The DDF provides up to $15,000 in research and development funding to independent producers of color to develop single documentary programs for public television. Projects should speak to the ITVS mission to serve underserved audiences with programs that take creative risks, explore complex issues, inspire dialogue and express points of view seldom seen on commercial or public television.

Funded activities may include travel, research, script development, preliminary production for
fundraising/work-in-progress reels, or other early phase activities.

DDF accepts:

• Projects that have not yet begun production
• Programs that can become eligible for ITVS production funding initiatives as single programs of standard broadcast length (half-hour or one-hour). In rare cases ITVS will consider feature-length programs.

DDF does not accept:

• Proposals for completed projects seeking distribution
• Series proposals or fictional dramas
• Projects intended solely for theatrical release

Find more information about guidelines and how to apply on our website.

Calling all independent media makers (yes, we’re talking to you filmmakers!). Do you want to explore new ways of telling your story? Do you have an idea that takes advantage of both traditional and digital media? Then take a look at Localore, a new initiative from our friends at The Association of Independents in Radio (AIR), that’s designed to fuel public media’s capacity for innovative storytelling and journalism.

Through Localore, AIR will recruit talented radio, TV, film, and online producers to lead 10 public station-based projects, blending approaches to broadcast and digital platforms. This means mixing traditional media with mobile applications, online video, digital games, data visualization and maps — anything that will help to bring stories to the public in new ways beyond broadcast.

Interested producers are invited to submit proposals until November 10th at Localore.net.A second round of vetting in December will call on producers, matched with incubator stations, to submit final proposals.

Watch the station runway video (above) to see which public stations are interested in partnering with Independents. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get your innovative project considered for this game-changing initiative.

ITVS announced that it has contracted with eight international documentary projects from its 2011 International Call as part of the Global Perspective Project. This year’s selections provide extraordinary access and insight into the daily lives and struggles of people who live in Uruguay, Iran, China, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Myanmar, and India.

The productions were selected through a competitive application process, which resulted in 476 submissions from 118 countries representing 72 languages.

All eight documentary projects are slated for eventual broadcast, including primetime slots on the Emmy® Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens, P.O.V., and the international series, Global Voices.

Check out the complete list of funded projects after the jump >>

Avant
Producers: Virginia Bogliolo, Pablo Ratto Director: Juan Andres Alvarez
After retiring as a professional dancer, Julio Bocca, one of the most famous ballet dancers on the international scene, accepts the challenge to direct a forgotten national ballet in an unfinished theatre in Uruguay. Avant explores the contrast between Bocca´s quest for excellence and the daily life of this company, set in changing scenery that frames the lives of dancers, workers, cleaners, and technicians.

Before The Revolution
Producer: Barak Heymann  Director: Dan Shadur
Before the Revolution, the untold tale of the Israeli community in Iran prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979, is a suspense story about courage and hastiness, about greed and blindness, and about great dreams versus an impossible reality. And for one young Israeli family — the director of the film’s family — the last days in Tehran are also a private and hurtful story of a long-gone paradise, never to return.

Democrats
Producer: Henrik Veileborg  Director: Camilla Nielsson
Democrats is a film about the creation of a new constitution in Zimbabwe. The film follows two top politicians who have been appointed to lead the country through the reform process. The two men are political opponents, but united in the ambition to make history by giving the nation a new founding document that could give birth to a future Zimbabwe.

Fallen City
Producer: Lixin Fan Director: Qi Zhao
Fallen City follows the survivors of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake as they embark on a journey in search of hope, meaning, and identity. Zeroing in on three broken families, the film explores the hearts and minds of ordinary rural Chinese forced to restore their lives and the meaning of life in a world without their home and loved ones. A devoted father, a divorced older woman, and a runaway teenage boy — each on their own journey — become a collective image, struggling to find a new position in a new China torn between tradition and modernity.

