ITVS Film Vies for 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary

The Oscar buzz is in the air! This Sunday, March 7, Hollywood takes center stage for one of its biggest nights of the year with the 2010 Academy Awards.

Competing for Best Documentary Feature is the ITVS film The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers. Also, Independent Lens host Maggie Gyllenhaal received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the feature film Crazy Heart.

In addition, several previously funded ITVS filmmakers received nominations for their work in the category of short documentary.

• China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province (Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill)
• The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner (Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher)
• The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert)

Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar produced A Lion in the House; Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher made Iron Ladies of Liberia; and Jon Alpert made The Last Cowboy. All three films aired on Independent Lens on PBS.

Congratulations and good luck to all the filmmakers!

Check out this the video preview of The Most Dangerous Man in America:

Who do you think will win? Share your thoughts in our comment section.

Check out the entire list of this year’s nominees >>

Tags: Academy Award, Crazy Heart, Daniel Ellsberg, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Oscar

ITVS Funded Filmmakers Oscar Nominations for Short Documentary

The Oscar buzz is in the air! Yesterday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their 2010 nominees, which included the ITVS film The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers for Best Documentary Feature. Also, Independent Lens host Maggie Gyllenhaal received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the feature film Crazy Heart.

Several previously funded ITVS filmmakers received nominations for their work in the category of short documentary.

• China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province (Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill)
• The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner (Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher)
• The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert)

Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar produced A Lion In The House; Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher made Iron Ladies of Liberia; and Jon Alpert made The Last Cowboy. All three films aired on Independent Lens on PBS.

The 2010 Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 7. Stay tuned to Beyond the Box for further coverage. Congratulations and good luck to all the filmmakers!

Check out the entire list of this year’s nominees >>

Tags: Academy Award, Oscar, shorts

Oscar Noms for The Most Dangerous Man in America; Indie Lens Host Maggie Gyllenhaal

This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officially announced that The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. This marks the 11th Academy Award nomination for ITVS.

In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a leading Vietnam War strategist, concludes that America’s role in the war is based on decades of lies. He leaks 7,000 pages of top-secret documents to The New York Times, a daring act of conscience that leads directly to Watergate, President Nixon’s resignation, and the end of the Vietnam War. Ellsberg and a who’s-who of Vietnam-era movers and shakers give a riveting account of those world-changing events. The film is by award-winning filmmakers Judith Ehrlich (The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It) and Rick Goldsmith (Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press). The film will air later this year on P.O.V. on PBS.

Nominees for Best Documentary Feature of the year include:

• Burma VJ
• The Cove
• Food, Inc.
• The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
• Which Way Home

Also, Independent Lens series host Maggie Gyllenhaal received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her compelling role as a journalist and single mom in the film Crazy Heart. When shooting the Independent Lens host introductions in New York City last August, Maggie talked about this flim and how proud she was of the work. She praised her co-star Jeff Bridges and predicted that his performance would receive wide acclaim. We want to congratulate Maggie on her Academy Award nomination and are honored to be working with her on Independent Lens.

Nominees for Best Actress in a Supporting Role include:

• Penélope Cruz in Nine
• Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air
• Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart
• Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
• Mo’Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Check out the entire list of this year’s nominees >>

The 2010 Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 7. Stay tuned to Beyond the Box for further coverage.Congratulations and good luck to all the filmmakers!

Watch a clip of The Most Dangerous Man in America:

Tags: Academy Award, Crazy Heart, Daniel Ellsberg, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Oscar

The Oath Honored at the Sundance Film Festival

Director Laura Poitras and crew at the Sundance screening of The Oath.

The Sundance Film Festival, held annually in Park City, Utah, is one of the largest and most prominent festivals for independent filmmakers.

Thirty-four films were awarded prizes in 29 categories, honoring both veteran and first-time filmmakers from around the world. Taking home the Excellence in Cinematography Award for U.S. Documentary was The Oath, by Laura Poitras. The film will have its television premiere later this year on P.O.V. on PBS (check local listings).

Filmed in Yemen, The Oath is a family drama about Al Qaeda and Guantanamo Bay Prison. This documentary is the second in a trilogy about America post 9/11. The first film, My Country, My Country, documented the U.S. occupation of Iraq from the perspective of an Iraqi family. The third film will focus on domestic surveillance.

Get the full list of winners at Sundance >>

In the video below, Laura Poitras sits down and gives an in depth look at her film, which she hopes will help people gain a better understanding of Al Qaeda and Guantanamo.

