January 9, 2017 | POV’s daily list of essential reading for the documentary and independent filmmaking community.

Golden Globes 2017: Hollywood Finds Its Voice as Trump Takes the Presidency
Leave it to Hollywood treasure Meryl Streep to give Hollywood a 2017 rallying cry — and remind the industry, gathered Sunday night at the Beverly Hilton, that they have a voice and a say in where this country is heading.
Read more | IndieWire »

Oscar Odds Stacked Against Documentary Directors
In the nearly 75 years since the Oscars began awarding a documentary feature, no non-fiction filmmaker has ever been nominated for director, despite being eligible for the prize. The most obvious reason is that “directing” seems antithetical to the spirit of nonfiction, which is about revealing unsullied truths about the world in which we live. Documentary directors have been generally regarded as observers or journalists, rather than as creative artists, and the Oscar process has, until recently, rewarded more conservative approaches to the form.
Read more | Variety »

The Biggest Reveals in Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher’s New HBO Documentary
Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, the highly anticipated documentary about the relationship between the late Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, debuted on HBO. Billed as “an intimate portrait of Hollywood royalty in all its eccentricity,” the 95-minute film documented nearly a year of the Hollywood icons lives, leading up to Reynolds’ 2015 acceptance of her Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, which Fisher presented.
Read more | People »

Film Independent Names 2017 Filmmaker Grant Winners
Film Independent has announced the three winners of its 2017 Spirit Awards filmmaker grants. The organization, which produces the Spirit Awards and the LA Film Festival, named the winners today during its annual Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch, which was held at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood. The event was hosted by Sterling K. Brown and Issa Rae, who handed out the awards.
Read more | Deadline »

25 Movies We Can’t Wait to See at Sundance 2017
While most folks are looking back at the past year’s highlights and what’s likely to nab Oscar nods, the Sundance Film Festival is looking ahead – not just to what may end up on folks’ best-of lists or awards’ voters ballots 12 months from now (remember, this is where Boyhood premiered in 2014, and where Manchester by the Sea had its very first screening last year), but toward the future. For almost four decades, before it even adopted the name of a famous screen outlaw, Robert Redford’s Utah-based fest has been searching for the big “what’s next.”
Read more | Rolling Stone »

Upcoming Festivals and Deadlines

This Week

  • Deadline: Hot Docs Doc X Program submissions Jan 9
  • Deadline: Hot Docs late submissions Jan 9
  • Applications Open: 2017 IFP Labs (Narrative, Documentary, and Serialized Projects) Jan 10
  • Deadline: NEH Media Development & Media Production Grants Jan 11
  • Deadline: Screen Australia’s Documentary Development Funding Jan 13

Next Week

  • Deadline: Edinburgh International Film Festival Submissions Jan 18
  • Sundance Film Festival Jan 19 – 29
  • Premiers Plans – Angers Film Festival Jan 20 – 29

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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.