BEYOND THE BOX MONTHLY from ITVS
January 2009
1. FEATURES
Two ITVS Films Premiere at Sundance
Filmmaker Profile: Weijun Chen, PLEASE VOTE FOR ME
New Projects Selected for ITVS International Call
Beyond the Box Blog Launches January 12
Indie Lens T-Shirt Giveaway
2. DEPARTMENTS
ITVS Funding Deadlines
Ask Programming
Community Cinema
ITVS in the News
ITVS on the Road
Applause!
3. NEW ONLINE
More ITVS International Films on Jaman
What Font Are You?
4. THIS MONTH ON TV
January Programs
Two ITVS Films Premiere at Sundance
The Sundance Film Festival, held annually in Park City, Utah, is one of the largest and most prominent festivals for independent filmmakers. ITVS has screened a total of 66 films at Sundance since 1994. This year, two ITVS films will make their world premiere at the festival, which will be held from January 15-25.
In honor of the Festival’s 25th Anniversary, PBS and ITVS will host a joint celebration on Friday, January 16, for independent filmmakers who have shown their work on public media and at the festival. The event is open to any filmmaker whose work is screening at Sundance. Accredited members of the press should contact ITVS for more details.
The two ITVS films in competition in the Documentary category include:
WILLIAM KUNSTLER: Disturbing the Universe
By Sarah Kunstler and Emily Kunstler
WILLIAM KUNSTLER: Disturbing the Universe presents an intimate portrait of the late civil rights attorney William Kunstler who risked everything for his beliefs.
EL GENERAL
By Natalia Almada
EL GENERAL looks at Mexican President Plutarco Elias Calles through the eyes of his great-granddaughter and filmmaker Almada, and explores a country living under the shadow of its past.
Screening dates and times are still pending. Visit the Sundance website for up-to-date information on screenings >>
Both WILLIAM KUNSTLER: Disturbing the Universe and EL GENERAL will be broadcast as part of P.O.V.'s 2009 season.
top
Filmmaker Profile: Weijun Chen, PLEASE VOTE FOR ME
Is democracy a universal value that suits human nature? Do elections inevitably lead to manipulation? These and other compelling questions are explored in the film PLEASE VOTE FOR ME, which will have a special encore presentation on Independent Lens on January 20 at 10 PM (check local listings).
Since its premiere on Independent Lens last season, the film has received numerous awards and honors including an International Emmy Award nomination for Best Documentary and the Sterling Award for Best Feature from the Silverdocs Festival.
Director Weijun Chen follows a class of eight-year-old schoolchildren in his home city of Wuhan as they go through the process of electing a class monitor. “The three candidates were all thoroughly determined to win this prized position of power, and they used a variety of tactics to try to achieve their ambition,” says Chen. “It was the first time that the class monitor post had not been the gift of the teacher, and it was the children's first taste of democracy.”
According to Chen, thousands of years of a feudal system in China has fostered a culture where official power and authority have seldom been checked. Elections in China take place only within the Communist Party, but recently millions of Chinese voted in Pop Idol, their version of popular Western television talent competition. The purpose of this classroom experiment was to determine how democracy would be received if it came to China. “I believe the children's joy and sorrow throughout the election—their winning and losing—truly reflect the tough, yet hopeful, democratization process in China,” he says. “They had to undertake several tasks to impress their classmates, make speeches and take part in debates where they had to point out each other's faults.”
Chen graduated from the journalism program at Sichuan University in 1992 and afterwards joined the documentary production department of the Wuhan regional TV station. His first film, My Life Is My Philosophy, was nominated for the best documentary of the year by the Chinese National Association of Broadcasters. In 2003 he completed To Live is Better Than to Die, which was awarded a Peabody and a Grierson Award, as well at the Rodlf Vrfba Award from the One World Festival.
Read more about PLEASE VOTE FOR ME and check local broadcast times >>
top
New Projects Selected for ITVS International Call
ITVS recently contracted five projects from ITVS International Call 2008, with two more projects expected to be announced soon. This year’s application process was highly competitive and included 385 submissions from 74 countries—the highest number of submissions since it’s inception. Since 2005, nearly 100 international programs have been supported through ITVS International’s Global Perspectives Project and its International Media Development Fund.
ITVS International programs are slated for eventual broadcast on PBS, including prime-time slots on the Emmy Award–winning PBS series Independent Lens and the new PBS WORLD series Global Voices. The programs will also be distributed on commercial outlets, including the Sundance Channel, the National Geographic Channel and HBO, and on online video sites, such as Caachi, Jaman, SnagFilms and others.
