February 17, 2017 | POV’s daily list of essential reading for the documentary and independent filmmaking community.
David Bowie Documentary The Last Five Years Coming to HBO
David Bowie: The Last Five Years, the documentary that explores the final years of Bowie’s career, is coming to HBO, the company announced today. It marks the first time the film will be broadcast in the United States, following its debut on the BBC earlier this year. The HBO premiere date has not yet been announced.
Read more | Pitchfork »
Syrian Subject of Documentary Short ‘Watani’ Talks About Attending the Oscars
But we have just learned that one of the subjects of Watani, Hala Kamil, has obtained a visa to attend the awards. The mother of four, followed in the film as the family escapes Syria to resettle in Germany, also made a bittersweet statement about the honor. She accepts the honor of attending in the memory of her husband, who was kidnapped and likely killed by ISIS.
Read more | Nonfics »
Why Documentaries Matter Now More Than Ever (Guest Column)
There is “urgent need for the stories of people’s real-world experiences,” writes Simon Kilmurry, the executive director of the International Documentary Association, as this year’s Oscar contenders tell stories that explore timely issues amid political churn and “alternative facts.”
Read more | Hollywood Reporter »
EEOC: Major Studios Failed To Hire Female Directors; Lawsuit Looms
The EEOC is in settlement talks with the major studios to resolve charges that they systemically discriminated against female directors. “Every one of the major studios has received a charge contending that they failed to hire women directors,” a knowledgeable source told Deadline.
Read more | Deadline »
New Directors/New Films 2017: ‘Patti Cake$,’ ‘Beach Rats,’ ‘Person to Person’ Lead Slate
New Directors/New Films, the annual New York festival of work by emerging filmmakers presented by the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, has set a 2017 lineup of 29 features and nine shorts that includes Geremy Jasper’s Patti Cake$, Eliza Hittman’s Beach Rats and Dustin Guy Defa’s Person to Person in prominent slots.
Read more | Variety »
‘Unbroken Glass’ Explores How Mental Illness Shaped One Indian-American Family
Unbroken Glass starts a weeklong run at the Gene Siskel Film Center on February 17. Morning Shift talks to Dinesh Sabu about his documentary.
Read more | IndieWire »
Upcoming Festivals and Deadlines
This Week
- Berlinale Feb 9 – 19
- Doc Fortnight 2017: MoMA’s International Festival of Nonfiction Film and Media Feb 16 – 26
- Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Feb 17 – 26
- Deadline: 2017 Tribeca Snapchat Shorts Submissions Feb 17
- Deadline: Art of Brooklyn Film Festival Submission Feb 17
- Deadline: ITVS Digital Open Call Feb 17
- Deadline: Nantucket Film Festival Submissions Feb 17
Next Week
- Berlinale Feb 9 – 19
- Doc Fortnight 2017: MoMA’s International Festival of Nonfiction Film and Media Feb 16 – 26
- Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Feb 17 – 26
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