After weeks of turmoil that culminated in the resignations of two staff members, the Sundance Film Festival has spoken publicly about the controversy caused by the film “Jihad Rehab.” Meg Smaker’s documentary about former Guantanamo Bay prisoners being held in a Saudi Arabian rehab facility has attracted controversy from the moment it was selected for Sundance. Criticisms of the film ranged from accusations that it did little to help offensive stereotypes about Muslim men to more serious charges that the documentary placed its subjects in danger.
IndieWire’s Eric Kohn summarized the film community’s grievances with the movie, writing “among the many problems with director Meg Smaker’s look at a Saudi Arabian institution designed to help former Guantanamo Bay prisoners reintegrate into society: There’s the title, which reinforces the most negative connotations of the term ‘jihad’; the positioning of the subjects as ominous Muslim stereotypes; and...
IndieWire’s Eric Kohn summarized the film community’s grievances with the movie, writing “among the many problems with director Meg Smaker’s look at a Saudi Arabian institution designed to help former Guantanamo Bay prisoners reintegrate into society: There’s the title, which reinforces the most negative connotations of the term ‘jihad’; the positioning of the subjects as ominous Muslim stereotypes; and...
- 2/19/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Two Sundance Institute employees have resigned in response to the hot-button documentary “Jihad Rehab” that played at last month’s Sundance Film Festival, a Sundance representative confirmed.
Brenda Coughlin, director of Impact, Engagement and Advocacy with the Sundance Institute, and Karim Ahmad, director of the Outreach & Inclusion Program, both resigned following the festival in the wake of criticism that “Jihad Rehab” is Islamophobic and promotes jingoism and other stereotypes. And some associated with the movie have sought to distance themselves from their involvement via social media.
As first reported by IndieWire, Coughlin and Ahmad were each tagged on an email sent to the festival’s directors in which a group of Muslim filmmakers voiced their concerns over the documentary. However, neither participated in a Zoom follow-up meeting that staffers had with the authors of the letter to address their concerns.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to both Brenda...
Brenda Coughlin, director of Impact, Engagement and Advocacy with the Sundance Institute, and Karim Ahmad, director of the Outreach & Inclusion Program, both resigned following the festival in the wake of criticism that “Jihad Rehab” is Islamophobic and promotes jingoism and other stereotypes. And some associated with the movie have sought to distance themselves from their involvement via social media.
As first reported by IndieWire, Coughlin and Ahmad were each tagged on an email sent to the festival’s directors in which a group of Muslim filmmakers voiced their concerns over the documentary. However, neither participated in a Zoom follow-up meeting that staffers had with the authors of the letter to address their concerns.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to both Brenda...
- 2/9/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Two senior staffers at the Sundance Institute have resigned from their positions in response to the decision to program the documentary “Jihad Rehab,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month. Brenda Coughlin, director of Impact and Strategy, and Karim Ahmad, director of the Outreach & Inclusion Program, tendered their resignations last month. Both will continue to work at the Institute through February.
As IndieWire previously reported, in January a group of Muslim American filmmakers submitted a letter to Sundance voicing their concerns about the movie, which was part of the U.S. Documentary Competition. Coughlin and Ahmad were among the Sundance staffers copied on the email, along with festival director Tabitha Jackson and director of programming Kim Yutani, but neither Coughlin nor Ahmad participated in a follow-up meeting with the letter’s authors over Zoom.
In addition to taking issue with the movie’s title, which misappropriates the term...
As IndieWire previously reported, in January a group of Muslim American filmmakers submitted a letter to Sundance voicing their concerns about the movie, which was part of the U.S. Documentary Competition. Coughlin and Ahmad were among the Sundance staffers copied on the email, along with festival director Tabitha Jackson and director of programming Kim Yutani, but neither Coughlin nor Ahmad participated in a follow-up meeting with the letter’s authors over Zoom.
In addition to taking issue with the movie’s title, which misappropriates the term...
