Silverdocs

Jody Arlington to Head SXSW Press and Publicity

Kaeli Van Cott — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 19:38:39 GMT

READ MORE: The 12 Breakouts of the 2015 SXSW Film Festival

Janet Pierson, Head of South by Southwest Film, has announced Jody Arlington will now lead SXSW Film Press and Publicity, which includes running communications for the SXSW Film Conference and Festival. The next edition of the festival will run March 11-19, 2016.

"We are excited to have Jody join the SXSW family," said Pierson in a statement. "Her achievements in directing PR for arts institutions...plus her ardent support of artist-driven storytelling and the converging platforms and disciplines transforming the art and business of media creation and exhibition make her a great addition to our team."

"SXSW has always been my favorite festival, serving as the home and launchpad for some of our industry's most exciting talent," added Arlington. "Its nexus at the heart of film, interactive and music; its edgy and DIY spirit in beautiful Austin, TX; and Janet Pierson and her team's vision for the program made this a career move I couldn't be more excited to make."

Arlington has represented organizations and independent film projects for more than 20 years. She spent 11 years working for the Silverdocs Documentary Festival and the International Documentary Conference, now known as AFI Docs.

READ MORE: SXSW: Complete List of Winners at the 2015 Film Awards

Reality Checks: These Film Festivals Want to Change the World

Anthony Kaufman — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 15:17:46 GMT

READ MORE: AFI DOCS 2015 Lineup Features Albert Maysles, Alex Gibney and More

"We know that simply viewing the film is not enough."

That sentiment was voiced by Greg Whiteley, director of AFI Docs Spotlight feature "Most Likely To Succeed." The film, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, examines new alternatives to our outdated education system — but it also sums up the task of advocacy filmmakers. Showing the film to attentive audiences is only the first step on the long road to social change.

This month, the Human Rights Watch (June 11 – 21) and AFI Docs (June 17-21) Film Festivals will help filmmakers such as Whiteley along that protracted path, enabling them to make some noise in two of the world's most important cities — and maybe even change the world for the better.

"That's what attracted to me to AFI Docs," said incoming festival director Michael Lumpkin. "Because of where it's located geographically in the seat of one of the most important places on earth for legislation, the festival is in a unique position to bring filmmakers to organizations and people that can really move things forward." Indeed, at past editions of the festival, legislators and government officials, including Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Eric Holder, and Barbara Boxer, have all shown up at festival screenings.

Similarly, Andrea Holley, Strategic Director at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, said the event's mission to seek "accountability and justice" is bolstered by New York City's media centers, as well as such important like-minded area organizations as the United Nations. "New York is important to us because it's global," she said.

The year's major social-issue films, triumphs of both message and craft, are showing at both festivals, from international films such as Joshua Oppenheimer's "The Look of Silence" and Laurent Bécue-Renard's "Of Men and War" to U.S.-focused docs such as Stanley Nelson's "The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution" and Marc Silver's "3 ½ Minutes, Ten Bullets."

Backed by Participant Media, "3 ½ Minutes, Ten Bullets" is hurdling forward on a significant outreach campaign to "spark a national dialogue about implicit bias," said producer Carolyn Hepburn. The Sundance premiere is a riveting chronicle of the shooting death of African American teenager Jordan Davis by a white middle-aged Florida man and the ensuing court case. Working with such organizations as the Perceptions Institute, the PICO National Network's Live Free Campaign (which is made up of faith-based minority groups), Million Hoodies Movement for Social Justice, and Cities United, the "3 ½ Minutes" team see the film as a "valuable tool" to challenge racial assumptions perpetuated by the mass media, according to Orlando Bagwell, another producer on the project.

With that goal in mind, the producers have also aligned with Senator Richard Durbin, a supporter of the film, who is inviting fellow legislators to AFI Docs screenings.

While Whiteley's "Most Likely to Succeed" has already screened for governors, U.S. senators, presidential candidates, and local legislators, AFI Docs will mark the film's D.C. premiere, where Whiteley is looking forward to showing the film to key decision-makers in the seat of U.S. power.

AFI Docs will facilitate that connection through its inaugural "Impact Lab." Working with Picture Motion, a marketing and advocacy firm for issue-driven films, AFI Docs has invited seven filmmakers, including Whiteley, to meet with potential outreach partners, learn how to work with legislators, and then present their films to policymakers on Capitol Hill.

READ MORE: AFI DOCS Names IDA's Michael Lumpkin as New Director

"We hope to take advantage of the political and social landscape that Washington, DC and AFI offers," said another Impact Lab participant Geeta Gandbhir, co-director of "A Conversation with My Black Son," which follows racially diverse parents discussing racism with their kids. Gandbhir and the "Conversation" team are employing their screenings as "a launching point to connect with organizations that address racial equity locally and nationally," she said.

Meanwhile, in New York, director Julia Bacha, who is an "impact producer" on Amer Shomali and Paul Cowan's Human Rights Watch selection "The Wanted 18," said they're also launching a campaign around the film in conjunction with their festival premiere. The light-hearted political documentary, which chronicles the Israeli army's pursuit of 18 cows on a Palestinian farm and the peaceful acts of civil disobedience that followed, "can shift the mainstream narrative of the First Intifada and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in general," said Bacha.

In order to get a big media boost, Democracy Now! radio journalist Amy Goodman has been tapped to lead a discussion after their Human Rights Watch premiere. The following week, the film opens in theaters, via Kino Lorber; in addition, the team will also be holding "influencer screenings" and utilizing Gathr for interested parties to organize their own theatrical screenings.

"We are in conversations with over a dozen national and constituency-based organizations that are interested in learning more about how their members can use our Gathr campaign to host important conversations about Israel-Palestine beyond major American cities," explained Bacha, who, with past films, has partnered with such organizations as the Telos Group, which is focused on engaging evangelical leaders in an honest conversation about Israel and Palestine, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Jewish Voice for Peace, and T'ruah, which trains Rabbis.

While the film festivals can offer a high-profile theatrical launch pad, Human Rights Watch's Holley recognizes the public screenings are just another step in the film's ongoing campaigns, which include social media and transmedia aspects—also a new feature at the festival. "If our organization is about how do we project our voice and use the tools at our disposal," said Holley, "obviously one of the low cost, high-impact things we've seen is media and social media."

This year, for example, the Festival will unveil, in a special program on digital storytelling, a Human Rights Watch produced project called "The Unraveling," about the humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic. The festival has also programmed "The Trials of Spring," a project about leading female figures in the Arab Spring, which includes a feature-length documentary, as well as six short films and articles, which launched on the New York Times over the weekend.

In addition to partnering with such groups as Peace is Loud, MediaStorm, and BoomGen Studios to execute a grassroots and social media strategy "aimed at building a robust conversation about women and their unwavering quest for social justice and freedom in the Arab world," said "Trials of Spring" director Gini Reticker, the film's transmedia presence is essential to keeping the its narratives current.

"This kind of strategy is critical," Reticker said. "The story doesn't stop when the filming ends."

READ MORE: 'Cartel Land,' 'The Look of Silence' and More Set for 2015 Human Rights Watch Film Festival

AFI Documentary Festival Director Sky Sitney Resigns After 8 Year Reign

Eric Eidelstein — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 21:20:06 GMT

Longtime AFI Documentary Festival director Sky Sitney has resigned from her position at the festival, T he Washington Post reports.

Her decision to leave follows the departure of a major sponsor, the Discovery Channel. That development has also changed the platform of AFI, which has moved their programming from Silver Spring, MD to downtown Washington, D.C. The change in location also marks the end of AFI's nationally recognized filmmakers' conference and opens doors to a more political and social approach to promoting their nonfiction films instead.

“I just felt that I had given what I could to the event, and it was time for me to start exploring other things,” Sitney told The Washington Post. “It felt like a natural time, having seen [the festival] go through that challenging adjustment, to kind of pave the way both for myself to shift into new gears, and to create space for new leadership to come into the festival and take it into its next chapter.”

Her resignation will not affect her other responsibilities, which include working as a visiting faculty member in the Film and Media department at Georgetown University and consulting with documentary filmmakers.

This year’s AFI Docs will get underway June 18 and run through June 22.

Documentary Goes to Washington: The Rebirth and Politicization of AFI Docs

Basil Tsiokos — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 12:38:12 GMT

After a decade in Silver Spring, MD, the festival formerly known as Silverdocs announced this past spring that it was moving its core programming to Washington, DC, and would henceforth be known as AFI Docs (with "presented by Audi" tagged on to reflect an important new sponsor relationship). It marked a significant shift for the event, notably moving forward without its longtime co-presenter, Discovery Channel, and drawing on AFI's historic roots in Washington, DC to establish a new and, potentially, wholly distinctive profile within the larger documentary festival world.

With the new incarnation of the festival in full swing since this past Thursday, it's clear that organizers haven't abandoned their loyal fanbase in Silver Spring, still utilizing its AFI Silver Theatre for satellite screenings, but the focus is decidedly on the new downtown DC venues. These reflect partnerships with impressive institutions including the National Archives, the National Portrait Gallery, the Newseum, the American History Museum, and Goethe-Institut, establishing AFI Docs as a new cultural player in town, with gala screenings like Thursday evening's "Herblock: The Black and the White" drawing what seemed to be a different type of crowd than the one I've grown used to from attending Silverdocs the last two years. The pre- and post-parties for the Michael Stevens' tribute to the legendary Washington Post editorial cartoonist were filled with a smattering of familiar filmmakers and doc industry, but far fewer than in past years, their number instead replaced with a mix of friends of the film and what appeared to be seasoned DC insiders.

