Filmmaker Profile: Anne Aghion, ICE PEOPLE

Fascinated by people who survive extreme circumstances, award-winning filmmaker Anne Aghion produced ICE PEOPLE, a feature-length documentary that explores the physical, emotional and spiritual adventure of living and conducting science in Antarctica––the earth’s coldest continent. The film airs on May 5 at 10:00 PM on the Sundance Channel. Anne recently sat down and discussed what led her to this project, the challenges of working in Antarctica and what she hopes viewers will take away from the film.

What led you to make this film?
I’d been dreaming of going to Antarctica to make a film for years—almost 13 years to be exact. In 1993, I was in Southern Chile and I was able to get a cheap bunk on a cruise ship that went down there. I spent months after that trip having vivid dreams about the light and the sounds I’d encountered. When I found out about the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program, I was thrilled and decided to set about making it happen!

Did you have any logistical challenges?
I can’t remember which of the great explorers of the early 20th century said that once you actually get to Antarctica, the hardest part of the journey is already behind you. In a sense, it’s true. You have to figure out precisely how much your equipment is going to weigh and what the volume of what you’re carrying will be for the helicopter flights within the continent. We were counting lithium batteries and figuring out how much fuel we’d need to run the generator. The trickiest thing to figure out was when I had to fill out the form about how much urine and human waste our crew was going to generate for the seven weeks we were camping in the Dry Valleys.

What were some of the challenges you faced in making the film?
There were many challenges—the cold, the isolation, living in the community in which you’re filming without being able to have any distance. But I’d say the cold —or the idea of the cold—was definitely the hardest challenge we faced.

Is there any one moment in the film that deeply moved you?
I love the opening shots. They draw me in every time and throw me back into the cold and the bizarreness of the place. The last five minutes move me a lot. I’m always on the verge of tears when I watch those images because they conjure up the emotion I had upon leaving the continent. They remind me how much I loved this extraordinary place.

What do you hope viewers will get out of the film?
I hope people will experience the beauty and the extraordinary quality of Antarctica, and that they will look at the earth in a new way. In fact, looking at the earth in a new way is one of the things I came away with myself after spending time down there. Also, I hope I’ve conveyed some of the experience of conducting field science—some of the fun, but also some of the hardships of that quest.

Can you tell us about your next project?
I’ve been working in Rwanda for almost 10 years, and I’ve made a series of films there on the “Gacaca” justice and reconstruction process. I just completed the third film in the trilogy, The Notebooks Of Memory, and a feature-length that covers the whole span of the nine years I spent filming there, entitled My Neighbor My Killer, which I finished last month and which is an Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Special Screenings section. So the next few months will be focused on taking that film into the world. I’m also working on a book project with Lars Waldorf, from the University of London, whose point of departure is my Rwanda series. Lars Waldorf has been researching Gacaca in Rwanda for many years. The book will tell the stories of the central characters in my Rwanda films, while also providing readers with the broader context on the genocide and Gacaca. It will also reflect on the role of cinema and visual anthropology in peace-building.

ICE PEOPLE is a co-production of ITVS International, Dry Valleys Productions, ARTE France and The Sundance Channel, in association with European Commission – Directorate General for Research.

ICE PEOPLE airs Tuesday, May 5 at 10:00 PM on the Sundance Channel

Tags: Antarctica, National Science Foundation, Sundance Channel

Terrence Howard Interviews Baron Davis about CRIPS AND BLOODS

Independent Lens host Terrence Howard sat down with Baron Davis, producer of CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America to talk about growing up on the streets of Los Angeles.

Find out what the film means to Davis, how he focused on his professional basketball career and why he chose to bring his film to public television.

CRIPS AND BLOODS will air on Independent Lens on May 12 at 10:00 PM (check local listings).

Watch the exclusive interview below:

Tags: Baron Davis, gangs, Terrence Howard

Ask Programming: Recent Questions from Filmmakers

ITVS programming staff answer questions from filmmakers about the funding process:

Q: I’m a filmmaker from Argentina with an urgent documentary in development, and I need seed money. Do you offer any funding for research and development?

A: ITVS’s capacity to fund projects outside of its standing initiatives is extremely limited and highly competitive. Currently, ITVS funding for research and development is reserved for U.S. filmmakers.

Q: How often does International Call occur? When is the next deadline?

