Tag Archives: ITVS

Newly Funded: ITVS is Pleased to Announce Funding for Almost There

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ITVS recently approved funding for Almost There, a documentary by filmmakers Dan Rybicky   (Director/Producer) and Aaron Wickenden (Director/Producer).

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Outsider artist Peter Anton, 82, has spent decades obsessively chronicling his rollercoaster of a life into a massive, illustrated autobiography, and nothing — not poverty, isolation, or crippling disabilities — will stop him from seeing it published. Almost There documents the curatorial complexities surrounding the discovery and stewardship of Anton’s work, addressing issues of identity and legacy that arise from the collision of biography and autobiography.

Join ITVS in congratulating the filmmakers!

Our Tribute to Robert West

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In addition to co-founding his own extraordinary organization, Working Films, Robert West worked for ITVS in the late 1990s as one of our field organizers in what was then our Community Connections Project (later rebranded and significantly enhanced as Community Cinema). During the years that Robert was a part of the ITVS enterprise, he brought a level of commitment and sophistication to the art of community engagement – or as he later dubbed it “reel engagement.” Those of us who had the great pleasure of working with Robert during those years saw first hand his deep commitment to supporting social issue documentaries and connecting people and organizations in a way that resulted in creating real change. He was an unstoppable force then, and he remains one today.

Robert has been a visionary and a leader in the intersections of media and public engagement. Last fall, he was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), an aggressive and terminal brain cancer. We at ITVS and Independent Lens, along with countless colleagues who have been beneficiaries of his work, were devastated by the news. Not surprisingly, in the months since then, Robert has earned our even deeper admiration for the dignity, humor, and grit he has shown. Someone wise once wrote, “A vision without a task is but a dream. A task without a dream is drudgery. But dreams and tasks together are the hope of the world.” Robert epitomizes “the hope of the world” through his courage, his action, and his contributions – back in the day at ITVS, at Working Films, and with all the films and filmmakers he has helped. Continue reading →

FUTURESTATES Returns!

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The fourth season of FUTURESTATES brings seven visions of the future from seven cutting-edge indie filmmakers

And we’re back! Public media’s #1 online series of independently-produced, socially conscious, science fiction short films returns for another season of forward thinking, genre-bending, no-holds-barred explorations into the future of American society. In Season Four, seven filmmakers envision our world at a crossroads, where discrimination, environmental catastrophe, visitors from the future, and even other worlds test the bonds of our humanity. Will we stand together or break apart? Nothing is inevitable but the future.

Produced by ITVS and created by established filmmakers such as Rose Troche, Andrew Okpeaha MacLean, and Christopher Munch, as well as many emerging talents, FUTURESTATES films launch April 24, 2013 and will be available to stream for free at futurestates.tv and simultaneously on pbs.org every Wednesday. Don’t miss it!

ITVS Co-Presents Two Films at CAAMFest!

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For the next 10 days, the Center for Asian America Media presents CAAMFest, a celebration of film, music, food and digital media form the world’s most innovative Asian and Asian American artists.

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Yesterday marked the beginning of the 2013 CAAMFest, formerly known as the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, and ITVS could not be more excited to co-present two of the films featured in this year’s festival, The Mosuo Sisters and Xmas Without China.

This year, in an effort to transition away from the traditional film festival, CAAM has embraced new forms of artistic expression with a spirit of curiosity and adventure. Come celebrate the festival through various live events, multimedia performances, and expanded ventures into the music and culinary worlds. With such a wide variety of entertainment to choose from, Bay Area participants will be able to enjoy Asian American media in all its various forms.

Be sure to check out the trailers (after the jump)! Continue reading →

The Power of Words: “Story of an Egg” Now Streaming in PBS Online Film Festival

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ITVS is thrilled that Douglas Gayeton’s “Story of an Egg” has been selected as part of the PBS Online Film Festival. The video is one of three short films produced for the Lexicon of Sustainability, a multiplatform project that uses photo collage, animation, and hand-written typography to explore terms and ideas behind sustainable agriculture. 

Watch 2013 Festival | Story of an Egg on PBS. See more from PBS Online Film Festival.

The Lexicon of Sustainability is based on a simple premise: people can’t be expected to live more sustainable lives if they don’t even know the most basic terms and principles that define sustainability.

For three years Douglas Gayeton and Laura Howard-Gayeton crisscrossed the USA to learn this new language of sustainability from its foremost practitioners in food and farming. In all, nearly two hundred leaders in food and farming from across the country have contributed their valued experiences to this rapidly growing Lexicon.

“The Story of an Egg” follows poultry farmers David Evans and Alexis Koefoed as they explain the real meaning behind such terms as “cage free,” “free range,” and “pasture raised” so that consumers can make informed decisions when they go to their local supermarket.
Continue reading →

Can’t Make Media That Moves Millions? Livestream with Hari!

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Media That Moves Millions looks at the unprecedented phenomena of user-generated media campaigns that have inspired masses of participants and rocked political systems. Join the social conversation while we Livestream with PBS NewsHour’s Hari Sreenivasan live from the event on Thursday, February 28, from 9am to 11am EST.

Watch live streaming video from independentlens at livestream.com

Sponsored by ITVS and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the Media as Global Diplomat series of summits has highlighted the changing role of today’s media in public diplomacy and peacebuilding since 2009.