While the festival's programming slate has shrunk this year, an understandable development as the staff oversees this radical transition, it's notable that their high profile slots have been filled with politically-oriented films, perhaps presaging a full embrace of the possibilities of its new surroundings. The opener, Bill Couterié's affecting "Letters to Jackie," revisits the outpouring of public support to Jackie Kennedy after JFK's assassination, and immediately forges a programmatic link between AFI Docs and the political legacy of its new home. The remaining galas similarly underscore an inside the beltway connection - beyond the already mentioned DC-centric "Herblock," Jose Antonio Vargas' Centerpiece, "Documented," addresses the hot-button issue of immigration reform, and AJ Schnack's Closing Night film, "Caucus," goes inside the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

Outside of these public events, AFI Docs also announced a new Policy Engagement Program that facilitated contact between filmmakers and DC policymakers. Thursday saw select filmmakers attend a Film and Politics Boot Camp, consisting of three bipartisan panels addressing campaigns, intergovernmental relations, and lobbying; a networking lunch; and, most significantly, targeted one-on-one meetings that directly address the specific issues at the core of films like "Gideon's Army" (public defenders), "I Learn America" (immigration), and "Lost for Life" (life imprisonment). Participating filmmakers noted that value of these events, saying that the panels and opportunities to talk to these insiders revealed practical advice on how to gain access to government representatives for current and future projects - at times common sense suggestions that even seasoned documentary filmmakers confessed to assuming would never work. Filmmakers were also surprised by a general sense they took away from the experience that policymakers need filmmakers - they have causes but need a way to tell stories to connect their constituents with the core issues on an emotional and personal level, and that's what filmmakers can bring to the table.

Exactly how this collaboration between filmmakers and policymakers can ultimately work is still a question, one brought to the fore in a special visit to the White House on Friday morning by a delegation of filmmakers and special guests to meet with the Office of Public Engagement. Four White House staffers, representing a range of policy concerns from gun violence to immigration, expressed genuine enthusiasm to be hosting AFI Docs filmmakers, and were already familiar with a number of the films in the lineup, but the meeting felt very much like a preliminary one. Filmmakers had a brief opportunity to describe their films, but the bulk of the proceedings focused on the work the Office of Public Engagement does on specific policies, with no obvious or direct way to bridge the two realms. Still, the fact that AFI Docs was able to make the meeting happen, and the interest shown by the White House, suggests that there is a unique, and mutually beneficial, relationship here that can be fostered from these initial connections.

Indeed, these nascent attempts to build synergy between the non-fiction world and politics suggest that AFI Docs may be poised to make a much bigger transformation in future years beyond a simple location shift and name change. Now uniquely geographically positioned in the nation's capital, a one industry town, the festival could, and perhaps should, seek to focus itself exclusively on championing work that has the best chance of reaching policymakers and lobbyists, namely political and issue-oriented films. If AFI Docs could develop strong and meaningful ties with its new neighbors, ones that could lead to real-world impact on the issues that its programming slate advocates and explores, it could carve a singular place for itself on the bloated festival circuit, and serve an immeasurable benefit to certain kinds of non-fiction filmmaking. It remains to be seen if this will come to pass, but what does seem clear is that Silverdocs' successful and welcome transformation to AFI Docs has opened up a world of possibilities.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Basil Tsiokos is a Programming Associate, Documentary Features for Sundance, Senior Programmer for DOC NYC, and a consultant to documentary filmmakers and festivals. Follow him on Twitter (@1basil1) and visit his blog (what (not) to doc).

AFI Docs Announces Opening Night and Centerpiece Premieres

Mark Lukenbill — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:11:17 GMT

Now in its eleventh year in Washington DC, AFI Docs presented by Audi (formerly Silverdocs) kicks off of on June 19th and runs until the 23rd. The documentary festival has just announced that their opening gala on the 19th will be a presentation of Bill Couturie's "Letters to Jackie" at the Newseum. The film, presented by TLC and co-produced by Amblin TV and The Couturie Co., features letters from American citizens written to Jackie Kennedy after the assassination of her husband. The titular letters are read by an impressive array of voice talent including Jessica Chastain, Chris Cooper, Frances McDormand, Melissa Leo, and Mark Ruffalo. TLC will premiere the film on television in November.

Also having its premiere at the festival is "Documented," the feature doc by Pulitzer winner Jose Antonio Vargas and and Ann Lupo. The film is a personal story of immigration in America, a topic will also be explored as part of the AFI Catalyst Sessions: The Art of Moving Reality, a forum for national conversations with filmmakers, thought leaders, policy-makers and audiences held as part of AFI Docs.

"Some issues and emotions are so powerful that they must find expression in the public square and in our case, the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue," said AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale. "Letters to Jackie" and "Documented" will prompt essential national conversations that are at the heart of AFI Docs."

AFI Announces Expansion of Documentary Fest AFI Docs Into DC Area

Cameron Sinz — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:46:09 GMT

The American Film Institute today announced the expansion of its premier documentary festival AFI Docs from its current home at AFI's Silver Theater and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD, to the heart of Washington DC, with screenings and events planned throughout various venues on the National Mall and Penn Quarter. It has renamed itself to AFI Docs presented by Audi in the process (and will remain in Silver Spring as well).

The festival has also announced the members of this year's Advisory Board with a lineup of revered documentarians, including Ken Burns, Werner Herzog, Barbara Kopple, Spike Lee, Errol Morris, D.A. Pennebaker, Frederick Wiseman, Chris Hegedus, Davis Guggenheim and Albert Maysles.

"AFI Docs will bring film artists to the forefront of a dialogue with our nation's leaders," said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. "History has proven that great change in civil societies is often, if not always, catalyzed by art. It is this that inspires us to be in Washington, DC with storytellers whose voices serve as catalysts for action. We're most proud to do so with the support of Audi, whose continued commitment to the art of the moving image at AFI Docs now also brings us home to the heart of the nation's capital."

More information on the festival's programming, schedules, and pass registration will be released in coming weeks.

PGA Adds SXSW, Full Frame and AFI Silverdocs to Official Awards Eligibility List

Jay A. Fernandez — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 16:28:35 GMT

The Producers Guild of America has added SXSW, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival to its list of official festivals for awards-qualifying films. Among other exhibition methods, theatrically released documentaries that have screened in competition at these festivals will now be eligible for the Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture award.

“This decision by the PGA answers a call among many in the film community that festivals focused on the documentary form have become an important supplement to the commercial marketplace, which, despite a few notable successes, is still limited in terms of documentary releases,” said Full Frame executive director Deirdre Haj. “It is an incredible honor for Full Frame and our colleagues at Silverdocs and SXSW and will be welcome news to our filmmakers that were here with us in 2012!”

AFI Fest, Berlin International Film Festival, Cannes Festival International Du Film, Los Angeles Film Festival, New York Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival and Venice Film Festival are already PGA-eligible festivals.

A seven-day theatrical commercial run in a PGA-sanctioned market remains a valid method for entry.

Watch: Exclusive Trailer for George Plimpton Documentary, 'Plimpton!'

Nigel M Smith — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:24:12 GMT

Ahead of its world premiere at the upcoming Silver Docs Film Festival, check out the trailer (exclusive to Indiewire) of "Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself," a documentary by Tom Bean and Luke Poling that chronicles the life of George Plimpton, co-founder of The Paris Review and famed sports writer.

"As an artist, George’s life was his greatest work of art," Bean and Polling said about the film. "On top of running a literary magazine for 50 years and publishing some of the greatest writers of that time, George was also a reporter. His work with Sports Illustrated gave millions of people an inside look into a world that they only watched on TV and read about in the paper. He reveled in the fine line between performance and failure. And as a friend, George threw some of the greatest parties New York has ever seen. His phone book was bursting with the names and numbers of some of the most fascinating people. And as an artist, his life was his greatest work of art. The question we kept asking ourselves was 'How does one person do all of that?'"

The film premieres at Silverdocs on Thursday, June 21st. Go HERE for more details.

Watch the trailer below:

Plimpton! Movie Trailer from Tom Bean on Vimeo.

Silverdocs Announces Complete Lineup with World Premieres of 'Farm,' 'Plimpton!' and 'Dreams'

Bryce J. Renninger — Tue, 29 May 2012 15:05:14 GMT

Silverdocs, the U.S. documentary festival held just outside of the nation's capital in Silver Spring, Maryland, has announced its complete lineup. Screening in the U.S. Competition are world premieres "Betting the Farm" (Jason Mann and Cecily Pingree) about organic milk in Maine, "Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself" (Tom Bean and Luke Poling), about the legendary writer, and "Sweet Dreams" (Rob and Lisa Fruchtman), about a women's drumming group in Rwanda. Also included in the U.S. lineup are Teddy Award-winner "Call Me Kuchu" and Sundance jury winner "The House I Live In."

IDFA winner "Planet of Snail" is among the festival's World Feature slate.

David France's film about AIDS activist groups ACT UP and TAG, "How to Survive a Plague," is the festival's Centerpiece Screening. The festival will hold a special outdoor screening of Joe Berlinger's Paul Simon doc "Under African Skies," about the making of Simon's album Graceland, and a special screening of "Bad Brains: A Band in DC," about the local band.

It was previously announced that the festival will open and close with two music docs -- "Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey" (about Journey's new frontman) and "Big Easy Express," about Mumford & Sons -- and that Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger ("Paradise Lost" trilogy, "Crude") will be the festival's Guggenheim honorees.

