I had the privilege of being on the Sterling Short Film Jury at SILVERDOCS, along with Angela Tucker and Bryan Stamp. The films were superb, Angela and Bryan were fantastic fellow jurors and Sky Sitney and the entire SILVERDOCS staff did a really impressive job this year. We awarded the shorts prize to 12 Notes Down by Andreas Koefoed, a beautiful and moving portrait of talent, music and adolescence. We also felt compelled to give an honorary mention to Michael Angus and Murray Fredericks for the cinematic Salt, which follows photographer Fredericks as he works on his lonely and awesome (I mean this in the literal sense) photos in the remote salt flats of Australia.

Other big winners were October Country by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher (good friends and super-talented filmmakers) and Mugabe and the White African by Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson. Congrats to Luciano Blotta for winning a music documentary award for Riseup, a very accomplished and enjoyable film about contemporary reggae mucians in Jamaica that I really hope more people will get the chance to see. You can see the full list of winners here. Audience awards went to The Cove and 12 Notes Down.

Here are some photos from my adventures in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Albert Maysles is honored at the Guggenheim Symposium

Debbie Zimmerman, Simon Kilmurry and Danielle DiGiacomo

AJ Schnack shows how it’s done. King of Karaoke Michael Lerman is behind him.

Trish Dalton and Brendan Canty enjoy nuclear drinks

The audience sing along

The rocking short film jury at the awards ceremony: me, Angela Tucker, Bryan Stamp

Juror Margaret Brown flanked by October Country award-winners Donal Mosher and Michael Palmieri

Ion gets political with the ladeeeeeees…

…while Pamela Cohn shares a moment with Obama

Yoav Shamir opens a bottle of bubbly for us

Michael Palmieri, Sandi DuBowski and Donal Mosher show me their tonsils

Here’s the trailer:

Panel Schedule:

5:00-6:00pm

Message vs. Craft: The Art of Effective “Issue” Storytelling

When a filmmaker takes on a topic related to social justice or human rights it is often with the hope of influencing public opinion and inspiring action. To achieve that, a film must reach and engage the right audience, in the right numbers. It must also portray the human impact of the issue or problem persuasively. How does a “social issue” filmmaker balance the need to educate with the public’s desire to be entertained? How does he/she move past preaching to the choir and make a film that can become a catalyst for real change? This panel will provide advice on the above from documentary and fiction filmmakers including Justin Schein (No Impact Man), Fabio Wuytack (Persona Non Grata) and Paola Mendoza (Entre Nos), whose work successfully walks the issue/entertainment line. Leah Sapin of Arts Engine (which specializes in production and outreach for socially relevant films), and New York magazine film critic Bilge Ebiri will join the discussion, to be moderated by Lina Srivastava.

Panelists include: Lina Srivastava (consultant to non profit media companies working for social change) – moderator   Justin Schein (Co-director of No Impact Man) Fabio Wuytack (Director of Persona Non Grata) Bilge Ebiri  (film critic from New York magazine) Leah Sapin (Arts Engine) Paola Mendoza (Director of Entre Nos)

6:30-7:30pm

Filmmaking Strategy: Tips, Tools and Wisdom to Help You Make the Right Decisions For Your Film

Filmmakers have to be both artists and strategists to get their films made and seen and this is the case now more than ever as changes in funding and distribution force filmmakers to shoulder more of the crucial decisions on their own. This panel will help you learn how to be the best advocate for your film by asking all the tough questions that you will have to ask along the way. For example: How much work (and what work) do you need to achieve on your own before approaching a funder? And how can you tailor your pitch to communicate your vision to a foundation vs. an equity investor? What other funding options are there? How do you balance traditional outreach to festivals, sales agents, broadcasters, and distributors with the need to also create your own fan base? Which distribution deals do you accept? How do know when a deal is a good deal? How do you hope for the best but plan for the worst?

Panelists include: Adella Ladjevardi (Cinereach) Janet Brown (Cinetic) Liz Ogilvie (B-Side) Tia Lessin (Co-Director of Trouble the Water) Andy Bichlbaum (Co-Director of The Yes Men Fix The World) Simon Kilmurry (P.O.V.)

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: Saturday, June 13, 2009

Venue: On the roof of the Old American Can Factory Address: 232 3rd St. @ 3rd Ave. (Gowanus/ Park Slope, Brooklyn) Directions: F/G to Carroll St. or M/R to Union Ave.

