Awards

Oscar Nominated Filmmakers Visit Talk of The Nation

Filmmakers Danfung Dennis (Hell and Back Again) and Marshall Curry (If A Tree Falls) appeared separately on NPR this week to discuss their respective films — both of which have been nominated for an Academy Award. Listen to the interviews with host Neal Conan, below:

Hell and Back Again
“After so many years of war, society’s become numb to pictures of conflict, and so I felt like I had to move into a new medium to try to shake people from their indifference.” — Danfung Dennis on Hell and Back Again (the documentary will premiere on Independent Lens on May 24 and nationwide on Memorial Day). LISTEN TO FULL INTERVIEW HERE.


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IL Series Producer Recaps Sundance 2012

By Lois Vossen, Founding Series Producer of Independent Lens and Vice President of ITVS

ITVS-funded filmmakers and staff rally for lunch at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT

Sundance 2012 was a record-breaking year year for ITVS and Independent Lens. Six ITVS funded films screened in the documentary competitions and all six were honored with Sundance awards. (ITVS had had seven films playing at Sundance in 2004; six films in 2002; and eight films in 1997 for those interested in banner years).

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ITVS Films Clean Up at Sundance

All six ITVS films in competition at Sundance picked up awards on Saturday, marking an unprecedented accomplishment for the organization and the filmmakers.

WINNER OF THE GRAND JURY PRIZE IN U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The House I Live In by Eugene Jarecki
The film weaves together director Eugene Director’s personal narrative with America’s war on drugs. Here, producers including Sam Cullman, Melinda Snopsis, Danny Glover, and director Eugene Jarecki — reflect on the film and its Sundance premiere.
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Filmmakers of “The House I Live In” Respond to Sundance Premiere

By Steve Goldbloom, Reporting for PBS and BTB at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival

The House I Live In premiered last weekend at the Sundance Film Festival. The film weaves together director Eugene Jarecki’s personal narrative with America’s war on drugs. Here, producers including Sam Cullman, Melinda Shopsin, Danny Glover, and director Eugene Jarecki — reflect on the film and its Sundance premiere.

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“If a Tree Falls” Filmmaker Reacts to Oscar Nomination

By Steve Goldbloom, Reporting for PBS and BTB at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival

Sam Cullman, co-director and cinematographer of If a Tree Falls reacts to his Oscar Nomination, which he learned about on Tuesday at Sundance.

The movie takes a behind-the-scenes look at Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental group that the FBI calls the “number one domestic terrorism threat” in America. If a Tree Falls aired on POV this past fall.

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“Hell and Back Again” Filmmaker Danfung Dennis Reacts to Oscar Nomination

By Steve Goldbloom, Reporting for PBS and BTB at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival

Danfung Dennis woke up this morning in Park City as an Academy Award nominated filmmaker for his documentary Hell and Back Again. The film weaves together two overlapping narratives of a Marine at war on the front and in recovery at home. BTB caught up with the filmmaker earlier today on Main St at the Sundance Film Festival.

Hell and Back Again will air on May 24 on Independent Lens.

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Oscar Nominees for Best Doc Include: Hell and Back Again & If a Tree Falls

Early Tuesday morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this year’s Oscar nominees. Among the films selected for best documentary were two ITVS programs: Hell and Back Again by Danfung Dennis (coming to Independent Lens on May 24) and If a Tree Falls by filmmakers Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman (broadcast last September on POV). BTB will be speaking with filmmakers Dennis and Cullman later today in Park City at the Sundance Film Festival to get their reaction on the nomination. Until then, join us in congratulating the filmmakers and watch the trailers below:

Find the complete list of nominated film here.

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Hell and Back Again Picks Up Dupont Award

Fourteen winners of the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Awards were announced on Wednesday in New York. Hell and Back Again, by filmmaker Danfung Dennis, will premiere on Independent Lens in May 2012.

The documentary follows one soldier’s experience fighting the war in Afghanistan and recovering from a serious injury back in the U.S.
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Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 All Video, Awards, In the News, Independent Lens No Comments

The Oscar Speculation Continues with If a Tree Falls

The New York Times Dot Earth blog recently featured Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman’s ITVS-funded documentary If a Tree Falls. The film takes an in-depth look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental group that the FBI called the “number one domestic terrorism threat” in America.

Watch the trailer for If a Tree Falls after the jump.
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Friday, December 16th, 2011 All Video, Awards, In the News, ITVS Broadcasts No Comments

New York Women in Film & Television Honors ITVS President

ITVS President and CEO Sally Jo Fifer was awarded the Loreen Arbus Award for Those Who Take Action and Effect Change on Wednesday, December 7 in New York City. ITVS was recognized for spearheading public media’s Women and Girls Lead campaign.

Each December, New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) presents the Muse Awards for Vision and Achievement, honoring women who have made significant contributions to the field.

Some 1,200 industry guests gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2011 Muse Award recipients: actors Claire Danes and Christine Baranski, TV celebrity Martha Stewart, Sony Pictures Classics co-founder Marcie Bloom, and Budd Enterprises president Nadine Schramm. At the same luncheon, Sally Fifer accepted the Loreen Arbus Award on behalf of ITVS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS and expressed great appreciation for the independent filmmakers who provided the powerful stories at the core of Women and Girls Lead.

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