Camp Victory Afghanistan
Filmmaker Carol Dysinger talks about her new documentary that premieres tonight…
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Plugging the Arts - PBS launches interactive portal making visual arts programming more accessible than ever
Within a year, PBS plans to expand its arts initiative to broadcast, with a dedicated night of programming each week. In anticipation, some PBS series have already increased arts-related content. Next April, the documentary series “Independent Lens” will focus solely on the visual arts, with four films in four weeks, according to the series producer Lois Vossen. In addition, the first documentary film on the life of William S. Burroughs, which will appear in US cinemas this autumn, has been slated to air on PBS in May.
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Carmen Meets Borat Coming To Global Voices Series On PBS World Channel
With all the strange, interesting, and bad press that followed in the wake of Sasha Baron Cohen’s Borat film, you’re about to get a new look behind the scenes of the production, from the perspective of yet another group duped by the film. While many of the stories that came out the film didn’t evoke a great deal of sympathy, the curious bamboozling of the village of Glod in Romania might deliver a different picture.
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Women and children have been the worst affected, as millions await aid and protection. Touring the wreckage last weekend, UN. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the floods the worst destruction he had ever witnessed.

The flooding, which began in late July, brings suffering to an area already rife with political turmoil. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was recently criticized for taking a trip to Europe to meet with leaders in Britain and France. Critics slammed the trip as “insensitive” and called it a “joy ride.” President Zardari most recently decided to forgo any celebration of the 63^rd Anniversary of Pakistan’s independence last Saturday, August 14.

All news to date indicates that the situation in Pakistan is likely to worsen before it improves. A harsh truth to the already high casualty figures is that many more towns and villages, not accessible by communication, will likely have greater losses to report in the weeks ahead. Relief and recovery efforts will certainly remain the highest priority in Pakistan long after the floodwaters recede.

As Pakistanis — an especially high percentage of them women and children — face this unprecedented catastrophe it is important to remember the forces of strength and survival that have been produced from that nation. Benazir Bhutto, one of history’s most resilient leaders, inspired millions in times of struggle. The nature of such leadership is what rallies a country in times of crisis, and it’s certainly worth remembering such a historical figure now.

Slated to run this season on Independent Lens, Filmmaker Duane Baughman’s, Bhutto, chronicles the life of the first woman in history to lead a Muslim nation.

Littlefeather recounts price of native activism
Sacheen Littlefeather, the actor who stood in for Marlon Brando at the 1973 Oscars, says she paid a high price for her criticism of Hollywood portrayals of First Nations people. Littlefeather, now 63, said that act of advocacy cut her acting career short and put her life at risk. She was speaking to TV critics in a promotion for Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian, a Canadian-made documentary that is to air on PBS’s Independent Lens in November.
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Rosie O’Donnell returns to daytime TV on Oprah’s net
Oprah Winfrey announces that Rosie O’Donnell is returning to daytime TV in a talk show (gak) on The Oprah Winfrey Network, in the middle of PBS’s day at Summer TV Press Tour 2010 when, if she’d waited until the next morning, she could have announced it during Discovery’s day at the tour — Discovery being Oprah’s partner in OWN. So instead of listening to Benazir Bhutto’s cousin Mahin Hemmat, and Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani talk about a new PBS Independent Lens project, Bhutto, they were madly typing on their laptops about how the sometimes polarizing Rosie…
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Brando’s 1973 Oscar Stand-in Recounts Fallout
Sacheen Littlefeather says she paid a price when she decried Hollywood’s stereotyped portrayal of American Indians at the 1973 Oscars… She spoke Thursday during a presentation to TV critics on “Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian,” a documentary airing in November on the “Independent Lens” series.
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Among the nominees are three Independent Lens programs — Tulia, Texas; No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo and Vilmos; and Crips and Bloods: Made in America.

Tulia, Texas — by filmmakers Cassandra Herrman and Kelly Whalen — received a nomination in the Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story, Long Form category. The film tells the story of a small town’s search for justice and the price Americans pay for the nation’s war on drugs.

No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo and Vilmos — by director James Chressanthis — received a nomination in the Outstanding Arts and Culture Programming category. The documentary profiles legendary cinematographers Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond and how they reinvented Hollywood moviemaking for an entire generation.