Tags: Al Qaeda, Guantanamo, P.O.V., Sundance

And the 2010 duPont-Columbia University Awards go to…

Filmmakers Elizabeth Farnsworth (at podium) and Patricio Lanfranco (left) accept the 2010 duPont-Columbia University Award. Also on stage include: Gwen Ifill, host of the ceremony; Rob Weiss, Blair Gershkow, and Andreas Cediel, members of the production team.

Last night, the 2010 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards were presented. Among the winners of this prestigious broadcast journalism award was the ITVS film The Judge and the General, by Elizabeth Farnsworth and Patricio Lanfranco, which aired on P.O.V. on PBS.

The Judge and the General reveals the transformation of Judge Juan Guzmán in Chile as he is assigned by judicial lottery to investigate the first criminal cases filed against former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. An international detective story, the film follows the judge as he uncovers the truth about the regime he had supported.

Other winners honored last night include:

- American Public Media, American RadioWorks, Michael Montgomery & Joshua E. S. Phillips: What Killed Sergeant Gray
- CBS News & Katie Couric: The Sarah Palin Interviews
- CBS News: CBS Reports: Children of the Recession
- HBO & Edet Belzberg: The Recruiter
- KHOU-TV, Houston & Mark Greenblatt: Under Fire: Discrimination and Corruption in the Texas National Guard
- KMGH-TV, Denver & Tony Kovaleski: 33 Minutes to 34 Right
- MediaStorm & Jonathan Torgovnik: Intended Consequences
- NPR, Michele Norris & Steve Inskeep: The York Project: Race and the 2008 Vote
- WCAX-TV, Burlington & Kristin Carlson: Foreigners on the Farm
- WGBH, Boston, Frontline/World, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy & Dan Edge: Pakistan: Children of the Taliban, on PBS
- WSVN-TV, Miami, Carmel Cafiero & Anthony Pineda: Pill Mills
- WTVF-TV, Nashville & Phil Williams: General Sessions Court
- WWL-TV, New Orleans: NOAH Housing Program Investigation

Learn more about the duPont-Columbia University Awards >>

Tags: Chile, duPont Columbia, P.O.V., Pinochet

GARBAGE DREAMS, Ellsberg Doc Make Oscar Short List

The Oscar buzz is in the air! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently announced 15 films in the Documentary Feature category that will advance in the voting process for the 82nd Academy Awards. Eighty-nine pictures had originally qualified in the category.

Among those on the short list include GARBAGE DREAMS, airing on this season of Independent Lens and the ITVS-funded film THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.

The official nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 AM PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.

Congratulations to all the filmmakers!

See all 15 vying titles >>

Tags: Academy Award, Daniel Ellsberg, Egypt, Oscar

ITVS Programs Nominated for Six Emmy Awards

The nominees for the 30th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards were announced today and ITVS programs received an impressive six nominations.

Among the nominees are two Independent Lens programs––CHICAGO 10 and HARD ROAD HOME.

CHICAGO 10, directed by Brett Morgen, received a nomination in the Outstanding Individual Achievement In A Craft: Graphic Design & Art Direction category. Mixing animation with archival footage, the film explores the buildup to and unraveling of the protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the ensuing 1969 Conspiracy Trial. CHICAGO 10 premiered on Independent Lens on PBS, October 22, 2008.

HARD ROAD HOME, directed by Macky Alston, received a nomination in the Outstanding Informational Programming Long Form category. The film follows two former felons in different stages of life “on the outside.” HARD ROAD HOME premiered on Independent Lens on PBS, February 26, 2008.

Two Emmy nominations also went to DOPING FOR GOLD and BELARUSIAN WALTZ––both ITVS International productions.

DOPING FOR GOLD, directed and produced by Alison Rooper, is nominated in the Outstanding Science, Technology and Nature Programming category. Set in Cold War-era East Germany, DOPING FOR GOLD reveals how young female athletes were injected with male hormones and anabolic steroids–all in the name of “international prestige through success in sports.” The film is a Firefly Production for Thirteen/WNET New York and ITVS International in association with Five, Channel Four International and History Channel (UK). DOPING FOR GOLD premiered on Secrets of the Dead series on PBS, May 7, 2008.

BELARUSIAN WALTZ, directed by Andrzej Fidyk and produced by Torstein Grude, received a nomination in the Outstanding Historical Programming-Long Form category. BELARUSIAN WALTZ is the story of Alexander Pushkin, a performance artist who used his “patriotic” art to protest against his country’s dictatorship. The film is a co-production of Piraya Film, ITVS International, MG Productions and Arte and premiered on P.O.V. on PBS, August 12, 2008.

Additional nominations went to ITVS-funded programs IN THE FAMILY, produced by Joanna Rudnick and Gordon Quinn, and THE JUDGE AND THE GENERAL, produced by Elizabeth Farnsworth and Patricio Lanfranco. Both premiered on the P.O.V. series in 2008.