- 2/9/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
This interview with Theo Anthony about his documentary, All Light, Everywhere, was originally published alongside the film’s premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. It is being reposted today as the film premieres in theaters, including, in New York, at the IFC Center, where Anthony will do Q&As moderated by Brenda Coughlin and Sierra Pettengill. In All Light, Everywhere’s opening shot, filmmaker Theo Anthony turns the camera lens on his optic nerve, as text narration explains that we’re blind at the point where the optic nerve and retina connect—there’s a fundamental hole in our ability to view the world that, Anthony […]
The post “Not Addressing the Core Exploitations of Capitalism is Essential to Capitalism’s Survival”: Theo Anthony on His Surveillance Doc, All Light, Everywhere first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Not Addressing the Core Exploitations of Capitalism is Essential to Capitalism’s Survival”: Theo Anthony on His Surveillance Doc, All Light, Everywhere first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 6/4/2021
- by Aaron Hunt
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
This interview with Theo Anthony about his documentary, All Light, Everywhere, was originally published alongside the film’s premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. It is being reposted today as the film premieres in theaters, including, in New York, at the IFC Center, where Anthony will do Q&As moderated by Brenda Coughlin and Sierra Pettengill. In All Light, Everywhere’s opening shot, filmmaker Theo Anthony turns the camera lens on his optic nerve, as text narration explains that we’re blind at the point where the optic nerve and retina connect—there’s a fundamental hole in our ability to view the world that, Anthony […]
The post “Not Addressing the Core Exploitations of Capitalism is Essential to Capitalism’s Survival”: Theo Anthony on His Surveillance Doc, All Light, Everywhere first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Not Addressing the Core Exploitations of Capitalism is Essential to Capitalism’s Survival”: Theo Anthony on His Surveillance Doc, All Light, Everywhere first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 6/4/2021
- by Aaron Hunt
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
The film also won the inaugural Danish:dox prize.
Marianne Hougen-Moraga and Estephan Wagner’s trauma exploration documentary Songs Of Repression led the winners at Cph:dox 2020, which presented its prizes via an online presentation this evening (March 27).
The Danish project took the Dox:Award in the international main competition, awarded by a jury of the Sundance Institute’s Brenda Coughlin; Dok Leipzig festival director Christoph Terhechte; Romanian director Alexander Nanau; and Danish director Pernille Rose Grønkjær.
See below for the full list of winners
The film explores the different strategies used to deal with trauma by residents of a Chilean town that has seen systemic child abuse,...
Marianne Hougen-Moraga and Estephan Wagner’s trauma exploration documentary Songs Of Repression led the winners at Cph:dox 2020, which presented its prizes via an online presentation this evening (March 27).
The Danish project took the Dox:Award in the international main competition, awarded by a jury of the Sundance Institute’s Brenda Coughlin; Dok Leipzig festival director Christoph Terhechte; Romanian director Alexander Nanau; and Danish director Pernille Rose Grønkjær.
See below for the full list of winners
The film explores the different strategies used to deal with trauma by residents of a Chilean town that has seen systemic child abuse,...
- 3/30/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
The Danish film has won the main prize at the online edition of Scandinavia's top documentary festival; other winners include We Hold the Line, Being Eriko, South, Mother’s Tongue and Mayor. The winners of the 17th edition of the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival - Cph:dox were announced on Friday evening. Originally set to unspool from 18-29 March in Copenhagen, in light of the global Covid-19 pandemic, the festival cancelled all on-site events and moved its activities online instead, including the awards ceremony. The Danish production Songs of Repression, co-directed by Marianne Hougen-Moraga and Estephan Wagner, picked up the festival’s main prize, the Dox:Award. The film explores a closed-off German community in Chile with a dark past. The jury consisted of Brenda Coughlin, of the Sundance Institute (USA); Dok Leipzig director Christoph Terhechte (Germany); and filmmakers Alexander Nanau (Romania) and Pernille Rose Grønkjær (Denmark). Songs of Repression also received the.
