Recognized for personifying “Television with a Conscience,” the five-part PBS mini-series, is a global media initiative on the roles of women in peace and conflict.

The film premiered last year as part of public media’s Women and Girls Lead initiative. Watch the trailer for the doc after the jump.

Learn more about Women and Girls Lead

Watch many inspiring documentaries — free online — as part of the Women and Girls Lead Online Film Festival

ITVS-funded filmmakers and staff rally for lunch at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT

Sundance 2012 was a record-breaking year year for ITVS and Independent Lens. Six ITVS funded films screened in the documentary competitions and all six were honored with Sundance awards. (ITVS had had seven films playing at Sundance in 2004; six films in 2002; and eight films in 1997 for those interested in banner years).

 Adding to that powerful showing, midway through Sundance two ITVS-supported films received Academy Award nominations for Best Documentary including Hell and Back Again by Danfung Dennis (coming to Independent Lens in May) and If a Tree Falls by Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman (broadcast on POV).  We were able to celebrate in person as Danfung and Sam (a producer on The House I Live In) were both in Park City.  Even the Utah snowstorms couldn’t slow our momentum because that’s one heck of a week.

From L to R: Danfung Dennis (Hell and Back Again), Lois Vossen, and Sam Cullman (If a Tree Falls)

Independent Lens and ITVS held an intimate lunch to honor our 2012 Sundance and Academy Award-nominated filmmakers. Stepping away from the noise and full-on energy that is Sundance, we wanted to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary work of the filmmakers.

Four of the six ITVS films at Sundance are already slated for broadcast on Independent Lens following theatrical distribution, including Grand Jury Prize winner The House I Live In by Eugene Jarecki, Audience Award winner The Invisible War by Kirby Dick, Special Jury Prize winner Love Free or Die by Macky Alston, and Detropia by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, which was honored for best editing. In addition, the Independent Lens film The Island President by Jon Shenk, Richard Berge, and Bonni Cohen screened in a Sundance sidebar program. These five films will make for an exceptional new season of Independent Lens — and they will be joined by a stunning array of other documentaries coming to completion this year.

The two additional ITVS-funded films that premiered in the World Cinema Documentary Competition and took awards are Putin’s Kiss (Best Cinematography Award) and 5 Broken Cameras (Best Directing).

Sundance 2012 is a wrap, but the impact of these extraordinary films is just beginning. We have an exceptional year ahead, lead by the power of independent storytelling.

WINNER OF THE GRAND JURY PRIZE IN U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The House I Live In by Eugene Jarecki
The film weaves together director Eugene Director’s personal narrative with America’s war on drugs. Here, producers including Sam Cullman, Melinda Snopsis, Danny Glover, and director Eugene Jarecki — reflect on the film and its Sundance premiere.

WINNER OF THE AUDIENCE AWARD IN U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The Invisible War by Kirby Dick
The film examines the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the U.S. military, the institutions that cover up its existence, and the profound personal and social consequences that arise from it. Here, director Kirby Dick and producer Amy Ziering reflect on the film’s Sundance premiere.

WINNER OF THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE IN U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Love Free or Die by Macky Alston
The film  follows the historic and controversial rise of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Bishop. Last week, ITVS caught up with filmmaker Macky Alston at a mass held at St. Luke’s Church in Park City, where LGBT leaders showed up to support and discuss the film.

WINNER FOR BEST EDITING IN U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Detropia by filmmakers Rachel Grady and Heiding Ewing; edited by Enat Sidi
The film 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. Here, co-directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing reflect on the film and its Sundance premiere.

WINNER FOR BEST DIRECTING IN WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
5 Broken Cameras by  Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
A Palestinian journalist chronicles his village’s resistance to a separation barrier being erected on their land and in the process captures his young son’s lens on the world.

WINNER FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Putin’s Kiss by  Lise Birk Pedersen
Nineteen-year-old Marsha is a model spokesperson in a strongly nationalistic Russian youth movement that aims to protect the country from its enemies. When she starts recognizing the organization’s flaws, she must take a stand for or against it.

On behalf of everyone from ITVS and Independent Len, congratulations to all the filmmakers on this extraordinary achievement!

The documentary follows one soldier’s experience fighting the war in Afghanistan and recovering from a serious injury back in the U.S.

In his gripping feature length doc, filmmaker Danfung Dennis skillfully inter-cuts both worlds to show the intense battle scenes alongside the grinding routine of life at home. The film presents the painful reality of war affecting today’s veterans.

Find the complete list of winners here and watch the trailer for Hell and Back Again below.

Each December, New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) presents the Muse Awards for Vision and Achievement, honoring women who have made significant contributions to the field.

Some 1,200 industry guests gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2011 Muse Award recipients: actors Claire Danes and Christine Baranski, TV celebrity Martha Stewart, Sony Pictures Classics co-founder Marcie Bloom, and Budd Enterprises president Nadine Schramm. At the same luncheon, Sally Fifer accepted the Loreen Arbus Award on behalf of ITVS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS and expressed great appreciation for the independent filmmakers who provided the powerful stories at the core of Women and Girls Lead.

Sally Jo Fifer, President & CEO of ITVS

“Women and Girls Lead didn’t start in the offices of ITVS or CPB or PBS,” Fifer told the audience. “It started with these filmmakers zooming in on unsung heroes in Calcutta, Los Angeles, Liberia.  Capturing stories of the women who would share the Nobel Peace Prize, of presidents, soldiers, mothers and daughters.  Of women and girls everywhere striving to realize their potential, often against heavy odds.”