A: International Call occurs once a year; the deadline is traditionally the first Friday in February. Our next deadline is Friday, February 5, 2010. An online application is posted in mid-September.

Looking to fund your film? Learn more at ITVS funding opportunities >>

Tags: film resources, independent film, international

Global Voices Channel on Hulu

ITVS and PBS partner Hulu recently launched the Global Voices Channel, featuring 18 full-length episodes from the first season.

Global Voices offers an international perspective through intimate and uncommon stories by and about everyday people, made by independent filmmakers from around the globe. A great success in the online video world, Hulu remains the second most visited site for online video viewing in the U.S. and its user interface streams ITVS content directly in the browser.

Visit the Global Voices Channel on Hulu >>

Also check out the Independent Lens Channel on Hulu >>

Tags: Add new tag, digital, Hulu, online video

Watch AT HOME IN UTOPIA Tonight on Independent Lens

A home of your own: that’s the American dream. But what happens when the dreamers are immigrants, factory workers and Communists? Director Michal Goldman traces the history of “The Coops,” a cooperative apartment complex built in the Bronx by Jewish garment workers. The film tracks the rise and fall of the community from the 1920s into the 1950s, bearing witness to lives lived across barriers of race, convention and sometimes even common sense.

“[Michal Goldman] has recaptured a daring social experiment, limning its idealism on race relations and social justice and its ultimately fatal embrace of Communist doctrine,” The New York Times.

Check out the trailer below:

AT HOME IN UTOPIA airs tonight at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings)

Tags: Bronx, immigrants, Jewish

ITVS and WHYY Present CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America

CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America, which examines the conditions that have led to the devastating gang violence among young African Americans growing up in South Los Angeles, played to a full house at The Rotunda, an arts and culture space in West Philadelphia. The event was co-presented by ITVS and WHYY, in partnership with the Philadelphia Anti-Drug Anti-Violence Network, Scribe Video Center and the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Following the film, Cliff Akiyama, a former deputy sheriff and currently a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing, led a panel discussion. Akiyama opened the Q&A with an impassioned plea to the audience––to look at the issue of gang violence with “open hearts and minds” and consider multiple approaches to a solution, beyond just law enforcement.

Other panelists included Darryl Coates, executive director of the Philadelphia Anti-Drug Anti-Violence Network; Everett Gillison, deputy mayor of public safety; Dorothy Johnson-Speight, executive director of Mothers In Charge; and Jack Stollsteimer, Pennsylvania Safe Schools advocate and former federal prosecutor of drug gangs in Philadelphia.

Each of the panelists discussed the impact of violence in Philadelphia and in their personal lives. They stressed the importance the film played for being a tool to bridge a serious conversation about prevention and alternatives.

Questions came from teachers, who had been assaulted by students and wanted practical information about how to identify gang signs and symbols, and youth involved in community service on school grounds, probing suggestions about more ways to fully engage others.

Statistics were presented about the number of gangs in the United States, the number of weapons that enter Philadelphia’s public schools on a daily basis and the fact that the issue of gangs exists in many ethnic groups and a far-reaching problem. One parent became emotional when sharing her frustration about the personal challenges she faces when sending her children to school every day.

There was much more to discuss after the formal program ended, and many lingered afterward to talk with panelists and each other about resources and information. The turnout and level of seriousness during the Q&A showed the widespread concern and the number of people interested in getting involved to address this problem.

The film was certainly a powerful catalyst for bringing the Philadelphia community together around a common and heartfelt concern.

Want to find upcoming screenings in your area? Community Cinema selections are screened in more than 50 locations throughout the United States. Check out the schedule and find Community Cinema in your neighborhood >>

Check out clips from the event below:

Tags: African American, gangs, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, WHYY

At the Indian Film Festival with ITVS Programming Manager Karim Ahmad

Indie films, stunning Bollywood musicals, documentaries, animation, environmental films, comedies––the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture. ITVS Programming Manager Karim Ahmad recently attended this year’s festival. Read about his experience below:

Amyn Kaderali, Jasmine Jaisinghani and Aldo Velasco with ITVS Programming Manager Karim Ahmad.

Now in its seventh year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles has become one of the premier showcases of contemporary Indian cinema.

