Articles Tagged Policy

Greater Filmmaker Responsibility in the New Documentary Paradigms

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Anyone who cares about documentary filmmaking wants to know: In the current post-financial crisis, insecure-industry environment, how can filmmakers fund projects and reach audiences when traditional distribution models have crumbled…when even established filmmakers can’t secure the kinds of distribution deals, broadcast partnerships or investment/foundation funders they used to rely on? And perhaps more importantly, what… Read more »

The Show Must Go Green

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Miranda Bailey’s recent film-within-a-film documentary, Greenlit, portrays the hopes and eventual challenges of making the production of The River Why “green.” There’s an initial hope that making the Why production eco-friendly is doable, and even money-saving. They’ve hired a sustainability consultant, the initiative is coming from the producer, and Bailey even watches Al Gore’s An… Read more »

The Film Must Go Green

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Sustainable Filmmaking Workshop Panelists: Miranda Bailey – Director, Greenlit Lauren Selman – Reel Green Media Eva Radke – Film Biz Recycling World premiering at SXSW 2010, Miranda Bailey’s documentary, Greenlit, portrays the hopes and eventual challenges of making the production of The River Why “green.” There is a moment at the beginning of Bailey’s documentary… Read more »

ITVS: Has This Key Funding Partner Lost its Way?

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In 2007, filmmaker Joanna Rudnick learned that her application for funding from the Independent Television Service (ITVS) had been accepted. Rudnick, a first-time director, had applied for ITVS funding to finance the completion of her documentary In the Family, a look at women who are aware they carry a genetic predisposition to breast or ovarian… Read more »

Voices from Issues Past

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What happened at AIVF over the last 30 years? Coming up with a coherent and entertaining way to answer that question was not an easy task. Instead of recounting the factual history—which would put most readers to sleep—we decided to let the voices (of past and present) speak for themselves. What follows is a conversation… Read more »

AIVF: And What it Meant to Me

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I first became aware of AIVF when Martha Gever was editor of The Independent. I marveled at this national organization that put out each month a magazine chock full of weighty, intellectual and critical articles on film and video. The magazine wasn’t glossy and was not determined to be a general “industry rag.” At that… Read more »

POLICY

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Picture if you will, Karl Rove and Karen Hughes sitting around the offices of Bush-Cheney 2004, talking strategy and shooting the breeze. Suddenly the phone rings. “Karl,” a young aide says excitedly. “I’ve got bad news for you. The Democrats have a new weapon: independent documentary films!” It sounds like an early Woody Allen set… Read more »

The FCC Showdown

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On October 22, 2003, the FCC held a hearing on localism in Charlotte, NC. FCC chairman Michael Powell probably wished he’d stayed home. There was a kind of “Showdown at the OK Corral” feeling to the whole thing, with nearly 350 witnesses—everyone from fundamentalist Christians to independent film producers and songwriters—making strange bedfellows as they… Read more »