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

Filmmaker Kirsten Johnson: How I Betrayed My Mother
A documentary maker who has worked on Oscar-winning films, Kirsten Johnson offers a transgressive new movie that lays bare the ethical dilemmas inherent in filming. Speaking of the motivation behind her new film, Cameraperson, “I care deeply about what I do and I have the greatest love for the craft of film-making, but, at this moment, the admission of the dilemmas that documentary film-making entails seems an important issue for me.”
Read more | The Guardian »

TIFF 2016: 13 Movies We Can’t Wait To See At The Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival kicks off this week, and with it, the rest of a very busy fall festival season. The annual festival plays home to over 300 new films, but here are 13 IndieWire is most excited to finally lay our eyes on.
Read more | IndieWire »

SXSW: Announcing Keynote Lee Daniels and Second Round of Featured Speakers
Following our first announcement of the season featuring Keynotes Jennifer Doudna, Jill Soloway, and select speakers, SXSW reveals Academy Award-nominated Director Lee Daniels as Film Keynote, the second round of Featured Speakers, and first Featured Session. The SXSW Conference will include 13 total Keynote speakers announced throughout the season, along with a plethora of Featured Speakers.
Read more | sxsw »

Video is giving The New Yorker a way to reach new readers without turning off existing diehards
While many publishers are chasing speed and high output in video production, the New Yorker’s pace in video matches its print — slow, deliberate, and focused on getting the story right and protecting the brand.
Read more | NiemanLab »

WestEnd Boards Benedict Cumberbatch-Narrated Mindfulness Film ‘Walk With Me,’ Releases Trailer
WestEnd Films has acquired worldwide rights to Walk With Me, a documentary film about mindfulness and spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. The documentary is “a cinematic journey into the world of mindfulness — the practice of bringing one’s attention to the present moment — and Thich Nhat Hanh, known as ‘The Father of Mindfulness,’ ‘The Other Dalai Lama’ and ‘The Zen Master who fills stadiums,'” WestEnd said in statement.
Read more | Variety »

Berlin Festival to Launch Documentary Film Prize
The 2017 Berlin Film Festival will feature a new award honoring documentary films. The Glashutte Original Documentary Award, endowed with a $56,000 (€50,000) cash bursary, will go to the best nonfiction film from across all of Berlin’s festival sections.
Read more | Hollywood Reporter »

Upcoming Festivals and Deadlines
This Week

  • Open Call: Tribeca Film Festival Submissions 9/6
  • Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 9/8-18
  • Late Deadline: POV Digital Lab in LA and SF 9/9

Next Week

  • Deadline: CAAMFest 9/12
  • Deadline: IDFA DocLab Academy 9/12
  • Deadline: Docs For Sale 9/15
  • First Deadline: CPH DOX 2017 9/15
  • Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 9/8-18
  • 12th Camden International Film Festival 9/15-18
  • IFP Film Week 9/17-22

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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.