Exclusive: The producers of Oscar winners Moonlight and Icarus, Oscar nominee Carol and Showtime series Billions, are among those bringing new projects to the Ifp Project Forum, which runs during the 40th Ifp Week in New York.
This year’s particularly buzzy Project Forum slate will comprise 150 U.S. and international films, series, digital and audio projects (for the first time) in different stages of development.
The co-production market will feature new narrative films and series from producers and Ep’s including Lamb On The Throne from Adele Romanski (Moonlight) and Sara Murphy (Land Ho!), Breezin’ from Amy Lo (Nancy), The Gymnast from Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Billions), The Fugitive Game from Ryan Cunningham (Broad City), Sleepwalkfrom Ryan Zacarias (A Ciambra), Bitterroot from Giulia Caruso & Ki Jin Kim (Columbus) and Nine Days from Jason Michael Berman (Amateur), Mette-Marie Kongsved (I Don’t Feel At Home In This World...
This year’s particularly buzzy Project Forum slate will comprise 150 U.S. and international films, series, digital and audio projects (for the first time) in different stages of development.
The co-production market will feature new narrative films and series from producers and Ep’s including Lamb On The Throne from Adele Romanski (Moonlight) and Sara Murphy (Land Ho!), Breezin’ from Amy Lo (Nancy), The Gymnast from Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Billions), The Fugitive Game from Ryan Cunningham (Broad City), Sleepwalkfrom Ryan Zacarias (A Ciambra), Bitterroot from Giulia Caruso & Ki Jin Kim (Columbus) and Nine Days from Jason Michael Berman (Amateur), Mette-Marie Kongsved (I Don’t Feel At Home In This World...
- 7/26/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
With the passing of seminal documentarian Albert Maysles on March 5, it would only be appropriate to speak to Susan Froemke, his long time friend and frequent co-director. Albert Maysles –along with his brother David - made some of the most iconic American documentaries of all time, all the while revolutionizing the art form, largely through the utilization of cinema verite or direct cinema. This documentary motif, which grew popular by the Maysles and their contemporaries like D.A. Pennebaker and Richard Leacock, actually had been invented by Jean Rouch and originally inspired by Dziga Vertov’s theory about Kino Pravda nearly a century ago.
Cinema verite is sometimes called observational cinema, but that does not entirely explain its phenomenon; the style is largely concerned with the recording of events in which the subject and audience become unaware of the camera’s presence. One can feel the visceral and –at times- spontaneous reactions by its performers. (Take for instance Mick Jagger’s despair upon seeing footage of one of his fans killed at the Altamont Free Concert by a member of the Hells Angels in "Gimme Shelter").
The Maysles’ brothers were co-directors of acclaimed films such as the aforementioned "Gimme Shelter," "Grey Gardens" and "Salesman." They continued to make cinema verite documentaries together for thirty years until David’s death in 1987. They chronicled Hollywood luminaries like Orson Welles and Marlon Brando, and also chronicled the Beatles’ first visit to the U.S. Their range was vast and eclectic. They were nominated for a Best Documentary, Short Subjects Academy Award in 1974 for "Christo’s Valley Curtain." Afterward, Albert Maysles would co-direct with Deborah Dickson and Susan Froemke, and would go on to win an Emmy in 1992 for "Abortion: Desperate Choices." Up until his death, Albert continued making films on his own and in collaboration with other filmmakers for HBO and others. The collaboration between Albert Maysles and Susan Froemke had been just as impressive. Such films as "Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic" and "Ozawa" are part of their canon. Perhaps their most prominent collaboration (along with Deborah Dickson) was the 2001 Oscar nominated "Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton," which followed a Mississippi Delta school district and a struggling Delta family. The film reflected the damaging effects of poverty in the Deep South.
In this Exclusive interview, Susan Froemke discusses Albert Maysles’ brilliance as co-director, collaborator, his integral place within cinematic history as well as generous artistic spirit.
Jared Feldschreiber: What were the circumstances in which you met Albert Maysles as film artists? Since you both collaborated on close to twenty films, how would you characterize your relationship both artistically and on a personal basis?
