March 13, 2017 | POV’s list of essential reading for the documentary and independent filmmaking community.
‘Eyes on the Prize’ Producer On Making A Civil Rights Documentary Before Its Time
The 14-part PBS series covered 30 years of the civil rights movement, winning two Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards. Producer and cinematographer Jon Else says only primary sources were on screen.
Read more | NPR »
In the Age of Alternative Facts, Decoding Truth in Documentary
Documentary is the most hybrid of media creations. Lacking the full-blown invention of scripted movies but also the hard-knuckled reality of broadcast news, it occupies a more powerful in-between. Like scripted film, it has the power to suspend assumptions and persuade us into new beliefs. But it does so without asking us to leave reality behind; documentary actively wants to shape our world and increase its comprehensibility.
Read more | Los Angeles Times »
Over 68 Million People Watched Documentaries on Netflix in 2016 — and It’s Helping Them Have a Big Impact
While Netflix is most famous for promoting the concept of “binge-watching,” another area it has innovated in is helping unlock the commercial power of documentaries. From smash hit Making a Murderer, which actually seemed to have a real impact on the murder cases it documented, to a string of nominations for Oscars and Golden Globes, Netflix has emerged as a powerhouse in documentary film.
Read more | Business Insider »
A Director on His New Film About Syria: “We Want People to Look This Tragedy in the Face”
A few weeks ago, I saw a screening of a new documentary film called Cries From Syria. It was a punishing watch. The film is raw, emotional, and relentlessly honest about the costs of war. The director, Evgeny Afineevsky, an American citizen who was born in the former USSR, doesn’t spare the viewer any discomfort.
Read more | Vox »
Meet the First Woman Filmmaker Most People Have Never Even Heard Of — Watch
If you ask most people familiar with the history of film to name some of the early trailblazers, you’re bound to hear Georges Méliès and the Lumière Brothers quite a few times. As for Alice Guy-Blaché? Well, even if she is mentioned, her name will reoccur far less than her male contemporaries, despite the fact that she is just as influential, if not more so.
Read more | IndieWire »
Upcoming Festivals and Deadlines
This Week
- CAAMFest Mar 9 – 19
- SXSW Film Festival Mar 10 – 18
- Deadline: IDFAcademy Summer School Mar 15
- CPH:DOX Mar 16 – 26
Next Week
- CAAMFest Mar 9 – 19
- CPH:DOX Mar 16 – 26
- Deadline: CAAM Documentary Fund
- CPH:FORUM Mar 22 – 23
- Cinéma du Réel Mar 24 – Apr 2
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