ITVS International films have garnered numerous awards and accolades, claiming top festival and industry awards around the world, including national Emmy Award wins and a recently announced Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Feature Film (WALTZ WITH BASHIR).
The 2008 International Call projects selected for funding and U.S. television broadcast include:
THE CAVIAR CONNECTION
By Dragan Nikolic and Jovana Nikolic (Serbia)
The Rat brothers are on a quest to find the big fish—the one that will bring easy money and allow them to leave their small village in Serbia. In this dramatic and often humorous tale, THE CAVIAR CONNECTION follows the brothers as they unsuccessfully gamble with the rules of nature and economics and, in the process, become deeper without even noticing it.
JALANAN
By Daniel Ziv (Indonesia)
Boni, Ho and Titi—three gifted bus musicians—are struggling for identity, legitimacy and love on the frenzied streets of Jakarta, Indonesia. JALANAN traces their journey as they perform songs of social angst, debate politics by the roadside, flee their home during a monsoon flood and get locked up by police.
THE LAST TIGHTROPE DANCER IN ARMENIA
By Vardan Hovhannisyan and Inna Sahakyan (Armenia)
Zhora, 78 years old, and Knyaz, 77, were once the most celebrated masters of tightrope dancing in Armenia. Today, Zhora’s health is deteriorating, and Knyaz is struggling to find a student to succeed him. THE LAST TIGHTROPE DANCER IN ARMENIA looks at how these two men put their rivalry aside to train Hovsep, a 16-year-old orphan, who holds the fate of this ancient art in his hands.
LAST TRAIN HOME
By Lixin Fan and Mila Aung-Thwin (China)
China experiences the largest internal migration in the world as rural workers travel to cities looking for employment. LAST TRAIN HOME follows the Zhang family, who saved all year to go back to their rural roots for Chinese New Year—a journey made by more than 100 million migrant workers—hoping to salvage the relationship with their teenage daughter.
ON THE BORDER OF DESPERATION
By Nima Sarvestani (Kurdistan – Iran, Iraq)
Extreme living conditions in Kurdistan, Iran, are forcing those who live along the Iran/Iraq border into engaging in gasoline smuggling at great risk. ON THE BORDER OF DESPERATION tells the story of Tala, who recently lost her only son, Shadman, and her desperate attempt to save her husband from going blind.
The deadline for submission for the next ITVS International Call is February 6, 2009. Read the guidelines and get an application >>
top
Beyond the Box Blog Launches January 12
Monday, ITVS will be joining the blogosphere with the launch of the Beyond the Box Blog.
The blog will serve as an extension of the Beyond the Box Monthly newsletter and will be updated regularly with timely information about ITVS productions, funding opportunities, news articles, streaming video and audio clips, as well as announcements about upcoming projects and events.
The Beyond the Box Blog will also be a forum for you to share your thoughts and encourage dialogue around important social issues raised in ITVS-funded films.
Stay tuned for a special edition of the Beyond the Box newsletter with the official announcement of the blog's launch and information on how to signup for RSS feeds.
top
The word is out. The Independent Lens T-shirt giveaway is well underway. Once a week from now until the end of February, we’ll continue to draw winners at random for the ultra-hip and stylish Indie Lens T-shirts (available in small, medium and large).
We’ve asked out winners to list their three favorite films, and Inside Indies fedature. Check out some of the recent winners and read about their favorites.
David Grant of Washington, DC
Favorite films: Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Third Man and The Common Lot: Next Step for Democracy, directed by T-shirt winner David Grant.
Gloria Rohlfs of Philadelphia, PA
Favorite films: Antonia's Line, Who Killed the Electric Car? and anything with Meryl Streep or Susan Sarandon or Vanessa Redgrave.
John Monahan of Baltimore, MD
Favorite films: Casablanca, Harold and Maude, Apollo 13
Ahneishia Stewart of Huber Heights, OH
Favorite films: Gia, The Color Purple and Goodfellas
Tim Branning of San Pedro, CA
Favorite films: Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now and Backyard Wilderness, directed by T-shirt winner Tim Branning.
Entries are randomly selected from the Independent Lens newsletter subscription list. If you currently receive the newsletter, you are already entered to win.
