In the News
RECAP: Doc U — The Future of Docs on PBS
By Katharine Relth
On Thursday, May 10th, Independent Lens Senior Series Producer Lois Vossen sat on a panel for “Doc U: The Future of Docs on PBS” in Los Angeles, CA. The event was presented by the International Documentary Association.
In preparing for last night’s Doc U: The Future of Docs on PBS, each one of the panelists (and probably most of the audience) thought that they would be gearing up for some major mobilization. Up until Wednesday, May 9, the IDA and other proponents of quality independent programming like Kartemquin Films had joined together to release a public campaign against PBS’s recent decision to move its exemplary series for independent documentaries, Independent Lens and POV, from their long-established slots on Tuesday night to Thursday night, a slot reserved for local programming. But the day before this panel was set to mobilize the documentary community to support IDA and Kartemquin’s PBS Needs Indies campaign, the Public Broadcasting Station announced that both Independent Lens and POV would find a new home on Monday nights. This was an incredible victory for everyone involved. The IDA was so pleased with this announcement, hoping it will mean a renewed viewership for the programs affected by the earlier change. › Continue reading
Kony Unveiled: A Social Screening of Peace vs. Justice
ITVS presents an online social screening of Klaartje Quirijns’s Peace vs. Justice on Wednesday, May 16 at 5PM PT / 8PM ET. The event will take place here.
What do you really know about Joseph Kony? On Wednesday we will be hosting a live online screening and discussion of the documentary Peace vs. Justice, going beyond the slick marketing of KONY 2012 and taking an in-depth look at the rebel leaders responsible for the most egregious of human-rights abuses – kidnapping children and forcing them to fight.
Peace vs. Justice examines the International Criminal Court’s investigation of the LRA and takes a critical look at the problems of applying Western ideas of justice and reconciliation to other countries and continents.
Join us for a social screening of Peace vs. Justice with filmmaker Klaartje Quirijns, who will be taking part in the screening to talk about the film and take your questions live. › Continue reading
American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen Hits Denver for PBS Annual Meeting
On May 17, Hill Harper, Tony Plana, and Priscilla Diaz will join CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison at the PBS Annual Meeting in Denver for a public discussion on the nation’s dropout crisis as part of the public media initiative, American Graduate: Let’s Make it Happen, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Priscilla Star Diaz has come a long way. The charmingly little girl of Gabriel Noble’s P-Star Rising (2009) is now a poised 17-year-old starring in her third season of The Electric Company. The hip-hop sensation—who experienced her own struggle with literacy—frequently speaks about self-esteem, persistence, and the value of an education. Diaz is one of several high-profile supporters of American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen who will join public media professionals from across the country at the PBS Annual Meeting in Denver next week.
Patricia Harrison, CEO of CPB
Hill Harper, the film, television and stage actor currently starring in CSI: NY, and notable actor Tony Plana of Ugly Betty fame, will appear with Diaz and CPB President & CEO Patricia Harrison at a special American Graduate breakfast meeting on Thursday morning.
Launched in 2011, American Graduate is public media’s initiative to help communities address the dropout crisis. The project includes television and radio specials, screenings and Teacher Town Halls with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, community partnerships, and, engaging curricula for students in an out of the classroom, and includes new ITVS programming that focuses on the Latino community. High school dropout is an issue that has many faces, and affects people in myriad walks of life—and people across the country are taking action.
› Continue reading
New Primetime Home for Indie Series Emerges From Independent Strategy Task Force Meetings
ITVS President and CEO Sally Jo Fifer Applauds Year-Round Monday Slot on PBS Core Schedule to Help Meet First-Order Mission of Public Broadcasting
I’m pleased to report that the Independent Strategy Task Force has emerged from months of conversation to deliver a new 10 p.m. primetime slot on Monday nights for Independent Lens and POV. This is great news for our series filmmakers and audiences, but more importantly it affirms the partnership and mission that independents and public broadcasting steward together: amplifying diverse voices to strengthen our democracy.
› Continue reading
Doc U: The Future of Docs on PBS
On Thursday, May 10th, Independent Lens Senior Series Producer Lois Vossen will be speaking at the panel “Doc U: The Future of Docs on PBS” in Los Angeles. The event will be presented by the International Documentary Association.
Independent Lens and POV have continually provided a broadcast slot of independent documentary films on PBS. In May 2011, due to schedule changes in PBS’s prime-time schedule, both programs were moved to Thursday evening – a time traditionally reserved for stations’ local and syndicated programming. The inconsistent time slot has been problematic for Independent Lens, with a significant drop in viewership since the schedule change.