The complete lineup is below:

This year’s Sterling U.S., World and Short competition films are:
Sterling U.S. Feature Competition
BETTING THE FARM: DIR Jason Mann and Cecily Pingree. USA. World Premiere.
CALL ME KUCHU: DIR Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall. USA. East Coast Premiere.
DOWNEAST: DIR David Redmon and Ashley Sabin. USA.
THE HOUSE I LIVE IN: DIR Eugene Jarecki. USA.
ONLY THE YOUNG: DIR Jason Tippet and Elizabeth Mims. USA. East Coast Premiere.
PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY: DIR Ross McElwee. USA/France.
PLIMPTON! STARRING GEORGE PLIMPTON AS HIMSELF: DIR Tom Bean and Luke Poling. USA. World Premiere.
RADIO UNNAMEABLE: DIR Paul Lovelace and Jessica Wolfson. USA.
THE REVISIONARIES: DIR Scott Thurman. USA.
SUN KISSED: DIR Maya Stark and Adi Lavy. USA. East Coast Premiere.
SWEET DREAMS: DIR Rob and Lisa Fruchtman. USA. World Premiere.
THE WAITING ROOM: DIR Peter Nicks. USA.

U.S. Feature Jury: Heather Courtney, Filmmaker (WHERE SOLDIERS COME FROM); Marshall Curry, Filmmaker (IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT); Adella Ladjevardi, Grants Manager, Cinereach

Sterling World Feature Competition
ARGENTINIAN LESSON: DIR Wojciech Staron. Poland. East Coast Premiere.
THE FINAL MEMBER: DIR Jonah Bekhor and Zach Math. USA/Canada. U.S. Premiere.
OMA & BELLA: DIR Alexa Karolinski. Germany/USA. U.S. Premiere.
PLANET OF SNAIL: DIR Seung-Jun Yi. South Korea.
PRIVATE UNIVERSE: DIR Helena Trestikova. Czech Republic. U.S. Premiere.
THE PUNK SYNDROME: DIR Jukka Kärkkäinen and J-P Passi. Finland/Norway/Sweden. U.S. Premiere.
SPECIAL FIGHT (VOL SPECIAL): DIR Fernand Melgar. Switzerland.
TEA OR ELECTRICITY: DIR Jeröme le Maire. Belgium/Morocco. North American Premiere.
VIRGIN TALES: DIR Mirjam Von Arx. France/Germany/Switzerland. North American Premiere.
¡VIVAN LAS ANTIPODAS!: DIR Victor Kossakovsky. Germany/Netherlands/Argentina/Chile. East Coast Premiere.
THE WORLD BEFORE HER: DIR Nisha Pahuja. USA/Canada/Germany/UK.

World Feature Jury: Charlotte Cook, Director of Programming, Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival; Jigar Mehta, Co-founder, Collaborative Documentary Project; Stephanie Wang-Breal, Filmmaker (WO AI NI MOMMY [I LOVE YOU, MOMMY]).

Sterling Short Film Competition
AMATEUR FILMMAKER: DIR Volha Dashuk. Belarus.
THE AMBASSADOR & ME: DIR Jan Czarlewski. Switzerland.
AMERICAN JUGGALO: DIR Sean Dunne. USA.
AMONG GIANTS: DIR Sam Price-Waldman, Ben Mullinkosson and Chris Cresci. USA.
BACK TO MANDIMA: DIR Robert-Jan Lacombe. Switzerland.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF JOHN BALDESSARI: DIR Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. USA.
BRUTE FORCE: DIR Ben Steinbauer. USA.
CATCAM: DIR Seth Keal. USA.
CHRONICLE OF OLDRICH S.: DIR Rudolf Šmíd. Czech Republic.
CONTACT CALL: DIR Jana Bürgelin. Germany.
CROSSED OUT: DIR Roberto Duarte. Sweden.
CUTTING LOOSE: DIR Finlay Pretsell and Adrian McDowall. Scotland.
FAMILY NIGHTMARE: DIR Dustin Guy Defa. USA.
FANUZZI’S GOLD: DIR Georgia Gruzen. USA.
HOME TURF: DIR Ross Whitaker. Ireland.
IF HIMMLER PLAYED GUITAR: DIR Andy Taylor Smith. UK.
I KILL: DIR David White and Paul Wedel. New Zealand.
INTO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE: DIR Ann Frances Ewert. UK/Germany.
IT AIN’T OVER: DIR Caleb Slain. USA.
KINGS POINT: DIR Sari Gilman. USA.
THE LAST ICE MERCHANT: DIR Sandy Patch. Ecuador/USA.
LIVING TINY: DIR Paul Meyers and Paul Donatelli. USA.
LOVE HACKING: DIR Jenni Nelson. USA.
MANUFACTURED FORTUNES: DIR Kevin Gordon. USA.
MEANING OF ROBOTS: DIR Matt Lenski. USA.
MISSING: DIR Ewan McNicol. USA.
MONDAYS AT RACINE: DIR Cynthia Wade. USA.
MR. CHRISTMAS: DIR Nick Palmer. USA.
MANUFACTURED FORTUNES: DIR Kevin Gordon. USA.
NEEDLE EXCHANGE: DIR Colm Quinn. Ireland.
PARADISE: DIR Nadav Kurtz. USA.
THE PERFECT FIT: DIR Tali Yankelevich. Scotland.
RAY: A LIFE UNDERWATER: DIR Amanda Bluglass. UK.
RECEPTION: DIR Maciej Bochniak. Poland.
REINDEER: DIR Eva Weber. UK.
RETURN OF THE SUN: DIR Glen Milner and Ben Hilton. UK.
SOLO, PIANO – NYC: DIR Anthony Sherin. USA.
SPARKLE: DIR Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert. USA.
THE TIME WE HAVE: DIR Mira Jargil. Denmark.
UNRAVEL: DIR Meghna Gupta. UK.
WELL-FED: DIR Anna Moot-Levin. USA.

Short Film Jury: Lisa Collins, Filmmaker (OSCAR’S COMEBACK); Cara Cusumano, Programmer, Tribeca Film Festival; Basil Tsiokos, Programming Associate, Sundance Film Festival.

This year’s Silver Spectrum and Guggenheim Retrospective films are:

Silver Spectrum
½ REVOLUTION: DIR Omar Shargawi and Karin El Hakim. Denmark. East Coast Premiere.
AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY: DIR Alison Klayman. USA/China.
THE AMBASSADOR: DIR Mads Brügger. Denmark.
ANN RICHARDS’ TEXAS: DIR Keith Patterson and Jack Lofton. USA. World Premiere.
BAD BRAINS: A BAND IN D.C.: DIR Mandy Stein and Benjamen Logan. USA. East Coast Premiere.
BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING: DIR Neil Berkeley. USA.
BEWARE OF MR. BAKER: DIR Jay Bulger. USA.
BROOKLYN CASTLE: DIR Katie Dellamaggiore. USA.
CANNED DREAMS: DIR Katja Gauriloff. Finland. U.S. Premiere.
THE CENTRAL PARK EFFECT: DIR Jeffrey Kimball. USA.
CHARLES BRADLEY: SOUL OF AMERICA: DIR Poull Brien. USA.
CHASING ICE: DIR Jeff Orlowski. USA.
CHINA HEAVYWEIGHT: DIR Yung Chang. Canada/China. East Coast Premiere.
DETROPIA: DIR Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing. USA.
DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL: DIR Lisa Immordino Vreeland. USA.
DRIVERS WANTED: DIR Joshua Weinstein. USA. World Premiere.
ESCAPE FIRE: THE FIGHT TO RESCUE AMERICAN HEALTHCARE: DIR Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke. USA.
FAME HIGH: DIR Scott Hamilton Kennedy. USA.
A GIRL LIKE HER: DIR Ann Fessler. USA.
THE HOUSE I LIVE IN: DIR Eugene Jarecki. USA.
THE IMPOSTER: DIR Bart Layton. UK.
JOE PAPP IN FIVE ACTS: DIR Tracie Holder and Karen Thorsen. USA.
LA SOURCE: DIR Patrick Shen. USA. World Premiere.
MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ THE ARTIST IS PRESENT: DIR Matthew Akers. USA.
MEET THE FOKKENS: DIR Rob Schröder and Gabriëlle Provaas. Netherlands. U.S. Premiere.
PORTRAIT OF WALLY: DIR Andrew Shea. USA/Austria.
THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES: DIR Lauren Greenfield. USA.
SEEKING ASIAN FEMALE: DIR Debbie Lum. USA. East Coast Premiere.
THE SOURCE: DIR Jodi Wille and Maria Demopoulos. USA.
STEP UP TO THE PLATE: DIR Paul Lacoste. France. East Coast Premiere.
STRONG!: DIR Julie Wyman. USA. World Premiere.
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN: DIR Malik Bendjelloul. Sweden/UK.
TCHOUPITOULAS: DIR Bill and Turner Ross. USA.
THIRD COAST AUDIO FESTIVAL FILMLESS PRESENTATION Curator: Julie Shapiro. USA.
TIME ZERO: THE LAST YEAR OF POLAROID FILM: DIR Grant Hamilton. USA.
TOKYO WAKA: DIR John Haptas and Kristine Samuelson. USA. East Coast Premiere.
TRASH DANCE: DIR Andrew Garrison. USA.
THE VANISHING SPRING LIGHT: DIR Xun Yu. China. U.S. Premiere.
WAGNER’S DREAM: DIR Susan Froemke. USA.
WE ARE LEGION: THE STORY OF THE HACKTIVISTS: DIR Brian Knappenberger. USA.
WHEN BUBBLES BURST: DIR Hans Petter Moland. Norway. North American Premiere.
THE WORLD BEFORE HER: DIR Nisha Pahuja. USA/Canada/Germany/UK.

Guggenheim Retrospective
BROTHER’S KEEPER: DIR Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. USA.
CRUDE: DIR Joe Berlinger. USA.
GOOD ROCKIN’ TONIGHT: THE LEGACY OF SUN RECORDS: DIR Bruce Sinofsky. USA.
METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER: DIR Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. USA.
PARADISE LOST: THE CHILD MURDERS AT ROBIN HOOD HILLS: DIR Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky. USA.
PARADISE LOST 2: REVELATIONS: DIR Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. USA.
PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY: DIR Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. USA.
UNDER AFRICAN SKIES: DIR Joe Berlinger. USA.

