March 6, 2017 | POV’s daily list of essential reading for the documentary and independent filmmaking community.

True/False Films Take on Race
The True/False Film Fest each year includes films that challenge viewers to think about social issues. This year, several of those films either tackle racial inequality head-on or include it as an aspect of their stories.
Read more | Columbia Daily Tribune »

Documentary: ‘The Settlers,’ on Control of the West Bank
In Shimon Dotan’s incisive new documentary, The Settlers (now playing in New York City), the history of the settlements and its place in the psyche of the Jewish people is explored in surprisingly clear detail — enough to make the viewer realize just how little we have understood this region’s history.
Read more | CBS News »

Sundance Now, a Film Festival Built for This Screen
In its more than 30 years of existence, the Sundance Film Festival has obtained a name recognition unlike that of any other industry event besides Cannes. The biggest independent film festival in the United States, held in January in a town whose big business is skiing, it’s a rite of passage for both scrappy, small-budget filmmakers and Hollywood names seeking what was once called indie cred. Its frequently circuslike atmosphere is a well-known component of its notoriety.
Read more | New York Times »

Report from Big Sky: Tips on Documentary Pitching
Given the recent Presidential threats to refugees and immigrants, it seemed only fitting that The New Neighbors Project: Self-Directed Stories from the New American West, which aims to put cameras in the hands of refugees and immigrants in Montana, won the inaugural pitch competition for Tribeca Film Institute’s IF/Then Pitch competition during the recent 14th annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, Montana.
Read more | Filmmaker Magazine »

‘Documentary Now’s Melancholy Maysles Brothers Homage Originally Had an Insanely Violent Ending
In addition to the dazzling level of detail that goes into its homages to classic nonfiction films, Documentary Now is remarkable for its willingness to indulge a strain of pronounced melancholy, which is one of many reasons why the word “parody” doesn’t actually do the series justice.
Read more | Slate »

Martin Scorsese Announces Initiative to Restore Classic African Films — Watch Trailer
Martin Scorsese has launched an initiative to locate, restore and preserve classic African movies. Scorsese’s The Film Foundation has partnered with the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) and UNESCO to create The African Film Heritage Project (AFHP). As part of this initiative, 50 films with “historic, artistic and cultural significance,” will be restored.
Read more | IndieWire »

Upcoming Festivals and Deadlines

This Week

  • Thessaloniki Documentary Festival Mar 3 – 12
  • CAAMFest Mar 9 – 19
  • SXSW Film Festival Mar 10 – 18

Next Week

  • Thessaloniki Documentary Festival Mar 3 – 12
  • CAAMFest Mar 9 – 19
  • SXSW Film Festival Mar 10 – 18
  • Deadline: IDFAcademy Summer School Mar 15
  • CPH:DOX Mar 16 – 26

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs!

Published by

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.