Deadline for INPUT 2011: Dare the Future

INPUT (International Public Television) is an organization that brings together producers, media professionals, and broadcasters from around the world for a weeklong showcase of content and discussion each year, creating a forum  “where the rules of broadcasting are challenged and redefined.”

U.S. INPUT is now accepting American submissions for INPUT 2011: Dare the Future in Seoul, Korea. The deadline is Nov. 5, 2010 and there is no entry fee! For more information check out: www.scetv.org/input.
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Tags: applications, deadline, film funding, INPUT, ITVS, public television

Emmy Winner Geoffrey Smith on The English Surgeon

Filmmaker Geoffrey Smith won an Emmy Monday night for The English Surgeon

Filmmaker Geoffrey Smith has made more than 22 films throughout his career and has collected numerous awards for his work. On Monday night, he picked up an Emmy for The English Surgeon, his film about a British neurosurgeon who confronts the dilemmas of the doctor-patient relationship on his latest mission to Ukraine. The documentary was supported by ITVS International (speaking of, the deadline for our 2011 International Call has been changed to December 10, 2010). Smith spoke to BTB about the Emmy, the film, and the ITVS funding that helped from the start.

First off, congratulations on the Emmy! What can you tell us about Monday night’s event in NYC?

Thanks! It was very wet in New York City. Central Park looked very British and so I felt right at home. It was great to see all of my colleagues.
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Tags: docs, Emmy, film funding, funding, Independent Lens, indie, international, ITVS, New York, PBS, the english surgeon

Filmmakers’ Work Showcased at TedxChange

The Revolutionary Optimists, from filmmakers Nicole Newnham and Maren Grainger-Monsen

ITVS-funded filmmakers Nicole Newnham and Maren Grainger-Monsen will have some of their latest work presented this Monday, September 20^th at the TedxChange event in New York. Co-hosted by TED and the Gates Foundation, Monday’s event will showcase a short film extracted from the filmmakers’ upcoming feature project, The Revolutionary Optimists.

The documentary is currently in production and profiles Amlan Ganguly, a lawyer-turned-social entrepreneur who has made significant impact in the poorest neighborhoods of Calcutta by empowering children to become leaders in improving health and sanitation.

Monday’s event, convened by Melinda French Gates, will feature some of the world’s most inspired thinkers and doers and marks the anniversary of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals: Ten years in, where does the global community stand in the work to save and improve lives around the world?

Be sure to catch Monday’s event, streaming live here. Nice work, Nicole and Maren!

Tags: bill gates, film funding, ITVS, itvs funding, melinda gates, PBS, TED, TED talks, the revolutionary optimists

Deadline Change – Diversity Development Fund

The Diversity Development Fund provides up to $15,000 in research and development funding to producers of color to develop single documentary programs for public television.

Projects should reach underserved audiences often overlooked by conventional programming. Projects must be in the research or development phase, and cannot have begun production. Producers must be U.S. citizens or legal residents.

That hasn’t changed.

But the deadline has!

The next DDF deadline is NOVEMBER 12, 2010. You can read guidelines and details on how to apply at ITVS.org. The online application form will be live from mid-September.

Good luck!

Tags: deadline, diversity development fund, diversity funding, film funding, filmmakers of color, funding, ITVS, PBS, public television

Notes from Orientation: Producers Learn the Ropes at Camp ITVS

From orientation, producers talk shop with ITVS Production Manager Cheryl Hirasa

ITVS’s Open Call provides finishing funds for single nonfiction public television programs on any subject and from any viewpoint. Last week, ITVS hosted nearly a dozen filmmakers who were recently awarded Open Call funding. Among the troops was Andy Schocken, producer and director of photography, of The World in a Room. Here he wraps up ITVS’s crash course in producing for public television.

Somewhere between our discussion of Canadian retransmission royalties and the percentage-of-completion method of contract accounting, it hits me that I’m not at film school anymore. Looking around the room at a remarkable group of filmmakers whose work I’ve long admired, I accept that there’s a time and place for six-hour Frederick Wiseman marathons and roadtrips up Highway 1 with nothing but a Bolex and a dream. I’m here at ITVS orientation to hone my skills as a producer for public television, and this is right where I want to be.
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Tags: documentary, feature film, film funding, filmmakers, ITVS, Open Call, orientation, producers, short film

Ask Programming About LINCS Funding

ITVS programming staff answer questions from filmmakers about the funding process:

Q: My proposal was declined from the last round of Open Call. Can I apply to LINCS with the same project?

A. Yes, you may apply for LINCS with the same project. The application and evaluation processes for the two initiatives are distinct and a declination in one initiative does not affect your chances in the other. There are differences between the initiatives. The most notable is that the LINCS initiative requires a producer and public television station partnership while Open Call does not. Please read the full guidelines to see if your project is a good fit for LINCS.

Q. I am putting together an application for LINCS. What makes a strong Letter of Agreement?

A. The Letter of Agreement is more than a simple contract between the filmmaker and the public television station. ITVS reviewers read an applicant’s Letter of Agreement as a reflection of the strength of your partnership with the public television station. The terms of this partnership are unique and vary for each production. However, the depth of commitment can be demonstrated in how well you lay out and articulate the obligations of the public television station and the role of the public television representative as well as the obligations of the filmmakers. Similar to your development and articulation of your program treatment, the Letter of Agreement should be one of substance.

