ITVS Broadcasts
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.
First Australians airing Saturday on the National Geographic Channel
Have you ever been to Australia or dreamed about traveling there? But how much do you really know about the country and its Aboriginal people?
This Saturday, March 6, at 9:00 PM, the National Geographic Channel will take you there in the ITVS International film First Australians. Produced by Australia’s top Aboriginal filmmakers, First Australians chronicles the birth of a country and the collision of two worlds. This epic story combines landscapes, interviews, art and archival footage to present the birth of contemporary Australia from the perspectives of its first peoples.
Watch this video preview below:
Learn more about the broadcast by visiting the National Geographic website >>
Remembering the 42nd Anniversary of the Orangeburg Massacre
Today marks the 42nd anniversary of the most unknown tragedy in the history of the civil rights movement. On 1968, police opened fire on the campus of South Carolina State University, leaving three young African American men dead and 27 wounded. Unlike a similar incident at Kent State, the incident did not make national headlines and there has never been an official investigation into what occurred that night. The film investigates the continued cover-up of the tragedy and follows ongoing efforts to seek justice.
Haven’t heard of the tragedy? Well, be sure to tune into public television this month to watch the ITVS film Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968, where filmmakers Bestor Cram and Judy Richardson investigate the continued cover-up of the tragedy and the ongoing efforts to seek justice.
Watch an extended clip of this program below:
Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968 airs in February on public television (check local listings).
A co-production of ITVS in association with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC).
Video Extra: Harlem in Montmartre: A Paris Jazz Story
In conjunction with Black History Month, Great Performances is airing a special encore presentation of Harlem in Montmartre: A Paris Jazz Story (check local listings). Based on the book by William Shack, the film looks at the impact of African American performers and musicians during the great jazz era of Paris.
In the video extra below, learn more about Louis Mitchell, a young black entrepreneur in 1920 Paris, who brought African American jazz musicians to Montmartre. Mitchell formed a popular quintet, made the first jazz recording in France, and opened all-night lunch counters to cater to inebriated club-goers.
In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs
“The gutsy television company ITVS, which has embraced alternative distribution models for years, had three documentaries at Sundance this year. I wasn’t able to see Laura Poitras’s The Oath, about a Yemenite family, Al Qaeda, and Guantanamo Bay. My Perestroika offers fascinatingly differing accounts of how several Russian former high school classmates have fared since the collapse of the Soviet Union…”
Read more >>
“The Bay Area has long been known as a center for documentary filmmaking. … The area is home to the Independent Television Service, a major financer of documentary films, as well as some of the most respected film schools in the country.”
Read more >>
“Blacking Up is careful to let people speak for themselves, as Clift efficiently segues from scene to scene: a Long Island meeting of the ossifying Al Jolson Society; a trip on a black-owned New York bus tour of hip-hop landmarks, during which white tourists are urged to wear complimentary bling.”
Read full review >>
Priscilla Diaz, the subject of P-Star Rising, discusses the premiere of her film and her new season on PBS’s The Electric Company on WPIX, the flagship station of The CW Television Network.
Watch now >>
New Films Available on the PBS Video Player
ITVS programs regularly explore the rich and vibrant history and cultural contributions of African Americans. In fact, three ITVS films –– Brother to Brother, Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, and Life and Debt –– were recently recognized by The Grio’s “Ten Most Important Black Films of the Decade.”
In celebration of Black History Month, ITVS and PBS are offering a special slate of new and encore programs throughout February. Select programs are also available on the PBS video player. Be sure to check out the Independent Lens documentary February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four, which looks at the pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement when four college students staged a sit-in at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960. Also, be sure to check out last year’s Independent Lens Audience Award winner Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greene, which tells the unlikely story of America’s original shock-jock, Petey Greene, who battled the system and his own demons during a time of civil unrest in the nation’s capital.
Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes and P-Star Rising, both Independent Lens documentaries, will be available online February 10.
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:
John Antonelli Discusses Inspiration Behind Sam Cooke
The ITVS film Sam Cooke: Crossing Over recently premiered on American Masters on PBS. The film looks at the musical and political significance of composer, performer, and pioneering pop music entrepreneur Sam Cooke and the circumstances that led to his murder. Beyond the Box recently caught up with producer John Antonelli to discuss his interest in the topic, why he approached ITVS for funding, and what he hopes viewers took away from the film.