More than a month after “Risk” was released in theaters, the documentary’s story continues to evolve. The latest development is especially dramatic: Laura Poitras and the film’s other two producers have published an op-ed in Newsweek accusing Julian Assange and WikiLeaks of censorship.
Read More: ‘Risk’ Takes On Julian Assange: The Dramatic Story Behind Laura Poitras’ Oscar Follow-Up
Poitras, Brenda Coughlin and Yoni Golijov write that Assange and WikiLeaks — the subject of their film — have sent cease-and-desist letters to Neon, the distributor of “Risk,” demanding that they stop the film’s release. They find that hypocritical to say the least: “In WikiLeaks’ efforts to prevent the distribution of ‘Risk,’ they are using the very tactics often used against them – legal threats, false security claims, underhanded personal attacks, misdirection – and with the same intentions: to suppress information and silence speech,” they write.
Read More: ‘Risk’: Laura Poitras...
Read More: ‘Risk’ Takes On Julian Assange: The Dramatic Story Behind Laura Poitras’ Oscar Follow-Up
Poitras, Brenda Coughlin and Yoni Golijov write that Assange and WikiLeaks — the subject of their film — have sent cease-and-desist letters to Neon, the distributor of “Risk,” demanding that they stop the film’s release. They find that hypocritical to say the least: “In WikiLeaks’ efforts to prevent the distribution of ‘Risk,’ they are using the very tactics often used against them – legal threats, false security claims, underhanded personal attacks, misdirection – and with the same intentions: to suppress information and silence speech,” they write.
Read More: ‘Risk’: Laura Poitras...
- 6/16/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Sundance Institute today announced the participants for its annual Creative Producing Labs and Creative Producing Summit, both held the week of July 28 at the Sundance Resort in Sundance, Utah. These activities are part of the Institute’s year-round Creative Producing Initiative, which encompasses a series of Labs, Fellowships and other signature events that support independent producers. The Creative Producing Labs and Summit wrap the summer season of 10 residential Labs hosted in Utah by Sundance Institute, collectively representing 15 weeks of residency support and mentorship for the most promising new independent film and theater projects from the United States and around the world.
Nine films, both documentary and narrative, will participate in the Labs (July 28 – August 1), where they will work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors to develop their creative producing, communication and problem-solving skills in all stages of film production. These Producing Fellows will also receive ongoing creative and strategic support throughout the year, as well as direct granting for further development and production. This year’s Fellows represent nine projects identified by Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program and Documentary Film Program. Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, ”Independent producers play a critical role in discovering, fighting for and shaping original voices. Sundance Institute is committed to developing and supporting independent producers whose skills and tenacity are critical to maintaining the health and vibrancy of independent film.”
Immediately following the Labs, the Summit (August 1-4) takes place. The Creative Producing Summit is a three-day, invitation-only gathering that connects 40 independent filmmakers with more than 50 top film industry professionals including producers, distributors, sales agents, financiers and broadcasters to build a dialogue on film producing and the state of the independent film industry. Programmed events include case study sessions, panels, roundtable discussions, one-on-one meetings and pitching sessions. Panelists this year include Michael Barker (Sony Pictures Classics), Christine Vachon (Killer Films), Tom Quinn (Radius-twc), Paul Mezey (Journeyman Pictures), Rena Ronson (UTA), Ron Yerxa (Bona Fide Productions),
Diane Weyermann (Participant), Jessica Lacy (ICM), John Sloss (Cinetic), Jess Search (BritDoc), Kevin Iwashina (Preferred Content), Lois Vossen (Independent Lens), Ian Bricke (Netflix) and Josh Braun (Submarine).
Feature Film Creative Producing Lab
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab allows emerging narrative feature film producers to work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors to develop their creative and strategic instincts and skills in all stages of film production. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Paul Mezey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"),Pam Koffler ("Boys Don’t Cry"), Jay Van Hoy ("Love is Strange") and Julie Lynn ("Albert Nobbs").
