On the Road
On the Road: ITVS Represented at DocMontevideo
ITVS' Claire Aguilar, with, Luis González Zaffaroni and Patricia Boero
Last month, ITVS’s Vice President of Programming Claire Aguilar attended DocMontevideo in Montevideo, Uruguay and filed this report.
Montevideo, Uruguay, — a European-style city between Argentina and Brazil — is a unique and surprising place for a television documentary conference. Since Uruguay has been in the news recently — they took a triumphant fourth place at this year’s World Cup and elected a new president in the spring, the former leftist-guerilla Jose Mujica — I was delighted to get a chance to come to a documentary event and also discover this fascinating and beautiful country.
In just its second year, DocMontevideo has established itself as a meeting ground for documentary filmmakers and broadcasters on the South American continent. It comprises a series of workshops, informational seminars, broadcaster meetings, and a pitching forum for 15 projects in development and production. This year, the meeting convened 300 television producers and documentary filmmakers and 30 broadcasters from South and North America.
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Always Look on the Sunnyside of the Doc
Last month, the Sunnyside of the Doc International Documentary Market took place in La Rochelle, France. Cynthia Kane, ITVS International programming manager, was on hand to hear from producers and filmmakers from around the world about their latest projects. She reports back on the intimate climate of the event:
I honestly thought this might be a “light” year at Sunnyside given the economic crisis, the fact that Silverdocs was happening simultaneously in Silver Springs, and the EBU Pitching was taking place at France Télévisions in Paris instead of La Rochelle.
Morning meetings on the terrace at Sunnyside of the Doc
Yet, while U.S. participation was somewhat down, Sunnyside was alive and well — thriving in fact with almost 1,800 people in attendance from 48 countries. And, as manager of ITVS’s International Initiative, it was the right place for me to be.
What I have always loved about Sunnyside is the opportunity it provides me to sit down with filmmakers and producers for relaxed one-on-one meetings and in depth talks about their projects. This year was no different; I arrived on “the Terrace”every morning by 8:30 AM — coming in the back way, as the Espace Encan was not officially open till 9 AM (important to find a good table and get an early start).
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Silverdocs in the Digital World
A scene from the PBS Interactive Workshop in Washington, D.C.
Silverdocs is a seven-day internationally renowned film festival that celebrates independent thinking, diverse voices, and free expression and fosters the power of documentary to enhance our understanding of the world. Jen Kaczor, senior producer at ITVS Interactive and Independent Lens, participated in this year’s PBS Interactive Workshop entitled “Building Your Digital Toolbox.” She reports from the steamy East Coast:
The AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival, presents an opportunity for those who work in disciplines that touch documentary film to connect and share expertise in their fields. The goal of the “Building your Digital Toolbox” workshop was for filmmakers to present their online strategies to extend the reach of their films, and for a group of us who work in the PBS interactive realm to give feedback and input.
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Geneva Forum on Social Change 2010
The Geneva Forum on Social Change (GFSC) was established in January 2009 by students of the International Organizations MBA Programme at the University of Geneva as an annual event which uses the power of documentary media to promote positive social change. Prominent filmmakers, academics and professionals lead stimulating discussions about the most pressing social issues. Chi Do, ITVS Associate Director of Communications, gives us her take on the forum:
The term “movers and shakers” took on new meaning for me at the 2010 Geneva Forum on Social Change on May 28-29. The dynamic weekend featuring ten award-winning documentaries (including four from ITVS), four keynote speakers, six panels, seven workshops (plus expos on sustainability and new media!) brought together more than 500 people — all driven by a common desire to see how the merging of public and private, governmental and non-governmental, even the merging of our virtual and physical worlds can bring about innovations to address the most critical social issues of our time.
A Discussion with Filmmakers from the Geneva Forum on Social Change
Geneva is a hotbed for international dealings whether it be diplomacy or finance, and the GFSC represented that to a tee by attracting participants whose work reaches so many corners of the globe: international organizations, NGOs, private corporations, diplomatic corps, foundations, the list goes on. In one room I would meet someone working to develop water and energy conservation programs for an entire country on behalf of USAID, and then turn around and meet another person who started a foundation to support youth in a small village in Africa with nothing more than what was in their savings account and the help of a few friends. The amount of brain stimulation and soul inspiration to be had was off the charts!
