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Doc News & Linkage | Cuban Films In Manila; Herzog Honored; Posh Doc?; Esther Goes Off on TONY!

[Mark Rabinowitz] Welcome to the last full week of the 2006-2008 election campaign. Whew! I don't know about you, but I am tired, but not too tired to keep my foot on the pedal and push on through to Tuesday night. But I digress.... I scoured the various doc sites and Google Alerts and picked out a few things I thought you, my faithful readers, might be interested in reading. They involve Werner Herzog, Cuba, Posh Spice and filmmaker Esther B. Robinson ("A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory"). How's that for a cross-section?

Another Career Honor For Werner
Werner Herzog, one of the world's greatest living filmmakers, will receive the International Documentary Association's Career Achievement Award at the annual IDA Documentary Awards Ceremony on December 5, 2008 at the Directors Guild of America Theater in Los Angeles and I wish I could attend! Previous recipients have included Sheila Nevins, Michael Apted, Ken Burns, Albert Maysles, Haskell Wexler and Michael Moore and while I'd argue that Werner deserved his before Moore, I won't nit pick too much! I you still haven't seen Werner's "Encounters at the end of the World," please do. It's a beautiful film. On a tengential note, what is it, do you think, that makes people feel comfortable referring to him in print as Wener? Or is it just me?

» Continue reading "Doc News & Linkage | Cuban Films In Manila; Herzog Honored; Posh Doc?; Esther Goes Off on TONY!"


Doc Linkage | EFA Doc Winner; New Doc Club Films

[Mark Rabinowitz] Today's links bring you back to Europe for an award announcement and then to the Web for some hot and sweaty (not really) Doc Club action. Dig it, Cats and Kittens!

EFA Doc Award Winner
So...two days ago I posted the European Film Academy doc nominations (they were announced on Thursday, October 16th). The release noted that "the winner will be presented at the 21st European Film Awards Ceremony on Saturday, 6 December, in Copenhagen." Silly me, I took that to mean that the winners would also be announced then. However, today I checked my email and found this press release that announced the doc winner as being "René," by Czech director Helena Trestikova. Ok, then.

rene_01.jpg

» Continue reading "Doc Linkage | EFA Doc Winner; New Doc Club Films"


Doc Linkage | State Of Russian Indies; EFA Doc Nods; Vérité Fest Winds Up

[Mark Rabinowitz] I trolled hither and thither amongst all the myriad ones and zeros to bring you, my doc faithful, this three very special international edition of Doc Linkage. Included are a look at the current state of Russian independent cinema, the nominees for the EFA's doc award and the wrapping up of this year's Cinéma Vérité Festival in Tehran. I hope you like them!

A Look at the State of the Russian Indie Landscape
Albina Kovalyova, writing for Russia Profile presents a revealing look at the current state of Russian independent cinema, laying out some of the obstacles to indie filmmaking in a country with a rich cinematic history. It turns out that the modern film funding and distribution bodies are not exactly excited about indies or experimental films and this includes most of what we would call creative docs. Much of the article is comprised of descriptions of three festivals, the second of which is hosted by Kinoteatr Doc. Kovalyova describes the festival as focusing on "Russian documentaries that differ from the majority of television reportage often thought of as defining the genre. Unlike the narrator-driven television documentaries, here the emphasis is placed on telling a story from the perspective of the protagonists."

» Continue reading "Doc Linkage | State Of Russian Indies; EFA Doc Nods; Vérité Fest Winds Up"


Doc Linkage | Academy Names Short Doc Shortlist; AMPAS Doc Series Screens Gay Films

[Mark Rabinowitz] So, here's a couple of AMPAS-themed nuggets to get you through this unseasonably (in the Northeast at least) warm afternoon. Oh and a happy belated Birthday to indieWIRE's co-founder and editor in chief, Eugene Hernandez! He was 21, yesterday! Take a bow, young man!

Short Doc Shortlist Released
The Academy has announced the short list for the Short Documentary Oscar® to be awarded on February 22nd. Here's the list of the films in alphabetical order from the AMPAS press release: “The Conscience of Nhem En," “David McCullough: Painting with Words,” “Downstream,” “The Final Inch,” “Smile Pinki,” “Tongzhi in Love,” “Viva La Causa” and “The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306.” More details about the films, including directors and brief descriptions can be found in this Reuters piece.

AMPAS Doc Series Spotlights Recent Gay Films
The Envelope, the L.A. Times' awards blog, is reporting that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will screen two gay-themed films as part of their Contemporary Documentaries series on October 15th at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. 2007 Oscar® winner for doc short, "Freeheld" by Cynthia Wade will screen before Daniel Karslake's "For the Bible Tells Me So," with a Q&A with Karslake to follow.

