Encore Presentation of Between the Folds Tonight on Independent Lens on PBS

“For folks interested in the intersection of arts and science, the PBS series Independent Lens is presenting a fascinating in-depth look into origami titled Between the Folds.”
- Make Magazine

It’s National Youth Art Month, and tonight Independent Lens is celebrating with a special encore presentation of Between the Folds –– a film that will make you look at paper folding in a whole other way. Do you think origami is just paper planes and cranes? Meet a determined group of theoretical scientists and fine artists who have abandoned careers and scoffed at graduate degrees to forge new lives as modern-day paper folders. Together they reinterpret the world in paper, creating a wild mix of sensibilities towards art, science, creativity and meaning.

Watch this special encore presentation of Between the Folds, tonight, March 9, at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).

Tags: artists, independent film, origami, paper folding, scientists

Keith Maitland at KLRU’s Texas Independents’ Day

Earlier this week, PBS affiliate KLRU in Austin, Texas, commemorated Texas Independents’ Day by celebrating the work of three local filmmakers whose work will appear on this season of Independent Lens. Learn more about the event from Keith Maitland, filmmaker of The Eyes of Me.

Filmmaker Keith Maitland with film subjects of The Eyes of Me.

Panel moderator Paul Stekler leads a round table discussion with Keith Maitland, filmmaker of The Eyes of Me; Karen Skloss, filmmaker of Sunshine; Michel Scott, filmmaker of The Horse Boy.

Last night, nearly 200 people gathered in a dark room to share an hour-long look into the lives of four blind teenagers. With the twinkling lights of the Austin City Limits stage as a backdrop, I couldn’t ask for a more fitting place to experience the incredible communal experience of watching the live Independent Lens broadcast of The Eyes of Me.

The Eyes of Me follows four blind teens over the course of one dynamic year. It’s about watching these teens growing up before our eyes. As they discover who they are, it is my hope that you will discover something about yourself –– it’s about challenging your own perception and seeing yourself in a new way… at least that’s what it’s always been about for me.

The entire process of creating this film, from a nascent idea, through 250 hours of rolling cameras, and two and half years of editing, has been both rewarding and challenging in degrees that I’m still not sure I can register. Along the way, I have learned many lessons about my creative processes, and my own humanity.

› Continue reading

Tags: Austin, blind, film screenings, filmmakers, health, independent film, Texas

Shukree Tilghman: The End of Black History Month

ITVS offers viewers the opportunity to explore the rich and vibrant history and cultural contributions of African Americans throughout the year, but this month we’re offering a special slate of new and encore programs in honor of Black History Month. We recently asked Shukree Tilghman, filmmaker of the ITVS-funded film More Than A Month, to share his thoughts on Black History Month and why he believes it no longer exists. Read his take below.

Shukree Tilghman

It’s February, time to take a moment –– or a day or a week or the whole month –– to recognize, honor, and celebrate the unique and multi-faceted history of the African in America.

At least that’s what I thought February was about. Turns out I was wrong.

This seems an appropriate time to mention that I am smack in the middle of making an ITVS-funded documentary film, More Than A Month, which follows me on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month (BHM). Through the lens of this journey, the film takes a critical, and sometimes comedic look at what it means that we have a black history month and what it would mean if we didn’t.

Well, I have some interesting news to report from the field: Black History Month has ended.

I don’t mean it’s March 1, I mean BHM has ceased to exist. That’s right. It’s over. Gone. Caput. I cannot tell you exactly when it ended, but it’s gone. And despite the film and the campaign within –– I didn’t do it (so don’t go pointing the finger at me). But you can follow the journey at morethanamonth.org. Okay, enough shameless plugs. Back to the point.

All evidence that I have collected so far, from “man on the street” interviews, to spending time at a black advertising agency and with BHM planning committees, to attending BHM events, points to a somewhat sudden truth. February is no longer Black History Month. Nope. It’s Black PEOPLE Month… meaning anything that has to with black life and culture is fair game in February. Anything.

Are you a black author? February book tour!

A black designer? February fashion show!

A black out of work actor? Don’t worry. February presents a plethora of opportunities for you, and most of them won’t be historical in nature so you can avoid the awkwardness of playing a “servant.” Well…most of you.

Are you a semi-famous political commentator with a take on racism? CNN has gigs for you, player!

› Continue reading

Tags: African American, Black History Month, independent film

Top Five Predictions for Films and Digital Distribution

The Independent Digital Distribution Lab –– IndiesLab for short –– is a joint initiative of ITVS and PBS designed to help filmmakers navigate the marketplace and to generate revenue streams while also having a social impact. Indie Labs Director Davin Hutchins shares his first of five predictions about the future of films and digital distribution. Be sure to visit Beyond the Box over the next several months to hear more predictions.

