Lina Srivastava, a consultant who works with nonprofits, activists and other change agents, has written an interesting blog piece on the possibilities of transmedia storytelling for nonprofits. The phrase comes from the brilliant mind of Henry Jenkins and essentially describes a multiplatform approach. Jenkins talks mainly about fictional worlds but it can be applied to documentary work too, although of course the process and experience might differ somewhat. Jenkins describes transmedia storytelling as follows: Transmedia storytelling represents a process where…

Because this one for Passchendaele is terrible:

Every now and then I find it impossible to keep this blog film-focused. There is too much else happening in the world. Today is one of those days because I am reading an eye-opening book by Giles Bolton (my copy is called Aid And Other Dirty Business but in the US it is called Africa Doesn’t Matter) – it is a brilliant investigation into why Africa is still so poor and why aid often doesn’t do the good that we…

MovieMobz is a Brazilian iniative that allows film fans from the Moviemobz social network to choose the films they want to see by clicking an “I Want To See It” button. If enough people select a certain film (both classics and new releases are on offer) then it is programmed and they are emailed about the screening. About 2.5 people attend for every member who’s voted. As Arin Crumley remarks, this is similar to the Four Eyed Monsters heart map.…

Excerpt from recent press release: NEW YORK, September 5, 2008 – American filmmaker Andrew Berends is being provisionally released to US embassy personnel late Friday night, but is required to return to the State Security Services on Monday for what is expected to be routine final processing. Berends was moved Friday from the SSS offices in Port Harcourt to the Nigerian capital of Abuja. His translator, Samuel George and a Port Harcourt businessmanhave apparently also been provisionally released in Port…

Documentary filmmaker Andrew Berends is still being held in Nigeria, along with is translator Samuel George. Get updates here: helpandy.wordpress.com and take action here: helpandy.wordpress.com/contact-your-representatives. “CPJ calls for the immediate release of Samuel George and Andrew Berends whose only crime is carrying out their work,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes. “The Nigerian military must stop arresting local and international journalists on spurious allegations, and it should halt its effort to censor reporting of the Niger Delta region.” CPJ’s…

I’ve just been checking out ReelChanges, a website that offers a fundraising platform and fiscal sponsorship for documentary projects that “make a contribution to cultural or artistic or educational expression.” There are a number of websites out there now offering filmmakers the ability to raise money for their films online. I can see lots of great opportunites for crowd-sourced financing if you postition your film strategically and market it accordingly. But these are not easy things to do in a…

The Times of Harvey Milk has been one of my favorite documentaries ever since I first saw it in a politics class at Berkeley (it won an Academy Award for best documentary in 1984). Now Gus Van Sant is bringing the story of the first openly gay city official in the United States back to the screens with Sean Penn in the lead role. I’m really thrilled that more people will get to know the story of this remarkable man…

From Thom Powers’ Doc Blog: I received word from filmmaker James Longley this morning that our friend and colleague Andrew Berends has been detained in Nigeria while working on a film. Berends directed two memorable documentaries in Iraq Blood of My Brothers and When Adnan Comes Home that screened widely on the festival circuit… …Berends colleagues have issued the following press statement, urging anyone who might have influence in politics or media to shine more light on this case. Contact:…

No End in Sight, Charles Ferguson’s devastating documentary about the Bush administration’s catastrophic involvement in Iraq is free to view on YouTube at the moment – helpfully coinciding with the run up to the election. This really is a must-see film and even the more dedicated political pundits among you will find its surgical unravelling of what went wrong very informative.