Since then, both shows have been the topic of much debate and the documentary community has rallied in support, resulting in PBS’s public announcement to reconsider another schedule shift and together with a newly formed Independent Strategy Task Force, work together in order to rectify the issue. Paired with the significant cuts to PBS’ nonfiction programming from the National Endowment for the Arts, the future remains unclear as to what is in store for independent documentary films and public broadcasting.
› Continue reading
Can the Stop Kony 2012 Video Save the International Criminal Court?
By Klaartje Quirijns and Stacy Sullivan
Filmmaker Klaartje Quirijns
Peace vs. Justice director Klaartje Quirijns and producer Stacy Sullivan discuss Invisible Children’s Stop Kony 2012 video, the ICC, and the importance of continued discussion around international justice. Global Voices premieres on Sunday, May 6, with Peace vs. Justice on the World Channel. An online social screening and chat will be held on May 16 with the filmmakers and experts to discuss issues raised in the film. That event will take place here.
By now, anybody who has access to the internet has probably heard of Joseph Kony, thanks to the unprecedented success of Invisible Children’s Stop Kony 2012 video. Kony’s rise from obscure Ugandan warlord to a household name is nothing short of remarkable and Invisible Children deserves accolades for raising awareness about Kony’s crimes.
But Kony wasn’t really such an obscure figure before the release of Invisible Children’s video. He was, after all, the very first person to have been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) – an institution that was created to go after those responsible for the worst crimes in the world. The Lord’s Resistance Army’s murderous rampage through Northern Uganda with an army of abducted children had already turned Kony into one of the world’s greatest villains.
If Kony had not already been indicted by the ICC, the Stop Kony 2012 video might have been a call for that to happen. The ICC, after all, was supposed to be the institution that would put a stop to impunity – make sure that future Pinochets, Milosevics, and Pol Pots of the world would be held accountable. If Kony had not already been indicted, calling for his indictment would have been a worthy advocacy goal. › Continue reading
ITVS Announces Production of American Graduate Latino Programming
The national public media initiative’s goal is to address the growing Latino high school dropout crisis.
Nationwide, Latino students face an increased risk of dropping out of school. 41 percent of Latinos ages 20 and older do not have a high school diploma, compared to 23 percent of blacks and 14 percent of whites. To address the growing high school dropout crisis among Latinos, the largest and youngest minority group in the U.S., Independent Television Service (ITVS) – the leading funder of U.S. independent public television productions – is launching American Graduate Latino as part of the national public media initiative, American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
Launching in November 2012 with a series of shorts, American Graduate Latino will provide the core American Graduate initiative with broadcasts and online programming in both Spanish and English to engage viewers, teachers, and community leaders in identifying and implementing solutions to the high school dropout crisis.
Statistics on the U.S. Latino dropout crisis as reported by Pew Resource Center, 2010. Courtesy of ITVS.
ITVS Interactive Projects Awarded NEA Funding
The National Endowment for the Arts has selected two ITVS interactive projects to receive funding through its Arts in Media Grants.
This week, the National Endowment for the Arts announced projects selected for funding through its Arts in Media Grants Program. We’re proud to announce that two interactive projects, funded through ITVS’s Project 360 Initiative, have garnered NEA support.
› Continue reading
Bhutto Producer Mark Siegel Reflects on Benazir Bhutto
Mark Siegel, co-producer of the documentary Bhutto, discusses his relationship with the former Prime Minister of Pakistan. The film, which aired last season on Independent Lens, earned a Peabody award earlier this month. Siegel and filmmaker Duane Baughman will accept the prestigious award on May 21 in New York.
Vive le SFIFF!
Thursday marks the start of the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival, and ITVS is proud to have three documentary films honored in the festival lineup, including Bitter Seeds, The Invisible War, and The Waiting Room.
The San Francisco Film Society is encouraging opening night attendees to go French glam for tonight’s Farewell, My Queen screening by filmmaker Benoît Jacquot. Join the convivial throng at the Castro Theatre for a special screening then head to a lavish party at the elegant contemporary art gallery Terra in SOMA to enjoy hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants, sophisticated cocktails and, of course, dancing.
Unable to join in on the opening night festivities? Not to worry, Bay Area film fanatics have 15 full days of the best in world cinema to soak up before the festival closes on May 3, 2012. With more than 200 films in the lineup and more than 45 countries represented, the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival is an extraordinary showcase of innovation and cinematic discovery. › Continue reading
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