For more information: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; (310) 247-3600
www.oscars.org/events



Academy Doc Rules Claim Another Victim

[Mark Rabinowitz] AJ Schnack reports on yet another highly-regarded doc getting the shaft due to the irrational, arbitrary and unfair qualifying rules applied to docs. It seems that since it was set to play the New York Film Festival, Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir" was unable to qualify before the end of the Oscar®-qualifying period on August 31st because the NYFF's organizers, the Film Society of Lincoln Center told the film's distributors, Sony Pictures Classics that even an "under the radar" run would disqualify it for taking part in the Festival. That's a fair call by the FSLC and one that wouldn't have to be made if the qualifying dates for docs was the same as for fiction films. What's wrong with December 31st for docs, hmmmmmm?

The fact is, these rules are unfair and need to be changed!



Doc Think | Empty Screenings For Oscar®? AMPAS Needs New Rules

[Mark Rabinowitz] Following up on yesterday's post on the Academy documentary deadline I direct your attention to this story in the New York Times. While the Academy has simplified its rules for Oscar® qualification for docs, it's still expensive and rather absurd. The story talks about filmmakers basically renting out theaters in art houses and multiplexes in order to qualify for Academy Awards consideration which on the surface seems ok. Four-walling goes on all the time. However, in this case, the filmmakers are deliberately not seeking audiences because many of them are planning on regular theatrical releases later in the year and a 1 week qualifying run would blow advertising and review opportunities.

» Continue reading "Doc Think | Empty Screenings For Oscar®? AMPAS Needs New Rules"


Reminder: Oscar® Deadline For Docs Approaches!

[Mark Rabinowitz] Just a gentle reminder that those of you out there planning on submitting a short or feature-length doc for Academy Awards consideration, the time is nigh! Assuming you've had the requisite theatrical run (I know, I know...for shorts too) the deadline for submitting all your paperwork is this coming Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008.

Personally, I think docs ought to be able to qualify through festival play or award wins. Certainly the shorts should, as is the case with live action or animated narrative short films. I wanna hear your thoughts!

Check out the complete press release after the jump and click here for complete regulations.

» Continue reading "Reminder: Oscar® Deadline For Docs Approaches!"


Doc-Linkage: IndiePix Studios; Kanye West; German Genetic Doping Doc; Schnack Ponders

[Mark Rabinowitz] A "here a doc, there a doc, everywhere a doc doc" survey of what's going on today in the world of documentaries and to be honest, we're all over the place!

IndiePix announces new Studios, Harrington In Charge
indieWIRE reports on the launch of IndiePix Studios and industry vet Ryan Harrington's move from Tribeca's Gucci Fund to the new venture. IndiePIx is the founding sponsor of the Cinema Eye Honors and a shining light in the doc world. For those of you who like documentaries (and face it, if you're here, you like) this is great news. IndiePix has been a staunch advocate for non-fiction cinema and has been at the forefront of exploring new ways to get docs into theaters, homes and online.
DISCLAIMER: IndiePix is a supplier of films to SnagFilms, parent of indieWIRE.
NOTE: According to the indieWIRE story, Harrington will "maintain some role" at the Gucci Fund.

Kanye Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is
According to UK music mag NME (New Music Express), the outspoken star will be visiting "homes of the returned veterans to discuss stories about the war and how they are adjusting to life back home," along with MTV VJ Sway Calloway for a documentary entitled "Choose Or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming." Apparently, West will leave each veteran with a financial gift, be that college tuition, rent money or paying off their debt. Dude. That's seriously cool. I wonder what you would call a larger agency with trillions of dollars whose responsibility it is to take care of America's returning veterans....? Oh right! The U.S. government! Kanye shows up W again.

» Continue reading "Doc-Linkage: IndiePix Studios; Kanye West; German Genetic Doping Doc; Schnack Ponders"


P.O.V. Nabs Six Emmy Nods; PBS Tops List Of Nominees

[Mark Rabinowitz]P.O.V., one of the standard bearers for quality non-fiction film has received six nominations for the 29th Annual News and Documentary Emmy® Awards and I for one say "Huzzah!" The nominations were for Michael Apted's 49 Up (Outstanding Interview) Ralph Arlyck's Following Sean (Best Documentary and for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Writing), Drury Gunn Carr and Doug Hawes-Davis' Libby, Montana, Made in L.A. by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar and Rain in a Dry Land by Anne Makepeace (all nominated for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story).

Hearty congratulations to the filmmakers and execs behind these and other P.O.V. programming. The series, now in its 21st season continues to showcase excellence in documentary filmmaking, as do its PBS stable mates, including Independent Lens and Frontline. PBS received 38 nods for the News and Documentary Emmys®, 21 more than runner up, ABC and CBS.

Now while this may be old news to some of you (the nominations were announced last week, two days before this blog launched) it brings to mind something that's been a hot topic in the documentary community for years and is the subject of my next an upcoming post: What can be done about the continued marginalization of so much of the documentary world? I'm going to want to hear from all of you out there, so stay tuned!