Tag Archives: hell and back again

Independent Lens Presents: A Social Screening of Hell and Back Again

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The Academy Award-nominated documentary by Danfung Dennis will stream here on Tuesday, May 29 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT — following its Monday night premiere on PBS.

The documentary follows then 25 year-old Sgt. Nathan Harris’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.

Sgt. Harris has been invited to participate in Tuesday’s social screening as a panelist.
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ITVS Puts the ‘Independent’ in the Independent Spirit Awards

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The Interrupters, Where Soldiers Come From, We Were Here, and Hell and Back Again were among the documentaries nominated for this year’s Independent Spirit Awards.

A still from Hell and Back Again by filmmaker Danfung Dennis

With the Academy Awards right around the corner, it is important to remember that the Independent Spirit Awards are also this weekend. ITVS has four films nominated, The Interrupters and We Were Here are up for Best Doc, with Hell and Back Again and Where Soldiers Come From in the Truer Than Fiction category.

The Independent Spirit Awards take place on Saturday, February 25th. Click here for more information.

Join ITVS in congratulating all the filmmakers and check out the trailers after the jump.
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Guess the Oscars with ITVS

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It’s Academy Awards time again and this year ITVS has not one, but two horses in the Oscar race! Among the films selected for best documentary were two ITVS programs: Hell and Back Again by Danfung Dennis and If a Tree Falls by filmmakers Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman (broadcast last September on POV). Hell and Back Again airs on May 24, 2012 at 10 PM and on Memorial Day, May 28, 2012, both nights at 10 PM on Independent Lens.

We wanted to do something fun in anticipation of Sunday’s festivities, so we whipped up a quick little ballot for you to fill out and submit, to see how many of you can guess the outcome in several major categories. We’ll accept ballot entries (one per user, please!) up until 5 PM PST on Sunday, February 26, 2012. We’ll randomly select five entries from among the highest scores for personal glory and some special surprises.

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Oscar Nominated Filmmakers Visit Talk of The Nation

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Filmmakers Danfung Dennis (Hell and Back Again) and Marshall Curry (If A Tree Falls) appeared separately on NPR this week to discuss their respective films — both of which have been nominated for an Academy Award. Listen to the interviews with host Neal Conan, below:

Hell and Back Again
“After so many years of war, society’s become numb to pictures of conflict, and so I felt like I had to move into a new medium to try to shake people from their indifference.” — Danfung Dennis on Hell and Back Again (the documentary will premiere on Independent Lens on May 24 and nationwide on Memorial Day). LISTEN TO FULL INTERVIEW HERE.


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“Hell and Back Again” Filmmaker Danfung Dennis Reacts to Oscar Nomination

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By Steve Goldbloom, Reporting for PBS and BTB at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival

Danfung Dennis woke up this morning in Park City as an Academy Award nominated filmmaker for his documentary Hell and Back Again. The film weaves together two overlapping narratives of a Marine at war on the front and in recovery at home. BTB caught up with the filmmaker earlier today on Main St at the Sundance Film Festival.

Hell and Back Again will air on May 24 on Independent Lens.

Oscar Nominees for Best Doc Include: Hell and Back Again & If a Tree Falls

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Early Tuesday morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this year’s Oscar nominees. Among the films selected for best documentary were two ITVS programs: Hell and Back Again by Danfung Dennis (coming to Independent Lens on May 24) and If a Tree Falls by filmmakers Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman (broadcast last September on POV). BTB will be speaking with filmmakers Dennis and Cullman later today in Park City at the Sundance Film Festival to get their reaction on the nomination. Until then, join us in congratulating the filmmakers and watch the trailers below:

Find the complete list of nominated film here.

New App Lends Viewers Journalistic Independence Over Footage

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Condition ONE allows viewers to become completely immersed in the event they are watching. Used primarily for the iPad, the application is the brainchild of Hell and Back Again filmmaker and war photographer, Danfung Dennis.

Read a review of the app here.

Watch the trailer of Hell and Back Again, coming to Independent Lens, after the jump.
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Hell and Back Again Picks Up Dupont Award

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Fourteen winners of the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Awards were announced on Wednesday in New York. Hell and Back Again, by filmmaker Danfung Dennis, will premiere on Independent Lens in May 2012.

The documentary follows one soldier’s experience fighting the war in Afghanistan and recovering from a serious injury back in the U.S.
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ITVS Picks Up Honors at IDA Awards

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The IDA Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in documentary filmmaking and on Friday in Los Angeles the ITVS-funded Better This World collected the prize for Best Music. Plus, ITVS’s longstanding partner POV earned Best Continuing Series — a well deserved recognition for their 25 year commitment to independently produced documentary filmmaking.

Additional honors went to filmmaker Danfung Dennis (Hell and Back Again), who received the Jacqueline Donnet Award, which recognizes filmmakers who have made a significant impact at the beginning of his or her career in documentary film. See the complete list of winners here.
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Four ITVS Films Up for Independent Spirit Awards

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Among the docs nominated are: The Interrupters, Where Soldiers Come From, We Were Here, and Hell and Back Again — the last two will air this season on Independent Lens.

A still from Hell and Back Again by filmmaker Danfung Dennis

Join ITVS in congratulating all the filmmakers and check out the trailers after the jump.
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