The first Loreen Arbus Award was given in 2006 to producer John Wells for his Minority Directors Program, which increased the number of women and minorities working as directors in prime-time television.

Since then, the award has been given to producer Gale Anne Hurd, for her hiring practices and philanthropic activity, Eastman Kodak Company for their exceptional support for women cinematographers, and Chicken & Egg Pictures, among others.

Learn more about ITVS’s commitment to the Women and Girls Lead Campaign

“There could be no better recognition of the diversity and quality of our films and makers than such a large claim of the documentaries in competition at Sundance,” said Sally Jo Fifer, president and CEO of ITVS. “These films represent an extraordinary range of stories – both deeply personal and broadly profound – and it gives us great pride to know that each of them will eventually be presented to millions of viewers on public television.”

ITVS FILMS IN U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Detropia by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
The woes of Detroit are emblematic of the collapse of the U.S. manufacturing base. This is the dramatic story of a city and its people who refuse to leave the building, even as the flames are rising.

The House I Live In by Eugene Jarecki
For over 40 years, the War on Drugs has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world’s largest jailer and damaged poor communities at home and abroad. Yet drugs are cheaper, purer, and more available today than ever. Where did we go wrong, and what is the path toward healing?

The Invisible War by Kirby Dick
An investigative and powerfully emotional examination of the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the U.S. military, the institutions that cover up its existence and the profound personal and social consequences that arise from it.

Love Free or Die: How the Bishop of New Hampshire is Changing the World by Macky Alston
One man whose two defining passions are in conflict: An openly gay bishop refuses to leave the church or the man he loves.

ITVS FILMS IN WORLD DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

5 Broken Cameras by directors Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
A Palestinian journalist chronicles his village’s resistance to a separation barrier being erected on their land and in the process captures his young son’s lens on the world.

Putin’s Kiss by Lise Birk Pedersen
Nineteen-year-old Marsha is a model spokesperson in a strongly nationalistic Russian youth movement that aims to protect the country from its enemies. When she starts recognizing the organization’s flaws, she must take a stand for or against it.

The participation of these films in the festival brings the number of ITVS-funded films that have screened at the Sundance Film Festival to a total of 77, since ITVS’s first presence at the festival in 1994. Screening dates and times are still pending. Up-to-date information can be found online here.

Bitter Seeds
By Micha X. Peled

Family Portrait in Black and White
By: Julia Ivanova, Boris Ivanov (Reflecting Images – Best of the Fest)

Give Up Tomorrow
By: Marty Syjuco, Michael Collins (Reflecting Images – Best of the Fest)

Bill T. Jones: A Good Man
By: Gordon Quinn, Bob Hercules

Heart of Sky – Heart of Earth
By: Eric Black, Frauke Sandig

The Island President
By: Jon Shenk, Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen

Invoking Justice
By: Deepa Dhanraj (Reflecting Images – Panorama)

The Interrupters
By: Steve James (Steve James retrospective)

The New Americans
By: Steve James (Steve James retrospective)

Putin’s Kiss
By: Lise Birk Pedersen, Helle Faber, Martin Dalgaard

To Be Heard
By: Roland Lagardi-Laura, Deborah Shaffer, Edwin Martinez, Amy Sultan (Doc U)

When the Drum is Beating
By: Whitney Dow

5 Broken Cameras
By: Emad Bornat, Guy Davidi, Serge Gordey

The IDA Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in documentary filmmaking and three ITVS funded films received nominations for the 2011 Awards. All three nominees were originally broadcast on the award-winning PBS series POV.  See the entire list of ITVS nominees after the jump:

Best Feature Award Nomination
Better This World by Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega

IDA Humanitas Award Nomination
The Learning by Ramona S. Diaz

ABC News Videosource Award Nomination
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
By Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith

Additionally, Danfung Dennis, the director of the acclaimed Hell and Back Again (coming to Independent Lens in Spring 2012) will receive the Jacqueline Donnet Award, which recognizes filmmakers who have made a significant impact in documentary film.

And POV and American Experience  both received nominations for Best Continuing Series.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

For the entire list of the 2011 IDA Award nominees, click here >>

ITVS nearly got a clean sweep in the Best Documentary category of the IFP Gotham Awards with ITVS films receiving four out of the five nominations.  Check out the list of ITVS Best Documentary nominees along with their trailers after the jump >>

Better This World 
By Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega
Aired on POV this past September
Two childhood friends from Midland, Texas fall under the sway of a charismatic revolutionary who leads them down a path that changes their lives forever.

The Woodmans
By C. Scott Willis
Airing on Independent Lens on December 22, 2011 (check local listings)
The Woodmans is an inspiring portrait of one family’s fall and redemption in the often brutal world of art.

Hell and Back Again
by Danfung Dennis
Coming to Independent Lens in Spring 2012
What does it mean to lead men in war? What does it mean to come home — injured physically and psychologically — and build a life anew?

The Interrupters
By Steve James
Coming to PBS
A look at a group of men and women — most of them former gang leaders and ex-cons — that are trying to “interrupt” shootings and protect their communities from the violence they once employed.

Telles’s distinguished 30-year career as a documentary filmmaker includes three ITVS-funded films: The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers’ Struggle, Race is the Place, and The Storm that Swept Mexico, a documentary about the Mexican Revolution currently airing on PBS in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month (check local listings).

ITVS is proud to be part of Ray’s extended family, and speaking of extended family, our good friends and co-funders at Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) published a blog post about Ray and his illustrious career. Click here to read the post >>

Watch the trailer for The Storm That Swept Mexico after the jump >>