Silverdocs Bookends Fest with Music Docs 'Don't Stop Believin: Everyman's Journey,' Mumford & Sons' 'Big Easy Express'

Sophia Savage — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:20:49 GMT

AFI-Discovery Channel's Silverdocs festival, in its tenth year, will open and close with music-themed documentaries. On June 18, Ramona Diaz's "Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey" will open, and Emmett Malloy's "Big Easy Express" will close the Washington, DC event on June 23.

"Don't Stop Believin" tells the story of how the iconic band found their new lead singer, Filipino Arnel Pineda, via YouTube - an "inspiring rags-to-riches" story.

"Big Easy Express" celebrates the music of Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show during their journey from California to New Orleans via a six-stop train tour.

Silverdocs director Sky Sitney says the two "spirited" films "harness the passion and creativity of these musicians.” Trailers are below. Here's more on Silverdocs.

"Donor Unknown" and "Mr. Happy Man" Are Tops with Silverdocs Audiences

Bryce J. Renninger — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:55:42 GMT

After the dust settled at last week's Silverdocs documentary film festival in Silver Spring, Maryland, the votes were tabulated and it was announced that Jerry Rothwell's "Donor Unknown" and Matt Morris's "Mr. Happy Man" took home the audience awards for Best Feature and Best Short, respectively. "Donor Unknown" probes into the lives of several young men and women who realize they all share a sperm donor in common. Little do they know he lives in a van by a Southern California beach. "Mr. Happy Man" also follows an eccentric but loveable beach bum -- Matt Morris's film follows 85-year old Johnny Barnes, who makes it his job to put a smile on the face of all who cross his path in his Bermuda stomping grounds.

For the complete list of Silverdocs jury awards, check out our previous coverage here. For information on the Tribeca Film Institute/Silverdocs Transmedia grant, which had a $5,000 prize split between the six finalists, read more here. Finally, for indiewire's coverage of the fest's Guggenheim Symposium honorees, DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, see here.

"Our School" and "Family Instinct" Lead Silverdocs Award Winners

Bryce J. Renninger — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 11:45:22 GMT

Mona Nicoara & Miruna Coco-Cozma's "Our School," which follows the integration over four years of rural Roma students into the Romanian public school system, took home the Best US Feature prize at this year's Silverdocs. The winner in the Sterling World Feature Competition was Andris Gauja's "Family Instinct," which takes an intimate look into the lives of a Latvian family whose patriarch and matriarch are also brother and sister. Margaret Brown's in-production "The Great Invisible" (about the oil industry and the gulf crisis) and Ian Cheney's "Bluespace" about urban waterways each received $25,000 from the inaugural Whole Foods Market and Silverdocs Grant for works in progress.

The complete list of winners is below

Sterling Award for Best US Feature ($5,000)
"Our School," Mona Nicoara & Miruna Coco-Cozma

Special Jury Mention
"The Bully Project," Lee Hirsch
"When the Drum is Beating," Whitney Dow

Sterling Award for Best World Feature ($5,000)
"Family Instinct," Andris Gauja

Special Jury Mention
"Position Among the Stars," Leonard Retel Helmrich

Sterling Award for Best Short Film ($2,500)
"Guanape Sur," János Richter

Honorable Mention
"Still Here," Alex Camilleri

Cinematic Vision Award
"Life in a Day," Kevin MacDonald

WGA Documentary Screenplay Award
"The Loving Story," Nancy Buirski & Susie Ruth Powell (screenwriters)

Whole Foods Market and Silverdocs Grant for Works in Progress
"The Great Invisible," Margaret Brown
"Bluespace," Ian Cheney

Tribeca Film Institute and Silverdocs Transmedia Lab Pitch Award
"The Tillman Story Interactive Edition," Amir Bar-lev

$$ for Outreach: Silverdocs Conference Awards Tribeca Transmedia Funds

Bryce J. Renninger — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 10:58:11 GMT

While most of the focus here at Silverdocs is on the film programming, the conference component of the festival is targeting a new initiative of fostering mid-career and beginning filmmakers. Based on anecdotal evidence coming from several filmmakers who took part in the panels and workshops here, the new focus seems to be a success.

As a part of this initiative, the Tribeca Film Institute hosted a panel of experts in transmedia storytelling and outreach Friday. From varying viewpoints on transmedia storytelling, the panelists, Ben Moskowitz (Mozilla), Lina Srivastava (transmedia activism consultant), Mark Belinsky (Digital Democracy), Susana Ruiz (Take Action Games), and Wendy Levy (Bay Area Video Coalition), spoke about their approach to expanding storytelling, outreach, and activism across media platforms. The diversity of perspectives from the panelists offered great promise for the future of transmedia storytelling (One panelist urged campaign creators to make only web-based projects; the other panelists were more concerned with making effective products for whatever platform is used.); however, the various perspectives reinforced the fact that there is no consensus on how best to approach transmedia film projects.

After the panel, six filmmakers pitched transmedia projects to the lab mentors. Viewers from at home and at the presentations were invited to vote on their favorite project and the winner would be announced later. After the presentations, Amir Bar-lev was declared the winner. The winning filmmaker was meant to win $5,000 for their campaign, but the filmmakers agreed before the event that they would split the funds no matter what.

Below are the six projects from the lab, with descriptions provided by the Tribeca Film Institute.

Steve James – "The Interrupters"
The heart of "The Interrupters"’ web campaign is powerfully moving stories of "violence interrupters" who protect their Chicago communities from violence they themselves once employed. Through interactive web stories and a digital "shrine" visitors grapple with personal, social and economic forces that bear on the violence that plagues our cities.

Marco Williams – "The Undocumented Campaign"
"The Undocumented Campaign" seeks to enhance the impact of the documentary, spurring education and discussion regarding immigration policy and border issues, most notably the issue of migrant deaths, through the creation of an The Map of the Missing, an interactive website and The Migrant Trail an online game.

Lee Hirsch – "The Bully Project"
Through development of an online strategy that includes a website, short “webisodes,” and use of social media, "The Bully Project" will build an online community/movement to create awareness of the film and the issue of bullying.

Margaret Brown – "The Great Invisible"
"The Great Invisible" is an interactive look at the global oil economy through the lens of characters that work in the oil and fishing industries on the Gulf Coast.

Amir Bar-lev – "The Tillman Story Interactive Edition"
"The Tillman Story Interactive Edition" is a groundbreaking website that allows audiences to actively participate in the acclaimed 2010 documentary The Tillman Story while viewing it; a navigable platform through which audiences can view outtakes, investigate documents, interact with others, and keep up to date on the latest developments in the Tillman controversy.

Michael Collins and Marty Syjuco – "Give Up Tomorrow"
Much more than a film, "Give Up Tomorrow" is a call to action with the goal of working across multiple platforms to galvanize international support for organizations and communities working to change perceptions and initiate strategic action around the death penalty, wrongful convictions, lack of democratic media and miscarriages of justice wherever they occur.

Al Franken & Silverdocs Honor Legendary Documentarians DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus

Bryce J. Renninger — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 10:05:04 GMT

Yesterday here at the Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival, hundreds gathered in the large theater at the AFI Silver for the Guggenheim Symposium to honor the careers of DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, the cinema verite filmmakers behind such classics as "The Energy War" (which took viewers into Carter's White House to watch him and his team deal with the fuel catastrophe), "The War Room" (a look at the 1992 Clinton/Gore presidential campaign), "StartUp.com" (a look at the rise and fall of a dot-com boom startup), and the recently released "Kings of Pastry."

After festival director Sky Sitney introduced the filmmaking duo as filmmakers that "demonstrate penetrating insight and anonymity" with "astute instinct," she passed the baton to Senator Al Franken, who was profiled in two of their documentaries, "Franken v. Fox" and "Al Franken: God Spoke." In introducing the filmmakers, Senator Al Franken recounted a story from his time in Hollywood. A room of television movers and shakers were honoring the retirement of Aaron Spelling and one executive got up to say that Spelling produced 3,000 hours of TV, not one of them good. Franken noted that Hegedus and Pennebaker have made more than fifty films apart and together, "each one of them brilliant."

Franken loved working with the filmmakers so much that he, in retrospect, would have loved to have his run for the Senate documented by them on film. He was worried, at the time, that his constituents would think he had an inflated ego if he had documentary crews following him during the campaign and joked that if around 300 people thought less of him for filming his campaign, he would not be in the Senate today. He finished by noting that the filmmakers' films will live on long after the filmmakers' lives.

Watching clips from the illustrious career of the husband and wife team of Pennebaker and Hegedus, the power of the medium's ability to enter into the intimate nooks and crannies of tense situations was made readily apparent. Pennebaker, who was a part of Robert Drew's team of TIME LIFE direct cinema/cinema verite filmmakers, met Hegedus when Drew told her he had no jobs for her and sent her to down the street to speak with Pennebaker. Pennebaker told her he had no jobs for her either, but reconsidered and called her the next day to bring her on board. From then on, from the time Hegedus began to work editing Pennebaker's then-current film, they were a team, working together on dozens of documentaries over several decades.

Responding to a question about the lack of narration in their films, Pennebaker noted, "When you go to the theater, you don't expect the manager to come out and explain to you why the characters are in trouble." Speaking to the troubles of shooting verite before cameras were light, Pennebaker admitted that it was this problem that convinced Robert Drew and company to work for TIME LIFE; they crafted light, efficient cameras for their filmmakers.

But eventually TIME LIFE would stop subsidizing their work, and Hegedus and Pennebaker were out on their own. "Money is the biggest problem," confessed Pennebaker. He continued, "We rob banks, whatever we have to do. Today you can make films very cheaply, even finish them, but once you want them on the big screen, the labs are waiting for you and your money." Hegedus added, "We're very bad at raising money." Using "The War Room" as an example, she noted, "Who would want to invest in a film that could potentially be the story of the losing candidates? We're lucky to stay doing what we're doing because we've held onto the rights to almost all of our films. We joke all the time that we stay alive because of dead rock stars."