The first part of the Media that Moves Millions event will feature activists from such campaigns as We Are All Khaled Said, Half the Sky, Kony 2012 and A Million Voices Against the FARC, as we seek to better understand why they were able to mobilize civil society so successfully. The second portion of the day will offer hands-on instruction by experts from Facebook, Twitter, Text Haiti 9099 and Indiegogo to individuals and organizations alike seeking to use the ever-expanding toolkit of media for social change and peacebuilding.

We highly encourage participation from those unable to make the Washington, DC event to join the social media conversation (using #GlobalDiplomat) or view the event online here. PBS NewsHour correspondent Hari Sreenivasan will be hosting the livestream broadcast on-site. In addition to watching the panels live, in real-time — Hari will be answering questions from bloggers and citizen journalists from around the world and providing a behind-the-scenes account of the event.

Using Social Media to Inspire Peaceful and Positive Change

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media_millions_finalThe United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and ITVS have partnered up to present Media that Moves Millions summit on February 28, 2013 in Washington D.C. The event marks the fourth installment of the Media as Global Diplomat leadership series, aimed at leveraging global media to highlight innovative models for international conflict prevention.

Media that Moves Millions looks beyond the headlines to understand the role of social media in mass movements for peaceful social change. A gathering of tech savvy peacebuilders and change agents, the day long summit will feature many of those people and organizations at the forefront of innovation, including: Nicholas Kristof, journalist, author, op-ed columnist, and a winner of two Pulitzer Prizes; Ben Keesey, CEO of Invisible Children; Frank Sesno, award-winning American journalist; Matthew Perault, manager for privacy and global policy at Facebook; and Alec Ross, senior advisor for innovation to the Secretary of State. Other notable speakers include president and CEO of the United Nations Foundation, Kathy Calvin, CPB president and CEO Patricia Harrison, and Sally Jo Fifer, President & CEO of ITVS.

The first part of the Media that Moves Millions summit will explore campaigns that have captured the world’s attention by successfully using participatory media for social change, including the We Are All Khaled Said, Half the Sky, and Kony 2012 campaigns. Continue reading →

Women, War & Peace Goes Global

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When Women, War & Peace debuted on PBS in Fall 2010 as the first pillar program of the Women and Girls Lead campaign, it took the country by storm. Screenings, house parties, workshops, and community discussions opened many American eyes to the atrocities that women and girls endure in areas of war, but also how essential women are to bringing about peace and forging new international laws governing conflict. In March, the series will continue to enlighten as one of 10 films featured online during the #SheDocs Online Film Festival. 

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Fork Films and THIRTEEN have partnered with Peace is Loud to create the screening kits for use around the world. The kits include the five films in the series (each an hour long) and a new discussion and resource guide featuring interviews with key figures from the series. The films and guide are available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish. Visit peaceisloud.org to read more and request kits.

Women’s mobilization in society is key to ending violence and establishing a culture of peace. You can host a screening series featuring Women, War & Peace and become a part of a global community of activists for peace and justice. Continue reading →

ITVS Names Claire Aguilar as Executive Content Advisor

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ITVS is happy to announce that Vice President of Programming Claire Aguilar has been named Executive Content Advisor.

In this new consulting role, Claire will provide high-level, portfolio analysis and content feedback under the direction of Jim Sommers, Senior Vice President of Content and head of ITVS’ Content Strategy Team. With a focus on recommending content for ITVS International and selected public television series, Claire will also continue to co-curate programming for Independent Lens.

Previously, Claire served as head of ITVS’s programming department. She joined the organization in 2000 from public television station KCET/Los Angeles, where she programmed the station’s schedule and managed programming acquisitions. Earlier in her career, Claire worked as a film programmer at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, one of the leading exhibition venues for international documentary and classic Hollywood films. She has served as a programming consultant and panelist for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Rockefeller Foundation, the NEA, the Pew Fellowships in the Arts, and many other media and funding organizations. She has also led and participated in film juries for IDFA, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Silverdocs and Visions du Réel. Claire holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies and a Master of Arts in Film and Television Studies from UCLA. She serves on the board of Women Make Movies, STEPS International, and the EURODOC Steering Committee.

For more information, please click here.

AIR and ITVS Partner Up for Next Step in Pubmedia Innovation

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Last week, ITVS and AIR, Inc. announced a partnership that will boost support for transformative public media work through Locolore, a multi-million dollar initiative designed to help spark a new vision of 21st century public media.

Localore provides more than a million dollars in CPB funding to 10 lead producers who work with local public stations to increase their organizational capacity for innovation. From coast to coast, Localore producers, technologists, and their stations are inventing new ways to blend craft, forging “full spectrum” productions that reach and involve citizens on air, screen, and streets. 

ITVS has invited Localore producer-station teams to apply for a second year of funding through the LINCS initiative, where selected productions will have the opportunity to continue their groundbreaking projects, with AIR serving in an advisory role.

The production has already yielded an array of fresh public media models, designed to reach and involve community members — from a rich multimedia music map in Austin, to a new style of short form video documentary chronicling the oil boom of North Dakota, to a digitally reversed version of the farmer’s almanac that tells the story of climate change in Paonia, CO. 

The partnership builds on previous AIR-ITVS collaborations to support transformative public media. To learn more, please click here.