August 2, 2016 | POV’s daily list of essential reading for the documentary and independent filmmaking community.

Rewatching a Gold-Medal Olympic Documentary
Every modern Olympics—even the first, in Athens in 1896—has been recorded on film. Some of the most famous documentaries inspired by the Games include Leni Riefenstahl’s Olympia, her record of the 1936 Berlin Games (released in 1938), and David Wolper’s Visions of Eight (1973), in which eight filmmakers (one of whom is Kon Ichikawa) picked an event to cover at the 1972 Munich Games. But the gold-medal standard of Olympics films is Ichikawa’s Tokyo Olympiad (1965). Which doesn’t mean that the Japanese director’s documentary of the 1964 Games is by any means a typical sports film.
Read more | The Wall Street Journal »

US Olympic Boxer Shields Stronger After Conflict With Coach
Claressa Shields won a gold medal as the most dominant fighter in London at the first Olympic women’s boxing tournament. After reigning atop the amateur sport for the ensuing three years, the ferocious American middleweight was favored to win gold again in Rio de Janeiro. And here came this Irish boxing coach trying to change her game. Shields also smiles at the memory of her introduction to Walsh, the respected amateur coach who took over the U.S. boxing team late last year. Click on the following link for information about the documentary on Shields: T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold.
Read more | The Washington Post »

10 Facts About The Films That Inspired Documentary Now!
Documentary Now! combines the brilliant character work of Fred Armisen and Bill Hader while paying tribute to some of the best documentaries of all time. As you rewatch the first season of Documentary Now! on IFC this month before season 51 premieres on September 14th at 10P, check out some facts about the real documentaries that inspired this hilarious series.
Read more | IFC »

Critics’ Choice Group Launches Documentary Film Awards
The Broadcast Film Critics Association and Broadcast Television Journalists Association, the groups that present the Critics’ Choice Awards, have established another annual awards show: the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, which will honor both documentary features and non-fiction television.
Read more | The Hollywood Reporter »

Milwaukee Film Festival sets Black Lens lineup
The 2016 Milwaukee Film Festival’s Black Lens program will range from documentaries about Maya Angelou and urban gardening to a cutting-edge drama shot entirely on an iPhone. The film festival, which unveiled this year’s Black Lens program Tuesday, also announced that there will be a $5,000 jury prize and a new Black Lens Engagement Committee, designed to expand community outreach for the program.
Read more | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel »

Every Filmmaking Form You’ll Ever Need in 99 Free Templates
Ease your workload (and your mind) with these free templates for everything from storyboarding to contracts to accounting. No one really feels like doing paperwork, but let’s be honest: no good film comes without organization and planning. That’s where templates can help you out. They really help save time for what matters most: letting your creativity flow and producing breathtaking movies that won’t be forgotten.
Read more | No Film School »

Upcoming festivals and deadlines

  • Deadline: DOK Co-Pro Market Submission 8/1
  • Deadline: IDFA DocLab 8/1
  • Deadline: International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 8/1
  • Deadline: HBF Post-Production Grant 8/1

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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.