While their work is diverse, Pennebaker and Hegedus have had a knack for recording show business. They are responsible for iconic film clips of Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival, Bob Dylan running down alleyways, Elaine Stritch having trouble while recording the Original Broadway Cast Recording of "Company," and Carol Burnett playing off a stage malfunction in "Moon Over Broadway."

Far from simple concert or stage play recorders, the team and their collaborators provide perspectives of these events that unpeel layers of staged performances of all kinds. On their draw to performers and situations like campaigns and other competitions that are inherently wrought with tension, Pennebaker noted, "With musicians [and politicians] it's easy to do film them do what they do when they do it. With most people, it's hard to be there when fate turns against them."

Silverdocs Documentary Festival Locks Down 2011 Slate

Indiewire Staff — Thu, 26 May 2011 10:00:25 GMT

The AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival has its full slate of competition films ready for its 9th edition that runs June 20-26.

The competition will screen in three different categories: U.S. Feature Competition, World Feature Competition and Short Film Competition. The festival will simultaneously host the five day International Documentary Conference, featuring over 1,200 filmmakers and industry professionals in master classes, panels, workshops and pitching forums featuring the world’s leading documentarians.

The competition line-up, including synopses provided by the festival, is included below:

Sterling U.S. Feature Competition
"Better This World" / USA, 2011, 97 minutes (Director: Katie Galloway, Kelly Duane de la Vega) — When two Midland, Texas, activists make Molotov cocktails at the 2008 Republican Convention, a dramatic story unfolds, with multiple domestic terrorism charges, an entrapment defense and a surprising FBI informant. The film sets in high relief the impact the war on terror has on civil liberties and political activism in a post-9/11 world.
"Bob and the Monster" / USA, 2011, 85 minutes (Director: Keirda Bahruth) — Bob Forrest first made his name as an outspoken indie-rock hero and popular front man for the band, Thelonious Monster. But it is his role as one of the most influential drug counselors in the U.S. today that he would cherish most. Shot over six years, the film offers an inspiring example of how one man was able to overcome his demons and use his success to help others do the same.
"The Bully Project" / USA, 2011, 90 minutes (Director: Lee Hirsch) — This film tackles the timely topic of bullying in this sensitive examination of an urgent crisis in American society. The film follows five children and their families over the course of one school year as their lives are affected in different ways by bullying.
"Dragonslayer" / USA, 2011, 75 minutes (Director: Tristan Patterson) — Few skateboard movies are as vibrant as "Dragonslayer", which follows oddball Josh "Screech" Sandoval as he drifts between the skate circuit and an ill-defined but adaptive existence in Southern California's recession-wracked suburbs. In a setting where nothing seems whole, first-time director Tristan Patterson finds arid beauty, hazy intimacy and a thread of hope.
"Give Up Tomorrow" / Philippines/Spain/USA/UK, 2011, 95 minutes (Director: Michael Collins) — In 1997, two sisters vanished without a trace on the island of Cebu in the Philippines. Paco Larrañaga was sentenced to death for their rape and murder despite overwhelming evidence to support his innocence. Spanning more than a decade, the film chronicles the shocking corruption within the Philippine judicial system and one of the most sensational cases in the country’s history.
"Incendiary: The Willingham Case" / USA, 2010, 102 minutes (Director: Steve Mims, Joe Bailey, Jr.) — In 2004, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas for the 1991 arson murders of his three daughters, despite evidence that the fire wasn’t arson. The film masterfully explores why Willingham has become a cause célèbre for arson investigation reform and death penalty repeal.
"Jiro Dreams of Sushi" / USA/Japan, 2011, 81 minutes (Director: David Gelb) — A feast for the senses, "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" introduces us to master chef Jiro Ono, proprietor of the revered 10-seat, $300-a-plate Sukiyabashi Jiro restaurant in Tokyo. Filmmaker David Gelb offers extraordinary access to the process of preparing the celebrated sushi that has earned Jiro an elite three Michelin stars.
"The Learning" / USA/Philippines, 2010, 90 minutes (Director: Ramona Diaz) — This absorbing documentary follows four teachers from the Philippines who are recruited to work in the American public school system. Leaving behind husbands, children and extended families who depend heavily on them, Dorotea, Rhea, Grace and Angel spend one year teaching in Baltimore public schools, where they can make up to 25 times their salaries versus in the Philippines.
"The Loving Story" / USA, 2011, 75 minutes (Director: Nancy Buirski) — Mildred and Richard Loving never imagined that their unassuming love story would be the basis of a watershed anti-miscegenation civil rights case. But in 1967, when this soft-spoken interracial couple are exiled from Virginia – the only home they have ever known – for the mere crime of falling in love and getting married, they feel they have no choice but to fight back.
"Our School" / Romania/Switzerland/USA, 2011, 93 minutes (Director: Mona Nicoara, Miruna Coco-Cozma) — Shot over the course of four years, OUR SCHOOL follows the attempt to integrate isolated rural Roma (or “gypsy”) children into the mainstream school system of Romania. Focusing on seven-year-old Alin, 12-year-old Beni and 16-year-old Dana, this fascinating film takes an unflinching look at the challenges of a longstanding tradition of prejudice.
Sterling World Feature Competition
"At the Edge of Russia" / Poland/Russia, 2010, 72 minutes (Director: Michael Marczak) — Aleksey is eager to serve Mother Russia, but this 19-year-old recruit sees little soldiering while stationed at the country's frozen northern border. With invasion unlikely, his burly superior's lessons teach more about isolation, quotidian civil service and drunken paternity than anything else.
"Bakhmaro" / Georgia/Germany, 2011, 58 minutes (Director: Salome Jashi) — Incredibly visually striking, "Bakhmaro" is a quiet, unhurried film about the persistence of hope in the face of irrelevancy. A restaurant where nobody goes and a staff that serves no one in a building in rural Georgia’s Guria region are at the center of this compellingly claustrophobic documentary.
"Donor Unknown" / USA, 2010, 76 minutes (Director: Jerry Rothwell) — Twenty-year-old JoEllen Marsh was raised by two loving mothers in Pennsylvania who used a carefully chosen anonymous sperm donor to create her. When JoEllen discovers an online registry that connects her to several other young adults fathered by the same donor, she reaches out to her newly discovered half-siblings and sets out to meet her biological father when he publicly reveals his identity.
"El Bulli: Cooking In Progress" / Germany/Spain, 2010, 108 minutes (Director: Gereon Wetzel) — Celebrated chef Ferran Adrìa shares the spotlight with his magnificent culinary creations in a film sure to appeal to foodies and non-foodies alike. For six months a year, Adrìa and his creative team close shop on his world-famous El Bulli Restaurant in Spain to prepare for a new season’s menu representing the best in molecular gastronomy.
"Family Instinct" / Latvia, 2010, 58 minutes (Director: Anris Gauja) — A unique chronicle of family gone awry, this film is an unsparing exploration of a Latvian household built on the incestuous relationship between Zanda and her imprisoned brother Valdis, whose pending homecoming creates tremendous frisson.
"Fire in Babylon" / UK, 2010, 82 minutes (Director: Stevan Riley) — This energetic documentary looks back at the legendary West Indies cricket team that rose to prominence in the 1970s and 80s. Led by the dynamic Clive Lloyd, the team used the game of cricket to battle oppressive forces of prejudice on the playing field through superior athleticism and a bold, insuppressible spirit.
"The First Movie" / Canada/Iraq/Kurdistan/UK, 2009, 77 minutes (Director: Mark Cousins) — A lyrical and magical look at the power of cinema, director Mark Cousins’ whimsical film explores what transpires after he exposes the children of a small rural village in Iraq to the magic of film. Through their experiences, Cousins shows viewers a side of Iraq that they are rarely allowed to experience.
"Grande Hotel" / Belgium/Mozambique/Portugal, 2010, 57 minutes (Director: Lotte Stoops) — The Grande Hotel in Beira, Mozambique, once a luxurious haven in the Portuguese colony, is a shadow of its former self since closing in 1963. The film traces the history of the building, from its opening in 1954, with 110 sumptuous guest rooms, to today, when the abandoned hotel serves as a home to more than 2,500 people who live in its crumbling ruins.
"El Velador (The Night Watchman)" / Mexico, 2011, 72 minutes (Director: Natalia Almada) — The turmoil of Mexico's bloodiest conflict since the revolution plays out in subtle yet poignant detail as filmmaker Natalia Almada quietly observes the daily routine of Martin, the night watchman and groundskeeper of the cemetery that houses the remains of Mexico's most notorious drug lords.
"Position Among the Stars" / Indonesia/Netherlands, 2010, 109 minutes (Director: Leonard Retel Helmrich) — Filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich concludes his in-depth three-part portrait of Indonesia as seen through the eyes of one family living in the slums of Jakarta. The Shamuddin family’s anxieties, hopes and frequent, often hilarious fights culminate in a poignant mosaic of Indonesian life today.
"Wiebo's War" / Canada, 2011, 92 minutes (Director: David York) — When Wiebo Ludwig moves his sizeable family to the rural plains of northern Canada to live closer to God, the last thing he expects is to be transformed from a holy man into an eco-terrorist. Yet when energy companies start encroaching on his land soon after discovering it lies on Canada's biggest gas field, Wiebo feels compelled to protect himself and his family from their newly toxic surroundings.

Whole Foods and Silverdocs Go Green with Grant

Indiewire Staff — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:39:11 GMT

Whole Foods and Silverdocs want to give green filmmakers money. The supermarket chain and film festival have announced the launch of a $50, 000 film production and development grant for filmmakers who are dedicated on making environmentally conscious docs.

