September 27, 2016 | POV’s daily list of essential reading for the documentary and independent filmmaking community.
Watch Bill Hader’s genius Spalding Gray parody for “Documentary Now!”
The latest episode of IFC’s sublime parody “Documentary Now!” riffs on an 1987 Jonathan Demme documentary that you probably haven’t seen. Fortunately, all that a person needs is to be familiar with Hader’s brilliant character work, which is channeled to ridiculously indulgent effect in this piece.
Read more | Salon
How to Keep Your Subjects Safe: Nanette Burstein on Dangerous Documentary (PODCAST)
Oscar-nominated director Nanette Burstein’s latest film, Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee, put her life—and the lives of her subjects—at risk. She discusses balancing her desire to find a great story with the need for safety.
Read more | No Film School
‘The 13th’ Trailer: Ava DuVernay’s New York Film Festival Opener Takes A Hard Look At Racism In America — Watch
The film is the first-ever nonfiction feature to open the New York Film Festival. Named for the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, “the film chronicles the history of racial inequality in the United States, examining how our country has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with the majority of prisoners being African-American.”
Read more | No Film School
Fox Searchlight and The Birth of a Nation Launch Voter Registration
Fox Searchlight Pictures and “The Birth of a Nation” are supporting National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, September 27 by launching a nationwide voter registration initiative to encourage Americans to register to vote.
Read more | IndieWire »
Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles
Evan Spiegel, CEO of renamed Snap Inc., calls the video-sharing sunglasses “a toy” but sees an upside to freeing his app from smartphone cameras.
Read more | The Wall Street Journal »
This Doc Is the Moving Story of a Latina High School Soccer Team Helping Each Other Overcome Hardship
In the Game, a documentary by Maria Finitzo, follows a group of young Latinas from Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood through four years of their lives.
Read more | Remezcla »
Peccadillo Takes U.S. Documentary “Real Boy” for U.K. (EXCLUSIVE)
Film to receive a special release under the distributor’s PoutFest touring film festival next U.K. summer. Directed by Shaleece Haas, Real Boy is a coming-of-age story about transgender teen musician Bennett Wallace as he navigates his journey through the transitioning process, juxtaposed with his mother’s own journey from deep misgivings to acceptance and finally support.
Read more | Variety »
Upcoming Festivals and Deadlines
This Week
- Getting Real ’16 Sept 27-29
- 54th New York Film Festival Sept 30-Oct 16
- Deadline: 2017 Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship Sept 30
- Deadline: San Francisco Virtual Reality International Film Festival and Expo
Next Week
- Double Exposure: Investigative Film Festival Oct 6-8
- Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Oct 7-16
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