August 16, 2016 | POV’s daily list of essential reading for the documentary and independent filmmaking community.
How natural are nature documentaries?
The promise of nature documentaries is that they will show you a world that you otherwise could not see. Few have perfected this form for the mainstream like the BBC. They’ve made a number of blockbuster documentaries: Planet Earth, The Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet, to name just a few. From this tradition comes the newest BBC documentary, The Hunt, which focuses on the tactics predators use to stalk prey. But just how honest are these films?
Read more | The Verge »
Tribeca Film Festival Sets 2017 Dates, Promotes New Programming Director
The Tribeca Film Festival has set the dates for its 2017 edition, including submission deadlines in advance of the April festival, and promoted longtime staffer Cara Cusumano to director of programming. Submissions open Sept. 6 for consideration for the upcoming fest, with Oct. 19 the early deadline ahead of official entry deadline A, Nov. 23, for features, TV and episodic storytelling and new online work, and then deadline B, Dec. 2, for shorts and experimental storytelling. Dec. 14 marks the late entry deadline for world premiere features and TV/episodic work.
Read more | Variety »
Documentary pays? Navigating the “anti-system”
In every generation, there’s a small group of doc makers for whom “sustainability” is more than a buzzword. They’re able to make that second documentary – then third, then fourth – and sustain lengthy, sometimes illustrious, careers. But most doc makers working today fall outside of that elite circle. As the Center for Media & Social Media (CMSI) have found in a forthcoming study, 67% of respondents who identified as documentary professionals don’t make their primary living through doc filmmaking.
Read more | Realscreen »
9 Genius Filmmaking Tips from Roger Corman, the “Pope of Pop Cinema”
While many directors consider low-budget filmmaking to be just a step in an ever more glamorous career, Roger Corman has made his home in the indie world. And now he is one of the most lauded director/producers in Hollywood, still active at age 90, with over 400 works on his filmography. Corman, a B-movie kin, explains what it takes to stay true to your vision.
Read more | No Film School »
NYFF Announces Lineup For Immersive Storytelling Program Convergence
The Film Society of Lincoln Center today announced the lineup for Convergence, its highly anticipated immersive storytelling program, which will run October 1–4 as part of the 54th New York Film Festival. It includes two U.S. premieres and one world premiere amongst the nine interactive works, as well as five panels from innovators of the field.
Read more | IndieWire »
This short BBC Documentary Is The Spookiest Thing You’ll See Today
Since the 1970s, thousands of people across the globe have reported hearing a strange humming sound incessantly pulsating in their ears – and we’re not talking about tinnitus. In fact, some claim the weird sound has persisted for so long that it has started driving them nuts, disturbing their concentration during the day and haunting them in their sleep. In a new short documentary for BBC, journalist Linda Geddes goes on a thrilling quest to pinpoint the source of the strange hum.
Read more | The Next Web »
8th New York Architecture and Design Film Festival Line-Up Announced
Following the burgeoning success of the 7th New York Architecture and Design Film Festival (ADFF), this year’s incarnation—which will run September 28 through October 2 2016 at Cinépolis Chelsea—appears set to maintain its position as the nation’s and most popular largest subject-focused film event. Over 30 feature-length and short films, curated by Festival Director Kyle Bergman, will be presented.
Read more | Arch Daily »
Upcoming festivals and deadlines
- Deadline: Hot Docs-Blue Ice Group Documentary Fund 8/19
- Deadline: DOK Hackathon & Prototype Jam 8/28
- 73rd Venice International Film Festival 8/31 – 9/10
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