What are your three favorite films? Add yours to the list and tell us why in Inside Indies >>Sign up to be eligible for the Independent Lens T-shirt giveaway >>
top
Deadline: January 16, 2009
Open Call provides finishing funds for single non-fiction or animation public television programs on any subject, and from any viewpoint. Projects must have begun production as evidenced by a work-in-progress video.
Get guidelines and read the FAQ >>
INTERNATIONAL CALL
Deadline: February 6, 2009
The ITVS International Call enables independent producers from outside of the United States to create documentaries for U.S. television. Through the International Call, storytellers from other countries introduce U.S. audiences to their global neighbors, opening a window into unfamiliar lives, experiences and perspectives.
Find more information about guidelines and how to apply >>
Have additional questions about the International Media Development Fund? Email Joy_Scott@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x232.
top
ITVS programming staff answer questions from filmmakers about the funding process:
Q. I’m an American filmmaker applying to Open Call. Does a production license agreement with ITVS guarantee a broadcast? What are the broadcast outlets available for my program?
A. As you may know, ITVS does not give grants but enters into a production licensing agreement. In exchange for funding through Open Call or LINCS, the filmmaker grants ITVS public television rights for four years.
ITVS offers every program it funds to PBS, who has first right of refusal. PBS can accept the program for the NPS (National Program Service or "hard feed") or PBS Plus ("soft feed"). In addition, ITVS works closely with series like Independent Lens, P.O.V., American Experience and Frontline, which air ITVS-funded programs.
If PBS and the various series pass on a program, we offer it directly to individual public television stations and networks through what we call an "ITVS offer." This means we buy the satellite time and feed the program directly to stations and then work with programmers across the country to encourage broadcast. This effort, known as station relations, ensures that some, many, or all of the public television stations will broadcast ITVS-funded programs. We can also offer our programs through public television programming distribution services such as APT (American Public Television) or NETA (National Educational Telecommunications Association), which distribute ITVS programs to public television stations.
Q. A few months ago, I saw FLIPPING OUT on the Sundance Channel. I thought ITVS programs only went to PBS. You broadcast on cable, too?
A. You may see ITVS International programs on cable channels such as the Sundance Channel, National Geographic and IFC. A group of private foundations fund ITVS International programs, and those contracts allow for both public and private broadcast outlets.
ITVS International works with PBS and 354 U.S. public television stations, along with other television and cable broadcasters, to secure the best possible broadcast for each program. Distribution options for each program will depend on the interest of our partners in public television and cable, the program’s content and other factors.
Learn more about our range of broadcast partners >>
top
This month, Community Cinema presents TULIA, TEXAS directed by Cassandra Herrman and Kelly Whalen.
A lone undercover cop moves into a small farming town. By the end of the blazing summer of 1999, 46 people are arrested for selling cocaine—nearly all of them African American. It was heralded as one of the biggest drug busts in Texas history, until a team of lawyers set out to uncover the truth.
Community Cinema screenings of TULIA, TEXAS will include special presentations and discussions with leading community organizations in over 50 locations around the country.
Highlights from December screenings of HELVETICA:
The University of Pennsylvania screening in Philadelphia was followed by a discussion about identity, ideology and culture. Other font-inspired events across the country included a craft table at the Nashville Public Library and a panel discussion about the film with local university and graphic design experts; a lively debate at the Oakland Museum of California; and a "My Favorite Font Content" in Seattle, WA, in which audience members submitted their favorite font and statement about why they love it. After the Seattle screening, one audience member commented, "I will never look at print the same way again!" HELVETICA premieres on Independent Lens, Tuesday, January 6.
Community Cinema in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:
Community Cinema would like to welcome its newest producing partner, Tricia George from the Braddock Youth Project (BYP) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. BYP is an after school program intended to employ local youth in the field of community restoration. Screenings will take place at the Pittsburgh Public Library and will be organized by the young people involved in BYP.
Find program descriptions, event locations and more information on ITVS Community Cinema >>
top
Media coverage of current, past and upcoming broadcasts:
LA Weekly: Face Off, The PBS Documentary HELVETICA
“HELVETICA is a movie not just about a typeface—in that respect it avoids getting too wonky about design terminology—but about ways of seeing the world, which is something we’re all more attuned to in our media-slathered era.”