In The Shadow Of The Sun
Producer: Brian Hill Director: Harry Freeland
Told over the course of four years, In The Shadow Of The Sun tells the intimate story of two very different members of a remote island’s albino community in Tanzania as a wave of brutal ritual killings targeting people with albinism sweeps their country. First there is Vedastus, a warmhearted teenage boy who cares for his terminally ill mother while struggling to find his own place in the world and a way back to school. Then there is Josephat, a strong willed advocate for people with albinism, who fights to unite his country and dreams of scaling the heights of Mount Kilimanjaro. As the killings escalate, Vedastus flees the island in search of safety while Josephat stands and faces the killings head on.

I Want To Cheer Up, Ltd.
Producer: Mette Heide Director: Kaspar Astrup Schröder
The complexity of happiness is at the center of this story about Ryuichi, the owner of a professional stand-in company that rents out fake family members and friends. At work he can finally be the perfect husband and father that he doesn’t know how to be at home.

Miss Nikki & The Tiger Girls
Producer: Jessica Douglas-Henry Director:  Juliet Lamont
The poorest nation in South East Asia, Myanmar has been ruled by a series of military dictatorships for many years. This documentary provides a rare opportunity to go behind the bamboo curtain and explore the lives of ordinary people living in this country through an intimate portrait of Myanmar’s first all-girl band The Tiger Girls.

When Hari Got Married
Producers/Directors: Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam
Hari, a young, but traditional taxi driver in Dharamsala, India, is getting married to a girl he has never met, but with whom he has fallen in love after many mobile phone conversations. Now, frantic preparations are afoot to make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch. Outspoken, opinionated, and funny, Hari grapples with nerves, heartburn, and mounting tension as the day of reckoning draws close.

The 2012 ITVS International Call Deadline is December 9, 2011.  For more information, click here >>

ITVS International enables independent producers from outside the United States to create documentaries for U.S. television. Through International Call, global storytellers introduce U.S. audiences to their world, their neighbors, opening a window into unfamiliar lives, experiences and perspectives.

International Call provides production and/or post-production funds for single non-fiction television documentaries that bring international perspectives, ideas, stories and people to a U.S. audience. This initiative is for non-U.S. producers and filmmakers who live outside the U.S.

Please note: ITVS International Call 2012 will be an all digital submissions process.

For more information about guidelines, eligibility and how to submit, please visit www.itvs.org/funding/international

What kind of music rights do I need to clear for my film? What is E&O insurance and how do I obtain it? What do I need to consider regarding financials and reporting to funders? How do I use social media to do outreach for my film?

Attention all independent producers: Get the answers to these and other useful questions in the latest edition of the ITVS Production Manual: An A-to-Z Guide to Producing for Public Television, now available for purchase at www.itvs.org.

Learn about the process of getting your film to broadcast and beyond with sections on insurance and financial considerations, new media rights and clearances, public broadcasting distribution, publicity, social media, community engagement, and much more.

The 2011 edition of the manual is the culmination of years of industry experience — offering a collection of practical information contributed by ITVS staff and independent producers, as well as distributors and colleagues from media organizations and the public television field.

A bonus CD includes more than 40 sample forms for you to use with your film, along with a detailed reference chart of key program deliverables required by public television broadcasters.

This 340-page manual is a great resource for anyone looking to produce programs for public television. Order your copy of the 2011 ITVS Production Manual today.

ITVS President & CEO Sally Jo Fifer explains why — now more than ever — our democracy depends on the in-depth, diverse, and nuanced stories of independent filmmakers.

Beyond the Box trumpets the work of independent filmmakers, and rightly so.

Amid the posts, an occasional report from the organization about the organization seems in order — and not just because ITVS is rolling into its 20^th year.  We all have a stake in the health of the public institutions that serve us and for which we fought hard to make possible.

