on the lives of the characters from that film and reminds us about the power of documentaries — for subjects, filmmakers and viewers..

Gary Weimberg: On July 27, 1999, our film, The Double Life of Ernesto Gomez Gomez, premiered on POV Let it never be said that TV accomplishes nothing. Less than two months later, Ernesto's mother, Dylcia Pagan, received executive clemency from President Clinton and she walked out of the U.S. federal prison, a free woman, after having been incarcerated for 19 years of her 55-year sentence.

Dylcia was and is a Puerto Rican patriot, and the injustice of her lengthy prison sentence was one of the major themes of the film. Catherine Ryan (my wife and co-producer), myself and Ernesto drove to the gates of the Federal Correctional Institute in Dublin, California, to pick up Dylcia and travel with her to Puerto Rico for her first 10 days of freedom.

Read an update on Ernesto and Dylcia after the jump...

Doc Soup: Best Documentary Characters of All Time

Mon, 04 May 2009 10:34:46 -0500

Independent journalist Tom Roston checks in and writes about the world of documentaries in his column, Doc Soup.

As promised, it's time for my "Best Documentary Characters of All Time" list. You may be wondering: How does one go about compiling a list of best characters from nonfiction films? These "characters" aren't the products of imagination and craft, after all; they are real people. But, wait, don't we have the expression, "He/she is a real character?" Yes, indeed, any doc lover knows that the ingredient that most often makes a documentary stand out is a memorable character, so when I drew up this list, I focused on a person's originality, resonance, entertainment value and generosity. What I mean by that last attribute is the person's generosity with the camera: how much of him- or herself the person gives up to the audience. It's not always a selfless endeavor, of course — a lot of doc subjects are serving their own interests. And yet, in the end, when real people open themselves up to a filmmaker and share their lives with us, they become characters, who, in a way, do belong to us. So, enjoy, critique, and take it as you will...

10) Suzy, Tony, Neil, et al. (The Up Series, starting in 1964)
I find it too hard to single out just one person from this series, which reveals that regular folks can be fascinating if you spend enough time with them. (That's Tony in 14 Up to the right.)

9) Daniel Johnston (The Devil and Daniel Johnston, 2005)
Dementia and genius can create some interesting music and art, but it's the man Johnston himself who is the most incredible.

8) James Carville (The War Room, 1993)
By now, he's a very familiar personality within the fabric of America's political culture, but 16 years ago, it was totally intoxicating to see this genius running on all cylinders at his peak.

See more after the jump.

POV Filmmakers Take on the Gaming World

Fri, 01 May 2009 09:30:49 -0500

Louis Alvarez and Andrew Kolker's American Tongues was the inaugural film that launched POV when the series began in 1988. More than 20 years later, they continue to produce acclaimed documentary films that take a humorous and critical view of American life. Their most recent film, made with co-producer Peter Odabashian, The Anti-Americans (a hate-love relationship), is a whimsical look at what Europeans think of American politics and culture. Other films include Small Ball: A Little League Story and People Like Us: Social Class in America. (Left to right in the photo: Louis Alvarez, Andrew Kolker and Peter Odabashian.)

But just because they're great at making funny and smart documentaries doesn't mean that these award-winning filmmakers are resting on their laurels — they continue to push themselves into the digital realm and to explore the possibilities of interactivity. When we last checked in with them, they were busy at work on a prototype of a Web-based game for middle school kids. We asked them to fill us in on their latest project, Past/Present.

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"The Way We Get By" comes to New York

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:03:48 -0500

On Tuesday night, POV co-presented the New York premiere of The Way We Get By (which will air as a POV November special on PBS) at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village. The screening was a part of Thom Powers' venerable Stranger than Fiction (STF) documentary series, and capped a full New York day for Boston-based filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly.

Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly during POV's filmmaker interview

Earlier in the afternoon, we hosted them at DCTV's downtown studio for their official POV on-camera interview. Several minutes of the conversation with Aron and Gita will be broadcast after the premiere of their film in November on PBS stations, and a video podcast hosted by POV's Director of Production and Programming Chris White will be available for download here on our website. Be sure to check back this summer for more details.

Doc Soup: Revisiting the New York City of "Style Wars"

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:25:32 -0500

Independent journalist Tom Roston checks in and writes about the world of documentaries in his column, Doc Soup.

