“If a Tree Falls” Filmmaker Reacts to Oscar Nomination
By Steve Goldbloom, Reporting for PBS and BTB at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival
Sam Cullman, co-director and cinematographer of If a Tree Falls reacts to his Oscar Nomination, which he learned about on Tuesday at Sundance.
The movie takes a behind-the-scenes look at Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental group that the FBI calls the “number one domestic terrorism threat” in America. If a Tree Falls aired on POV this past fall.
“Hell and Back Again” Filmmaker Danfung Dennis Reacts to Oscar Nomination
By Steve Goldbloom, Reporting for PBS and BTB at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival
Danfung Dennis woke up this morning in Park City as an Academy Award nominated filmmaker for his documentary Hell and Back Again. The film weaves together two overlapping narratives of a Marine at war on the front and in recovery at home. BTB caught up with the filmmaker earlier today on Main St at the Sundance Film Festival.
Hell and Back Again will air on May 24 on Independent Lens.
Oscar Nominees for Best Doc Include: Hell and Back Again & If a Tree Falls
Early Tuesday morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this year’s Oscar nominees. Among the films selected for best documentary were two ITVS programs: Hell and Back Again by Danfung Dennis (coming to Independent Lens on May 24) and If a Tree Falls by filmmakers Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman (broadcast last September on POV). BTB will be speaking with filmmakers Dennis and Cullman later today in Park City at the Sundance Film Festival to get their reaction on the nomination. Until then, join us in congratulating the filmmakers and watch the trailers below:
Find the complete list of nominated film here.
Macky Alston’s “Love Free or Die” Takes Off at Sundance
By Steve Goldbloom, Reporting for PBS and BTB at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival
Premiering Monday night at Sundance is Macky Alston’s new film Love Free or Die, which follows the historic and controversial rise of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Bishop. BTB caught up with Alston at a mass held at St. Luke’s Church on Sunday in Park City, where LGBT leaders showed up to support and discuss the film.
Love Free or Die is an ITVS-funded film slated for broadcast on an upcoming season of Independent Lens.
Motor City Struggles Resonate at Sundance Premiere
By Steve Goldbloom, Reporting for PBS and BTB at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival
The ITVS-funded documentary Detropia held its worldwide premiere on Saturday at the Temple Theatre in Park City. Watch below, as Co-Directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing discuss the film and recount their Sundance experience. BTB will be rolling several video reports from the festival throughout the week.
Detropia artfully displays the rapid decline of a once thriving American city. On the brink of bankruptcy, the filmmakers and loyal citizens profiled in the feature, suggest the feeling that as goes Detroit, so goes the nation.
Congratulations to the filmmakers and keep an eye on BTB this week for more video updates from the festival.
ITVS on the Ground at Sundance
Greetings from Park City! ITVS has a huge presence at this year’s Sundance Film Festival with six documentaries screening in competition. This year, BTB is on the ground at the festival and will have frequent video updates from the filmmakers sledding around town. Keep an eye on the blog and follow us on twitter under #ITVSsundance for immediate updates. For now, you can find a rundown of ITVS film screenings below. More to come!
A Conversation with Dr. Angela Davis
Earlier this month, Independent Lens launched a slate of films celebrating Black History at the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles. While at the event, the series teamed up with PBS NEWSHOUR’S Hari Sreenivasan to interview many of the filmmakers and subjects. Watch an excerpt below of Sreenivasan’s conversation with Dr. Angela Davis, profiled in Göran Hugo Olsson’s The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975 which premieres on PBS on February 9.
Subscribe to Beyond the Box and stay on the lookout for more excerpts from Sreenivasan’s conversation with Davis and many others.
Watch Have You Heard from Johannesburg, On-Air and Online
On Thursday, part three and four of Connie Field’s landmark documentary Have You Heard from Johanessburg will broadcast on Independent Lens. An encore social screening will take place next Thursday, January 26 at 12PM PT / 3PM ET. Click here to participate in the interactive screening.
Episodes three and four: From Selma to Soweto and The Bottom Line chronicles the grassroots campaign that targeted Western corporations doing business with the South African regime.
Join us on Friday for the social screening and feel free to ask questions, take polls, and engage.
Independent Lens Announces Winter/Spring 2012 Season
Hosted by Mary-Louise Parker, the Independent Lens Winter/Spring lineup includes the award-winning films We Were Here, Hell and Back Again, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, and more
Independent Lens announced its winter/spring 2012 schedule this week. “Our upcoming winter/spring season features a robust slate of some of the most engaging and award-winning documentaries ever on Independent Lens,” said senior series producer Lois Vossen. “It’s a perfect mix of unique characters, critical issues, and important stories that demonstrate the extraordinary range and power of independent documentary filmmakers. We can’t wait to share them with millions of viewers across the country.”
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Lois Vossen Introduces Have You Heard from Johannesburg
The five-part series by filmmaker Connie Field chronicles the anti-apartheid movement and premiered on Independent Lens last week. Founding Series Producer Lois Vossen discusses the film and why she included the landmark documentary in this season’s lineup.
Episodes three and four of the season will air on Thursday, January 19.
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