The News and Documentary Emmy Awards will be presented on September 21 at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at the Lincoln Center in New York City.

Interested in seeing the full list of nominees?

› Continue reading

Tags: Emmy

Filmmaker Lisa Russell Wins Boston/New England Emmy Award for BI-RACIAL HAIR

Filmmaker Lisa Russell was recently honored at the Boston/New England Emmy Awards for her short film BI-RACIAL HAIR, which will have an encore presentation tonight at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens with THE ORDER OF MYTHS (check local listings). Read about her experience making the film, attending the ceremony and what she thought about getting bumped by President Obama for its debut broadcast.

WGBH Lab Director Chris Hastings and Filmmaker Lisa Russell.

A scene from BI-RACIAL HAIR.

When Lois Vossen, the series producer for Independent Lens, first informed me that the national broadcast of my short film, BI-RACIAL HAIR would be rescheduled because it conflicted with the President’s first State of the Union address, I joked that it would be an honor to be bumped by Obama. Little did I know at the time, the biggest honor I would receive for my film would come on May 30, when I would walk across the stage of the 32nd Annual Boston/New England Emmy Awards to accept my first Emmy Award in the “Outstanding Advanced Media Interactivity” category.

BI-RACIAL HAIR is a film of the WGBH Lab Open Call initiative. Produced for the “Eviction Notice” call with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), it explores how slavery and racism still reverberate in the 20th century. The film profiles 13-year old Zora Howard, a spoken word artist from Harlem, as she reenacts scenes from her poem of the same name. Along with four other films, my project was made with a $2,000 production fund, had an online pitch and review process and then had a rough cut dialogue with various members of the PBS community. The film is online on both the WGBH Lab site and the NPBC Black Public Media site and will be having an encore presentation tonight.

› Continue reading

Tags: African American, Poetry

At the Peabody Awards with Vice President and Indie Lens Series Producer Lois Vossen

Winners of the 2009 Peabody Awards.

Maria Finitzo and Justine Nagan, winners for MAPPING STEM CELL RESEARCH, with Lois Vossen (middle).

Albert Maysles, Peabody Award winner and acclaimed filmmaker, with Lois Vossen.

Yesterday, I attended the 2009 Peabody Awards ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. This year, PBS received six Peabody Awards and I’m proud to say that one-third of those went to Independent Lens.

Taking home awards were Maria Finitzo for MAPPING STEM CELL RESEARCH: Terra Incognita, which looks at Dr. Jack Kessler, a prominent neurologist, who shifts his diabetes research to stem cell research when his daughter is paralyzed from the waist down. The second Peabody was given to KING CORN, by Aaron Woolf, Curt Ellis and Ian Cheney, which follows two recent college graduates who embark on a mission to see where America’s food comes from––by growing it. In the rural town of Greene, Iowa, the two friends plant a single acre of the nation’s most powerful crop–corn–and then set out to track it from a seed to the dinner plate.

The ceremony was hosted by NBC’s Brian Wiliams. Anyone who has seen him as a guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart knows he has a good, contagious sense of humor. He was a very good MC for the Peabody ceremony––the perfect mix of sincere recognition for the remarkable work being honored and very funny humor to make the ceremony more entertaining and also sincere and effective. One of my favorite moments was Brian Williams persistent teasing of Wolf Blitzer and CNN.

Other highlights of the Peabody Awards included an honor to Saturday Night Live for their political parody coverage of the 2008 presidential election, Entourage and Breaking Bad.

After the ceremony, I spent time with Albert Maysles (who received a Peabody Award for The Gates) and the staff of The Onion online. I later joined the other winners for the champagne reception at The Paley Center. It was a big day for Independent Lens and the filmmakers!

Lois
- Vice President and Independent Lens Series Producer

Tags: Brian Williams, Peabody Awards

GOODBYE SOLO Filmmaker Wins Fellowship

Congratulations to Ramin Bahrani for being selected to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship, which are given to individuals with exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.

Be sure to tune into Charlie Rose next week to watch Ramin discuss his upcoming ITVS film GOODBYE SOLO, which looks at Solo, a friendly Senegalese taxi driver in Winston-Salem, North Carolina who is hired by an elderly Caucasian man named William to drive him in two weeks time to a mountaintop where he plans to commit suicide.

The film currently is playing across the country and will have its premiere in San Francisco this Friday, April 17, at the Clay Theater. Meet Ramin Bahrani in person at the bay area screenings.

Find more information about this screening and others >>

Tags: Charlie Rose, film screenings