digital
Vilmos Zsigmond Answers Your Questions
Director Vilmos Zsigmond
Iconic cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond — DP on such classics as The Deer Hunter, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind — sat down with Independent Lens to answer a few of the questions the audience posed to him earlier this season.
Find out who his favorite directors and fellow cinematographers are, what’s wrong with American film schools, and what exactly constitutes the “American New Wave” he and his best friend Laszlo Kovacs are sometimes credited with ushering in during the 1960s and 1970s.
Read the full interview here>>
The BAVC Producers Institute Extends Storytelling Into the Digital Realm
Wendy Levy, director of the BAVC Producers Institute
Filmmakers, do you know your alternate reality from your augmented reality? If not, you may want to get a glimpse into the future of documentary film by checking out what’s going on at The Bay Area Video Coalition’s Producers Institute for New Media Technologies.
The Producers Institute is a 10-day residency for independent producers who, in collaboration with teams of strategists, technologists, and NGO partners, develop and prototype multi-platform projects related to their documentary projects. Now in its fourth year, the Producers Institute has gained recognition as an incubator for cutting-edge content and thought leadership in public and social interest media. That’s why we’re especially excited that four producers are participating this year with projects related to their ITVS-funded films: Pamela Yates, Granito (Open Call, 2009); Roland Leguiri-Laura, To Be Heard (Open Call, 2008); Nicole Newnham and Maren Grainger-Monsen, The Revolutionary Optimists (Open Call, 2009); and Jehan Harney, Dream of America (Diversity Development Fund, 2008).
This year, ITVS staffers were lucky enough to attend some of the events and activities, including the day of final presentations. By then, producers’ eyes were bleary from a full week of non-stop brainstorming, whiteboarding, designing, wire-framing, and developing their prototypes. Despite the frenetic schedule, the producers presented some impressive work that ranged from the aforementioned alternate reality and augmented reality game prototypes, to geo-targeted mapping projects, to mobile social applications, and much more. Videos of the final presentations should be posted soon, but to learn about the specific project proposals, you can click here. To get a re-cap of the week from the archived Twitter feed and to see more pics, click here.
Rent Independent Lens and Global Voices Episodes on iTunes
Looking to watch something from the comfort of your home over the holidays?
Check out the PBS Indies page on iTunes where you’ll find more than 20 indie films from Independent Lens, Global Voices and other public television series and broadcasts.
Each film is now available for rent for $2.99 or for purchase at $9.99.
A selection of films include: ADJUST YOUR COLOR: The Truth of Petey Green, THE ATOM SMASHERS, BANISHED, the Oscar-nominated DAUGHTER FROM DANANG, A DREAM IN DOUBT, LAKSHMI AND ME, THE LOSS OF NAMELESS THINGS, MAPPING STEM CELL RESEARCH: TERRA INCOGNITA, MARCH POINT, MILKING THE RHINO, OPERATION FILMMAKER, POWER TRIP, RED WHITE BLACK & BLUE, A SON’S SACRIFICE, STRANDED: The Andes Plane Crash Survivors and ESTILO HIP HOP.
ITVS and PBS Offer Indie Content on iTunes Store
Tired of searching for high-quality indie films? Look no further. ITVS and PBS recently collaborated to bring more than 20 independent films to the iTunes store. Curated specifically for iTunes, this diverse collection includes films from Independent Lens, Global Voices and other public television series and broadcasts.
Some of the groundbreaking films from Independent Lens now available on iTunes include: ADJUST YOUR COLOR: The Truth of Petey Green, THE ATOM SMASHERS, BANISHED, the Oscar-nominated DAUGHTER FROM DANANG, A DREAM IN DOUBT, LAKSHMI AND ME, THE LOSS OF NAMELESS THINGS, MAPPING STEM CELL RESEARCH: TERRA INCOGNITA, MARCH POINT, MILKING THE RHINO, OPERATION FILMMAKER, POWER TRIP, RED WHITE BLACK & BLUE, A SON’S SACRIFICE, STRANDED: The Andes Plane Crash Survivors and ESTILO HIP HOP, which premiered on the PBS WORLD series Global Voices. Each film is available for purchase at $9.99.
This initiative is part of the Independent Digital Distribution Lab, a project to expand distribution to broadband-connected audiences while exploring revenue-generating partnership models for independent filmmakers and public television.
“By offering content on iTunes, we are helping producers who want to experiment with online content gain access to PBS’s digital distribution outlets,” said Sally Jo Fifer, president and CEO of ITVS.
Apply Now: Producers Institute for New Media Technologies
Are you a filmmaker looking to develop innovative and interactive ways to engage audiences?
The Producers Institute for New Media Technologies, hosted by the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), is a ten-day residency for eight creative teams (independent producers or public broadcasters) with a shared goal of developing and prototyping a multi-platform project inspired by or based on a significant documentary project.