I only recently had the good fortune to discover the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), which, now in its seventh year, has become one of the premier showcases of contemporary Indian cinema and films representing the Indian diaspora in the United States. I had the benefit of attending this festival last week in Los Angeles as a part of ITVS’s ongoing efforts in reaching out to South Asian filmmakers, and I was thoroughly impressed with the caliber of the festival’s program.

Upon arriving in LA, I drove across town to Chakra Restaurant in Beverly Hills, where the festival staff organized one-on-one meetings between the filmmakers in the festival and various organizations including the major talent agencies as well as funding entities like ITVS. The meetings whetted my appetite for the festival’s screening series. However as always, time was short, and I was unable to attend nearly as many screenings as I would have liked. These sessions are quite helpful.

The next day, I spoke on the festival’s financing and co-productions panel, where the discussion’s emphasis on narrative film projects demonstrated the continued need to support documentary content from and for the South Asian community worldwide. This is particularly so within India where, despite some new efforts toward doc makers on the part of the NFDC (whose Managing Director, Nina Gupta, was a fellow panelist), there exist very few options for funding and distributing independent documentaries. More and more, funding for these films is coming from foreign broadcasters and non-profit organizations like ITVS.

On my last day in LA, I finally had the opportunity to check out a few screenings––all of which were held at the Arclight’s state-of-the-art theaters on Sunset Blvd––and re-connect with some of the filmmakers and festival staff afterward in the IFFLA lounge. I was truly impressed with both the level of talent demonstrated in the festival’s program, and also the profile of the festival itself. Despite being a relatively young festival, IFFLA provides all the services of a top tier festival to its filmmakers, and is an ideal place for organizations like ours to reach out to a highly talented group of South Asian filmmakers.

-Karim
Programming Manager, ITVS

Tags: film festival, Indian, South Asian

In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs

“[Michal Goldman] has recaptured a daring social experiment, limning its idealism on race relations and social justice and its ultimately fatal embrace of Communist doctrine.”
Read full review >>

“The titular figure in Klaartje Quirijns’ fascinating THE DICTATOR HUNTER, Brody remains committed to the case, despite serial setbacks.”
Read full review >>

“…A splendid, subtle documentary…”
Read full review >>

“Among the swaying giant arms of the saguaro cactus and clouds of dust that drift along isolated roads in southern Arizona is a soothing rhythm, a sound so distinct and stimulating that it arouses both the heart and soul.”
Read full review >>

“Through rare interviews with surviving kamikaze pilots, viewers learn that the military demanded pilots volunteer to give up their lives. Retracing their journeys from teenagers to doomed pilots reveals a complex history of brutal training and ambivalent sacrifice.”
Read full review >>

Tags: Arizona, Jewish, kamikaze

Video Discussion from the Community Cinema Screening of CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America

On Tuesday, April 14, Community Cinema, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles, screened CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America, which examines the conditions that have led to the devastating gang violence among young African Americans growing up in South Los Angeles.

Afterwards, Val Zavala, anchor and reporter of SoCal Connected, led a panel discussion with filmmaker Stacy Peralta, Deputy Mayor of Gang Reduction and Youth Development Rev. Jeff Carr and community organizer Skipp Townsend. This event was broadcast live on Beyond the Box Blog where visitors asked questions to the panelists via live chat and Twitter in addition to questions fielded from the audience.

Missed the live video feed from Los Angeles? Check out the recording from the event below:

Community Cinema selections are screened in over 50 locations throughout the United States. Check out the schedule and find Community Cinema in your neighborhood >>

Tags: African American, gangs, Los Angeles

Watch THE DICTATOR HUNTER on Global Voices on PBS WORLD

Are you a world traveler? Want to learn more about stories that affect our global community? Beginning on Sunday, April 26 at 10:00 PM (check local listings), tune in and watch the second season of Global Voices, the international documentary series produced by ITVS International for the PBS WORLD digital channel.

Kicking off this season is Dutch filmmaker Klaartje Quirijn’s THE DICTATOR HUNTER, which looks at Human Rights Watch lawyer Reed Brody who pursues former dictators worldwide in order to bring them to justice including Hissène Habré, one of the most brutal dictators of the 20th century. Brody and former political prisoner Souleymane Guangueng work the system of international diplomacy like a chess game to bring Habré to trial for authorizing the torture and murder of thousands.

Watch a preview below:

Tags: Africa, Human Rights, international