New York Times
ITVS in the News
A sampling of coverage from CNN, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and more…
CNN.com: Muslim superhero comics meets resistance in U.S.
Naif Al-Mutawa anticipated a struggle when he launched an Islam-inspired comic book series that he hoped would become a symbol of toleration. He worried about the comics being banned in Saudi Arabia – which wound up happening, briefly – and he expected to be challenged by conservatives in Islam, since Al-Mutawa wanted to buck the trend of Islamic culture being directly tied to the Koran. But it wasn’t an Islamic cleric that stalled the series, called “The 99,” after the 99 attributes of Allah, which the superheroes are supposed to embody. It is the American market, and the voices of Islam’s Western critics, that have caused the most problems for “The 99,” says Al-Mutawa, who is the focus of a PBS documentary airing next week.
New York Times: An American Minority’s Road to Rights
It may be the least-publicized revolution of our time but the one whose impact ultimately reaches the furthest, affecting the way our buildings and buses are built, the way our schools are structured, the way our businesses conduct hiring and outfit their work stations. It’s the disability-rights movement, and Lives Worth Living, a Thursday Independent Lens on PBS, reconstructs how it emerged and eventually pushed through the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990.
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Most Dangerous Man in America Streams Free Online to Mark 40th Anniversary of Pentagon Papers
The Academy Award nominated documentary is streaming free on P.O.V.‘s website in recognition of the 40th Anniversary of the Pentagon Papers.
POV is marking the 40th anniversary of the publication of the Pentagon Papers with a special opportunity to watch The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers online.
The acclaimed documentary by Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith follows Daniel Ellsberg, a leading Vietnam War strategist, who concluded in 1971 that America’s role in the war was based on decades of lies. He leaked 7,000 pages of top-secret documents to The New York Times, a daring act of conscience that led directly to Watergate, President Nixon’s resignation, and the end of the Vietnam War.
This week not only marks the date the documents were originally published in The New York Times, but also when the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum will release the now declassified documents.
Read The New York Times piece on the 40th Anniversary of the Pentagon Papers and watch the trailer after the jump >>
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NEWLY FUNDED: ITVS is Pleased to Announce Funding for Samantha Grant’s Doc, A Fragile Trust
ITVS recently approved funding for the documentary A Fragile Trust: Jayson Blair and The New York Times, which takes an inside look at the plagiarism scandal that rocked the paper in 2003.
A Fragile Trust by Samantha Grant tells the dramatic story of Jayson Blair, a young reporter whose shocking lies dealt a serious blow to the New York Times and forced the entire media industry to take a closer look at ethics, diversity, affirmative action, and responsibility in journalism. From the frantic buzz of New York City to the solitude of the Texas desert, the film goes inside the heart of the scandal, to hear from the management at the Times as well as Blair himself.
The Desert of Forbidden Art Arrives in Los Angeles
Coming to Independent Lens on April 5, The Desert of Forbidden Art opens in Los Angeles on Friday, March 18 at the Laemmle Theatres.
The documentary by filmmakers Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev tells the incredible story about a group of visionary Soviet-era artists and one man who risked his life to rescue their work.
The art exhibited in the film was featured earlier this month in The New York Times.
The Desert of Forbidden Art Opens in New York
Documentary on Russian Art will air April 5 on Independent Lens
The Desert of Forbidden Art, by filmmakers Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev tells the incredible story about a group of visionary Soviet-era artists and one man who risked his life to rescue their work.
Coming to Independent Lens on April 5, the documentary has its theatrical release in New York starting on Friday at the Cinema Village.
For background, check out this recent feature in The New York Times.
ITVS in the News
A sampling of coverage from The New York Times, NPR and more
New York Times: With a Voice and a Spirit, Triumphing Over Racism
Barbara Smith Conrad, a black child of the segregated South, did not seek to vote or to ride in the front of the bus. She just wanted to sing.
NPR’s The Story: When I Rise
Tonight, PBS is broadcasting a documentary film, When I Rise, about the extraordinary life of Barbara Smith Conrad. Barbara is a gifted black mezzo-soprano who, as a music student at the University of Texas, found herself in a civil rights storm when she was cast in a leading role opposite a white student.
Celebrate Black History Month with When I Rise
WATCH THE FULL LENGTH DOCUMENTARY STREAMING NOW ON PBS VIDEO
If you missed the Independent Lens premiere of When I Rise last night on PBS, you can now catch the film in it’s entirety streaming on PBS video. And don’t forget to check out the exclusive video extras that you can only find on the Independent Lens website and read yesterday’s New York Times feature about the film.
ITVS in the News
A SAMPLING OF COVERAGE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, CBS NEWS, NPR AND MORE…
New York Times: Documentary Drama at the Oscars
Instead the contenders are mostly smaller films from lesser-known filmmakers: Waste Land, about the artist Vik Muniz, set against the backdrop of a massive garbage dump in Rio de Janeiro… with most of the feature film and acting categories apparently sewn up… the documentaries are one area where there is still some drama.
In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs
“ITVS is best known for its financing of documentaries, many of which appear on PBS’s Independent Lens series. The organization will present [FUTURESTATES -- ] a series of brief, fictional films that cast social issues into the future, in the hopes of drawing a younger audience not necessarily interested in public television.”
Read more >>
“Toss the tea leaves; we can read our future in [Dirt! The Movie] — and the outlook is grimy.”
Read more >>
“Filmmaker Laura Poitras traveled to Yemen searching for a person who was returning from the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba… Her film, The Oath, tells Bahri’s story [Osama bin Laden’s former bodyguard] and how he now favors a pen instead of a gun. It often delves into his confused emotions — he pledged the al-Qaida oath but no longer fights.”
Read more >>
Vice President and Independent Lens series producer Lois Vossen discusses the upcoming broadcasts Lost Souls (Animas Perdidas), and Whatever It Takes.
ITVS Media Partnership for CARE’s “Half the Sky Live” National Screening
In honor of International Women’s Day, CARE –– a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty –– is presenting a one-night-only event on Thursday, March 4, at movie theaters nationwide called “Half the Sky Live.” ITVS is a proud media partner of this special presentation.
Inspired by the bestselling book from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the evening will feature musical performances, celebrity commentary, and uplifting stories about women and girls overcoming tremendous obstacles.
The event will be the world premiere of Woineshet, a short film by Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei and Lisa Leone. Appearances will include performers India.Arie, Diane Birch, Angelique Kidjo, and Michael Franti; actresses Maria Bello and Marisa Tomei; president/CEO of CARE Dr. Helene Gayle; New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof; United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women Rachel Mayanja; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York; New York Times editor Sheryl WuDunn and others.
The goal of the event is to help women and girls around the world turn oppression into opportunity.
Learn more about this event and download a discussion guide >>
Watch the video below to learn more:
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