Reflections From the Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival, held annually in Park City, Utah, is one of the largest and most prominent festivals for independent filmmakers. This year, three ITVS films made their world premiere at the festival, which brings the total number of ITVS funded films that have screened at Sundance to 69 since we first attended in 1994. Lois Vossen, ITVS vice president and Independent Lens series producer, shares her reflections on this year’s festival, which wraps up this weekend.
Between screenings, Lois discovers Banksy art behind the Egyptian Theater in Park City, Utah.
Marquee at the Egyptian Theatre
Arriving in Park City, Utah at 8:00 AM on Friday morning, January 22, a couple of things were clear: it was doubtful that I would get caught up on sleep here. The list of documentaries I needed to screen in the next five and a half days was growing faster than the snowdrift that lay between me and our condo front door –– and this was going to be a snowy Sundance.
Three ITVS funded films were featured at 2010 Sundance: Last Train Home by Lixin Fan, The Oath by Laura Poitras, and My Perestroika by Robin Hessman. My colleagues Claire Aguilar and Cynthia Kane attended their screenings and I headed out to find new shows for Independent Lens acquisition consideration.
Seventeen films, countless shuttle rides, bad sandwiches on the run, and many snowstorms later, here’s what I remember now that I’m back in sunny San Francisco.
- Discovering Banksy street art on Main Street at 8:00 AM, Monday morning, en route to an early morning screening. I know there has to be more so I’m in hot pursuit…
- The Impact Partners party on Saturday night. Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, is in the house. We end up talking about the now-canceled TV show Life, and the joys of working with Adam Arkin with whom she starred.
- Unique offerings at Sundance 2010: Utopia in Four Movements by Sam Green; Double Take by Johan Grimonprez; and Saint Louis Blues by Dyana Gaye, a 48-minute musical documentary from Senegal. Too long but totally unexpected.
- Finding out when the next special screening of Exit Through the Gift Shop will take place. Banksy pursuit continues…
At the Greenhouse Seminar in Izmir, Turkey with ITVS Vice President of Programming Claire Aguilar
Greenhouse is a professional initiative devoted to the development of documentaries across the Mediterranean region. It seeks to build a multi-cultural dialogue, promoting the creation of professional and personal ties between filmmakers and the international market, while training the next generation of Mediterranean documentary filmmakers. Read about ITVS Vice President of Programming Claire Aguilar’s experience at the Greenhouse seminar held in Izmir, Turkey .
I spent last weekend in Izmir, Turkey, where I had the pleasure of participating in a unique training program for documentary filmmakers, Greenhouse. Supported by the European Union, Greenhouse creates cultural exchange between countries in the Mediterranean region, including the Middle East. Selecting more than a dozen 
filmmaker teams with their documentary projects, Greenhouse stages three seminars and training workshops over the course of the year. Emphasizing creative documentary with innovative cinematic approaches, Greenhouse gives filmmakers unique tutorial sessions with strong experts and mentors, and culminates in a pitching session with international commissioning editors from around the world. This last session was a showcase of these documentaries, and although they are still in development, we could see the potential of the great films that they would become.
Izmir is known historically as Smyrna, and although I didn’t know much about it before now except for its famed golden raisins, it is a large port city on the Aegean sea. Izmir was chosen as a location for its accessibility, since the filmmakers who participated in Greenhouse came from Turkey as well as Egypt, Palestine and Israel.
At AFI Digifest with Programming Manager Karim Ahmad
Matthew Meschery, director of Digital Initiatives, and Karim Ahmad, programming manager, present the new FUTURESTATES iPhone application.
Last week, on the heels of the announcement about FUTURESTATES, a new online fictional series by ITVS, I had the pleasure of previewing the series and one of its key distribution and promotional tools at this year’s AFI Digifest. This was part of AFI’s Digital Content Lab, an incubation program where content makers and technical innovators collaborate to create new media projects. For ITVS, it was our first-ever iPhone application.
This is the third year ITVS has collaborated, and this time, we really sought to break new ground. FUTURESTATES is about the future––each episode presents a different filmmaker’s vision of the not-too-distant future, allowing them to use speculative and science fiction to comment on current events. We were determined to match this content with technical innovation in our distribution approach. That’s how we got the idea of the FUTURESTATES iPhone application.
To go from the basic concept to the presentation of the prototype took us less than two months, due solely to the talent and resourcefulness of the team AFI put together for us. We worked with iPhone app developers Omnilogic Systems, based out of Saskatoon Saskatchewan (that’s right, Saskatoon) and new media guru Garnet Hertz. We started with the basics––full episodes from the series as well as behind the scenes photos and videos streaming to your iPhone––because after all, the future is content accessible anywhere on-demand.