Susan Froemke: I arrived at Maysles Films in the early 70’s, 21 years old, and worked with Al and David until 2003. The Maysles shied away from hiring people right out of film schools because they wanted you to be open to their approach. They didn’t want to “un-teach you”—their word. I was an English Lit major which pleased them. I was privileged to be one of the few allowed to be on shoots with them (Bob Richman was too) so I saw their filming approach first hand. I worked very closely with David, Charlotte Zwerin and Ellen Hovde in the edit room. I eventually produced for them.
Jf: How would you describe your collaborative process?
Sf: When David died in 1987, Al and I partnered as a filming team--Al on camera while I took sound. A two person filming crew—no larger-- was essential to capturing the intimate footage we loved. Maysles Films was very much a family and it lasted for over 40 years. Everyone who worked there, and many talented filmmakers came through the company, felt the spirit of the place and we were all committed to the Maysles’ approach and very close personally.
We’d find a subject we thought was worthy of filming, follow the direction that subject took us on and then edit the footage all as a team. Our end credits were “a film by” and that was the true working relationship. Everyone had an equal voice. We are all so sad today.
Jf: In a TV interview, Albert disclosed a telling adage by Orson Welles, which seemed to fit his approach to documentaries: ‘In a fiction film, the director is God, in a non-fiction film, God is the director,' Albert cited Welles. Would you say that this was Albert’s modus operandi, and if so, would you say as a documentarian he remained resolute to never ‘prejudge’ his subjects and let the events on camera determine the film’s focus?
Sf: Oh yes, I heard that quote often from Al. Al and David (and I have to always include David as well because they developed their approach—their philosophy—together) took their direction from their subject. The only thing we asked from a subject was access. Al and David never told a subject what to do, never asked them to repeat an action or sentence. They never talked to the subject while filming. Never. They wanted to minimize the fact that filming was going on. They wanted to keep the true-life situation as real as possible. But this was Not fly on the wall filming. They hated being called that because there was always a deep bond between filmmaker and subject. A deep trust. Wherever the subject took us always produced the strongest footage. And reality never disappointed us.
Jf: Do you know who were Albert’s main film inspirations?
Sf: I don’t think Al ever saw any films except his own. He didn’t really go to the movies. Certainly not fiction films! He was inspired by the people he met on a train; or walking down the street, if he saw someone sad, he’d ask them why; faces in the crowd, this is what interested him. I do know that he did admire Henri Cartier–Bresson’s photographs.
Jf: In layman’s terms, what’s the value of cinema verite? How can one define it? Do you feel as though the modern sensibility is patient enough to deal with its approach? Was this ever a concern for you and Albert over time that you may lose your audience?
Sf: Al was never interested in any approach to filmmaking but “direct cinema” which we defined as the truth that unfolded before our camera. This is a timeless approach, one that allowed us to examine the human spirit. I think it will last through the ages, like great literature. It never occurred to us to worry about losing an audience. If you have a complex narrative with charismatic characters, your film will always find viewership.
Jf: How many films did you work on with Albert, and which ones were your favorites in terms of content, their form and other personal collaborative memories?
Sf: I made over 20 films with Al. Favorites include "Grey Gardens", "Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic," "Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton," "Soldiers Of Music: Rostropovich Returns to Russia." There are so many. The trip to Russia in the early 90’s with Al to film Rostropovich’s return to Russia after 16 years of exile was a magnificent trip. Al had a tremendously nostalgic feeling towards Russia because he and David had taken a motorcycle trip there in the 50’s and began filming then. We traveled with Rostropovich and his family for a week and each encounter they had—whether musical or political-- was profound so we came back with rich, beautiful footage that told a story of courage and bravery. Al’s intuitive, lyrical camera was stunning whether filming Rostropovich playing the cello or just faces of strangers in a crowd.
Jf: In which scenes in the films you worked on together would you say you achieved a kind of ‘cinema truth?’
Sf: There is a scene in "Lalee’s Kin" which was filmed in the Mississippi Delta’s poorest county where Lalee, a 60 year old Great Grandmother, realizes her 12 year old granddaughter hasn’t made it to school on the first day of classes because she didn’t have any pencils or paper to take with her. The granddaughter is softly crying as Lalee searches through her house trying to find some pencils. This is a child who wants to be educated but painfully knows the odds aren’t in her favor. It’s a heartbreaking scene that illuminates the scale of the problems of poverty—how difficult it is to educate the child from an illiterate family. It is ‘cinema truth’ at it’s best.