Applications for the grant will be available beginning April 1 and run to the end of the month, with candidates being notified by June 14. The winner will be presented at the 2011 AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Festival Awards Ceremony on June 25.

Competing films should meet one of the following criteria for consideration:

- Previous short or feature film selected to an established film festival
- Previous short or feature released in theaters or sold for other distribution
- Graduate level film student with recommendation by professor

"We realize how difficult it can be to get documentaries in the lime light, so we hope the festival and the grant program will help put a spotlight on films that speak to our mission as a company and to the values of our shoppers," said Marci Frumkin, marketing and project director of Do Something Reel Film Festival for Whole Foods Market. "It is a true honor to team up with Silverdocs to curate the grant process that will help filmmakers who are passionate about our planet and its tenants spread their important messages via film."

Below is the full release:

Whole Foods Market® and AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival launch $50,000 environmentally-themed filmmaker grant “Green Grant” to be awarded at Silverdocs in June

AUSTIN, Texas and Washington, DC (March 25, 2011)—Whole Foods Market, leading retailer of natural and organic foods and AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Festival, the nation’s leading documentary festival, announce the launch of a $50,000 grant program for filmmakers working in the green film genre.

A portion of all ticket sales from the “Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel” Film Festival will go towards a film production and development grant that will encourage filmmakers to continue making stories about the environment and the impact of everyday choices consumers make. Two grants of $25,000 each will be awarded to documentary feature filmmakers at varying stages of development - from conception through completion.

“AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs has a history of showcasing the most compelling documentaries about the issues and ideas that shape our contemporary culture,” said Sky Sitney, Festival Director. “To now be supporting filmmakers at an earlier, most crucial stage – that of development and completion - and to be doing so in collaboration with such a visionary leader in the green arena, Whole Foods Market, is a very exciting and fulfilling new venture.”

The online grant application process will be open from April 1 – 30 and selected grant candidates will be notified by June 14. The Whole Foods Market/AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs “Green Grant” will be presented at the 2011 AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Festival Awards Ceremony on June 25. Please visit www.silverdocs.com for additional criteria, to submit an application and for a contact to help answer any questions about the review process.

Whole Foods Market and Silverdocs are looking for well thought out film concepts and films in progress that focus on green themes. These include concepts that explore issues related to food sustainability in all its forms such as the environmental or health benefits of eating whole (minimally processed) and locally grown foods or a community fighting to keep their neighborhood safe from chemicals or an individual working hard to keep their small family farm viable. The film should tell a story of real people making a difference on important issues. While the story might possibly paint a grim picture of reality, the heart of the story should be one of hope and inspiration to others – ultimately showing what IS possible.

Those wishing to submit their documentary film for consideration should meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Previous short or feature film selected to an established film festival
• Previous short or feature released in theaters or sold for other distribution
• Graduate level film student with recommendation by professor

“We realize how difficult it can be to get documentaries in the lime light, so we hope the festival and the grant program will help put a spotlight on films that speak to our mission as a company and to the values of our shoppers,” said Marci Frumkin, marketing and project director of Do Something Reel Film Festival for Whole Foods Market. “It is a true honor to team up with Silverdocs to curate the grant process that will help filmmakers who are passionate about our planet and its tenants spread their important messages via film.”

The “Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel” Film Festival is presented in association with Applegate Farms and RiceSelect™, with additional support from Preserve® Gimme 5, a partnership between Preserve®, Stonyfield Farm®, Brita®, Tom's of Maine® and Seventh Generation™, as well as EVOL Foods, Food Should Taste Good and siggi’s. For more information about the “Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel” Film Festival go to www.dosomethingreel.com.

With Naked Honesty, Northern Europe Shines at Silverdocs

Bryce J. Renninger — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:15:37 GMT

When it was announced that "Men Who Swim," Dylan Williams' feature about a British man living in Sweden who joins a local men's synchronized swimming team, was the audience award's choice for best feature (Aideen O'Sullivan & Ross Whitaker's "Bye Bye Now" was the audience's choice for best short), a suspicion I had about this year's Silverdocs Film Festival was confirmed. It seemed, through talking to audience members before screenings, that the true stars of this year's film festival were Northern European filmmakers. While films like Sebastian Junger & Tim Hetherington's "Restrepo" and Amir Bar-Lev's closing night film "The Tillman Story" drew packed and enthusiastic audiences, their appeal had already been confirmed at Sundance.

Led by the award-winning "Men Who Swim," a cluster of four idiosyncratic Northern European films continuously found themselves a part of my conversations with other attendees. Marcus Lindeen's "Regretters" features two subjects, Orlando Fagin and Mikael Johansson, in a spare black room, who recount their experiences as people who regret their decisions to transition to women after being born with male genitalia. We switch from seeing the two staring at a projector, which is displaying old photos of the two of them, to the subjects talking to the camera individually. Sometimes, the subjects face each other in conversation, and in fascinating exchanges, reveal to each other how different their experiences and motives are.

Two Finnish films enraptured the audiences that found their way to them: Mika Hotakainen and Joonas Berghäll's "Steam of Life" and Jukka Kärkkäinen's "The Living Room of the Nation." Both films film their subjects intimately, allowing the mostly male Finnish subjects to reveal their lives' most intimate stories and moments. In "Steam of Life," the portraits of the men are intimate for another reason: most of the interviews, which predominantly allow the men to recount traumatic, sad events in their lives, occur in saunas across Finland, and the subjects are nude throughout. In "The Living Room of the Nation," a series of Finns go about their daily, perhaps monotonous, routines in the comfort of their home. In what is perhaps the film's most stirring scene, a young man is joined on his bed by his best (male) friend, who congratulates him on becoming a future father. As they celebrate, drunk, the two gaze amorously into each other's eyes, and nearly lock lips in a more-than-just-friends manner.

Perhaps the silliest sight in the AFI Silver Theater occurred after the premiere screening of "The People Vs. George Lucas," when the lobby erupted in light saber fights following the screening of the doc, which explores the fan's outrage at the "Star Wars" prequels. Close runners-up include: the partying antics of the subjects of Jennilyn Merten and Tyler Measom's portrait of young men who fled the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, "Sons of Perdition" and the chuckles that rang through the audience when a logo for Comcast was broadcast on the screen before "Barbershop Punk," which tackles the issue of net neutrality through the lens of one man's fight against the company's broadband arm.

Thursday evening, a roster of documentary heavy hitters, including the Presidents of AFI and PBS, celebrated the decades-long career of Frederick Wiseman, who was universally acclaimed for being able to "help us see us" and to document how we once were. The filmmaker, who was honored as part of the fest's Guggenheim Symposium, will be featured in a special series of some of his least screened films at the AFI Silver.

The fest also showed off two investigative films that sent chills down audiences' spines. Henry Corra's "The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan" follows a lead from a Vietnam vet that claims he saw the private-turned-defector on a 2005 visit to Vietnam. The film, executive produced by Danny Glover, follows Nolan's trail through Vietnamese cafes, to Nolan's half-Vietnamese son, to the Khmer Rouge's killing fields. "As Lilith," directed by Eytan Harris, follows dead end after dead end, sticking a camera into the life of one of cinema's most unreliable characters, the eponymous hero/villain, to find out the truth behind her daughter's apparent suicide.

Though many who attended the festival regularly seemed to think that it was quieter than in years past, most agreed that the programming was strong. Two shorts, both of which challenged documentary form, were particularly striking to me: Tessa Joosse's gorgeous and fun recycling plant musical "Plastic and Glass" and Andrea Dorfman's document of her relationship with a plastic surgeon, told through voiceover and watercolors, "Flawed." It is perhaps the distinctive subtlety of this year's strongest films that made the fest a bit of a tough pitch. After all, the world jury's choice for best feature, "The Woman with the 5 Elephants" follows an 85-year-old woman who is widely considered the greatest translator of Russian into German. What unfolds is a most complicated, intriguing investigation of language, zeal for knowledge, and persistence; a true documentary gem. Those who made it out to this year's fest were treated to her forthrightness as well as that of naked Finns, couch potato Finns, and Swedes who swim and regret.

Bryce J. Renninger, an indieWIRE contributor in the New York office, is also the shorts programmer for Newfest and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Media Studies at Rutgers University. He can be reached via Twitter.

Silverdocs Juries Reward "Mommy" and "5 Elephants"

Bryce J. Renninger — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 10:51:17 GMT

In an awards ceremony Saturday afternoon, the Silverdocs juries announced their choices for best films. "Wo Ai Ni Mommy (I Love You, Mommy)," the debut feature from Stephanie Wang-Breal, took home the award for Best U.S. Feature at the 2010 AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival. Wang-Breal's film, set to air on POV this August, follows an 8 year old girl, born in China and given the name Faith upon adoption, who is taken into a Jewish New York family. The award for Best World Feature went to Vadim Jendreyko's "The Woman with the 5 Elephants," which recounts the story of Svetlana Geier, a renowned translator who gained fame by translating the five magnificent tomes from Dostoyevsky into German. Amongst the other winners was the honoree for the Cinematic Vision Award, Jeff Malmberg's "Marwencol," which received, in addition to an in-kind prize from Alpha Cine and Canon, a Sunday Best Barbie for the "staged catfights" in the subject of the film's created miniature town, Marwencol. The festival's audience awards will be named on Monday.

