Independent Lens
Half the Sky Wins New Fans at PBS Annual Meeting
By Tamara Gould
Vice President, ITVS International
Based on the bestselling book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky will premiere as a special presentation on Independent Lens in October 2012. The project is a cornerstone of the Women and Girls Lead campaign and was on display at last week’s PBS Annual Meeting in Denver.
Just back from the PBS annual meeting in Denver and was absolutely thrilled by the response from stations to the upcoming Half the Sky series, which will air on October 1 and 2 as a special presentation of Independent Lens.
This project has been several years in the making, taking up the ambitious work of New York Times reporter Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn who wrote Half the Sky to highlight the challenges that women and girls are facing worldwide — issues like trafficking, maternal health, female genital mutilation, and gender based violence.
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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
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.
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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.
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Live Streaming of Lives Worth Living
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Diversity Committee and ITVS invites members to attend a special screening and discussion of Lives Worth Living on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 7pm PT in North Hollywood, CA. The discussion will also be streamed via webcast on Emmys.com & Emmys.tv.
Civil rights are taken for granted in the United States. However, for a diverse population of more than 54 million Americans — those with disabilities — it is an ongoing struggle. Lives Worth Living is television’s most comprehensive history of the disability rights movement. It opens a window into the world of citizens with an unwavering determination to live their lives like everyone else. It is also a journey through the past when millions of people lived without access to schools, work, public transportation, and housing. Charismatic leaders of the movement narrate the story of this long, hard, and successful drive for civil rights that brought together a once fragmented population into a powerful coalition that created some of the most far reaching civil rights legislation in our nation’s history … and around the world. › 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.
A Full Frame Documentary Extravaganza
By Eric Martin
ITVS Senior Staff Writer Eric Martin, filed this report from the 2012 Full Frame Film Festival, which ran April 12-April 15 in Durham, N.C..
The Waiting Room held its world premiere at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
The Full Frame Film Festival turned 15 years old this year in Durham, N.C., where I happen to live right now, and it’s no surprise that the well-attended, four-day, 100+ documentary extravaganza, which ended Sunday, included a meaty slate of ITVS and Independent Lens projects packed with something for everyone.
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Catching Up with Whitney Dow and Septent for When the Drum is Beating Premiere
The documentary, which premieres Thursday on Independent Lens, explores Haiti’s complex past and present through the music of the country’s oldest and best-known band — Septentrional. Last week, BTB caught up with the director and band via Skype in New York.
Learn more about When the Drum is Beating on the Independent Lens website.
Man Behind the Muppet: Thursday on Independent Lens
The documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey airs Thursday on Independent Lens on PBS.
Watch Meet the Man Behind Elmo on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.
When Kevin Clash was a boy, he built his own puppets and staged shows for the neighborhood. Today, he is living his ultimate dream as the big man behind the little, furry Muppet Elmo on Sesame Street. Being Elmo premieres April 5 (and can be seen again on April 9) on PBS. Check local listings.
Ever wonder what is Elmo’s favorite food? Elmo himself answers after the jump! › Continue reading
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