May 18, 2016 | POV’s daily list of essential reading for the documentary and independent filmmaking community.

Cannes Doc Day: Making an impact with emotions, not just issues
At the first Doc Day Conference at Cannes, organized by the Marche’s Doc Corner and The Ford Foundation’s Just Films with Screen International as the media partner, filmmakers and producers discussed the theme of Global Awareness For Social Justice: Impact-Making Documentaries. Signe Byrge Sorenson of Copenhagen’s Final Cut For Real also spoke at the conference about her experience working on Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act Of Killing and The Look Of Silence.
Read more | Screen Daily »


Cannes: Laura Poitras talks ‘Risk’
Just before the Doc Day conference at Cannes, award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras talked about her new film Risk, and her passion for short filmmaking, or “visual journalism.” In the interview, Poitras said, “We make movies, that’s our number-one job, to make a film that’s good; it’s not just about the issues.”
Read more | Screen Daily »

Day in the Life: What a New York Times’ documentary producer does
Kathleen Lingo is the executive producer of The NYT’s Op-Docs, a series of films in differing formats from virtual reality to animated based in the newspaper’s op-ed section. While live and reactionary video is the current format trending for publishers’ video efforts, but The New York Times is finding that its slow-churn efforts have a following, too.
Read more | Digiday »

Equity Crowdfunding is Here – And It Could Be Terrible For Indie Filmmakers
As of May 16, equity crowdfunding is legal — and anyone can become a real investor in an independent film. More money for filmmakers sounds like potentially great news, but top voices in the crowdfunding community, including Kickstarter, are sounding notes of serious caution.
Read more | IndieWire »

Celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage and History with PBS Films
In honor of Asian Pacific Heritage and History month, PBS is streaming free films and shorts to celebrate! The various films explore the very core of what this very diverse identity/identities is/are from the past to the present and into the future.
Read more | PBS »

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POV Staff
POV Staff
POV (a cinema term for "point of view") is television's longest-running showcase for independent non-fiction films. POV premieres 14-16 of the best, boldest and most innovative programs every year on PBS. Since 1988, POV has presented over 400 films to public television audiences across the country. POV films are known for their intimacy, their unforgettable storytelling and their timeliness, putting a human face on contemporary social issues.