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.
Check out the entire list of this year’s nominees >>
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 >>
Keith Maitland at KLRU’s Texas Independents’ Day
Earlier this week, PBS affiliate KLRU in Austin, Texas, commemorated Texas Independents’ Day by celebrating the work of three local filmmakers whose work will appear on this season of Independent Lens. Learn more about the event from Keith Maitland, filmmaker of The Eyes of Me.
Filmmaker Keith Maitland with film subjects of The Eyes of Me.
Panel moderator Paul Stekler leads a round table discussion with Keith Maitland, filmmaker of The Eyes of Me; Karen Skloss, filmmaker of Sunshine; Michel Scott, filmmaker of The Horse Boy.
Last night, nearly 200 people gathered in a dark room to share an hour-long look into the lives of four blind teenagers. With the twinkling lights of the Austin City Limits stage as a backdrop, I couldn’t ask for a more fitting place to experience the incredible communal experience of watching the live Independent Lens broadcast of The Eyes of Me.
The Eyes of Me follows four blind teens over the course of one dynamic year. It’s about watching these teens growing up before our eyes. As they discover who they are, it is my hope that you will discover something about yourself –– it’s about challenging your own perception and seeing yourself in a new way… at least that’s what it’s always been about for me.
The entire process of creating this film, from a nascent idea, through 250 hours of rolling cameras, and two and half years of editing, has been both rewarding and challenging in degrees that I’m still not sure I can register. Along the way, I have learned many lessons about my creative processes, and my own humanity.
The Eyes of Me: Where are They Now?
Last night, Independent Lens aired the documentary The Eyes of Me, which follows four visually impaired teenagers in Texas as they face the usual challenges of adolescence while simultaneously learning to navigate a world designed for the sighted. Interested in knowing what happened to some of the students since the film was completed? Learn more and read their updates below:
Chas
CHAS -
Chas and his girlfriend Ashley had a baby boy, Chas Jr., in December of 2008. Chas Jr. was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma, the same cancer of the retina that his mother Ashley had as a child. Chas Jr. spent much of 2009 undergoing chemotherapy and doctors are hopeful that he will be cancer-free and that they were able to save some of his sight. Chas Sr. continues to struggle from month to month with bills and the rigors of being an independent young adult and family man. He has worked off and on at the Lighthouse for the Blind and the only real constant for him has been his music. One2Cee plans to release some new music in conjunction with the release of The Eyes Of Me. Chas has yet to complete his GED.
Denise
DENISE -
During her sophomore year, Denise’s mother decided to bring her back to Dallas to attend her zoned high school. This arrangement didn’t work out too well for Denise and she ended up leaving that school as well. Denise lives with her mother and little sister – she still sings in her church choir and is taking some life skills classes and is looking for the right job training program.
The Eyes of Me Premiering Tonight on Independent Lens on PBS
“The Eyes of Me has the wisdom to illuminate a narrow, human scope on the issue of disability and blindness by focusing on intimate moments in the teens’ lives.”
- Philadelphia City Paper
How do you see yourself, when you can’t see at all? At the Texas School for the Blind students juggle all the usual pressures of high school along with the added struggles of growing up blind. Spend a dynamic year with four blind teens learning how to fit in and live independently. Forced to confront the world without sight, they share their inner visions of the outer world. Ultimately, you cannot understand their perceptions without challenging your own.
Check out a preview of tonight’s broadcast below:
The Eyes of Me premieres tonight, March 2, at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).
The Eyes Of Me Finishes Community Cinema Run and Airs Tomorrow
Community Cinema held 47 free events for Keith Maitland’s documentary The Eyes Of Me, which follows four visually impaired teenagers in Texas as they face the usual challenges of adolescence while simultaneously learning to navigate a world designed for the sighted. The film will have its television premiere tomorrow, March 2, at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings). Learn more about the local impact of Community Cinema below.
Busboys and Poets owner Andy Shallal holds up both the Braille and printed versions of the restaurant menus.