IndiesLab Director Davin Hutchins

As independent filmmakers proceed with their projects for 2010, I thought I’d take a crack at making some predictions for the New Year.

PREDICTION 1: Creative Destruction Will Continue… And That’s a Good Thing

Video site Veoh Networks imploded this month. Not Chapter 11, mind you; it was a Chapter 7 liquidation. Veoh was an ad-supported, user-generated video site aspiring to be another YouTube. Even though it wasn’t a player in the indie film game, its demise is significant in that the company had burned through $70 million dollars of venture capital and was co-founded by former Disney chair Michael Eisner. This begs the question: if a guy like Michael Eisner with $70 million can’t make a video site work, what can one expect from smaller niche sites that have raised considerably less funding?

Traditionally, there have been two ways for film startups to make money off independent films –– charge a rental fee to view an entire film or run ads against films that are offered for free. The real challenge going forward is this: data suggests few consumers seem willing to pay a rental fee for an independent film when there is so much free content available on the Internet or TV. And with the glut of video on the Internet –– from professional films to semi-professional shorts to user-generated video –– ad rates are driven lower and lower by an endless supply of video (and much of it mediocre). Both major film platforms and startups will face these same challenges. In the past ten years, many indie film startups have imploded, were acquired, or radically changed their focus in order to survive: Atom Films (re-branded as Atom.com), iFilm (re-branded as Spike), Jaman, and GreenCine. All promised more or less the same thing –– filmmaker and film lover nirvana –– but significant dollars haven’t really materialized.

› Continue reading

Tags: digital distribution, Hulu, independent film, IndiesLab, iTunes, SnagFilms, Veoh

Six Films From ITVS’s FUTURESTATES to Premiere at SXSW

Held annually in Austin, Texas, South By Southwest (SXSW) is considered one of the world’s premiere festivals, recognizing the best of film, music, and interactive projects.

SXSW recently announced its 2010 film line-up and this year six ITVS films from our new online fictional series FUTURESTATES will have their theatrical premiere at the festival. These films include Mister Green by Greg Pak; Plastic Bag by Ramin Bahrani; The Rise by Garret Williams; Silver Sling by Tze Chun; Tent City by Aldo Velasco; and Tia & Marco by Annie Howell.

These narrative mini-features explore many of today’s complex social issues by imagining how they play out in the world of tomorrow.

Beginning March 2010, FUTURESTATES will be accessible exclusively online via ITVS’s redesigned website and will be available for free –– via streaming video –– on the new site’s enhanced broadband video player.

Learn more about these films and others at SXSW >>

Tags: film festival, independent film

Reflections From the Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival, held annually in Park City, Utah, is one of the largest and most prominent festivals for independent filmmakers. This year, three ITVS films made their world premiere at the festival, which brings the total number of ITVS funded films that have screened at Sundance to 69 since we first attended in 1994. Lois Vossen, ITVS vice president and Independent Lens series producer, shares her reflections on this year’s festival, which wraps up this weekend.

Between screenings, Lois discovers Banksy art behind the Egyptian Theater in Park City, Utah.

Marquee at the Egyptian Theatre

Arriving in Park City, Utah at 8:00 AM on Friday morning, January 22, a couple of things were clear: it was doubtful that I would get caught up on sleep here. The list of documentaries I needed to screen in the next five and a half days was growing faster than the snowdrift that lay between me and our condo front door –– and this was going to be a snowy Sundance.

Three ITVS funded films were featured at 2010 Sundance: Last Train Home by Lixin Fan, The Oath by Laura Poitras, and My Perestroika by Robin Hessman. My colleagues Claire Aguilar and Cynthia Kane attended their screenings and I headed out to find new shows for Independent Lens acquisition consideration.

Seventeen films, countless shuttle rides, bad sandwiches on the run, and many snowstorms later, here’s what I remember now that I’m back in sunny San Francisco.

• Discovering Banksy street art on Main Street at 8:00 AM, Monday morning, en route to an early morning screening. I know there has to be more so I’m in hot pursuit…
• The Impact Partners party on Saturday night. Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, is in the house. We end up talking about the now-canceled TV show Life, and the joys of working with Adam Arkin with whom she starred.
• Unique offerings at Sundance 2010: Utopia in Four Movements by Sam Green; Double Take by Johan Grimonprez; and Saint Louis Blues by Dyana Gaye, a 48-minute musical documentary from Senegal. Too long but totally unexpected.
• Finding out when the next special screening of Exit Through the Gift Shop will take place. Banksy pursuit continues…

› Continue reading

Tags: film festival, independent film, P.O.V., Sundance

IndiesLab: Supporting Independent Filmmakers in the Digital Marketplace

IndiesLab Director Davin Hutchins

Happy New Year and greetings from IndiesLab! My name is Davin Hutchins and I am the new director of this exciting joint initiative of ITVS and PBS now entering its second year –– the Independent Digital Distribution Lab –– or IndiesLab for short.

