POV production assistant Andrew Catauro writes in with the latest news from the Tribeca Film Institute. Last night, in a new partnership with Renew Media, the Tribeca Film Institute awarded its 2008 Media Arts Fellowships at the New York Academy of Art. POV Executive Director Simon Kilmurry and I attended the ceremony honoring the recipients. […]

Speaking of POV flashbacks and film updates, I finally got the chance to check out a link that fellow staffer Eliza Licht sent around the office a couple weeks ago. Shelby Knox, the central character in The Education of Shelby Knox (POV 2005), recently became a blogger for the Huffington Post. Her beat, not surprisingly, […]

Yance Ford is in Durham, North Carolina this weekend, where she’s blogging from the 2008 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. The 2008 Full Frame Film Festival got off to an enthusiastic start in Durham last night. Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former presidential candidate John Edwards, addressed the crowd at Fletcher Hall. She spoke about the […]

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival kicks off this week in Durham, North Carolina. Now in its eleventh year, the festival brings filmmakers and film lovers to the historic Carolina Theater for four days of documentaries — and it’s become one of the most celebrated doc festivals in the country. This year’s roster includes work […]

Earlier this month, Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar hit the road with Made in L.A. (POV 2007), visiting organizations and schools throughout Northern California. The film was received enthusiastically by standing-room-only crowds from Santa Cruz to San Diego. Almudena wrote in to share the experience with us and to encourage other filmmakers to tap into […]

Helene Klodawsky’s No More Tears Sister, a documentary about Dr. Rajani Thiranagama, a tireless crusader for human rights in Sri Lanka, aired on POV in 2006. Her latest film, Family Motel, will have its New York premiere this weekend as part of the Canadian Front series at the Museum of Modern Art. This weekend, Helene […]

Adele Horne is the filmmaker behind The Tailenders (POV 2006), which examines missionary activity, the loss of languages around the world and global capitalism in an unusual and essayistic way. Adele, winner of the “Truer Than Fiction” Award at the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards, writes in with her thoughts on the history of essay films. […]

Environmental issues are a hot topic this election year. David Nanasi caught up with POV alum Judith Helfand (A Healthy Baby Girl, POV 1997 and True Lives 2005, and The Uprising of ’34, POV 1995) and Daniel B. Gold to hear more about what they’ve been doing to support their latest film, Everything’s Cool. Both […]

We hosted our annual POV brunch on Sunday — a welcome relief from the hectic pace of screenings, parties and general mischief that seems to be the Sundance routine. First to arrive was Steven Sebring and Patti Smith — an artist who changed my life at a formative stage. Steven’s film Patti Smith: Dream of […]

The Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) and the Directors Guild of America (DGA) recently announced the roster of nominees for their respective 2008 Awards. In the category of Best Documentary Screenplay for the Writers Guild Awards, the nominees were: The Camden 28, Written by Anthony Giacchino, First Run Features (POV 2007) Nanking, Screenplay by Bill […]

Over the years, we’ve conducted hundreds of Behind the Lens interviews with POV filmmakers. These interviews air during the broadcast of the films on PBS, and are made available as podcasts and edited interviews via the POV website. But in the interest of brevity, a lot of fascinating insights, materials and advice end up on […]

POV alums Doug Hawes-Davis and Drury Gunn Carr (Libby, Montana, 2007) made their documentary short, Star Spangled Blues, as part of the International Documentary Challenge, a timed filming competition, held every year in March. The short won the best writing and best original song awards. Star Spangled Blues (2006) is a contemplative and moving look […]