ITVS was certainly born from a long and hard fight. Its founders spent more than a decade pressing Congress and the PTV system to make a winning case that independents were public media’s diversity strategy.  Their argument: The strength of democracy is measured by how the majority treats its minorities. Their objective: A mandate to support voices disregarded by both commercial and public media and bring them to the public square.

In the 20^th century, a television in every living room became America’s window to the world, and to ourselves. Holders of the window shape people’s beliefs and actions, whether it is voting, buying cereal, or volunteering in the community. It quickly became clear that the window must belong to more than a few shot-callers — at least in a democracy. And so public broadcasting was born.

In the 21^st century, the public square swelled into a chaotic plaza — an extreme bazaar of entertainment, data, conversation with 300 million websites to choose from — in effect, 300 million windows. Yes, 10 companies own most of the Internet traffic. But unlike 20 years ago, when voices went unheard because of the prohibitive price of admission to the public square, voices today go unheard because the price has plummeted to virtually nothing.

Sally Jo Fifer, President & CEO of ITVS

With (mostly) free access there has never been more connectivity, more mass collaboration, more access and sharing of knowledge — worldwide. Digital means global. So what does public media look like?

For enthusiasts, the Internet’s content and delivery devices represent the ultimate democratization of knowledge, even shared consciousness; for skeptics, they render us distracted, narcissistic addicts of the superfluous and celebrity.

The question of whether this latest feat of technology is our liberator or our jailer will rage on. The better question is this: What makes for excellent communication in a democracy?

To answer that question, the public has to recognize itself in the conversation and recognize when it affects them. A lot of people talking doesn’t equate to hearing, much less digesting, the information we need to participate in the shared project of democracy.

This is where public media steps in — as a gathering of citizens who focus on igniting civic discourse and independent thinking outside of the win-loss columns of commercial media and politics.

ITVS is one of these gatherings. Independent citizen filmmakers find the in-depth, diverse, and nuanced stories that enrich people’s understanding of one another and inspire insights and even epiphanies on what it means to be human and connected. ITVS’s job is to find those missing stories and to find the public.

ITVS’s mission has never been clearer as we grapple with the 21^st century media landscape. A clear mission and great challenges are the best ingredients for any organization’s good health. And so by that analysis ITVS is in excellent health. Challenges demand an appetite for change and movement, risk taking, and an ability to learn fast from one’s mistakes — for plenty will happen if you try new things.

ITVS wants to wrest opportunities for indies from the challenges. Since launching Independent Lens, a 22-week series for the National Programming Schedule 9 years ago we have: expanded Community Cinema to 100 markets and 1,000 NGO partners for our filmmakers; brought 125 international independent documentaries to American broadcasting through the Global Perspectives Project; joined with the WGBH’s World Digital Channel to present a 26-week series, Global Voices; began exporting American independent documentaries abroad to 20 developing countries through a series called True Stories: Life in the U.S.A.; took a crack at the tough nut of digital rights by creating the IndiesLab to negotiate on behalf of filmmakers on new digital platforms such as Amazon and iTunes; began supporting filmmakers to make enhanced content for the web as a transmedia strategy for their films through P360; launched a Diversity Development Fund and a feature film web programming initiative called Futurestates; experimented with games such as World Without Oil; launched 11 new social media properties to promote filmmaker’s content in the bazaar — all while more than doubling our funding to the field from a decade ago. We’ve gone from delivering 24 hours 10 years ago to 80 hours to the system across series, including P.O.V., American Experience, Frontline, American Masters, and as one-off specials in addition to Independent Lens.

Is it a lot? Yes. Is it enough? No. Not amid the force and scale of change from unrelenting technology inventions, hyperkinetic social networks, and volatile politics. Is the charge of artists to jostle the public out of its fitful sleep to care for itself? If we hope to do more as a society than just hang on, we have to keep innovating. And systems and institutions dedicated to helping us succeed are worth protecting.