Crips and Bloods: Made in America — by director Stacy Peralta — received a nomination for Best Documentary. The film profiles America’s most notorious gangs and the brutal rivalries that have become routine in South Central Los Angeles.

Two Emmy nominations also went to the ITVS programs The Way We Get By and The English Surgeon, both of which aired last year on P.O.V.

The Way We Get By, by director Aron Gaudet, received a nomination in the Outstanding Coverage of a News Story, Long Form category. The documentary profiles three senior citizens who have made history by greeting nearly one million U.S. troops at a tiny airport in Maine.

The English Surgeon, by director Geoffrey Smith, received a nomination in the Outstanding Science and Technology Programming category. The documentary follows a British neurosurgeon as he confronts the dilemmas of the doctor-patient relationship on his latest mission to Ukraine.

The ITVS International program Be Like Others, by director Tanaz Eshaghian, also picked up a nomination for Outstanding Informational Programming – Long Form. Airing on HBO, the program took an intimate and unflinching look at life in Iran through the eyes of young men choosing to undergo sex change surgery.

See the full list of News and Doc Emmy nominations here. >>

We also want to mention a Primetime Emmy Awards nomination announced last week for Blessed is the Match from Independent Lens. The film earned a nomination for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Special.

Congratulations to all!

A new documentary film about the life and death of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto — the first woman head of an Islamic country who was assassinated in 2007 — may attract as much interest for its political content as for its artistic or journalistic value…
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Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi paid glowing tribute to martyred prime minister Benazir Bhutto as politicians and policymakers gathered at the premiere of a documentary chronicling courageous life and democratic contributions of the popular leader.
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This utterly engaging and frequently poignant first-person documentary departs from the norm in a couple of interesting ways. The wiry, bespectacled Orian is anything but handsome, and his nerdy appearance combined with a figuring-it-out-on-the-fly approach to life encourages the viewer to underestimate him. We pick up the faintest whiff of Woody Allen in Orian’s performance, not least when he proves himself to be tougher and stronger than we expected.
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Director Gabriel Noble, 34, spent four years following aspiring child star Priscilla Star Diaz and her father, Jesse, for the film “P-Star Rising.’’
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Last night, ITVS hosted the Washington D.C. premiere of the landmark new documentary Bhutto, about the life, career, and tragic death of one of the world’s most dynamic leaders — and the first woman ever to lead an Islamic nation — Benazir Bhutto.

The film debuted at Sundance 2010 to rave reviews and Independent Lens series producer Lois Vossen quickly moved in to secure Bhutto for next season; it will air in March 2011 in celebration of Women’s History Month.

But last night, Bhutto belonged to official Washington. Nearly 400 invited guests, members of Congress and the Washington diplomatic corps, journalists, and other notables were regaled with reflections and remembrances of Ms. Bhutto’s life and work.

The pinnacle of the evening though, was a surprise appearance by another dynamic woman leader, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who took the podium during introductory remarks to share memories of her friendship with Benazir (watch the Speaker’s remarks below).

Having the Speaker at our event was truly an honor, especially for a San Francisco-based organization like ITVS! Introductory remarks were also made by Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (see below).

Following the screening of Bhutto, a visibly moved Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, took the stage to talk about Benazir’s political legacy, and the continuing struggle for democracy in Pakistan. He also acknowledged Ms. Sanam Bhutto, Benazir’s sister and only living sibling, who was also in attendance.

The event wrapped up with a brief discussion with the filmmakers (producer Mark Siegel and director Duane Baughman), hosted by veteran journalist Judy Woodruff of  PBS NewsHour (watch the discussion below and read Woodruff’s report on the film for the Online NewsHour).

All in all it was quite an evening. Friends and supporters gathered to celebrate Mrs. Bhutto’s life, prominent members of official Washington turned out to support the ongoing and very consequential U.S. relationship with Pakistan, and once again, ITVS fulfilled its mission to bring independently produced programming to diverse audiences in support of civic dialogue and public education.

One thing is certain, however you might be inclined to judge Ms. Bhutto’s political legacy, this an important film that will educate millions of Americans about the turbulent political history of modern Pakistan.