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2014 Feature Film Creative Producing Fellowship are:
Black Bats
Producing Fellows: Adam Hendricks and John Lang
Feeling cast out from society, two teens form a romantic relationship under the belief that they’re transforming into monsters. What begins as fantasy ends with horrific consequences as they both lose touch with reality. (Writer/Director: Rick Spears)
Adam Hendricks has had over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry, including development positions at The Jinks/Cohen Company and Macari Edelstein Entertainment. Adam left development to raise financing and produce the independent feature film Caroline and Jackie (Tribeca Ff 2012). He developed and produced a variety of web series for Fourth Wall Studios, including Dirty Work, winner of the 2012 Emmy for Original Interactive Programming. In 2013, Adam partnered with John Lang to form Divide & Conquer, a production company specializing in independent films, as well as commercials for clients including Ford, EA Sports and Victory Motorcycles.
John Lang began his career in Austin, Texas, working with the Austin Cinemathéque and South by Southwest Film Festival. Since relocating to Los Angeles in 2008, John has worked in a variety of fields within the film industry including production, development, festivals, and sales. In 2011, John joined Rough & Tumble Films as a development and production executive, where he co-produced We Gotta Get Outta this Place (Tiff 2013). In 2013, John partnered with Adam Hendricks to form the commercial and feature film production company, Divide & Conquer.
I’m No Longer Here
Producing Fellows: Gerry Kim and Mayuran Tiruchelvam
Following the death of his older brother, a teenage Mexican boy is forced to migrate to New York City. When he arrives, he quickly realizes that the violence plaguing his home is no match for the feelings of alienation and loneliness he experiences in America. (Writer/Director: Fernando Frias)
Gerry Kim & Mayuran Tiruchelvam formed Dodgeville Films to produce humanistic narrative and documentary films. Their most recent documentary, "To Be Takei," a portrait of actor/activist GeorgeTakei, premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Starz Digital Media. Gerry produced House of Suh, a feature documentary that premiered at HotDocs in 2010 and aired on MSNBC. Mayuran wrote and co-produced "The Girl is in Trouble," executive produced by Spike Lee, and line-produced "The Mend," which premiered at SXSW in 2014. In addition to " I’m No Longer Here," Gerry and Mayuran are developing Christina Choeʼs Nancy, which was selected for the 2013 Ifp Emerging Storytellers Lab, the 2013 Venice Film Festivalʼs Biennale College Cinema Program, and Film Independentʼs Fast Track. They are in post-production on the documentary Farewell, Ferris Wheel, a participant in the 2014 Film Independent Documentary Lab. They received their MFAs from Columbia University in New York City.
Microchip Blues
Producing Fellow: Riel Roch Decter
Fed up with his mundane existence working at the microchip factory, Jimmy teams up with a washed up mystic scientist to build the world's fastest microchip, win back his ex-girlfriend and save his factory from going quantum. (Writer/Director: Aaron Beckum)
Riel Roch Decter is a Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based producer and the Co-Founder of Memory, a new media and film company. Riel began his career as the Director of Production for the independent production company Olympus Pictures working on such films a "Rabbit Hole" and "Beginners." He has produced numerous awarding-winning films including the short "Night Giant"and the feature film The Wait, starring Jena Malone and Chloë Sevigny which premiered at SXSW 2013.
Tracktown, USA
Producing Fellow: Laura Wagner
In a small American town obsessed with competitive running, a famous but sheltered and lonely young runner rebels against her parents, coach and everything she’s ever known in the midst of her first Olympic Trials. (Co-Writer/Director: Jeremy Teicher, Co-Writer: Alexi Pappas)
Laura Wagner is an independent producer, founder of Bay Bridge Productions and current resident at San Francisco Film Society’s FilmHouse. She recently produced the feature film"It Felt Like Love" by Eliza Hittman, which premiered at Sundance in 2013 and opened in theaters in 2014. She also produced the film "Memorial Day" by Josh Fox, and she was Associate Producer of the documentary "John Leguizamo: Tales from a Ghetto Klown," which premiered on PBS and "Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey," the award-winning Imax film directed by the creators of "Stomp."