Albert Maysles’ documentary film career began in 1955 when he traveled abroad to shoot "Psychiatry in Russia." He made films until his death, as exemplified by his latest “In Transit," which is due to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. The film centers on the Empire Builder - America’s busiest long-distance train route that runs from Chicago to Seattle. "Iris," another documentary of the fashion icon Iris Apfel, will also be released next month.
Cinema verite is sometimes called observational cinema, but that does not entirely explain its phenomenon; the style is largely concerned with the recording of events in which the subject and audience become unaware of the camera’s presence. One can feel the visceral and –at times- spontaneous reactions by its performers. (Take for instance Mick Jagger’s despair upon seeing footage of one of his fans killed at the Altamont Free Concert by a member of the Hells Angels in "Gimme Shelter").
The Maysles’ brothers were co-directors of acclaimed films such as the aforementioned "Gimme Shelter," "Grey Gardens" and "Salesman." They continued to make cinema verite documentaries together for thirty years until David’s death in 1987. They chronicled Hollywood luminaries like Orson Welles and Marlon Brando, and also chronicled the Beatles’ first visit to the U.S. Their range was vast and eclectic. They were nominated for a Best Documentary, Short Subjects Academy Award in 1974 for "Christo’s Valley Curtain." Afterward, Albert Maysles would co-direct with Deborah Dickson and Susan Froemke, and would go on to win an Emmy in 1992 for "Abortion: Desperate Choices." Up until his death, Albert continued making films on his own and in collaboration with other filmmakers for HBO and others. The collaboration between Albert Maysles and Susan Froemke had been just as impressive. Such films as "Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic" and "Ozawa" are part of their canon. Perhaps their most prominent collaboration (along with Deborah Dickson) was the 2001 Oscar nominated "Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton," which followed a Mississippi Delta school district and a struggling Delta family. The film reflected the damaging effects of poverty in the Deep South.
In this Exclusive interview, Susan Froemke discusses Albert Maysles’ brilliance as co-director, collaborator, his integral place within cinematic history as well as generous artistic spirit.
Jared Feldschreiber: What were the circumstances in which you met Albert Maysles as film artists? Since you both collaborated on close to twenty films, how would you characterize your relationship both artistically and on a personal basis?
Susan Froemke: I arrived at Maysles Films in the early 70’s, 21 years old, and worked with Al and David until 2003. The Maysles shied away from hiring people right out of film schools because they wanted you to be open to their approach. They didn’t want to “un-teach you”—their word. I was an English Lit major which pleased them. I was privileged to be one of the few allowed to be on shoots with them (Bob Richman was too) so I saw their filming approach first hand. I worked very closely with David, Charlotte Zwerin and Ellen Hovde in the edit room. I eventually produced for them.
Jf: How would you describe your collaborative process?
Sf: When David died in 1987, Al and I partnered as a filming team--Al on camera while I took sound. A two person filming crew—no larger-- was essential to capturing the intimate footage we loved. Maysles Films was very much a family and it lasted for over 40 years. Everyone who worked there, and many talented filmmakers came through the company, felt the spirit of the place and we were all committed to the Maysles’ approach and very close personally.
We’d find a subject we thought was worthy of filming, follow the direction that subject took us on and then edit the footage all as a team. Our end credits were “a film by” and that was the true working relationship. Everyone had an equal voice. We are all so sad today.
Jf: In a TV interview, Albert disclosed a telling adage by Orson Welles, which seemed to fit his approach to documentaries: ‘In a fiction film, the director is God, in a non-fiction film, God is the director,' Albert cited Welles. Would you say that this was Albert’s modus operandi, and if so, would you say as a documentarian he remained resolute to never ‘prejudge’ his subjects and let the events on camera determine the film’s focus?
