Join ITVS and the Museum of Tolerance for a Screening of The Calling

ITVS and the New York Museum of Tolerance present a special free screening of  The Calling on Tuesday, March 12th. 

What drives the new younger generation of professional clergy members to take on such an intense level of commitment and leadership? In 2010, director Danny Alpert took on this question in his four hour PBS documentary series The Calling, which follows seven young people of different faiths (Muslim, Christian and Jewish) through their journey of schooling and training.

One March 12th, ITVS is hosting a special free screening of a segment of The Calling together with the New York Museum of Tolerance through our Diverse Muslim Voices project. Supported by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts, Diverse Muslim Voices helps build awareness and understanding in the US of the diverse range of Muslim cultures.

Two of the film’s subject, Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz and Chaplin Tahera Ahmed, will be in attendance at the screening. In the documentary we are introduced to them as young people at the crossroads of their lives, struggling with dating, partners, family, and other challenges of “coming of age.” They are seeking to reconcile the modern world and their faith through community activism; balancing their egos and their desire to serve and blazing new paths to leadership while conserving age-old traditions. The Q&A after the screening will offer an opportunity to hear how these two charismatic leaders have grown over the past few years with more experience and leading congregations of their own.

There is a reception at 6pm followed by the screening at 7pm. The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is requested. For more information and to RSVP, please click here.

2011 Independent Lens Audience Award Winner!

Your votes have been counted! Find out who won the Independent Lens Audience Award.

At film festivals, the award that often matters most to filmmakers and their subjects alike is the Audience Award. They know they’ve struck a chord when the audience applauds their efforts.

The race for the most coveted award of the year for Independent Lens came down to the last 30 minutes of voting. Our top three highest-rated films with the largest number of votes pulled in nearly 5,000 votes between them. It was like the documentary version of American Idol.

Find out the winner of the Independent Lens Audience Award after the jump >>
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In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs

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The Calling Wraps Up Tonight on Independent Lens

Part two of The Calling airs Tuesday night on Independent Lens

Part two of The Calling airs tonight on Independent Lens (check local listings).

The two part PBS miniseries, which follows seven Muslims, Catholics, Evangelical Christians, and Jews on a dramatic journey as they train to become professional clergy, had its broadcast premiere on Monday night.

Series Director and Executive Producer of The Calling Danny Alpert offered BTB his thoughts on how young people today choose to embrace faith compared to previous generations.

Watch the final installment of The Calling tonight on Independent Lens. Continue reading

Tonight on Independent Lens: Part 1 of The Calling

Filmmaker Danny Alpert

The PBS miniseries The Calling premieres tonight on Independent Lens (check local listings). The documentary by a team of directors and led by Series Director and Executive Producer Danny Alpert, follows seven Muslims, Catholics, Evangelical Christians, and Jews on a dramatic journey as they train to become professional clergy.

Enjoy this clip from The Calling below and tune into the broadcast tonight.

A few months back, filmmaker Danny Alpert dropped by the ITVS headquarters in San Francisco and spoke with BTB about his film. Continue reading

A Film With Multiple Characters, Told on Multiple Platforms

The Calling airs on Independent Lens December 20 & 21

Last week, Independent Lens hosted its first social screening on the Independent Lens Facebook fan page with an exclusive sneak peek of the upcoming miniseries, The Calling.

Led by Series Director and Executive Producer Danny Alpert, the four-hour documentary series follows seven young people on a dramatic journey as they train to become professional clergy.

The online screening was followed by a special live panel discussion from the studios of the WTTW in Chicago featuring all seven subjects. The 90 minute webcast reached viewers from more than 55 countries and was accompanied by a live chat on Facebook and Twitter.

Below, you can replay the event and conversation:

Watch live streaming video from independentlens at livestream.com

Leading up to the film’s upcoming PBS premiere, the What’s Your Calling? Campaign, an online initiative, was launched to give others a platform to share types of service they have been called to and how they hope to change the world. From tug-boat artists to jazz musicians, the campaign has conducted a host of interviews exploring the notion of a “calling” from both religious and secular perspectives.

And as part of Community Cinema The Calling has been playing throughout the month of December in cities across the U.S. You can still make some of the screenings, so check out the calendar here.

Enjoy these excerpts from the filmmakers responsible for covering all the subjects profiled in the film, including: Directors Yoni Brook, Alicia Dwyer, Musa Syeed, Maggie Bowman; Co-Producer and Editor Susanne Suffredin; and Co-Producer Beth Sternehimer.


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Weaving a Rich Tapestry for The Calling

Filmmaker Danny Alpert

Filmmaker Danny Alpert sheds light on the team responsible for the upcoming PBS miniseries The Calling, which airs December 20 and 21 on Independent Lens (check local listings). On Thursday, December 9, from 5:30pm PT / 8:30pm ET join Independent Lens, WTTW, and the Art Institute of Chicago for an exclusive social media screening of The Calling on the Independent Lens Facebook fan page or on our Livestream channel before it airs on PBS.

I’ve been working on The Calling for so long that last week I went back to investigate when it was actually started.  What I found made me laugh — the first concept development draft was dated December 20, 2002 — exactly eight years to the day before the broadcast date.

This has been a huge undertaking.  Continue reading

IL Facebook Hosts a Social Screening of The Calling

The Calling

On Thursday, December 9, from 5:30pm PT / 8:30pm ET join Independent Lens, WTTW, and the Art Institute of Chicago for an exclusive social media screening of The Calling on the Independent Lens Facebook fan page or on our Livestream channel before it airs on PBS.

The half-hour screening of selected scenes from the four-hour series will be followed by a panel discussion featuring the first and only gathering of the seven subjects of The Calling.

The documentary follows seven Muslims, Catholics, Evangelical Christians, and Jews on a dramatic journey as they train to become professional clergy. Embarking on life paths that demand tremendous personal sacrifice and commitment, these seminarians must uphold timeless truths in an era that values quick fixes and hot trends, and face a public that challenges the very relevance of their mission.

The Calling will air nationally on Independent Lens Monday, December 20, 2010 and Tuesday, December 21, 2010, from 9 to 11 PM (check local listings).

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Faith in America: What’s Your Calling?

The Calling will air on Independent Lens in December

With the chambers of Congress divided and the ominous-sounding T.V. spots discontinued, one campaign is just starting to take flight.

The Calling, which will air on Independent Lens in two parts on December 20 & 21, has launched an online initiative titled whatsyourcalling.org.

From tug-boat artists to jazz musicians, the What’s Your Calling campaign has conducted a host of interviews to find out what kinds of service people have been called to with their lives and how they hope to change the world.

Check out their introductory video below…

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