The newly approved federal budget largely preserves short-term funding commitments for public broadcasting — about $1.35 per citizen per year. Yet a recent CNN poll showed most Americans believe public broadcasting receives hundreds of dollars per citizen, a misconception with real consequences as constituents pressure their legislators to reduce spending.

As the 2012 election approaches, we could face another long and hard fight to keep unheard voices in the public square, even as 80 percent of Americans rated public broadcasting as an “excellent” use of taxpayer dollars in a recent Roper Poll.

I hope you will join ITVS in supporting a campaign, 170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting, to strengthen our democracy through public media.

I’ll be joining BTB at least once a month to step back and report ITVS’s progress as we adapt and innovate in service of our producers and the public. We put a stake in the ground to help give the public a communications strategy outside commercial interests — to ensure the diverse voices of indies get heard. It will take all of us to keep the winds of change from pulling up the stakes and blowing the tent away.

I look forward to writing about the issues that most concern you. Please write to me at sally_jo_fifer@itvs.org with your questions and ideas.

Each year ITVS participates in the festival by meeting with filmmakers involved in the Tribeca All Access program. From April 22-28, ITVS’ Vice President of Programming Claire Aguilar will be in NYC to participate in the All Access development meetings with producers of color.

Three ITVS-funded films will also be on display at this year’s festival, including: Donor Unknown, Give Up Tomorrow, and When the Drum is Beating.

Plus, a special All Access screening of shorts from the second season of FUTURESTATES will screen on Saturday, April 23rd at 2:30PM at the Clearview Cinemas in Chelsea. This year’s selection, listed below, highlights Tribeca All Access alumni as well as emerging New York filmmaking talent:

Beholder
Directed by Nisha Ganatra
Sasha, a resident of the socially conservative gated community Red Estates, makes a discovery about her genetically engineered unborn child that causes her to rethink her allegiances.

The Spring of Sorrow
Directed by Suzi Yoonessi
Two sisters live a nomadic life, displaced by global warming. Trapped in the desert in the midst of a water shortage, Isabelle tells her younger sister Lily a fairytale that explains how this tragedy came to be.

Digital Antiquities
Directed by JP Chan
In 2036, all digital media is permanently stored in “the cloud.” Data recovery store employee Cat, and Kai — a young man with an old compact disc — discover a secret that will unite them forever.

White
Directed by A. Sayeeda Clarke
It’s another 120-degree December day in New York City. With no money to pay for medical care for his pregnant wife, Bato races against the sun to save his family.

Filmmakers will be in attendance for the Q&A, as well as ITVS’ Claire Aguilar and TAA staff. To attend this free screening, please RSVP to rsvptaa3@tribecafilminstitute.org

Additional episodes of FUTURESTATES are available to stream free online.

For complete schedules and listings, visit the Tribeca Film Festival’s website.

ITVS has been in and out of the classroom all week. On Wednesday, we hosted a live chat with high school seniors and an Independent Lens filmmaker, and on Tuesday night we streamed video/live blogged from the San Francisco Film Society’s event: Igniting the Classroom. The event included a panel of filmmakers and educators, including ITVS’s Education Manager Annelise Wunderlich, who filed this report.

As Education Manager for ITVS, I often feel like a kid in a candy store. I am surrounded by incredibly rich content for the classroom — the work of all the independent filmmakers that receive funding from ITVS is truly an educator’s dream.

Authentic stories, diverse voices: these films are powerful vehicles to engage young people and teach them about the world we live in. The challenge is getting these films into schools at a time when budgets are stripped bare, teachers are on the hook for poor student performance, and standardized testing is considered the primary benchmark for learning. Not the best market for filmmakers who often spend several years making a film with very little financial gain, and often depend on educational sales for their livelihood.

Igniting the Classroom, San Francisco Film Society’s Film Forum event on Tuesday night, was a rare opportunity for filmmakers and educators to be in the same room and share with each other their passion for connecting young people to the power of film.