Sf: Oh yes, I heard that quote often from Al. Al and David (and I have to always include David as well because they developed their approach—their philosophy—together) took their direction from their subject. The only thing we asked from a subject was access. Al and David never told a subject what to do, never asked them to repeat an action or sentence. They never talked to the subject while filming. Never. They wanted to minimize the fact that filming was going on. They wanted to keep the true-life situation as real as possible. But this was Not fly on the wall filming. They hated being called that because there was always a deep bond between filmmaker and subject. A deep trust. Wherever the subject took us always produced the strongest footage. And reality never disappointed us.
Jf: Do you know who were Albert’s main film inspirations?
Sf: I don’t think Al ever saw any films except his own. He didn’t really go to the movies. Certainly not fiction films! He was inspired by the people he met on a train; or walking down the street, if he saw someone sad, he’d ask them why; faces in the crowd, this is what interested him. I do know that he did admire Henri Cartier–Bresson’s photographs.
Jf: In layman’s terms, what’s the value of cinema verite? How can one define it? Do you feel as though the modern sensibility is patient enough to deal with its approach? Was this ever a concern for you and Albert over time that you may lose your audience?
Sf: Al was never interested in any approach to filmmaking but “direct cinema” which we defined as the truth that unfolded before our camera. This is a timeless approach, one that allowed us to examine the human spirit. I think it will last through the ages, like great literature. It never occurred to us to worry about losing an audience. If you have a complex narrative with charismatic characters, your film will always find viewership.
Jf: How many films did you work on with Albert, and which ones were your favorites in terms of content, their form and other personal collaborative memories?
Sf: I made over 20 films with Al. Favorites include "Grey Gardens", "Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic," "Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton," "Soldiers Of Music: Rostropovich Returns to Russia." There are so many. The trip to Russia in the early 90’s with Al to film Rostropovich’s return to Russia after 16 years of exile was a magnificent trip. Al had a tremendously nostalgic feeling towards Russia because he and David had taken a motorcycle trip there in the 50’s and began filming then. We traveled with Rostropovich and his family for a week and each encounter they had—whether musical or political-- was profound so we came back with rich, beautiful footage that told a story of courage and bravery. Al’s intuitive, lyrical camera was stunning whether filming Rostropovich playing the cello or just faces of strangers in a crowd.
Jf: In which scenes in the films you worked on together would you say you achieved a kind of ‘cinema truth?’
Sf: There is a scene in "Lalee’s Kin" which was filmed in the Mississippi Delta’s poorest county where Lalee, a 60 year old Great Grandmother, realizes her 12 year old granddaughter hasn’t made it to school on the first day of classes because she didn’t have any pencils or paper to take with her. The granddaughter is softly crying as Lalee searches through her house trying to find some pencils. This is a child who wants to be educated but painfully knows the odds aren’t in her favor. It’s a heartbreaking scene that illuminates the scale of the problems of poverty—how difficult it is to educate the child from an illiterate family. It is ‘cinema truth’ at it’s best.
Albert Maysles’ documentary film career began in 1955 when he traveled abroad to shoot "Psychiatry in Russia." He made films until his death, as exemplified by his latest “In Transit," which is due to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. The film centers on the Empire Builder - America’s busiest long-distance train route that runs from Chicago to Seattle. "Iris," another documentary of the fashion icon Iris Apfel, will also be released next month.
- 3/8/2015
- by Jared Feldschreiber
- Sydney's Buzz
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
This year’s Oscar race could make history with two possible best picture nominees directed by women — Ava DuVernay’s Selma and Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken. If both women are nominated for best director, that would also be a historical moment. But though these accomplishments in the narrative field are possible, more women directors are breaking into the documentary categories. Four of the 15 shortlisted documentaries feature women at the helm: Jennifer Grausman (co-directed with Sam Cullman and Mark Becker) with Art and Craft, Tia Lessin (co-directed with Carl Deal) with Citizen Koch, Laura Poitras with Citizenfour and Rory Kennedy with Last Days in Vietnam. Additionally, three of the eight shortlisted documentary shorts feature female directors: Ellen Goosenberg Kent with Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, Aneta Kopacz with Joanna and Lucy Walker with The Lion’s Mouth Opens. More often than not, women directors tend to...