War Insight, Beyond Bang-Bang
At midlife, in a soft job, and nagged by questions that no one was answering, Carol Dysinger boarded a plane from New York to Dubai and then caught a connecting flight into Kabul. The answers, and new questions, emerge in her documentary, Camp Victory, Afghanistan, which she made over five years of listening, watching and asking.
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Cambodia Vs. ‘Chea’
The director of Who Killed Chea Vichea?, a documentary about the 2004 slaying of the Cambodian union leader, is asserting that the Cambodian government has banned screenings of the film. U.S. helmer Bradley Cox says the government has been preventing showings of his film for the past month in the first banning of a politically charged film since the 1980s.
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An Interview With The Director Of ‘The Oath,’ About Osama Bin Laden’s Driver And Bodyguard
Laura Poitras’ documentary, The Oath, … paints close-up portraits of Osama bin Laden’s driver Salim Hamdan and bodyguard Nasser al-Bahri (aka Abu Jandal). She won’t tell how she found the footage.
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Equally important is the attention such an award will draw to the national debate over Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT.) The film explores the genesis of that policy from its inception under then-President Clinton in 1993.

Ask Not sheds light on how DADT has prevented some of America’s most talented recruits from serving their country. Examples include skilled Arabic translators so desperately needed in Afghanistan and Iraq combat, ordered to be silent and celibate or else be removed from duty.

“This was a fun award to receive and a great acknowledgment of the film and the issue,” said Symons.

The hype around Ask Not could not come at a more relevant time. At his State of the Union address this past January, President Obama vowed to repeal DADT during his first term. Soon after, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm Mike Mullen also denounced the policy before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The film also recently aired on Capitol Hill to coincide with Congressional hearings on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

Congratulations to Johnny and his team!

It’s not every June that brings the opportunity to see one of last year’s most acclaimed films on television and without even a cable connection, at that but this June is one of those times. PBS scored a coup by booking 2009’s striking Goodbye Solo as part of its Independent Lens series.
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Premiering on 11 May, as part of PBS’ Independent Lens, Michel Orion Scott’s film suggests that Kristin and her husband Rupert Isaacson find themselves on this adventure, despite her own initial skepticism.
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The Horse Boy is a touching documentary about one Texas couple’s struggle to understand their child’s autism and find ways for all of them to cope with it.
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The afternoon session kicked off with clips from two films: The World According to

Sesame Workshop CEO Gary Knell moderates the final panel of the day

Sesame Street, a look at the making of “muppet diplomacy” through versions of the iconic children’s show produced by local producers in other countries; and The Team, a documentary look at the Kenyan soap opera of the same title that marries conflict resolution with popular storytelling.

Moderator Gary Knell, CEO of the Sesame Workshop, carried the theme of the clips into the discussion, highlighting the importance of “indigenous” partnerships to achieve local impact.  Mburugu Gikunda, executive producer of The Team in Kenya, reinforced that idea with his story of how his work combines television, radio and local screenings as equally important to getting people to act.  “When people see it in their living rooms, they are very passive,” he said.  “When they watch it in a group, there is encouragement to one another to take some action with it.”  New media, he continued, represent new opportunities.

Capacity crowd at the Newseum listens to the State Department's Jared Cohen

But what do people do with these opportunities?  Jared Cohen of the

USIP's Sheldon Himmelfarb closes out the day's program

Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff contrasted the stories of twitter in Iran and Moldova with an awareness of the “dark side” of technology, emphasizing how people looking for social impact innovate using whatever tools at their disposal.  For David Kleeman, Executive Director for the American Center for Children and Media, that’s why one of the most important missions should be creating platforms that extend the digital reach to people and places where it hasn’t yet reached.  Peace building also needs to start earlier and be more fully integrated into education and media literacy efforts.  Why do we teach kids how to read critically but not watch video critically?

Good question, agreed Shamil Idriss.  But impact goals and an open source model have contradictions, he warned.  “You have to be ready to hear things that are really hard for you to hear” and to allow for contrasting narrative to find new ways to get to more people in more places than ever before.

And don’t give up on traditional media, added Sandra de Castro Buffington, director of Hollywood, Health and Society at USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center.  Transmedia means working across all available platforms, with each platform adding essential information.  The key is making sure the information is accurate—we already advise Hollywood screenwriters on getting their medical information right, so why not global economic development, poverty and other topics of interest to peace building stakeholders?