For more guidance on crafting a Letter of Agreement >>

Tags: film funding, filmmaking, producers

Looking for Film Funding? The New ITVS.org is for You!

If you’re a filmmaker, we’d like to thank you — you’re the reason we exist.

After all, ITVS was created by indie filmmakers.

The biggest hurdle for any independent filmmaker, as you well know, is financing your project. If you’re looking for funding, the current state of the world can seem bleak and confusing.

But fear not! The funding section on our new ITVS.org site is designed make it easier to understand our application process, and is designed to demonstrate more clearly what kinds of projects we’re looking for. We’ve made the process more transparent, and have made it much easier to find the right person to contact to discuss your application. We’re also improving and enhancing our online resources to help you construct a more successful proposal.

Also, we’ve made it simpler to discover where you can find ITVS’s Programming staff in person. Right next to the funding information you will now be able to see upcoming events, conferences, festivals, and workshops that we will be attending or hosting. You will find it here first. What better way to get the edge you need for a successful application?

Tags: documentary, film financing, film funding, filmmakers, independent film

Our New Website: What’s in it for ITVS Filmmakers

If you’ve been funded by ITVS, you’re already familiar with the resources we bring to bear in support of your project. The new ITVS.org takes it one step further, putting our reach and resources into your hands directly.

It’s all about leverage, and ITVS.org offers new ways to engage your audience. For the first time ever, you will be able to post your own screenings, making ITVS.org an extension of your current marketing efforts. (You should have received an email last week explaining how to post your screenings. Contact us if you need it resent.)

The new “Related Films” feature (at thew bottom of each film overview page) allows like-minded fans of other similar films to discover yours, and by linking your film’s page to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, we enable you to attract and engage these new fans, building a base you can convert when trying to fund your next project.

In addition, your film pages are also now a one-stop shop for all your promotional materials, turning ITVS.org into the perfect electronic press kit (EPK). Just point your adoring press to ITVS.org and you can be sure they receive all the info they need for that great review.

Got questions? Post them here in the comments and we’ll answer them.

Tags: documentary, film funding, filmmaker resources, filmmaking, independent films

From the President’s Desk — Welcome to the New ITVS Website!

After a year of thinking and building, coding and tweaking, I’m thrilled to show you our online remodel of www.itvs.org.

If you’re new to ITVS, what you’ll find on our new site is the full sweep of the work we do: the award-winning documentaries and new media we present on television and online; the many ways we help viewers, communities, and educators access social issue programming to connect with one another; the funding and services we provide to empower independent producers to create programming that serves the public interest.

For those of you who know ITVS, you’ll see that our redesign reflects the impact of the changing media landscape — a world that is more digital, more global, more user-centered, more networked, and more impact-oriented than before. Here’s what’s new and what it means for you:

• More, better, and more accessible video: A new section contains a wealth of high-quality formatted and embeddable video, including film trailers, clips, and other interviews and behind-the-scenes content.

• New media showcase: Experience ITVS’s interactive games, websites, and other new media features.

• 21^st century catalog: Search, sort, and browse our nearly 800 programs by topic, region, zip-code-based broadcast listings, online availability, or nearby theatrical screenings.

• Film profiles: Find detailed synopses, filmmaker bios, viewer comments, and up-to-the-minute viewing info along with press kits, reviews, and awards, and film-specific engagement resources.

• New tools for social media, community engagement, and educators: Integrated social media tools, expanded Community Cinema and Community Classroom sections, and specialty engagement resources, video modules, and lesson plans make it easier for audiences, filmmakers, and communities to connect and engage.

• Filmmaker resources and support: Find the optimal initiative for a project, apply online, and access special reports about the media landscape.

• And more: Learn about series such as Independent Lens and international initiatives like the Global Perspectives Project.

Whether you’re a viewer, producer, educator, or partner, we’ve built this site to give you more access, more control, more information, and more input. We hope you’ll use it, enjoy it, participate, and help us make it better in the weeks to come.

Sally Jo Fifer
President and CEO

Tags: film funding, ITVS, Sally Jo Fifer, website

Contest: Make a Film, Change the World!

Want to use your film to change the world? That’s what Link TV wants you to do, and they’re holding an online film contest to find the very best short films that change how we think and how we act.

On April 30^th Link TV launched the ViewChange Online Film Contest, with cash prizes of up to $25,000 for the Grand Prize winner. The ViewChange Online Film Contest is looking for short films in six categories that examine international development efforts toward achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Online voters will help determine the finalists, with the winners selected by a panel of judges that includes Gael García Bernal, Wim Wenders, Danny Glover, Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Angélique Kidjo and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Winners and finalists’ videos will be nationally broadcast on Link TV and showcased at major events in New York City and Washington D.C. for media and for policy makers.  All six category winners will be included in ViewChange.org, a cutting-edge digital media hub launching in October 2010.

As fans of ITVS and Independent Lens, you already know how powerful a good story can be. Tell yours.

Tags: contest, Danny Glover, film funding, Link TV, United Nations