Managing Editor
This year’s Oscar race could make history with two possible best picture nominees directed by women — Ava DuVernay’s Selma and Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken. If both women are nominated for best director, that would also be a historical moment. But though these accomplishments in the narrative field are possible, more women directors are breaking into the documentary categories. Four of the 15 shortlisted documentaries feature women at the helm: Jennifer Grausman (co-directed with Sam Cullman and Mark Becker) with Art and Craft, Tia Lessin (co-directed with Carl Deal) with Citizen Koch, Laura Poitras with Citizenfour and Rory Kennedy with Last Days in Vietnam. Additionally, three of the eight shortlisted documentary shorts feature female directors: Ellen Goosenberg Kent with Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, Aneta Kopacz with Joanna and Lucy Walker with The Lion’s Mouth Opens. More often than not, women directors tend to...
- 12/16/2014
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
HT2FF – Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival is about to take place for its 7th edition, December 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th just after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. For four days the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor on Long Island’s East End, is booked back-to-back with documentaries of the finest caliber but which are not necessarily premieres.These are films that both deserve and need exposure, hence the festival title, “Take 2”. The audience is enthusiastic and loyal.
Jacqui Lofaro was herself a documentary filmmaker until she started this festival which now consumes her days and nights. Not that she doesn’t have an idea for her next documentary, but, at this moment the festival, is exploding, a case of spontaneous combustion. The festival has taken over her life with screenings throughout the year, such as this spring’s screening of Frieda Lee Mock’s 2013 critically acclaimed film, “Anita”. With a panel of experts the screening was an event playing to a packed house. It didn’t matter that the film had already had its theatrical release. According to Jacqui “that’s what Take 2 is all about. Our mission is simply to show great documentary films to our local East End audience”. This festival reaches out to the community by showing films throughout the year in local libraries as well.
This year, the festival will screen a total of 32 documentaries at the Bay Street Theater. Using only one theater venue makes this festival intimate and very, very easy.
There is a balance in the festival between social issue documentaries and other docs, and between bringing in filmmakers and focusing on community filmmakers. Indeed the first day of the festival is devoted to regional filmmakers with a “Focus on Locals”.
In addition, the festival will feature several sections which are targeted at local youth: Young Voices (short docs made by local middle and high school students), Future Voices (films by Student Filmmakers from the NYC Media Arts Centers) and Emerging Voices (two strong films by recent graduates of the School of Visual Arts Mfa Social Documentary Program, introduced by documentary filmmaker and Sva professor, Deborah Dickson).
The Evening Galas are not red-carpet-celebrity events. Rather they honor documentary filmmakers such as Richard Leacock the inventor of the sound-sync camera or Susan Lacy of American Masters or Chris Hegedus & D A Pennebaker. This year the honors go to Barbara Kopple who has been making ground-breaking docs for 40+ years. Her first film on a devastating coal miners’ strike in Kentucky, “Harlan County USA”, was an Oscar winner, and will screen to this growing audience of doc fans.
This rock-solid festival is not premiere driven. However, this year the festival was offered the New York premiere of Michael Apted’s “Bending the Light” about lens making for photographers and filmmakers, and will also feature the east coast premiere of “The Big Beat”, made by local filmmaker and archivist, Joe Lauro. Also screening is Martin Scorsese’s “Fifty Year Argument”, an HBO documentary about the anniversary of The New York Review of Books.
The closing night film is reserved for the annual Filmmaker’s Choice Award which this year goes to Wendy Keys both filmmaker and former administrator at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Her documentary “Milton Glaser: To Inform & Delight, “ a warm and insightful view of the iconic American graphic designer of the “I Love New York” campaign and the founder of New York Magazine, will be the feature film.
The enthusiasm and efficiency behind this festival abide with Jacqui to such an extent that I wondered how she did it and wondered about her own docs, made by her company Justice Productions.org. She said they do not have traditional distribution, however, they continuously sell on Amazon’s Create Space, and she is invited to speak and show the film at universities, libraries and other venues where audiences care about social issues. Recently the Reel Recovery Film Festival showed “The Last Fix: An Addicts Passage from Hell to Hope” at the Quad. “The Empty Chair: Death Penalty Yes or No,” the recipient of the 2006 prestigious Thurgood Marshall Broadcast Journalism Award aired on national television on the Hallmark Channel’s World of Faith and Values and is still actively requested as well.
