Looking to Fund Your Film?

ITVS funds, presents and promotes award-winning documentaries and dramas on public television and cable, innovative new media projects on the Web and the Emmy Award-winning weekly series Independent Lens Tuesday nights at 10:00 PM on PBS. Check out the latest funding opportunities from ITVS.

OPEN CALL
Deadline: January 16, 2009
Open Call provides finishing funds for single non-fiction or Animation public television programs on any subject, and from any viewpoint. Projects must have begun production as evidenced by a work-in-progress video.

Get guidelines and read the FAQ >>

INTERNATIONAL CALL
Deadline: February 6, 2009
The ITVS International Call enables independent producers from outside of the United States to create documentaries for U.S. television. Through the International Call, storytellers from other countries introduce U.S. audiences to their global neighbors, opening a window into unfamiliar lives, experiences and perspectives.

Find more information about guidelines and how to apply >>

Have additional questions about the International Media Development Fund? Email Joy_Scott@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x232.

Tags: film resources, filmmakers, independent film

ITVS International Programs on Caachi

Check out the latest ITVS International titles on Caachi, a new online video website that allows viewers to download hard-to-find independent films onto their computer or mobile device.

A select number of films are free while others can be downloaded for a small fee; the majority of which directly supports the filmmakers.

The following ITVS International films are the latest available to view online:

SHAYFEEN.COM
Get an intimate look at the recent multi-party elections in Egypt through the eyes of three women working to assure the election’s legitimacy.

ON WHEELS BRASIL
Following the lives of people that push, pull or pedal some kind of vehicle to earn their living on Brazil’s city streets, ON WHEELS BRASIL establishes a relationship between the wheel’s movement and the inconstancy of life.

View ITVS International films on Caachi »

Tags: digital, international

Tips on Building an Online Community and Network

Streaming video, iTunes, Twitter, blogs and vlogs–the number of digital and online options seem endless. But, for independent filmmakers, chasing every new opportunity can be a waste of energy and resources. Which ones will generate the biggest return in terms of attracting audiences, changing the world and producing positive financial results?

In an effort to keep up with the shifting landscape of new technology, ITVS commissioned author Scott Kirsner to find out what independent filmmakers are doing in the field. Interviews with Byron Hurt (HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes), Katy Chevigny (ELECTION DAY), Curt Ellis (KING CORN), David Iverson (STILL LIFE: The Pursuit of Parkinsons), Hunter Weeks and Josh Caldwell (10 MPH), Tiffany Shlain (THE TRIBE) and Brad Lichtenstein (WHAT WE GOT) provide different perspectives on distributing and marketing films.

Read the Report from the Field >>

Get Scott Kirsner’s “Top Five Digital Strategies for Social Issue Filmmakers” >>

Tags: digital