The complete list of winners from Silverdocs:

Sterling U.S. Feature: "Wo Ai Ni Mommy (I Love You, Mommy)," Stephanie Wang-Breal
Special Jury Mention: "The Kids Grow Up," Doug Block
Special Jury Mention: "My Perestroika," Robin Hessman

Sterling World Feature: "The Woman with the 5 Elephants," Vadim Jendreyko
Special Jury Mention: "Steam of Life," Joonas Berghall & Mika Hotakainen

Sterling Short Award: "This Chair Is Not Me," Andy Taylor Smith
Special Jury Mention: "Between Dreams," Iris Olsson
Special Jury Mention: "The Poodle Trainer," Vance Malone

Cinematic Vision Award: "Marwencol," Jeff Malmberg

WITNESS Award: "Budrus," Julia Bacha

Writers Guild of America Documentary Screenplay Award: "A Film Unfinished," Yael Hersonski

Stephen Marshall's "Holy Wars" and Other Silverdocs Premieres Ignite Audiences

Bryce J. Renninger — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:40:08 GMT

As the Silverdocs Film Festival in Silver Spring, Maryland enters its busy weekend, three world premieres have brought inspired debates to audiences here. Rev. Billy, the charismatic and fiery subject of 2007's "What Would Jesus Buy?" was in attendance to support the small town activists in Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood's world premiere for "On Coal River." The film follows a group of West Virginians who labor to get the government to acknowledge the health side effects mountaintop removal has caused in their community. Tonight, the Silverdocs world premiere of Henry Corra's "The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan" follows a search for Pvt. McKinley Nolan, who apparently went AWOL in Vietnam.

Also a World Premiere at Silverdocs is Stephen Marshall's "HolyWars." Marshall's film follows two religious fundamentalists through several years. Aaron is a fundamentalist Christian living the life of an impassioned Bible Belt missionary evangelical spreading the word around the world. Khalid Kelly, meanwhile, is a famous Irish Muslim convert who lives in London and is desperate to find an effective method to spread Islam throughout the world. In a room of like-minded Muslims, a consensus is reached that capitalism will die, and Islam is its only worthy replacement. Halfway through the film, Marshall encourages the two proselytizers to meet. What follows is a challenging discussion for both of the men, forcing them to rid themselves of their myopic outlooks if only for a few minutes. Aaron becomes inspired by the meeting, publishing a book, "Alone with a Jihadist." Kelly continues on with his life. Relatively unaffected by the meeting, he finds an enclave in Pakistan that lives under the strict Muslim Sharia law.

I spoke with Marshall about his unusual approach to the subject of religious extremism in a post-9/11 world after his film completed both of its Silverdocs screenings. He said that he set out to make a film about end-of-the-world rhetoric. "It started four years ago. The inception point was in 2006; Bush was still in power. The zeitgeist was focused on apocalyptic thinking. This was the original idea that got me the money to make the film. The question was: Could they make it happen? Could they make a self-fulfilling prophesy?" With the help of his producer Lisa Hsu, Marshall found a few religious people who thought that the end was nigh. A leading jihadist in Indonesia and a few Iranian subjects did not pan out for the story.

The two that stuck came to Marshall through persistence. In search of an American Christian missionary, very few were willing to be followed on camera. Aaron, it turned out, agreed to be taped. Khalid, who already had a strong political voice and stature, was difficult to get. Finally, Marshall recounted, Khalid came around to the idea. "It really started out of an argument we had. He said, 'You're asking all these questions. What do you think?' And I said, 'All this talk about Sharia law in London is ridiculous. It's unrealistic to do that; it would be much easier to do it in [a predominantly Muslim country].'" Khalid, who likes a good argument, felt he had met his match in Marshall.

Gaining respect of audiences who have seen the film has been a bit easier. Though professionals in the documentary world were quick to tell him that "HolyWars" is a pro-Christian film, audiences have been spurred on to intense debates. "Generally," Marshall says, "most people hate both characters...Muslims are often angry because it's another guy with a gun in his hand. [Evangelical] Christians often see Aaron as more radical than they are. But it does get a lot of debate going." Though he makes his films with his own audience in mind, an indie audience hot on atheism and agnosticism, Marshall has been pleased by the response to the film in Christian and Muslim religious communities. After True/False, Marshall took the film to a megachurch, where he screened it in state-of-the-art projection for 500 parishioners. What followed was a hearty inter-religious discussion. Marshall said he would love to take the film on the Christian circuit.

On trying something new to enhance conversation between Christians and Muslims, Marshall said, "We should be putting these people in a room. If we [documentarians] don't do it, who will? I want to see a conversation between Obama and Osama." By including this forced encounter, though, Marshall and his editor felt it was necessary to include the filmmaker in the film, to be self-reflexive about the film's role. After the encounter, Marshall simply follows the two. At a few moments, particularly while following Khalid as he sought out the Taliban, Marshall questioned himself for how close he was getting to his subject and what people would think. Ultimately though, he justified it by noting the ultimate result. "Reality TV has transformed how we look at documentaries. He's bad and she's the bitch. My goal was to understand the nuances of their characters." And for a film that has two protagonists with whom it is difficult to identify, "HolyWars" provides nuanced characters that provoke discussion and self-reflection.

First Run Croons to SilverDocs' "Making the Boys"

Brian Brooks — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 07:42:16 GMT

First Run Features has picked up North American rights to Crayton Robey's "Making the Boys" on the eve of its North American debut at SilverDocs. The distributor plans a fall theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles, to be followed by a slow roll out across North America.

The film tells the story of Mart Crowley's groundbreaking play "The Boys in the Band" - from overnight sensation on Broadway, to Hollywood's first gay movie, to cultural landmark and worldwide phenomenon - all the while having a complicated and sometimes controversial relationship with the gay community. The small Off-Broadway production had a major impact on the social climate of the 1960s and was an important cultural beacon for gay people at the time, many of whom were closeted.

The film's director and producers came together through the All Access program at The Tribeca Film Institute. Originally shown as a work-in-progress at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009, the doc had it's World Premiere at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival and will screen at SilverDocs in the coming days.

"When I first saw Crayton's film, I was spellbound," said First Run Features President Seymour Wishman in a statement. "His skill in making a film that so captures the era of 'The Boys in the Band' is simply astounding. I'm confident we can find a wide and receptive audience for this important, revealing and entertaining film."

"Making the Boys" was produced by Douglas Tirola and Susan Bedusa of 4th Row Films.

SilverDocs Unveils U.S. and World Competition Films for June Fest

Brian Brooks — Tue, 25 May 2010 10:38:40 GMT

One of America's most prominent documentary events, the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival, unveiled its competition line up with 11 features competiting in both its "Sterling U.S. Feature Competition and "Sterling World Feature Competition." There are also over three dozen shorts set for its shorts competition. As previously announced, "Freakonomics" will open SilverDocs, which takes place in Silver Springs, MD June 21 to 27. The Magnolia release includes contributions from Alex Gibney (“Taxi to the Dark Side”), Morgan Spurlock (“Super Size Me”), Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing (“Jesus Camp”), Eugene Jarecki (“Why We Fight”), and Seth Gordon (“King of Kong”). Gibney, Spurlock, Grady, and Ewing will attend the festival. The fest will close out with Amir Bar-Lev’s Sundance title, “The Tillman Story."

New this year is a retrospective series of films by Guggenheim honoree Frederick Wiseman and a special “Peacebuilding On Screen” strand organized in collaboration with the United States Institute of Peace.

"This year we received more high-quality submissions than ever before, making it harder than ever to select the films for the 2010 program," commented Sky Sitney, SilverDocs Artistic Director in a comment. "This Festival slate represents the very best the documentary form has to offer, covering a wide range of issues and voices, and focusing on cinematic excellence."

Sterling U.S. Feature Competition line up (with descriptions provided by the festival):

"Beyond This Place," USA/Switzerland, 2010, 92 minutes (Director: Kaleo La Belle)—Cloud Rock La Belle is the quintessential hippie, still living a perpetually stoned and carefree lifestyle 40 years after the ‘60s ended. His son attempts to re-connect with his absentee father by taking a 500-mile bike trip together around the Pacific Northwest. US Premiere.

"Camera, Camera," USA/Laos, 2009, 60 minutes (Director: Malcolm Murray)—In Laos, the digital camera is the universal sign of the tourist, but when westerners take photos in seemingly exotic locals, what are they really capturing? A snapshot of reality, or a highly-distorted caricature that reveals more about the photographer than the landscape? This poetic film invites you to reconsider what it means to be a stranger in a strange land. East Coast Premiere.

"Circo," Mexico/USA, 2010, 75 minutes (Director: Aaron Schock)—CIRCO is an intimate look at a family’s struggle to preserve the institution of their small traveling circus in rural Mexico. At once producers, performers, and roadies, the Ponce family—the driven owner-father, his questioning wife, and their dedicated children—forms the heart of CIRCO, which explores the inner workings of the circus business as well as family sacrifice, loss of childhood, and the preservation of a fading art form. East Coast Premiere.

"The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan," USA/Cambodia/Vietnam, 2010, 85 minutes (Director: Henry Corra)—Forty years after Pvt. McKinley Nolan vanished in Vietnam, his family learns there is hope the beloved brother, husband and father is alive and the decades-long mystery of his disappearance may be solved. World Premiere.

"Holywars," USA/UK/Spain, 2009, 72 minutes (Director: Stephen Marshall)—The film follows two deeply committed men of faith–a Muslim and a Christian–as they travel the world spreading messages they both feel represent “the truth.” What happens when the men are put in the same room? This thought-provoking film is sure to push buttons and instigate discussions about the nature of religion, extremism and tolerance. World Premiere.

"The Kids Grow Up," USA, 2009, 91 minutes (Director Doug Block)—In his previous film, 51 BIRCH STREET, director Doug Block examined the marriage between his parents and, in particular, his relationship with his father. In this film, Block turns the camera on his daughter Lucy, meticulously documenting her life from birth, with the hopes that this will be a gift she one day enjoys, and that it might somehow help stave off the looming separation he hopes to avoid as she grows older and more independent.

"Monica And David," USA, 2009, 67 minutes (Director: Alexandra Codina)—Like many couples blissfully in love, Monica and David are getting married. Yet unlike most married couples, Monica and David have Down syndrome. The film offers an intimate glimpse into the first year of marriage for this charismatic young couple and reveals the joys and struggles that are much the same as that of any newlyweds.

