September 19, 2016 | POV’s daily list of essential reading for the documentary and independent filmmaking community.

‘The White Helmets’: How the Stars Of Netflix’s Doc Are Making A Difference in Syria’s Civil War
The director and producer of the new documentary explain how they came to discover the real heroes of Syria’s civil war. “As the world holds out hope for peace in Syria, the White Helmets will continue to do their work of saving their friends, families and neighbors ­wholly embodying their motto: “To save a life is to save all of humanity.” Certainly for those of us fortunate to live in comfort and safety, we feel that their optimism and selflessness might just be the thing that saves us all from despair.”
Read more | IndieWire »

Feeling Empathetic through Virtual Reality at IFP Film Week
At a panel titled “Volumetric Filmmaking – Designing Participatory Stories,” two representatives from Scatter, an immersive media studio, spoke about the challenges and opportunities facing creators in the VR space. One challenge in the coming years is to find a way to build 3D models that allow creators that same freedom that video games have, but with photo-realism and free from site-specific constraints.
Read more | Filmmaker Magazine »

Announcing the TIFF ’16 Award Winners
The TIFF ’16 winners include Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro for the Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award. Fisher Stevens’ Before the Flood is second runner up, and the first runner up is Steve James’ ABACUS: Small Enough to Jail.
Read more | TIFF »

Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s Documentary ‘Human’ Bought by Kino Lorber
Arthus-Bertrand, who authored the 1999 book “Earth From Above” and directed 2009’s Home, assembled stories and images from around the world, aimed at presenting a cinematic immersion to the core of what it means to be human. He and his crew interviewed of 2,000 people in 60 countries over a three-year period.
Read more | Variety »

Filmmaker Alma Har’el Launches Historic Initiative To ‘Free The Bid’ For Female Commercial Directors
Filmmaker Alma Har’el, the director behind award-winning documentaries Bombay Beach and LoveTrue, has long also worked in the commercial space, and now she’s setting out to enact change on a side of the industry that is plagued by sexism. With her new initiative, Free the Bid, Har’el is asking ad agencies, production companies and brands to take a simple pledge: For a woman director bid on every commercial. Yes, that’s every commercial.
Read more | IndieWire »

Upcoming Festivals and Deadlines
This Week

  • IFP Film Week 9/17-22
  • Deadline: 2017 SXSW Film Festival 9/22

Next Week

  • Getting Real ’16 9/27-9/29
  • 54th New York Film Festival 9/30-10/16
  • Deadline: 2017 Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship 9/30
  • Deadline: San Francisco Virtual Reality International Film Festival & Expo 9/30

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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.