June 7, 2016 | POV’s daily list of essential reading for the documentary and independent filmmaking community.

‘Growing Up Coy’ Explores the Fallout After a Family Fought for Its Transgender Child
The story of Coy Mathis, a transgender girl who was born a boy, garnered international attention in 2013 when her parents, Jeremy and Kathryn Mathis, filed a complaint accusing the school district of violating the state’s anti-discrimination law. The Mathises went on to win their case, but not before coming under heavy criticism for putting Coy, then a 6-year-old first grader, in front of reporters and camera crews and on television with Katie Couric. Now, they’re poised to be foisted back into the spotlight with the documentary Growing Up Coy, which has its premiere on June 16 in New York at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
Read more | The New York Times »

Syrian Teen’s 9-Minute Doc Hits Cannes, Sundance, L.A. Film Fest
Khaldiya Jibawi dreams of being a documentary filmmaker. And she’s off to a great start. The 18-year-old Syrian refugee made her first film in a refugee camp in Jordan, and it’s been shown at Sundance, SXSW and the Cannes Film Festival, to name a few. This weekend, her documentary shows at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Read more | NPR »

50 Best Documentaries on Netflix Right Now
Netflix is streaming more documentaries. Netflix Life put together a list that ranks the 50 Best Documentaries that are streaming on Netflix. The list also includes some POV films, The Act of Killing, Food, Inc., Brooklyn Castle, The Overnighters, etc.
Read more | Netflix Life »

What happens when a 50-something journalist gets a week’s worth of news from Snapchat Discover?
Snapchat wants to be a news source. So the founder of PolitiFact, Bill Adair, spent the last week on a Snapchat-only diet. Giving up his breakfast routine of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Politico Playbook, he tried to survive on the light snacks from the app’s Discover providers. In the words of the cliché-loving journalists who write for Snapchat’s content partners, the results may surprise you!
Read more | Nieman Lab »

A Massive List of Summer 2016 Grants All Filmmakers Should Know About
One of the most important things to make a successful non-fiction is to get your film funded. The listed grants, markets, and pitch opportunities are organized by deadline from June to August, with a few early September deadlines thrown in.
Read more | No Film School »

Upcoming festivals and deadlines
This Week

  • Encounters South African International Documentary Festival 6/2-6/12
  • Early Deadline: IDA Documentary Awards 6/7
  • Deadline: NEH Digital Projects for the Public 6/8
  • Sheffield Doc/Fest: Sheffield International Documentary Festival 6/10-6/15
  • Seattle International Film Festival 5/19-6/12
  • LA Film Festival 6/1-6/9
  • Seattle International Brooklyn Film Festival 6/3-6/12
  • Seattle International Film Festival 5/19-6/12
  • TV OF TOMORROW – SAN FRANCISCO 6/7-6/8
  • Alliance 2016 (Oakland CA)
  • Cross Video Days 2016 Content Market 6/8-6/10
  • Greenwich International Film Festival 6/9-6/12
  • Greenwich International Film Festival 6/9-6/12
  • Human Rights Watch Film Festival, New York 6/10-6/19

Next Week

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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.