We the Animals
Mark Silverman Honoree & Producing Fellow: Jeremy Yaches
Based on the bestselling novel by Justin Torres,We the Animals is about the brutal yet loving dynamic of a mixed-race working class family, seen through the eyes of the youngest son, as he discovers his heritage, his sexuality and his madness. (Co-Writer/Director: Jeremiah Zagar, Co-Writer: Dan Kitrosser)
Jeremy Yaches is an Emmy-nominated producer and co-founder of Public Record, a production company that specializes in film, TV, branded content, and commercials. He produced the award-winning documentary "In A Dream," which has screened all over the world and was broadcast on HBO. A graduate of Boston University, Jeremy lives and works in Brooklyn.
Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab
The Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab allows documentary filmmakers to work intensively with award-winning Creative Advisors to hone their craft. The Lab includes sessions on financing, creative distribution, marketing and outreach for independent documentary films. This year’s Creative Advisors include Producers Bonni Cohen ("The Island President"), Brenda Coughlin ("Dirty Wars"), Josh Penn (Court 13) in addition to Nancy Willen (Acme PR), Jess Search (Britdoc), and Josh Braun (Submarine).
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2014 Documentary Film Creative Producing Fellowship are:
Transgender Youth Documentary
Director: Eric Juhola
Producer: Jeremy Stulberg
The Mathis Family in Colorado Springs struggle when their 6-year-old transgender daughter, Coy, is banned from the girl's bathroom at her elementary school. Coy's parents hire a lawyer to fight back and the family is thrust into the media spotlight, causing their lives to change forever.
Eric Juhola founded the film and television production company Still Point Pictures and produced the Gotham Award nominated documentary "Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa," winning 8 best documentary prizes at festivals around the world, followed by a theatrical release and Us broadcast on the Sundance Channel. Eric has additionally directed and produced documentaries and specials for Itvs/PBS, Discovery Channel, MTV, TLC, and TruTV, and has been featured at many film festivals including Tribeca.
Jeremy Stulberg is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and motion picture editor. His feature documentary, "Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa," co-directed with his sister Randy, screened at over 40 film festivals in the Us and Europe Jeremy has produced and edited award winning documentaries and feature films such as "My Mother’s Garden" (HotDocs, MSNBC) and "White Horse" (Berlin Ff 2008, HBO).
(T)error
Co-Directors/Producers: Lyric R. Cabral & David Felix Sutcliffe
"(T)error" is the inside story of ******, an active counterterrorism informant for the FBI. Filmed on the ground, it captures the dramatic unraveling of the informant's 20-year career with the Bureau after the target of his investigation realizes that he’s been set up.
Named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, Lyric R. Cabral is an independent documentary filmmaker and photojournalist based in New York City. Cabral's photography has been recently published through the Gordon Parks Foundation, the Aperture Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution Photography Initiative, and National Geographic Channel UK.
David Felix Sutcliffe is an independent documentary filmmaker recently named one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” His first film, "Adama," was broadcast on PBS in November 2011. Sutcliffe has worked as a cinematographer on films in Paris, Indonesia, Kenya, and Kansas, and has taught documentary film for the Harlem Children’s Zone, the Tribeca Film Institute, and the Brooklyn Arts Council since 2003.
Uncertain
Co-Directors/Co-Producers: Anna Sandilands & Ewan McNicol
On the shores of a dying lake, neighbors in the once outlaw town of Uncertain, Texas, are haunted by their pasts and battling demons for a future more certain—a tender, humorous southern gothic tale.