The festival has welcomed Karen Arikian (former Exec. Dir of the Hamptons International Film Festival and currently the Us rep for the Berlin International Film Festival) on board as Creative Advisor, and Jacqui has put together an Industry Advisory Board of top film and television professionals. Jacqui describes board meetings at the Paley Center for Media (Board Member, Ron Simon, is Paley’s Curator for TV and Radio) taking place in the Chairman’s office around Paley’s own round leather desk. As Jacqui puts it: “Now that’s a place of inspiration”.
Industry Advisory Board:
Julie Anderson - Executive Producer, Documentaries and Development at PBS/Wnet; former producer at Espn; documentary filmmaker at HBO Sports; executive at HBO Original Documentary Programming.
Karen Arikian - Founded her independent consulting company with offices in Germany and New York for clients including BAFTA, Toronto International Film Festival, Hamburg Media School; Us Delegate to (Berlinale) Berlin International Film Festival.
Susan Lacy - Founded "Pentimento Productions" in 2014, with a film to premiere on HBO, the first in an exclusive multi-picture deal with HBO Documentary Films; former creator, director & executive producer of 200 documentaries for the PBS “American Masters” series.
Don Lenzer - Documentary director and cinematographer whose credits can be found on five Academy Award winning feature documentaries and numerous public television programs; co-directed and shot the Emmy Award winning Great Performances documentary "Itzhak Perlman; In The Fiddler's House."
Susan Margolin - President of Docurama and Special Acquisitions at Cinedigm. She oversees the recently launched Docurama Channel as well as the Docurama brand of award winning documentary films across all platforms including theatrical, home entertainment, and digital distribution.
Nigel Noble - Producer, director and Academy Award winner for the documentary short, “Close Harmony;" producer and director of films and video for theaters, television, not-for-profits, major businesses with works earning nominations and accolades from the Director’s Guild of America, Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival.
Roger Sherman - Director, producer and cinematographer of documentaries that have won an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award and two Academy award nominations. He is a co-founder of Florentine Films with Ken Burns.
Ron Simon - Curator of television and radio for The Paley Center for Media; an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University, New York University and Hunter College; judge on the George Foster Peabody committee; member editorial board of Television Quarterly.
Jacqui Lofaro was herself a documentary filmmaker until she started this festival which now consumes her days and nights. Not that she doesn’t have an idea for her next documentary, but, at this moment the festival, is exploding, a case of spontaneous combustion. The festival has taken over her life with screenings throughout the year, such as this spring’s screening of Frieda Lee Mock’s 2013 critically acclaimed film, “Anita”. With a panel of experts the screening was an event playing to a packed house. It didn’t matter that the film had already had its theatrical release. According to Jacqui “that’s what Take 2 is all about. Our mission is simply to show great documentary films to our local East End audience”. This festival reaches out to the community by showing films throughout the year in local libraries as well.
This year, the festival will screen a total of 32 documentaries at the Bay Street Theater. Using only one theater venue makes this festival intimate and very, very easy.
There is a balance in the festival between social issue documentaries and other docs, and between bringing in filmmakers and focusing on community filmmakers. Indeed the first day of the festival is devoted to regional filmmakers with a “Focus on Locals”.
In addition, the festival will feature several sections which are targeted at local youth: Young Voices (short docs made by local middle and high school students), Future Voices (films by Student Filmmakers from the NYC Media Arts Centers) and Emerging Voices (two strong films by recent graduates of the School of Visual Arts Mfa Social Documentary Program, introduced by documentary filmmaker and Sva professor, Deborah Dickson).
The Evening Galas are not red-carpet-celebrity events. Rather they honor documentary filmmakers such as Richard Leacock the inventor of the sound-sync camera or Susan Lacy of American Masters or Chris Hegedus & D A Pennebaker. This year the honors go to Barbara Kopple who has been making ground-breaking docs for 40+ years. Her first film on a devastating coal miners’ strike in Kentucky, “Harlan County USA”, was an Oscar winner, and will screen to this growing audience of doc fans.