What is IndiesLab? It’s an ITVS-PBS initiative designed to help filmmakers navigate this marketplace and to generate revenue streams while also having a social impact. Many independent documentary filmmakers are unfamiliar with the lab, but we think that’s about to change. We’ve had some great achievements in our first year in raising the online profile of independent documentary films. Today, we are looking forward to implementing some ambitious digital initiatives in 2010 –– all in the spirit of advancing the mission of social issue, public interest documentaries, and the independent producers who create them.

PBS Indies section on iTunes.

A few first-year achievements include:

• A dedicated “PBS Indies” section on iTunes where member filmmakers of IndiesLab offer their films for download-to-own or download-to-rent.
• Dedicated Independent Lens and Global Voices sections on Hulu –– a major ad-supported streaming platform.
• A dedicated ITVS channel on popular documentary platform SnagFilms.
• Competitive package for filmmakers.

The digital marketplace is complex and constantly evolving. We are taking these challenges head on. We have already opened the door for indie filmmakers on all major online platforms — iTunes, Amazon, NetFlix, Hulu, PBS Video, and SnagFilms — and we will constantly look out for new partnerships to generate audiences and revenue.

› Continue reading

Tags: Hulu, independent film, IndiesLab, iTunes, SnagFilms

Critics Pick Favorite Docs of the Decade

What were the best documentary films of the past decade? One thing is certain — it’s not an easy task to narrow the list down.

Good thing there are film critics who reflect back every ten years and compile lists of their own. Check out some of their favorites below, which include several ITVS funded documentaries and Independent Lens broadcasts. Do you agree? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Paste Magazine: 25 Best Documentaries of the Decade

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) – Independent Lens
By Alex Gibney
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room chronicles a corporate disaster in which top executives from the seventh largest U.S. company walked away with over one billion dollars.

Waltz with Bashir (2008)
By Ari Folman
Former Israeli soldier and animator Ari Folman attempts to decipher the horror he witnessed in a 1982 massacre of thousands of Palestinian refugees by Christian militia.

See the complete list >>

› Continue reading

Tags: critics choice, independent film

PBS’s Independent Lens Turns up the Volume With Four Music Docs

The Winter/Spring line-up of Independent Lens will truly bring music to your ears.

Kicking off the music-themed indie film line-up is Stephen Walker’s Young@Heart (January 12), featuring the New England senior citizens chorus. With a show only weeks away, they must learn a slate of new songs ranging from James Brown to Coldplay. The director leads the chorus through tough rehearsals, proving that rock and roll can be hard work — especially if you’re hard of hearing! Climaxing in a triumphant performance, their inspiring story celebrates the unbreakable bonds of friendship and the life-affirming power of music.

Independent Lens then presents three docs that examine the world of hip-hop music. Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod’s Copyright Criminals (January 19) examines the creative and commercial value of music sampling and it’s implications, featuring Public Enemy, De La Soul, and George Clinton. As hip-hop rose from the streets of New York to become a multibillion-dollar industry, artists such as Public Enemy and De La Soul began reusing parts of previously recorded music for their songs. But when record company lawyers got involved everything changed. Years before people started downloading and remixing music, hip-hop sampling sparked a debate about copyright, creativity, and technological change that still rages today.

Check out the video below with Independent Lens host Maggie Gyllenhaal to get a sneak peek of what’s ahead.

› Continue reading

Tags: independent film, Maggie Gyllenhaal, music, PBS

ITVS Partners With telegraph21

ITVS is proud to announce a new promotional partnership with telegraph21 (t21), a curated website that features and promotes documentaries and art videos from around the world as well as films from Independent Lens, Community Cinema, and other ITVS initiatives.

Part-gallery and part-video magazine, t21 will launch January 11 and offer short (10 minutes or less), interactive video package three times a week that provide viewers access to hard-to-find videos, and the ability to get involved and contribute their own ideas.

The site will feature works from award-winning journalists, filmmakers, and artists and provide an ongoing platform for media producers and film festivals to promote their work and interact with viewers –– providing an invaluable resource to those in the independent film community.

Ultimately, t21 plans to offer it’s viewers a new kind of “cinematic” experience –– online and offline –– using qualities of the digital space (mobility, flexibility, engagement and social interaction) to personalize the experience of watching full-length documentaries.

Currently two Independent Lens broadcasts Between the Folds and Young@Heart are featured on t21 with exclusive interviews from the directors and interactive features. P Star Rising by Gabriel Nobel will be featured in the coming month.

Visit the t21 website for more information >>

Tags: independent film, online video, telegraph21