contest
Interview with The Hayloft Gang Filmmaker Stephen Parry
By Kate Sullivan Green
Narrated by NPR’s Garrison Keillor, The Hayloft Gang tells the story of one of early radio’s most popular programs: the National Barn Dance and ITVS’s Kate Sullivan Green recently sat down with Directror/Producer Stephen Parry to talk about the film. Read the interview below, watch The Hayloft Gang on PBS throughout September (check local listings), and enter the special online video contest.
Why did you decide to make a film about the National Barn Dance?
It’s an untold story in American music and culture. I fell in love with bluegrass at my first festival in 1994, and around the campfires heard all these old timers talking about this radio show out of Chicago called the National Barn Dance. From there I uncovered that Chicago was actually the capital of country music before World War II. The Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium in Nashville are household names today, but in the 1930s and 40s, the epicenter of our film, Chicago was top dog coast to coast, on the NBC network every Saturday night, and those performers were household names.
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Got Talent? Enter the Hayloft Gang Contest
Enter a special online video contest from August 15 through September 15, leading up to the PBS premiere of The Hayloft Gang on PBS in September.
Narrated by Garrison Keillor, The Hayloft Gang: The Story of the National Barn Dance tells the story of a changing America through the lens of one of the nation’s most popular country music radio shows during the 1930s and 40s: the National Barn Dance.
As of Monday, August 15 — fans can participate in a special online video contest in the tradition of home talent shows as seen in this PBS documentary.
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Best. Teacher. Ever! The Nominations Are In
The Best. Teacher. Ever! contest winner will be announced next week.
Thank you all for the nominations for the teachers who changed your lives for the better. We’ve been moved and inspired by the stories of those special educators out there who accept long hours, not-so-great pay, and limited resources because they want to see young people thrive. They all deserve our prizes and then some!
But, we’ve got to narrow it down to five finalists and then let you — our viewers — decide the top winner. We’ll announce who they are next week, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, we hope all teachers out there have a relaxing summer break ahead of them.
Nominate the Teacher Who Influenced You Most
Teacher Appreciation Week may be over, but there is still time to nominate your favorite educator to win a chance at a Kindle, a DVD copy of the widely acclaimed film Pushing the Elephant, and other cool prizes. Send us your nomination no later than next Monday, May 23rd for consideration. We’ll announce the top five later that week, and let the world decide the top winner.
As we all know, teachers are often overworked, under-appreciated, and meagerly compensated. But all of us have had teachers who helped us grow up, make sense of the world, and to find our footing.
At ITVS, we want educators to get the props (and resources) they deserve. Community Classroom does that by giving teachers free stuff: standards-aligned lesson plans, fabulous independent film content (often using Independent Lens films), innovative games, discussion guides, and more.
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New Contest: Best. Teacher. Ever!
Teachers — often overworked, frequently underappreciated, sometimes demonized, usually meagerly compensated. But all of us have had teachers who helped us grow up and make sense of the world, and to find our place in it.
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week (but really all year long) we want educators to get the props (and resources) they deserve. Our friends at Community Classroom do that by giving teachers free stuff: standards-aligned lesson plans, fabulous independent film content (often using Independent Lens films), innovative games, discussion guides, and more.
Most of us have a teacher who stands out in our memory as the one who really sparked our passion for learning or for a specific subject, or encouraged us at a key point in our academic lives. Or perhaps you work with a teacher who inspires his or her students in an exceptional way.
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Announcing the FUTURESTATES Audience Award!
You’ve watched the films. You’ve shared, commented, and liked. Maybe even loved. There have been ups and downs, laughter and tears. And this May, you get to decide who will take the laurels in our inaugural FUTURESTATES Audience Award.
From today until May 30 at midnight, the race is on to launch your favorite FUTURESTATES film into hyperspace. Head back to FUTURESTATES.TV, catch up on any films you missed, and check out the fan pages for each of the films.
You can vote once a day, and polling closes at midnight on May 30. We’ll announce the winner on June 1, 2011.
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And the Artists Month Viewer Contest Winners Are…
Independent Lens fans have spoken and selected a winner for our Artists Month contest. Read details below from our friends at the IL blog.
Honestly, we are humbled and amazed by all of the artists who submitted their work to us for our Are You a Visionary? art contest in honor of our Artists Month slate of documentaries for April. Never in the history of our user contests have we had a response nearing it. Thank you artists and voters!
Fifteen finalists and 1,274 votes later, the results are in. It was a horse race up to the finish, with the top four vote-getters separated by a single vote each at several points during active voting. First place wavered between five different entries as the week progressed. In the end, our runner up and our winner emerged.
Runner Up: Dream Car, by Vanessa Romero-Harry
Vanessa is the winner of an autographed photograph by Mark Hogancamp, the subject of this week’s documentary Marwencol, which premieres tonight at 10 PM (check local listings).
Drum roll … and the grand prize winner is …
Unrequited, by Sophia Nahli Allison
This is what Sophia said about her entry at the beginning of the competition:
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Vote for Your Favorite Independent Lens Viewer Artist!
During last week’s live chat with filmmakers — co-presented with PBS NewsHour’s Art Beat — we launched a contest daring Independent Lens fans to submit their artwork.
Our inbox quickly flooded with entries and we have assembled 15 finalists for you to review. Check out the slideshow of our talented contestants’ work, and then vote for your favorite. You can vote only once a day.
Polling will close on Monday, April 25 at noon PDT. We’ll announce our winner on April 26!
(This works best if you click the four arrows icon in the bottom right of the window to make the slideshow full-screen, and click “show info” as the slideshow plays, to learn more about each piece and the artists.)
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CONTEST: Design our Cover!
The 2011 edition of ITVS’ Production Manual will be available in March, and we’re looking for your help for the cover photo.
Submit an image by February 4 showing your own independent filmmaking process in action — at a shoot, on the set, at the editing bay, you name it. If your photo is chosen, you’ll win your own copy of the manual with your photo and credit on the cover, plus a bonus CD!
Get Free Stuff from Independent Lens!
Want free stuff? Want this poster from the Winter/Spring Season of Independent Lens? Done. It’s yours! We’ll even give it to you in person. Seriously.
We’ve created a sort of speakeasy contest to get you to our events and the poster in your hand. There are just a few steps involved.
First, visit the Community Cinema Facebook page and › Continue reading
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