This rock-solid festival is not premiere driven. However, this year the festival was offered the New York premiere of Michael Apted’s “Bending the Light” about lens making for photographers and filmmakers, and will also feature the east coast premiere of “The Big Beat”, made by local filmmaker and archivist, Joe Lauro. Also screening is Martin Scorsese’s “Fifty Year Argument”, an HBO documentary about the anniversary of The New York Review of Books.
The closing night film is reserved for the annual Filmmaker’s Choice Award which this year goes to Wendy Keys both filmmaker and former administrator at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Her documentary “Milton Glaser: To Inform & Delight, “ a warm and insightful view of the iconic American graphic designer of the “I Love New York” campaign and the founder of New York Magazine, will be the feature film.
The enthusiasm and efficiency behind this festival abide with Jacqui to such an extent that I wondered how she did it and wondered about her own docs, made by her company Justice Productions.org. She said they do not have traditional distribution, however, they continuously sell on Amazon’s Create Space, and she is invited to speak and show the film at universities, libraries and other venues where audiences care about social issues. Recently the Reel Recovery Film Festival showed “The Last Fix: An Addicts Passage from Hell to Hope” at the Quad. “The Empty Chair: Death Penalty Yes or No,” the recipient of the 2006 prestigious Thurgood Marshall Broadcast Journalism Award aired on national television on the Hallmark Channel’s World of Faith and Values and is still actively requested as well.
The festival has welcomed Karen Arikian (former Exec. Dir of the Hamptons International Film Festival and currently the Us rep for the Berlin International Film Festival) on board as Creative Advisor, and Jacqui has put together an Industry Advisory Board of top film and television professionals. Jacqui describes board meetings at the Paley Center for Media (Board Member, Ron Simon, is Paley’s Curator for TV and Radio) taking place in the Chairman’s office around Paley’s own round leather desk. As Jacqui puts it: “Now that’s a place of inspiration”.
Industry Advisory Board:
Julie Anderson - Executive Producer, Documentaries and Development at PBS/Wnet; former producer at Espn; documentary filmmaker at HBO Sports; executive at HBO Original Documentary Programming.
Karen Arikian - Founded her independent consulting company with offices in Germany and New York for clients including BAFTA, Toronto International Film Festival, Hamburg Media School; Us Delegate to (Berlinale) Berlin International Film Festival.
Susan Lacy - Founded "Pentimento Productions" in 2014, with a film to premiere on HBO, the first in an exclusive multi-picture deal with HBO Documentary Films; former creator, director & executive producer of 200 documentaries for the PBS “American Masters” series.
Don Lenzer - Documentary director and cinematographer whose credits can be found on five Academy Award winning feature documentaries and numerous public television programs; co-directed and shot the Emmy Award winning Great Performances documentary "Itzhak Perlman; In The Fiddler's House."
Susan Margolin - President of Docurama and Special Acquisitions at Cinedigm. She oversees the recently launched Docurama Channel as well as the Docurama brand of award winning documentary films across all platforms including theatrical, home entertainment, and digital distribution.
Nigel Noble - Producer, director and Academy Award winner for the documentary short, “Close Harmony;" producer and director of films and video for theaters, television, not-for-profits, major businesses with works earning nominations and accolades from the Director’s Guild of America, Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival.
Roger Sherman - Director, producer and cinematographer of documentaries that have won an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award and two Academy award nominations. He is a co-founder of Florentine Films with Ken Burns.
Ron Simon - Curator of television and radio for The Paley Center for Media; an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University, New York University and Hunter College; judge on the George Foster Peabody committee; member editorial board of Television Quarterly.
- 11/11/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
PBS is now showing the American Masters' documentary, The Education of Gore Vidal (2003). Gore Vidal was a novelist, essayist, playwright, and social commentator whose career saw seven novels about American history, including satirical novels as Myra Breckinridge and Duluth. Vidal penned television plays, film scripts, and even three mystery novels written under a pseudonym. He was one of the most eclectic intellectuals in literature, writing cautionary tales about politics, sex, art, and philosophy. At the same time, he was a contrarian, a wise man and a realist. He was also wickedly funny. Director Deborah Dickson spent hours with Vidal at his cliff-side villa in Italy and used the Ravello interviews as a thread, leading viewers through a...
- 8/3/2012
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.