Community Cinema DC and Busboys and Poets decided The Eyes of Me event would be the perfect time to introduce braille menus. Busboys and Poets is a restaurant/performance space located in the historic U Street corridor of Washington, DC and named for the famous Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes’ who was discovered in the capital city while working as a busboy at a hotel.
Owner Andy Shallal said he attended The Eyes of Me event to get a better understanding of the perspectives of blind and visually impaired persons in social interactions.
Busboys and Poets has been hosting Community Cinema in the Langston Room for nearly five seasons. The introduction of Braille menus is yet another effort to bring more communities to Busboys and Poets and our Community Cinema events.
Read more about these screenings on the Community Cinema blog >>
ITVS Films at SXSW 2010
Held annually in Austin, Texas, South by Southwest (SXSW) is considered one of the world’s premiere festivals, recognizing the best of film, music and interactive projects. This year’s festival takes place March 12-21.
We’re really excited about this year’s festival! You won’t want to miss the world premiere of six episodes of our new online fictional series FUTURESTATES on March 14. These narrative mini-features explore many of today’s complex social issues by imagining how they play out in the world of tomorrow.
Learn more about FUTURESTATES on Beyond the Box >>
Also be sure to check out these four other compelling ITVS films at SXSW this year.
ITVS Board Elects Three New Members
Today, ITVS announced three new members would be joining its board of directors — Lisa Cortés, Cheryl Head, and Malinda Maynor Lowery.
“We are honored to have these very talented individuals, all tremendous experts in their fields, on our board,” said Sally Jo Fifer, ITVS president and CEO. “All three bring a strong commitment to ITVS’s mission of serving independent producers and public broadcasting as we all continue the transition to reaching and engaging citizens in the 21st century.”
The standing ITVS board nominates and selects new members to ensure diverse points of view and varied skills. “All three new board members bring a wide range of experience and leadership that will inform the tremendous work ITVS is undertaking in the public media realm,” said Garry Denny, ITVS board chair and director of programming for Wisconsin Public Television.
The ITVS board welcomes:
Countdown to World Water Day Short Film Contest
To celebrate World Water Day 2010 ITVS and the University of Miami invite you to participate in the One Cut contest, a non-fiction short film contest designed to bring attention to the global water crisis affecting millions around the world. We are looking for films that will inspire viewers to make a change in their own lives to address the global water challenge at a personal level. The best entries will be personal, creative, visual stories that can be shared across all borders and languages.
The contest has three cash prizes:
* First prize: $500
* Second prize: $300
* Third prize: $200
Films should be at least 2 minutes in length and can be no more than 15 minutes long. Entrants are required to submit their films in digital form online and will be guided through the application process when they submit their entry form online. A distinguished panel at the School of Communication, University of Miami, will judge the contest.
The competition will be open until March 22, 2010 on World Water Day. Prizes will be announced shortly after.
Learn more about the contest and submit your entry today >>
Sneak Preview of FUTURESTATES episode Fallout
It’s almost here… ITVS’s new fictional online series — FUTURESTATES — launches online March 8 and will have its theatrical world premiere at South by Southwest (SXSW) on March 14.
FUTURESTATES explores possible future scenarios through the prism of today’s global reality. America circa 2010 sits at the crux of competing and paradoxical forces of creation and destruction. Never before have we been capable of such great discovery and accomplishment, and yet our very existence hangs in balance as climate change, weapons of mass destruction, and economic collapse threaten our very existence.
Check out this sneak preview of Fallout, by Ben Rekhi. The War on Terror has escalated drastically, bringing America into conflict with countless enemies. Los Angeles has fallen victim to a nuclear attack from an unknown aggressor. In the aftermath of the bombing, a young man’s search for his girlfriend addresses the human toll of eternal war.
Join the FUTURESTATES Facebook Fan Page and watch other clips >>
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
- Celebration of Teaching and Learning Conference: ITVS Community Classroom Offers Free Materials
- Top Five Predictions for Films and Digital Distribution: Second Part
- FUTURESTATES Theatrical World Premiere at SXSW
- Inspiring Stories of People Living With MS
- Live Webinar Tomorrow Night: Copyright and Fair Use in the Art World and Classroom
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