Filmmakers who participate in the institute will develop socially relevant media projects for emerging digital platforms and have opportunities to participate in high-level industry roundtables, intense one-on-one project development with technical mentors, new media storytelling workshops and hands-on prototyping of their ideas.
Participants will adapt and develop film, video and audio content for delivery using a range of interactive formats, including video game applications, interactive web-based experiences, mobile streaming, multi-user communities and new educational software. Propose a range of delivery strategies, including cellphones, other hand-held devices, set-tops, Internet, portable software and more.
Check out the Second Life video below to get an overview of the Institute from Wendy Levy, director of creative programming at BAVC:
Watch IRANIAN KIDNEY BARGAIN SALE on iTunes
Last month, Community Cinema screened D TOUR, which chronicles musician Pat Spurgeon’s search for a living kidney donor and the challenges associated with finding a viable match.
The screenings brought awareness about the importance of organ donation in the United States. But what is the organ market like in other countries?
This month, check out the ITVS International film IRANIAN KIDNEY BARGAIN SALE, which follows young Iranians through the organ trade process, in the only country in the world where kidney trading is legal.
Live Streaming Webcast: Media as a Global Diplomat II: New Findings on the Science of Media and Conflict
Last February, ITVS co-hosted a media leadership summit with the U.S. Institute of Peace at the Newseum in Washington, DC. A constellation of luminaries from the field, capped by distinguished veteran journalist and moderator Ted Koppel, developed recommendations to the new administration about the role of media in public diplomacy.
Continuing the dialogue, Media as a Global Diplomat II: New Findings on the Science of Media and Conflict took place today, October 1 from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM EDT at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
This summit included a keynote by her majesty Queen Noor of Jordan. ITVS Vice President of Distribution Tamara Gould moderated a discussion about the responsibility of filmmakers and storytellers to create media that serves the public interest.
Other panelists included: Michael Medavoy, Hollywood studio executive (Apocalypse Now, Raging Bull) and author of American Idol After Iraq: Winning Hearts and Minds in the Global Media Age; Riz Khan, senior news anchor, Al Jazeera English; Arik Bernstein, founder of Alma Films and creator of Gaza-Sderot – Life in spite of everything; and Lucas Welch, president and founder of Soliya.
Learn more by visiting the United States Institute of Peace Web site >>
Watch ITVS Films for Free on Hulu
Do you love indie films but not sure where to find them online? ITVS now has numerous films available on Hulu for free from the PBS series Independent Lens and the PBS WORLD series Global Voices.
Among the programs available is the deeply moving Independent Lens film A DREAM IN DOUBT, which looks at one of America’s first post-9/11 hate crime murders and the growing wave of violence in retaliation for the terror attacks.
Check out A DREAM IN DOUBT on Hulu >>
Watch ITVS Films for Free on Hulu
It’s summertime, and for TV viewers everywhere that means the dreaded season of reruns and reality TV. But wait, we have a solution. ITVS currently offers 17 full-length programs available for free on Hulu.
Among the programs available is the highly entertaining film SHAOLIN ULYSSES: Kungfu Monks in America, which follows five Zen Buddhist monks who set out to make new lives teaching their craft in unlikely parts of America.
Check out SHAOLIN ULYSSES and other ITVS programs on Hulu >>
Independent Lens Films Available Now on Netflix
Do you subscribe to Netflix? If so, be sure to add these latest Independent Lens titles to your queue.
ADJUST YOUR COLOR: The Truth of Petey Greene
**Winner of the 2009 Indie Lens Audience Award
He was a former drug addict and felon. He was also America’s first “shock jock.” Petey Greene gave voice to the unheard––speaking truth to power on his raw and uncensored TV and radio programs. His explosive language and brash style shocked the world as he battled both the system and his own demons on a journey to becoming a leading activist during some of the most tumultuous years in recent history.
THE ATOM SMASHERS
In a premier U.S. government laboratory, physicists race to discover one of the biggest secrets in the universe before a far more powerful European accelerator upstages both them and the entire U.S. science program. But, with a growing national deficit made worse by military conflicts and natural disasters, the lab struggles to survive. Will the discovery happen before the funds run out? Or will America watch the greatest minds in physics drift across the Atlantic, closing a great chapter in American science?
PAUL CONRAD: Drawing Fire
Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Paul Conrad has drawn and quartered 11 presidents in a remarkable career spanning half a century. Narrated by Tom Brokaw, PAUL CONRAD: Drawing Fire pays tribute to a legendary journalist and artist who epitomizes the fiercely independent voice that has been vanishing from American news media in recent years.
Netflix subscribers can either rent these titles on DVD or stream the films directly in the browser. Also, Xbox subscribers can watch Netflix movies through the 360 console.
Upcoming Screenings
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A free monthly screening series, Community Cinema features films from the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens.
In over 50 cities nationwide, screenings are followed by lively panel discussions that bring together citizens, organizations and public television stations to encourage dialogue and action around important and timely social issues. Last season, over 40,000 people attended 500 events nationwide.
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