Find the complete list of nominated film here.

ITVS nearly got a clean sweep in the Best Documentary category of the IFP Gotham Awards with ITVS films receiving four out of the five nominations.  Check out the list of ITVS Best Documentary nominees along with their trailers after the jump >>

Better This World 
By Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega
Aired on POV this past September
Two childhood friends from Midland, Texas fall under the sway of a charismatic revolutionary who leads them down a path that changes their lives forever.

The Woodmans
By C. Scott Willis
Airing on Independent Lens on December 22, 2011 (check local listings)
The Woodmans is an inspiring portrait of one family’s fall and redemption in the often brutal world of art.

Hell and Back Again
by Danfung Dennis
Coming to Independent Lens in Spring 2012
What does it mean to lead men in war? What does it mean to come home — injured physically and psychologically — and build a life anew?

The Interrupters
By Steve James
Coming to PBS
A look at a group of men and women — most of them former gang leaders and ex-cons — that are trying to “interrupt” shootings and protect their communities from the violence they once employed.

Daddy & Papa explores the personal, cultural, and political impact of gay men who are making a decision that is at once traditional and revolutionary: to raise children themselves. Taking us inside four gay male families, Daddy & Papa traces the day-to-day challenges and the larger, critical issues that inevitably intersect their private lives – the ambiguous place of interracial families in America, the wonder and precariousness of surrogacy and adoption, the complexities of marriage and divorce within the gay community, and the legality of their own parenthood.

Watch Daddy & Papa now on ITVS’s Indies Showcase >>

New Video recently acquired the film for North American distribution, with plans to release it in theaters this October.

The film provides two overlapping narratives that equally depict the rawness of war, at home and abroad. Dennis — who served as an embed journalist in Afghanistan — weaves together battle scenes from the frontlines with home footage that depicts the post-traumatic-stress, awaiting so many of today’s soldiers.

“The film evolves from war expose into the story of one man’s personal apocalypse, and also underscores the price military families pay when soldiers resume civilian life.,” said Lois Vossen, Founding Series Producer of Independent Lens. “We look forward to presenting Hell and Back Again to millions of viewers through the Independent Lens Community Cinema outreach program and our spring 2012 broadcast.”

Independent Lens Series Producer Lois Vossen has been tweeting from Sundance this week as she scouts out a brand new slate of documentaries. Last year, BTB asked Lois to describe the curating process behind the Emmy Award-wining series, and what she looks for in an Independent Lens film.

Catch the Winter/Spring lineup of Independent Lens Tuesday nights at 10 PM, including the Oscar nominated doc Waste Land (which airs in April).

BTB has been keeping tabs on all ITVS films (The Interrupters, Granito, Family Portrait in Black and White, and If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front) and staff (Lois Vossen and Claire Aguilar) at Sundance through our twitter widget #itvssundance as the snowy festival cruises on this week.

For those in Park City, check out the screenings below over the next few days to get caught up on our great lineup of films playing at the festival.

ITVS Film in Competition at Sundance

Family Portrait in Black and White
By Julia Ivanova
World Cinema Documentary Competition

Wednesday, January 26 at 6:45 PM
Salt Lake City
Broadway Centre Cinemas V

Thursday, January 27 at 2:30 PM
Park City
Holiday Village Cinema III

Friday, January 28 at 8:30 AM
Park City
Prospector Square Theatre

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
By Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
U.S. Documentary Competition

Wednesday, January 26 at 9:00 PM
Park City
Holiday Village Cinema IV

Friday, January 28 at 9:00 AM
Park City
Temple Theatre

ITVS Films Premiering at Sundance

Granito
By Pamela Yates, Paco de Onis and Peter Kinoy
Documentary Premiere

Thursday, January 27 at 6:00 PM
Park City
Holiday Village Cinema IV

Saturday, January 29 at 9:00 PM
Park City
Temple Theatre

The Interrupters
By Steve James
Documentary Premiere

Friday, January 28 at 9:00 PM
Park City
Temple Theatre

Saturday, January 29 at 9:45 PM
Salt Lake City
Broadway Centre Cinemas V

ITVS is well represented at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City. In addition to having two films competing in the festival and another two hosting their doc premiere, two ITVS execs are also on-hand for industry meetings.

Vice Presidents Claire Aguilar (programming) and Lois Vossen (series producer of Independent Lens) will both be attending the following two events over the next few days:

Sundance Industry Meetings (SIM)

SIM brings together Sundance artists with key members of the film industry for one-on-one meetings, in-depth advisory sessions, and round-table discussions.

When: January 23rd -25^th

Where: Marriott Park City (Festival Headquarters), Park City

Meet the Funders Panel

An informal pitch and Q&A session for up to 10 filmmakers per session.

When: Tuesday, January 25 10:30AM – 12:15PM

Where: Sundance House, Park City

You can also find Clare and Lois on twitter, just search for #itvssundance.

The PUMA.Creative Impact Award will be selected by a jury which includes Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan; Morgan Spurlock, Academy Award-nominated Director of Super Size Me; Orlando Bagwell, Director of the Ford Foundation Social Justice Media Initiative; and Emmanuel Jal, musician and activist.

Filmmakers interested in applying for the PUMA.Creative Impact Award should go to www.britdoc.org/impactaward.

If you have any questions, please direct them to: info@britdoc.org

Granito

Two  ITVS-funded films will have their documentary premiere at Sundance: Granito by filmmaker Pamela Yates and The Interrupters by filmmaker Steve James.

In Yates’s Granito, an documentary film she made intertwines with Guatemala’s turbulent history and emerges as an active player in a nation’s struggle to heal itself and serve up justice.

The Interrupters from Academy Award-winning director of Hoop Dreams Steve James, tells a story of ex-gang members who are now protecting their communities from the violence they themselves once employed.

The Interrupters

Screening dates and times are still pending. You can find up-to-date information online at Sundance.

You should also check out this clip from the producers of Granito as they explain the process behind making their film.

Today’s announcement brings the total number of ITVS-funded films that have screened at Sundance to 71 since we first attended in 1994.

Find out more about the documentaries below and join us in congratulating the filmmakers!

If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation

Filmmaker Marshall Curry takes a behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental organization that the FBI calls the “number one domestic terrorism threat” in America. If a Tree Falls is one of 16 films selected from 841 submissions in the U.S. Documentary competition. The film is slated to air next year on P.O.V.

Family Portrait in Black and White

Set in a small Ukranian town, filmmaker Julia Ivanova takes a look at Olga Nenya, who raises 16 black orphans amidst a population of Slavic blue-eyed blondes. Their stories expose the harsh realities of growing up as a bi-racial child in Eastern Europe.
Family Portrait in Black and White is an ITVS International production and is one of 12 films selected from 796 international documentary submissions for the World Cinema Competition.

Two additional ITVS-funded films will have their documentary premiere at Sundance: Granito, by filmmaker Pamela Yates and The Interrupters by filmmaker Steve James.

Granito

In Pamela Yates’ Granito, a documentary film intertwines with Guatemala’s turbulent history and emerges as an active player in a nation’s struggle to heal itself and serve up justice.

The Interrupters

The Interrupters from Academy Award-winning director of Hoop Dreams Steve James, tells a story of ex-gang members who are now protecting their communities from the violence they themselves once employed.

Screening dates and times are still pending. You can find up-to-date information online.