New York Magazine: Best Runner-Up Documentaries: STRANDED, OPERATION FILMMAKER
“Gonzalo Arijón’s transcendent STRANDED, about the Uruguayan rugby team trapped in the Andes after a plane crash, shows that—cannibalism notwithstanding—the survivors became more, not less, human. Nina Davenport’s OPERATION FILMMAKER chronicles a grand American liberal humanitarian gesture gone kerflooey, as a young Iraqi invited to work on an American film turns out to be many things, none good.”
Pop Matters: OPERATION FILMMAKER: Independent Lens
“A smart, self-deconstructing look at how movies intersect with reality, the documentary presents Muthana’s encounters with The West.”
New Hampshire Public Radio: Word of Mouth: OPERATION FILMMAKER
“Filmmaker Nina Davenport discusses her documentary OPERATION FILMMAKER, the complex story of what happens when well-meaning Hollywood insiders intervene in the life of a young Iraqi film student.”
Playbill: New Grey Gardens Documentary, Charting Broadway Musical, Airs on PBS
“The documentary unfolds the creative journey of Albert Maysles' cult classic, Grey Gardens, from non-fiction film to legendary Broadway musical…”
Village Voice (Blog): I'm On PBS With Edie Beale
“Grey Gardens was the recent Tony-winning Broadway musical based on the 1975 Maysles brothers' documentary about the eccentric mother-and-daughter duo the Beales… It's perfectly fitting that the musical should spawn a documentary in return. It's called GREY GARDENS: From East Hampton To Broadway and it's hitting PBS on their Independent Lens series.”
Edge Publications: WONDERS ARE MANY: The Making of Doctor Atomic
“WONDERS ARE MANY is a fine documentary about the building of a seismic modern opera and the creative forces behind it.”
Los Angeles Times (Blog): The Grim Dance of WALTZ WITH BASHIR
“What current film am I most eager to see? That would be WALTZ WITH BASHIR, the Israeli animated film, a choice that may surprise regular readers of this blog because the majority of my time and keystrokes are devoted to the mainstream superhero cinema of the moment.”
Join ITVS staff here, there and everywhere.
New Orleans Community Cinema
New Orleans, LA
January 11
Director of Programming and LINCS Program Manager Erica Deiparine-Sugars will attend the free Community Cinema screening of TULIA, TEXAS at the Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center at 5 PM. Local filmmakers are encouraged to attend.
National Education Telecommunications Association (NETA) Conference
Tampa, FL
January 13-16
LINCS Program Manager Erica Deiparine-Sugars and Associate Director of Broadcast & Distribution Sreedevi Sripathy will be attending the conference and meeting with public television staff. Sreedevi will also participate on a panel discussion about social media networking.
Sundance Film Festival
Park City, UT
January 16–22
Vice President of Programming Claire Aguilar and Vice President and Independent Lens Series Producer Lois Vossen will be supporting ITVS films and participating in panels. On Jan. 22, from 9:00 AM–12:30 PM at Sundance House, Claire will be participating in the Sundance Industry Meeting on World Cinema Documentary, an informal event to meet one-on-one with the directors and producers from the World Cinema Documentary Competition. Additionally, on Jan. 20 from 10:00 AM-12:30 PM at the Sundance House, Claire and Lois will participate in “Meet the Film Funders and Commissioning Editors” panel.
Docs Barcelona International Documentary Festival
Barcelona, Spain
January 28–February 2
Programming Manager, ITVS International, Cynthia Kane will be meeting with filmmakers and participating in the Pitching Forum along with other commissioning editors.
Several programs were recently recognized for excellence:
Two films were recently honored with Golden Globe nominations: WALTZ WITH BASHIR, by Ari Folman, which looks at his attempt to decipher the horror he witnessed in the 1982 massacre of thousands of Palestinian refugees by Christian militia, received a nomination for Best Foreign Film. I.O.U.S.A., which explores the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States economy, by Patrick Creadon (Wordplay), received a nomination for Best Documentary Feature.
WALTZ WITH BASHIR also was nominated for The Critics' Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received an International Documentary Association Award for Distinguished Feature. I.O.U.S.A. received a nomination by The Critics’ Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature.
GARBAGE WARRIOR, the story of architect Michael Reynolds, his crew of house builders from New Mexico and their fight to introduce radically different ways of living, by Oliver Hodge and Rachel Wexler, received the IDA/Pare Lorentz Award-Honorable Mention.
CRANK, which explores one Tennessee town's waking nightmare and struggle against methamphetamine addiction, by Todd Jarrell, received nominations from the Regional Emmy Awards-Mid-South Chapter for Best Documentary and Best Writer.