Filmmaker Christen Marquez at the Pacific X-Change Conference
ITVS and Pacific Islanders In Communications recently hosted the Pacific X-change conference, an educational two-day workshop held in Waikiki, Hawaii. Find out what the experience was like for independent documentary filmmaker Christen Marquez who was one of 19 selected to attend.
Filmmaker Christen Marquez with her mother Elena Marquez, both subjects of the documentary work-in-progress HAKU INOA: To Weave a Name.
Richard Saiz gives out homework. Really, there was a take home assignment.
Filmmaker Sarah Del Seronde presents her project on a family in Tonga to the panel.
Every time I return to Hawai‘i, I am grateful to see my Mom, spend time with her, and learn from her. As a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) of mixed heritage currently living in California, I truly appreciate any opportunity to learn from all the people I meet here on the islands. This trip was exceptionally exciting because I was one of 19 fortunate documentary producers and directors selected to attend the Pacific X-change conference, which was a collaboration between ITVS and Pacific Islanders In Communications. Held in the Prince Kuhio hotel in Waikiki, the workshop consisted of two days of workshops and pitching sessions.
At the beginning of the conference ITVS Senior Programming Manager Richard Saiz revealed that he has read an astonishing 8,000 documentary proposals. Wow! I would probably have brain damage. Thankfully, instead of crippling himself, Richard has gained great insight into what goes into a successful treatment. Just one memorable tidbit he shared with us was his holy trinity of doc proposal writing. Which distilled to premise, theme and story. If you can make each of these elements truly compelling Richard swears that you will be successful.
Up next was lovely local girl Cheryl Hirasa, who also happens to be a production manager at ITVS. By coincidence, she was in Hawai‘i visiting family and actually gave up some of her vacation to attend the conference. She presented a workshop on producing for public television, which helped explain deliverables and public television distribution.
At Documentary in Europe 2009 with ITVS’s Cynthia Kane
Documentary in Europe consists of film screenings, matchmaking meetings, seminars, master classes, producers’ meeting commissioning editors as well as a pitching workshops and sessions. Held annually in Bardonecchia, Italy, professionals from around the world gather to network with colleagues and discuss the latest documentary projects. International Programming Manager Cynthia Kane gives her take on this year’s event.
Situated in the Italian Alps about one hour North of Torino (aka Turin––think Fiat and the Shroud), Bardonecchia is a charming, albeit quiet, town in summer, making it a fantastic place to focus on documentary. In winter, I’m told that it’s a far different scene––packed with skiers, snowboarders and glamorous Italians. Most people know Bardonecchia as one to the sites of the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics.
Although the event doesn’t officially begin until Wednesday, many participants arrived early this week to attend the Pitching Forum. There were several successful pitches from the past––including two ITVS International docs: THE MOSQUITO PROBLEM & OTHER STORIES, produced by Martichka Bozhilova and directed by Andrey Paounov, and JOURNALS OF A WILY SCHOOL, produced by Debu Bhattacharyya and directed by Sudeshna Bose. In total there were 23 projects during the two days of the Pitching Forum. I also kept busy by attending a matchmaking/development session with 14 projects that were pitched and discussed at length. This session was the most interesting to me since I’ve never seen most of the projects, thus it had many good possibilities for International Call 2010.
International Report From the Field with Cynthia Kane
Dragon forum pitch session.
The 49th Krakow Film Festival kicked off with Paul Mazursky’s Yippee: A Journey to Jewish Joy as its opening night film, which was followed almost immediately by the Polish premiere of UNMISTAKEN CHILD, an ITVS International co-production with filmmaker Nati Baratz who introduced the film to the jammed-packed theater with renowned Polish director Andrzej Wajda in attendance.
Now I must say I have admired Mazursky for a long time and even loved some of his films. This one was a lot of fun (and at times LOL-fun) watching Mazursky and gang travel to Uman in the Ukraine for Rosh Hashanah to celebrate joyously at the burial site of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, the founder of Kabbalah. And might I add, slightly different in tone to UNMISTAKEN CHILD. By the end of the week, Nati was awarded the Best Documentary Feature Prize––the Golden Horn for “both an impressive, thorough and undoubtedly genuine and intimate” documentary about a Buddhist monk’s pursuit of the reincarnation of his beloved lama. A documentary “that transforms into a story about the mystery of human life, and a perfect combination of an attractive form and intimate portrait of a deeply believing monk and his relationship with the unmistaken little boy.”
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