Last week, as promised in a previous post, I finally sat down and watched the 1982 doc Style Wars, directed by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant. I was really impressed by the film, and two days later, I was pleased to see the New York Times film critic A.O. Scott giving it a rave review as a Critics' Pick video. Scott contextualizes his long-after-the-fact review by referring to the fact that we're currently in a recession; the bleakness of our current era, perhaps, makes us fear that New York City may be returning to the bad old days of the 1970s.

But Style Wars shows that there was plenty of beauty poking up between the grime and filth. I remember that time period vividly (most of all, the screeching sound of the trains), and so I have to insist that anyone who lives in New York City, or cares about this city, should check out the film. From its breathtaking opening (which I mentioned during my Best Moments post), to the on-the-street interviews, and most of all to showing the great trains and graffiti of New York, Style Wars does more to recapture that era of New York City than any Serpico or Dog Day Afternoon or Tootsie ever could. Check out Scott's review and then check out the film (it's on Netflix so you don't have an excuse not to).

Link Roundup

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:09:24 -0500

POV alum Sam Kauffman, whose thoughtful and provocative short film, Massacre at Murambi, premiered on POV in 2007, has been awarded a Guggenheim fellowship. In this BU Today article, Sam talks about how he plans on using the fellowship to return to Africa.

Another POV alum, Marshall Curry, whose Street Fight (POV 2005) was nominated for an Academy Award, is getting loads of attention for his new film, Racing Dreams. The film, about three of the country's top go-kart racers, is currently being shown at the Tribeca Film Fest and is already stirring up Oscar talk! Scott Feinberg of the LA Times calls Racing Dreams the "...best film at this year's festival, thus far — and indeed the best film of the year, thus far."

Are you looking to kick start your career in documentary films by going to Vietnam with 20 volunteer documentarians? National Geographic Adventures and Worldnomads.com are offering a Travel Documentary Scholarship for a lucky filmmaker and adventurer. Check out how to apply and more details on the Worldnomads website (deadline is July 5, 2009).

A fascinating-sounding event titled Neurocinematics! Where Neuroscience Meets Filmmaking will be happening at NYU next week. Experts from the fields of the brain and cinema talk about the interdisciplinary connection between film and neuroscience. The event is happening on Monday, May 4th from 7 to 8:30 pm. More details at the New York Academy for the Sciences website.

Kim Longinotto Master Class

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:18:51 -0500

Filmmaker Kim Longinotto has long been a highly respected and acclaimed documentarian in her native Britain. Her films, including Sisters in Law, Divorce, Iranian Style and Rough Aunties, have won awards at the Cannes, Sundance, Hot Docs and IDFA film festivals, as well as BAFTA and Peabody awards. This summer, Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go will air on POV on July 28th.

We’re thrilled to see that Kim is now getting some very well deserved attention on this side of the Atlantic, including a full retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in May.

Kim is also teaching a master class on documentary filmmaking on May 9th at DCTV! The event is co-presented by Women Make Movies and DocuClub. Kim will share clips, documentary techniques, working experiences, and craft and process from her 30+ year career as a documentarians. She will also talk about the challenges of filming in foreign countries and cultures, about the ethics of documentary filmmaking and her relationship to her subjects.

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Doc Soup: Is "Tyson" Still a Lean, Mean, Fighting Machine?

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:18:52 -0500

Independent journalist Tom Roston checks in and writes about the world of documentaries in his column, Doc Soup.

The role of art, film, and journalism — in short, the documentary — is to help the viewer better appreciate the world around him or her, right? Well, putting this very fundamental notion to the test is the doc Tyson, which hit theaters this weekend. It's an unapologetically positive presentation of boxer Mike Tyson's life and career. I mean, this is a guy known for being the most vicious fighter in the history of the violent sport, who was convicted of rape, who repeatedly had outside-the-ring melees, and who got kicked out of the sport (temporarily) for biting Evander Holyfield's ear during a 1997 bout. It's directed by James Toback, who has been Tyson's friend for some 20 years, and who has gone on record as saying Tyson does not try to be objective, but instead is more of a presentation of the way Tyson himself sees things. The film is also produced by Tyson's two managers.

A still from Tyson by James Toback.