P.O.V.'s executive director recently sat down to talk with Joel Heller of the "Docs That Inspire" blog for a podcast interview.
In this podcast interview, Simon shares his thoughts about the role of empathy in documentaries, the trend of longer running times in non-fiction films — along with some ideas about the differences between successful shorts, one-hour and feature length stories. He also talks about licensing fees, budgets and the unique passion of documentary filmmakers.
For this week's media guide, we take a look at documentary photography. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then shouldn't powerful, affecting photographs be able to change the world?
Here's are some places to start browsing for photographs which are both moving and provocative. Some of these photos showcase situations in the news, and others shed light on tragedies around the world that receive little coverage.
July 29, 6:30 pm My American Girls Lower East Side Tenement Museum
New York, NY
Come to a screening of My American Girls, and share in the joys and struggles of the Ortiz family, first generation immigrants from the Dominican Republic. Find out more about the screening!
Watch as filmmaker Annie Waldman follows three teenagers after they return to their home of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, in her short film, So the Wind Won't Blow Us Away.
With so much video and multimedia on the web, how do you figure out what to watch? P.O.V. Blog's Media Guide is here to recommend some of our favorite online videos.
If you're looking to watch online journalism at its finest, a good place to get started is with the list of winners from the recent News and Documentary Emmy Awards, which recognized outstanding achievements in journalism for broadband.
Mediastorm's Kingsley's Crossing won the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary/Nonfiction Programming for Broadband. In a beautifully produced piece, Kingsley, a 23-year-old lifeguard from Cameroon, takes the viewer through the process of leaving Africa for a chance at a better life abroad. The scale and intimacy of Kingsley's Crossing works especially well as an online piece, as it uses still photographs, video, title cards and first-person narration to create an engaging 20-minute segment. Photojournalist Olivier Jobard, who captured the photographs and videos used in the piece, clearly established a trusting relationship with Kingsley, and their collaboration has created a thought-provoking online documentary.
Our weekly doc roundup collects critical reactions to some current documentary releases in the theaters and on DVD.
IN THEATERS NOW
Helvetica, the documentary about a typeface, gets four stars from the Chicago Tribune, which calls the film "...80 unexpectedly blissful minutes." But apparently, 80 minutes was too long for the New York Times, which said Helvetica was "overlong but fascinating." Overall, the film garnered very positive reviews, so even if you can't tell the difference between a serif font and a san serif font, you might want to check out Helvetica.
As P.O.V.'s senior manager for communications, Cathy publicizes P.O.V.'s programs and initiatives to media and consumers. She joined P.O.V. in 2003 after five years as manager of program press relations at PBS. Previously, she served as public relations director at Bravo and the Independent Film Channel; Group W Satellite Communications, where she managed PR for TNN: The Nashville Network; Westwood One Radio Networks; and D.L. Blackman, where she promoted classical music artists and IMAX movies. She was also the manager of press, advertising and promotion for NBC and ABC Radio.
The International Documentary Association (IDA) is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, and last week they announced their list of the top 25 documentary films of all time. The list was tabulated from a poll of IDA members, which number over 3,000 and include filmmakers, executives and academics. Hoop Dreams snagged the top spot from a list of over 700 films under consideration. Errol Morris's The Thin Blue Line and Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine came in at numbers two and three respectively. The full list will be published in the Nov./Dec. issue of Documentary magazine and will include essays about the films, all of which are currently being offered for free on IDA's website.
Two films from the P.O.V. archive made the list: Michael Moore's Roger and Me (#10) and the Maysles brothers' Salesman (#13). Only one female filmmaker made the list, Barbara Kopple's Harlan County, U.S.A. finished fifth.
What do you think? Do you agree with the winners?
UPDATE: The International Documentary Filmmakers Association (IDFA) has put out the results of another poll today listing the top 20 films of the past 20 years. The winner in that listing is Darwin's Nightmare by Hubert Sauper. You can see the rest of the list on IDFA's site. The top 20 films will be screened during IDFA 2007.
Can't wait to see A.J. Schnack's new film based on more than 25 hours of audiotape from interviews journalist Michael Azzerad conducted with Kurt Cobain shortly before he committed suicide in April 1994. Here's the trailer from YouTube.
July 29, 6:30 pm My American Girls Lower East Side Tenement Museum
New York, NY
Come to a screening of My American Girls, and share in the joys and struggles of the Ortiz family, first generation immigrants from the Dominican Republic. Find out more about the screening!
In this podcast interview, Simon shares his thoughts about the role of empathy in documentaries, the trend of longer running times in non-fiction films — along with some ideas about the differences between successful shorts, one-hour and feature length stories. He also talks about licensing fees, budgets and the unique passion of documentary filmmakers.
As P.O.V.'s senior manager for communications, Cathy publicizes P.O.V.'s programs and initiatives to media and consumers. She joined P.O.V. in 2003 after five years as manager of program press relations at PBS. Previously, she served as public relations director at Bravo and the Independent Film Channel; Group W Satellite Communications, where she managed PR for TNN: The Nashville Network; Westwood One Radio Networks; and D.L. Blackman, where she promoted classical music artists and IMAX movies. She was also the manager of press, advertising and promotion for NBC and ABC Radio.