Executive Producer Avon Kirkland, Narrator Danny Glover, and Producer John Antonelli.
How did you first get involved with filmmaking? Are there any specific topics that interest you?
My production company came out of the experience of making my Jack Kerouac documentary in the early 80s. My partner Will Parrinello and I have been working together since then making a variety of films that focus on the environment, culture, and politics. The Sam Cooke program goes full circle back to producing a full-length documentary about a cultural icon.
What made you interested in Sam Cooke?
I’ve always loved Sam Cooke’s music since I discovered it as a teenager back in the early sixties. When I read Daniel Wolff’s biography You Send Me, I was quickly convinced that I should try and make a film about him. Wolff was supportive but wasn’t interested in forming a partnership. At that point, I decided that I would make the film for PBS directly. We managed to reach many of Cooke’s closest friends and relatives to do interviews for the film.
Why did you approach ITVS for funding?
I’ve always wanted to do a project with ITVS and have applied there with various films. I knew when I decided to do this project for PBS that I had two strong options for funding and distribution –– ITVS and American Masters. If ITVS were an individual, you could say that I was their stalker. I started applying to ITVS back in 1998 when I started making the film. I applied and got rejected, and as I had on previous projects, signed up for their feedback session. Although I didn’t like hearing the reasons from different anonymous panel members why they didn’t like the project, I also heard some encouragement sprinkled in with the criticisms. I then set out to improve the proposal and sample tape. Little did I know that this process of applying and getting feedback would take another nine years before it would get funded. The feedback–– almost as much as the financing –– is a big reason why I was able to complete the film. The feedback always gave me specific ways that I could make the project stronger. As far as I know, ITVS is the only entity in the documentary world that gives this kind of feedback –– it is something that every filmmaker should take advantage of.
Egalité for All Tells the Story of Haiti’s Revolutionary Past
Toussaint Louverture of Haiti.
Since the massive earthquake devastated Haiti two weeks ago, volunteers and organizations from around the world have rallied together in support. Recently, the Hope for Haiti Now telethon, which aired on public television stations and other media outlets, raised more than $58 million in donations.
Despite the massive worldwide effort, the news coverage continues to grow dire –– with rising death toll numbers and reports of missing children and families.
But how much does the world really know about Haiti? While most media coverage mentions Haiti’s severe poverty, little has been told about its revolutionary past and leading role in the human rights movement.
In the clip below of the ITVS film Egalité for All: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution, learn more about how Toussaint Louverture led the only successful slave insurrection in history. His thoughts transformed the way people thought during the nineteenth century and inspired slaves and abolitionist worldwide.
Everyone at ITVS would like to express our deepest sympathy to all those impacted by this tragedy as well as thank everyone who has supported the rebuilding efforts. The National Center for Media Engagement has also been active in supporting the nationwide public station response in the Haitian relief effort.
Learn more about NCME and their impact >>
Looking to lend your support in the form of a donation? Here are some options:
• Make your donation online at www.hopeforhaitinow.org
• Phone: 877-99-HAITI
• Text: Text “GIVE” to 50555 to donate $10.
• Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund, Entertainment Industry Foundation, 1201 West 5th Street, Suite T-700, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Reconstructing History: Filmmakers Discuss Objective Storytelling
This is the companion piece to Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968, which airs in February on public television, and investigates the continued cover-up of the tragedy of 1968 on the campus of South Carolina State University and follows ongoing efforts to seek justice.
Filmmakers Bestor Cram and Judy Richardson discuss how they visually reconstructed a shocking historical event of which there is very little archival footage, without influencing the objective telling of the story.
Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968 airs in February on public television (check local listings).
A co-production of ITVS in association with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC).
Upcoming Screenings
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Community Cinema selections are screened in over 50 locations throughout the United States. In March, Community Cinema presents Dirt! The Movie, directed by Bill Benenson and Eugene Rosow.
It’s under our feet and under our fingernails, but what is it? And how did it get there? Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth, find out how industrial farming, mining, and urban development have led us toward cataclysmic droughts, starvation, floods, and climate change. Dirt is a part of everything we eat, drink, and breathe. Which is why we should stop treating it like, well … dirt.
Check out the schedule and find Community Cinema in your neighborhood >>Recent Posts
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