THE ENGLISH SURGEON, the story of a doctor who helps treat those suffering from brain tumors in Ukraine, by Geoffrey Smith and Rachel Wexler, won the Gold Screen Award at the 4 Screens European Film Festival and Special Commendation from the Grierson Trust.
ASK NOT, which explores the U.S. military’s “don’t ask don’t tell” policy, by Johnny Symons, won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Spokane LGBT Film Festival.
Congratulations to all the filmmakers!
top
More ITVS International Programs on Jaman
Check out the latest ITVS International titles on Jaman, an Internet community and download service for world cinema online.
The following films will be available beginning January 15:
FAIR PLAY
By David Herman
A troupe of actors—most with learning disabilities—confront the challenges
of being different, while rehearsing The Choice, an acclaimed play about
abortion.
SEEDS OF SUMMER
By Hen Lasker, Edna Kowarsky and Elinor Kowarsky
At an army base in the heart of Israel's southern desert two young female
military recruits make the transformation from fragile, vulnerable young
girls to confident soldiers and fierce fighters.
top
Airing January 6 on Independent Lens, HELVETICA—ostensibly a film about a typeface¬¬—delves into the world of graphic arts and takes a deeper look into style changes and the controversies over the role of graphic designer since World War II.
Ever wonder what font represents your personality? Perhaps you are a classic traditionalist like Times New Roman…or more childish, playful type such as Comic Sans. Or, like Helvetica, maybe you’re the ubiquitous, reliable sort.
Take this fun quiz and find which font best represents you >>top
TIP: Visit itvs.org/shows to get a listing of all ITVS programming airing in the next few weeks. Don't miss these ITVS presentations in January.
FAIR PLAY
By David Herman
January 5 on The Documentary Channel
FAIR PLAY follows the struggles of six actors, five of whom have learning disabilities, as they rehearse The Choice, an acclaimed play about abortion. Set in a small village in the English countryside, an intimate portrait is revealed of the thespians, whose own lives conflict with the characters they portray.
HELVETICA
By Gary Hustwit
January 6 at 10 PM on Independent Lens on PBS
You can't escape if you try—it's on your computer, the subway, U.S. mailboxes, IRS tax forms, and spells out countless corporate logos from Target to Fendi. No doubt, Helvetica is the king of fonts. But why? To find the answer, first-time director Gary Hustwit meets with historians and designers whose passion for typefaces run high, and discovers the secrets behind the fonts we use and read every day.
SEEDS OF SUMMER
By Hen Lasker, Edna Kowarsky and Elinor Kowarsky
January 12 on The Documentary Channel
At an army base in the heart of Israel's southern desert, 66 teenage girls have arrived as new military recruits. SEEDS OF SUMMER closely follows two of these recruits as they make the transformation from fragile, vulnerable young girls to fierce fighters and skilled combat soldiers and examines what it takes for women to become soldiers in a male-dominated world.
PLEASE VOTE FOR ME (encore presentation)
By Weijun Chen
January 20 on Independent Lens on PBS
In the city of Wuhan in central China, three eight-year-old elementary school students campaign for the coveted position of class monitor. This is the first election for a class leader to be held in China. The candidates hold debates, campaign tirelessly and show their intellectual and artistic skills, until one is voted the winner.
THE ATOM SMASHERS (encore presentation)
By Clayton Brown, Monica Ross and Andrew Suprenant
January 27 on Independent Lens on PBS
In a premier U.S. government laboratory, physicists race to discover one of the biggest secrets in the universe before a far more powerful European accelerator upstages both them and the entire U.S. science program. But, with a growing national deficit made worse by military conflicts and natural disasters, the lab struggles to survive. Will the discovery happen before the funds run out? Or will America watch the greatest minds in physics drift across the Atlantic, closing a great chapter in American science?
JESUS POLITICS, THE BIBLE & THE BALLOT
By Ilan Ziv
January 2009 on Public Television
Despite a long tradition of separating church from state, America's religious communities and grassroots organizations are having an increasingly powerful role in the political process. In JESUS POLITICS, THE BIBLE & THE BALLOT, Israeli filmmaker Ilan Ziv goes on a 2,000-mile journey across the U.S. stopping at isolated towns and farms, rural churches and mosques to discover the complex relationship between faith and politics during the 2008 presidential primary elections.
Sign up for Beyond the Box Monthly >>
Read about ITVS in the News >>