Rain: In the event of rain the show will be held indoors at the same location

5:00PM: Panel discussion: “Message vs. Craft,” outside in courtyard

6:30PM: Panel discussion: “Filmmaking Strategy,” outside in courtyard

7:30PM – 9:00PM: Reception in courtyard including free sangria courtesy of Carlo Rossi

8:30PM: Live music presented by Sound Fix Records

9:00PM: Film

The film is the US premiere of Persona Non Grata, directed by Fabio Wuytack. Prosecuted as a rebel. Banned as a priest. Committed as an artist. Loved as a father. An inspiring documentary—co-funded by the Rooftop Filmmaker Fund—about the filmmaker’s father, Franz Wuytack, a radical left-wing Belgian missionary in the slums of Venezuela in the 1960s. With a new liberal movement sweeping Latin America, and people like Wuytack needing to continue the fight for social justice in the US and around the world, this film is crucially relevant today.

It’s going to be a wonderful night! Get tickets at www.rooftopfilms.com

This is my kitchen sink using the Camera Bag Magazine Filter. I love the colors. It doesn’t look quite this atmospheric without the filter.

And this is my favorite, taken with the ShakeItPhoto app – it develops just like a Polaroid! And you can shake it like a Polaroid picture too! Lend me some sugar, I AM your neighbor!

1. The Cove (D: Louie Psihoyos; USA)
2. 65_RedRoses (D: Philip Lyall, Nimisha Mukerji; Canada)
3. Inside Hana’s Suitcase (D: Larry Weinstein; Canada, Czech Republic)
4. Best Worst Movie (D: Michael Paul Stephenson; USA)
5. A Hard Name (D: Alan Zweig; Canada)
6. Over The Hills and Far Away (D: Michel Orion Scott; USA)
7. Winnebago Man (D: Ben Steinbauer; USA)
8. Burma VJ (D: Anders Hogsbro Ostergaard; Denmark)
9. Rough Aunties (D: Kim Longinotto; UK)
10. Prom Night In Mississippi (D: Paul Saltzman; Canada)

The jury winners are here. Embarrassingly I hadn’t seen many of the jury winners but I’m very glad that Chung-ryoul Lee won the HBO Documentary Films Emerging Artist Award for Old Partner, one of my favorite films of the fest and one I had been longing to see ever since I heard people singing its praises at Sundance. The film I have been absolutely obsessed with is Renzo Martens’ Episode 3 – Enjoy Poverty. I’m waiting for Hot Docs to post video of the Q&A Martens gave after the first screening and I’m formulating a longer post about making documentaries about Africa and the politics of impact and aid. To this end I’ll be attending the Envision event on Thursday at the DGA in NYC to watch Rough Aunties and Pray the Devil Back to Hell. We’ll see how the panel Seeing Africa Through African Eyes tackles the issue!

I had a chance to attend the first North American Good Pitch at the TDF at Hot Docs – many of the issues around social change and documentaries came up during this event too so more thoughts on this to come shortly as well. The next Good Pitch will be at SILVERDOCS in June by the way – you can see the 8 projects selected on the BRITDOC website.

For now here are some photos documenting various Hot Docs hi-jinks.

Jess Search and Katie Bradford from BRITDOC (over from London to run the Good Pitch) talking to SXSW’s Janet Pierson at the British party hosted by Sheffield Doc/Fest and BRITDOC. The party took place the night I arrived and in true British style much booze was consumed!

Judith Helfand (Working Films, Chicken & Egg, filmmaker – this woman wears many amazing hats!) with Julie Goldman from Cactus Three.

Danielle DiGiacomo (indiePix), Yung Chang (director of the brilliant Up the Yangtze who had a short called Ali Shan at Hot Docs this year), Pamela Cohn (if you’re into docs and you don’t read her blog Still in Motion you’re a fool!) – this photo was taken at the hilarious Winnebago Man party. We got moved from the original hotel room where we were being a bit loud and ended up in a conference room in the wee hours.

Judith Helfand, Mark Atkin (SBS, Australia) and Joel Heller (one of the producers behind Winnebago Man which is definitely becoming a must-see doc this year. It’s a great film, full of complexity and warmth which you may not expect if you’ve only seen the original viral video.)

We took over the blackboard in the conference room and added some of our own 1AM thoughts to the corporate nonsense that was already on there. “ARTISINAL CHEESE” is my contribution in case you’re wondering.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, NASA released details of all the films held on the International Space Station. At Shooting People, we feel that Bachelor Party, Cheaper by the Dozen and Forest Gump don’t provide sufficient brain nourishment for the astronauts.

Your mission Shooters is to provide us with your suggestions. Which films do you think belong amongst the stars? Would you like to see Man on Wire replace Man on Fire? Earth’s survival rests in your hands.

So what do I go and choose? The Goonies! It’s a good thing earth’s survival doesn’t rest in MY hands.

From the website:

The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.

I feel a little too cynical to be able to fully embrace this idea but I like it despite myself. There is something magical about music after all.

I have just segued from Tribeca to Hot Docs and plan to post reports on both festivals very soon. Work is kicking my butt right now so apologies for my slack blogging.

I tell you there isn’t much I like more in life than watching films, eating cupcakes and making things!