Manohla Dargis has an interesting piece in The New York Times about the current state of independent film. She traces a brief history of indie film in the US, and, reaching the present, draws a line between the “independent” of speciality divisions (basically cheaper, artier Hollywood) and the truly “independent” of filmmakers like Kelly Reichardt, Ronald Bronstein, Lance Hammer and Azazel Jacobs.

The news [of speciality divisions shutting down] has inspired passionate response, as well as the usual gloom and doom. Certainly it is bad news for those who have lost their jobs, but I’m not persuaded that it means all that much for true independents, those who have never worked inside the studios, never wanted to and probably couldn’t if they tried. I don’t think it means much for Kelly Reichardt, who made the lovely independent film “Wendy and Lucy,” and is unlikely to direct the next comic book blowout, because her aesthetic sensibility and worldview are of no economic use and interest to the studios or to most audiences either. That’s not a bad thing, not even remotely, especially for those who think films have worth beyond their box office returns.

I suppose my immediate response is that I hope that more of these kinds of films can be nurtured and encouraged because it seems to me that it is awfully hard to make a living on the truly indie end of the spectrum. Is this the price we pay for trying to make films that mean something or are we just buying into outdated ideas about “suffering for our art”? Artists contribute to the economic health of the communities and societies that we live in more than we perhaps realize (see Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class) and in our haste to avoid being seen as crassly commercial or financially driven we accept that we will never be able to pay our rent if we want to make these kinds of films. I’m over-simplifying the case somewhat but this is what I often see and hear when I talk to real, live filmmakers in the real, live world that I live in and to be honest I veer between delighted optimism (exciting technology, brilliant filmmakers, innovative thinking) and crashing despair (debt, endless work, debt) in the work that I do.

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 integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes it own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story.

Strivastava discusses Brad Lichtenstein’s experiences making his latest film What We Got: DJ Spooky’s Quest for the Commons. Lichtenstein found his approach radically changed after attending a BAVC Producer’s Institute for New Media Technologies:

Since the institute, we no longer think of ourselves primarily as filmmakers. We think of ourselves as content producers. This is a term that Jim Sommers of the Independent Television Service emphasized at one of the BAVC institute’s seminars. And we embrace the notion that we are one set among many storytellers telling the story of the commons. We will enable and embolden others to share that mission through our transmedia strategy to transform viewers into doers who shape the story and join a community working online and offline to name, claim and protect commons.

I am thinking a lot about different ways of telling stories at the moment and I think what is really interesting about transmedia storytelling is that, in addition to being of creative interest to filmmakers and artists who would like to explore new technologies and techniques, it also opens up very interesting spaces for proactive participation from the audience because there are so many different entry points.

And there are so many benefits to be reaped from telling stories in this way – in terms of engaging people, encouraging them to have a voice and making sure that the conversation isn’t always one-way. Srivastava points out that from a social change point of view this is building on the participatory ideas explored by Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed (who was greatly influenced by Paulo Freire’s pedagogic work). The difference is that now we have a lot more technology at our fingertips as we explore the possibilities of telling stories back and forth!

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 expect it to. And it is not a one-sided attack on the policies of the West either. Bolton is careful to look at the problems, corruptions and misunderstandings on all sides but he is clearly angry that aid is still delivered in such an inefficient and damaging fashion. Referring to national and international aid (World Bank, IMF) he says:

In an ideal world, the West would accept a role as venture capitalist for the world’s poorest countries too [in reference to the huge levels of structural funding that went to eastern European countries joining the EU] if it is serious about sparking growth, instead of the rather patronising spoonfeeding of small amounts of assistance here and there. Performance to date has been weak. No venture-capital firm would offer businesses such unpredictable loans and grants. No venture-capital firm would apply such a wide variety of changing conditions. Most of all, no sensible venture-capital firm would bother backing any organisation with only half or less of the money it needs for its business plan. It would realise the plan wouldn’t work, the business wouldn’t thrive and the venture-capital firm would lose its investment.

What is the cost of this failure? Africans are denied adequate help in their daily struggle to beat poverty. No, let’s be more honest: people die when they don’t need to. Western taxpayers and charity donors are not getting the results from their aid money they would hope – more simply: not getting what they paid for; and, though this may not be the most serious element, thousands of aid workers are left to return home each evening to the most pleasant of houses in the most unpleasant of knowledge – that they are working within a flawed system unable to deliver its objectives.

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 Harcourt and must return to the SSS there on Monday.

“Andrew’s family, friends and colleagues are relieved and happy to hear of this progress and appreciate the hard work on many fronts to get to this point,” said Aaron Soffin, Berends’ colleague and coordinator of the release efforts. “We trust that his final processing on Monday will be expedient and routine. We are anxious for confirmation that he is safely on his way out of the country.”

Berends sent an email out, containing the following paragraph:

There is one boy I filmed here who has endured far more difficulties than I have. He made a statement which has given me great solace. He said, “Any time that you wake up, it’s your morning. Now is the bitter time. I pray that soon we will enter into the joy side.” I couldn’t put it any better myself.

Keep updated at helpandy.wordpress.com

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 board also expressed deep concern. “Nigeria’s democratic government must release Berends and George and allow journalists to freely cover this vital story,” said Christiane Amanpour, a CPJ board member and CNN chief international correspondent.

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 and this crucial moment in San Franciscan political history and the struggle for gay rights (and understand the outrage over Dan White’s “Twinkie defense”). The trailer is below and it looks really good.

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: helpandyberends@gmail.com

American documentary filmmaker detained in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

NEW YORK, September 2, 2008 – Andrew Berends, an established, award-winning American filmmaker and journalist from New York, was detained Sunday August 31st by the Nigerian military along with his translator, Samuel George, and Joe Bussio, the manager of a local bar. Andrew entered Nigeria legally in April 2008 to complete a documentary film.

Andrew was held in custody without food, sleep, or representation, and with limited water for 36 hours. He was questioned by the army, the police, and the State Security Services in Port Harcourt. He was then temporarily released, with an order to return to the SSS office at 9AM Tuesday morning. The State Security Services has confiscated his passport and personal property. Andrew’s translator, Samuel George, remained in custody over night.

The US State Department is aware of the situation, and an attorney has been retained on Andrew’s behalf. We, Andrew’s friends, family, and colleagues, are deeply concerned that he has been held without cause and are calling for his safe treatment and immediate release.

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.