"My Perestroika," USA/UK/Russia, 2010, 87 minutes (Director: Robin Hessman)—The film’s intimate and heartfelt portrait of the last generation of Soviet children brought up behind the Iron Curtain presents a complex picture of the challenges, dreams and disillusionments of this cross-over generation.

"On Coal River," USA, 2010, 81 minutes (Directors: Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood)—When residents of the Coal River Valley begin noticing that a host of medical problems are linked to a Massey-owned coal-waste dumping ground that sits above the local elementary school, they demand action. World Premiere.

"Sons of Perdition," USA, 2010, 85 minutes (Directors: Tyler Measom and Jennilyn Merten)—The film offers an eye-opening look into the world of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a branch of Mormonism that has continued the practice of polygamy since its emergence in the early 20th century. Far too often they exile young men, who are forced to find their way in a world previously unknown.

"Wo Ai Ni Mommy" (I Love You Mommy), China/USA, 2009, 76 minutes (Director: Stephanie Wang-Breal)—Eight-year-old Chinese Fang Sui Yong is adopted by a Jewish couple from Long Island who name her "Faith." The film follows Faith and her parents’ twist-and-turn journey over a year and a half. East Coast Premiere.

-continue to the following page for the rest of the lineup-

The Sterling World Feature Competition (with descriptions provided by the festival):

"The Arrivals," France/French Embassy, (2009), 111 minutes (Directors: Claudine Bories and Patrice Chagnard)—Arriving on the shores of France is merely the beginning of a labyrinthian journey for more than 50,000 refugees seeking asylum through the municipal reception center in Paris each year. North American Premiere.

"As Lilith," Israel, 2009, 78 minutes (Director: Eytan Harris)—After a 14-year-old Israeli girl commits suicide, her mother, Lilith, wants the body cremated. Before she can proceed, she must fight ZAKA, one of Israel’s most powerful religious organizations, which is fundamentally against cremation. East Coast Premiere.

"Budrus," Israel/Palestinian Territories/USA, 2009, 81 minutes (Director: Julia Bacha)—This rousing film about one Palestinian village and its unlikely hero—humble family man turned activist Ayed Morrar—reveals the power of ordinary people to peaceably fight for extraordinary change.

"Familia," Sweden/Peru/Spain, 2010, 82 minutes (Directors: Mikael Wiström and Alberto Herskovits)—Swedish filmmaker Mikael Wiström captures the emotional ups and downs of an impoverished Peruvian family struggling to create a better life and stay together in the midst of great difficulty. US Premiere.

"A Film Unfinished," Germany/Israel, 2009, 87 minutes (Director: Yael Hersonski)—In never before seen footage from a lost reel of an incomplete Nazi-produced propaganda film about Warsaw’s Jewish ghetto in 1942, the film captures images of manipulated and staged ghetto life mixed with stunning photographic evidence and testimony—all making for a riveting experience.

"Into Eternity," Finland, (2010), 73 minutes (Director: Michael Madsen)—This film ponders how to caution explorers from future civilizations who may be driven by curiosity, or a desire to understand their distant past, to stay clear of buried nuclear waste.

"Presumed Guilty," Mexico, 2009, 92 minutes (Directors: Roberto Hernández and Geoffrey Smith)—In its stunning indictment of Mexican jurisprudence, the film invites unsettling suspicion that legions of hapless prisoners face groundless decades behind bars. East Coast Premiere.

"Regretters," Sweden, 2010, 59 minutes (Director: Marcus Lindeen)—Mikael and Orlando are two aging Swedes with something unusual in common: They are both biological males who have undergone sex reassignment surgery but now wish to ‘change back.’ The pair’s startling testimony forms a complex philosophical interrogation of gender performance and selfhood.

"Space Tourists," Switzerland, 2009, 98 minutes (Director: Christian Frei)—Amid the crumbling infrastructure of the former Soviet military space program, Russians allow civilians to travel into space for the low, low price of $20 million. Meanwhile, poor herders in Central Asia wait expectantly for the discarded remains of the rocket to sell on the black market. East Coast Premiere.

"Steam Of Life," Finland, 2010, 82 minutes (Director: Joonas Bergh ll and Mika Hotakainen)—It’s neither a therapist’s office nor a lover’s bed where Finnish men’s deepest feelings about life, love and family are brought to the surface: It’s the sauna. The film allows the viewer to become a fly on the wall as it listens in on men—naked men—talking to other men (or occasionally a grizzly bear) in the sanctuary of the country’s ubiquitous saunas. US Premiere.

"The Woman With the Five Elephants," Germany/Switzerland/Ukraine, 2009, 92 minutes (Director: Vadim Jeydrenko)—Witness to unspeakable horrors, eighty-five-year-old Svetlana Geier has dedicated her life to language. Considered the greatest translator of Russian literature into German, Svetlana has just concluded her magnum opus, completing new translations of Dostoyevsky’s five great novels—known as the five elephants. US Premiere.

Good Pitch @ Silverdocs Announces Projects

Basil Tsiokos — Thu, 20 May 2010 07:16:33 GMT

Silverdocs has announced the eight social issue documentaries that will participate in the second annual Good Pitch taking place during the festival, June 21-27 in the Washington, DC area.

Good Pitch is a project of the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation in partnership with the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. The program, which travels to different festivals, including, most recently Tribeca, is a pitching forum for documentaries with a social issue focus, giving filmmakers the chance to seek financing and collaborative support for their projects and outreach campaigns from invited non-profits, foundations, advertising agencies, charities, and media.

One of last year's Good Pitch projects, "Budrus" by Julia Bacha, has already been successful on the festival circuit, including an award at Berlin, and screenings at Tribeca and Hot Docs. The film will be screening in this year's Silverdocs.

In announcing the participating Good Pitch projects for 2010, Silverdocs' Artistic Director Sky Sitney noted, in a prepared statement, “These inspiring film projects were selected for both their cinematic qualities and proposed campaigns."

The Good Pitch @ Silverdocs projects for 2010 follow, with descriptions provided by the festival:

"Dear Mandela" (Director: Dara Kell)—As South Africa prepares to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the government is trying to 'eradicate the slums' by evicting shack dwellers from their homes at gunpoint. DEAR MANDELA chronicles the rise of three young leaders and a non-violent movement to stop the bulldozers that are literally tearing apart homes and communities.

"Hell and Back Again" (Director: Danfung Dennis)—Dozens of films over the last decade have showcased the realities of war on the battlefield, but few have showcased the physical and mental pain that service members endure when faced with the challenges of readjusting to the lives they left back home.

"Higher Ground" (Director: Jon Shenk)—The film follows Maldives’ president Mohamed Nasheed in his Herculean effort to save 385,000 people from drowning as his nation of 1,200 low-lying islands are slipping below the rising sea levels due to global warming.

"The House That Herman Built" (Director: Angad Bhalla)—The film captures the remarkable creative journey and unlikely friendship between Herman Wallace, of the Angola 2 who has lived in a 6-foot-by-9-foot cell for over three decades, and artist Jackie Sumell. It looks at the transformative power of art while examining the injustice of prolonged solitary confinement.

"The Interrupters" (Director: Steve James)—The film chronicles a group of men and women in Chicago whose singular mission is to prevent shootings. The Interrupters were themselves once participants in street violence and guide the viewer through the discomfiting gunplay in America’s cities.

"$ h i t" (Director: Annika Gustafson)—A radical shift in sanitation for the urban poor through the promise of the “Peepoo”, a portable, self sanitizing toilet, sets the stage for an opportunity to save countless lives and provide much needed fertilizer. Can the Peepoo be accepted in the marketplace?

"The Truth Will Set You Free" (Director: Macky Alston)—Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay partnered bishop in the high church traditions of Christendom, is a key subject in this film chronicling a movement of activists and leaders seeking to restore balance in the current church/state battles for LGBT equality.

"A Whole Lott More" (Director: Victor Buhler)—Ohio’s Lott Industries employs 1,200 workers with developmental disabilities. For decades the company has built car parts at the highest level and capacity, but its livelihood is threatened by the current economic climate. The film follows a twelve-month period during which the company seeks to save itself and its employees.

Silverdocs Opens with "Freakonomics," Closes with "Tillman" Doc

Bryce J. Renninger — Tue, 18 May 2010 10:28:12 GMT

Magnolia Pictures' "Freakonomics," with its all-star lineup of documentarians, will open the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival. The festival announced that Amir Bar-Lev's Sundance title, "The Tillman Story," will close the festival. Silverdocs runs from June 21 to 27 in the Washington, DC area. The festival will soon announce its schedule of special events and its full lineup of more than 80 films.

"Freakonomics" based on Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner's bestseller "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Exposes the Hidden Side of Everything," has inspired a book sequel, a New York Times blog, and now a film. The film is directed in chapters by: Alex Gibney ("Taxi to the Dark Side"), Morgan Spurlock ("Super Size Me"), Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing ("Jesus Camp"), Eugene Jarecki ("Why We Fight"), and Seth Gordon ("King of Kong"). Gibney, Spurlock, Grady, and Ewing will attend the festival.

"The Tillman Story" explores the story of Pat Tillman, who walked away from his multimillion-dollar NFL contract to join the Army in 2002. The film works to find the truth of Tillman's death after his family refused to accept the official story given by the government.

Silverdocs Artistic Director Sky Sitney said in a prepared statement, “We are thrilled to open Festival with "Freakonomics," one of this year’s most highly anticipated documentaries,” “Thanks to a team of celebrated documentarians, one of the best-selling books of the past decade debuts on the big screen for a riveting cinematic experience. Amir Bar-Lev's 'The Tillman Story'...encompasses the very spirit of the festival: films of social significance told with artistry and a mastery of the form.”