Sophie Constantinou of Citizen Film showed a module from her innovative online film project called Lunch, Love, Community about the love affair between middle-school students and Cheetos.

Marcia Jarmel described the unanticipated success of her film about bilingual education, Speaking in Tongues, as it has become an advocacy tool for a variety of organizations.

Daven Gee of Khatadin Films shared a trailer for his film about the environmental impact of the coal industry called On Coal River and shared tips about what it takes to build a meaningful engagement strategy for a film.

Finally, middle school teacher Maria Jenerik was there to share videos her students have created, and to bring some reality to the discussion of what it really takes to capture students’ imagination.

I shared Silver Sling — a short film from our science fiction series FUTURESTATES. What makes ITVS’s Community Classroom so unique and is that it serves as one of the few ways that select filmmakers can receive funding for their projects and support for creating educational outreach materials.

Our lesson plans and film modules are developed by top-notch curriculum writers with guidance from an expert board of national advisors. All of our resources are standards-aligned and available for free on our website. I only wish that we had the capacity to work with more films each year, as I know teachers and youth serving organizations are hungry for quality film-based curriculum.

Young people gain so much from these stories if only they are exposed to them. Public media outlets like Community Classroom and film festival programs like SF International, which is celebrating its 20^th anniversity of bring films to Bay Area schools, are examples of the few platforms where independent filmmakers and students connect. Programs like these deserve and need support to keep producing their important work.

Check out a replay from our live coverage of the San Francisco Film Society’s Igniting the Classroom event below.

Filmmaker Reuben Atlas

I heard the letters I-T-V-S for the first time about three years ago, sitting in the audience at a panel on documentary financing. One of the panelists, an Oscar winner, had just responded to the question of how he financed his film by holding up his MasterCard.

The moderator then asked, “Have any of you received funding from ITVS?” The crowd collectively gasped and all side conversations paused. A few people raced for the Q & A line. The young woman next to me flung open her Mac laptop and braced her fingers at the keyboard.

“What’s the acronym stand for?” I whispered. Keeping her shoulder’s facing forward, she swiftly turned her head towards me. “ITVS?” she said. “It’s the Holy Grail.” A man next to her immediately scoffed, letting us know he felt quite differently.

Four Open Call applications, many proposal revisions, and countless work sample cuts later, and here I am, a first time filmmaker at ITVS’ Open Call Producers Orientation.

It’s day two and I thought the ITVS staff would at least exude a mild air of superiority, having produced a large number of powerful films, but the entire staff has been welcoming and engaging and seems genuinely excited about everyone’s projects; even the business and legal team approached me with kindness, seeking to lend support and guidance. I grew up in Montclair, New Jersey and now live in Brooklyn, and don’t trust this West Coast charm.

Day three, the last day, and I’m sitting around the ITVS conference table, part of a group of producers whose Harvard and Yale degrees only received mention at the end of bios that include an Academy-Award nomination and a Peabody win. None of them, though, acted above the presentation on the history of public television, or the descriptions of ITVS’ extensive services, from digital initiatives to community engagement. Everyone listened intently to the discussion on PBS broadcasting trends, and since the members of the staff put their creative dexterity into the power points, even the budget and financial reporting talks had listeners.

But during one of the sessions I drifted. I remembered something I’d heard one of the other filmmakers say during a speech at the memorial service of a documentary luminary and mentor to many. In front of the thousand-plus crowd at the church, he commended the late filmmaker for embodying the principle that “we can’t be the only one up here,” that in this competitive, isolated, and ego-driven business, we could only create change in the world as a group. The point roused a booming applause.

During the low points of learning to become a documentary producer and director, I’ve often felt disconnected and on a selfish quest. After attending ITVS orientation, though, and encountering so many others with a similar commitment to producing and promoting independent films, and who seem to genuinely believe in the power of a community of independent filmmakers, I feel differently.

I feel (as trite as it may sound) part of the collective effort to enact the public television mission.