Anna Sandilands is a documentary filmmaker and founder of Lucid Inc. a communications company that makes work for clients based in real stories and documentary films. With Ewan McNicol she has made the short films "The Roper," "Missing," "Ufologist," "Dirt Racer," and "Oil Man" and make TV commercials and communications for clients including Google, Apple, Nike, Nokia and BlackBerry. Anna was named Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 Fresh Faces To Watch” in 2013.
Ewan McNicol is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, photographer and partner of Lucid Inc. a communications company that makes work for clients based in real stories and documentary films. With Anna Sandilands, his work has received awards including the Webby for Best Documentary, The One Club’s One Screen award for Best Documentary, an Effie and been nominated for a Cinema Eye award. Their films have been screened at film festivals including Sundance, BFI London International Film Festival, Edinburgh, SXSW, True/False, Seattle, Hot Docs, Silverdocs, Visions du Reel and Idfa. Ewan was named Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 Fresh Faces To Watch” in 2013.
Speed Sisters
Producer: Avi Goldstein
The Middle East’s first all-women motor racing team has come together in Palestine. What will it take to go further and faster than anyone thought they could? Speed Sisters captures the drive to follow your dreams against the odds, leaving in its trail shattered stereotypes about gender and the Arab world.
Avi Goldstein co-founded SocDoc Studios to produce story-driven films that engage audiences with social issues. He recently completed the documentary film "Fire Lines" (to be distributed by Journeyman Pictures) with the Ma'an Network in Bethlehem and Common Ground Productions. Avi received an BA in Psychology from Princeton University and was previously a consultant at Vantage Partners, a Boston-based negotiation and relationship management consulting firm spun out of the Harvard Negotiation Project. He recently completed an Ma in Non-Profit Management and Leadership, and facilitates interest-based negotiation and problem-solving skills workshops for high schools students. "Speed Sisters" is his first feature-length documentary.
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theater artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as "Born into Brothels," "Trouble the Water," "Son of Babylon," "Amreeka," "An Inconvenient Truth," "Spring Awakening," "I Am My Own Wife," "Light in the Piazza" and "Angels in America."Join Sundance Institute on Facebook,Twitter and YouTube.
Nine films, both documentary and narrative, will participate in the Labs (July 28 – August 1), where they will work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors to develop their creative producing, communication and problem-solving skills in all stages of film production. These Producing Fellows will also receive ongoing creative and strategic support throughout the year, as well as direct granting for further development and production. This year’s Fellows represent nine projects identified by Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program and Documentary Film Program. Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, ”Independent producers play a critical role in discovering, fighting for and shaping original voices. Sundance Institute is committed to developing and supporting independent producers whose skills and tenacity are critical to maintaining the health and vibrancy of independent film.”
Immediately following the Labs, the Summit (August 1-4) takes place. The Creative Producing Summit is a three-day, invitation-only gathering that connects 40 independent filmmakers with more than 50 top film industry professionals including producers, distributors, sales agents, financiers and broadcasters to build a dialogue on film producing and the state of the independent film industry. Programmed events include case study sessions, panels, roundtable discussions, one-on-one meetings and pitching sessions. Panelists this year include Michael Barker (Sony Pictures Classics), Christine Vachon (Killer Films), Tom Quinn (Radius-twc), Paul Mezey (Journeyman Pictures), Rena Ronson (UTA), Ron Yerxa (Bona Fide Productions),
Diane Weyermann (Participant), Jessica Lacy (ICM), John Sloss (Cinetic), Jess Search (BritDoc), Kevin Iwashina (Preferred Content), Lois Vossen (Independent Lens), Ian Bricke (Netflix) and Josh Braun (Submarine).
Feature Film Creative Producing Lab
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab allows emerging narrative feature film producers to work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors to develop their creative and strategic instincts and skills in all stages of film production. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Paul Mezey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"),Pam Koffler ("Boys Don’t Cry"), Jay Van Hoy ("Love is Strange") and Julie Lynn ("Albert Nobbs").
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2014 Feature Film Creative Producing Fellowship are:
Black Bats
Producing Fellows: Adam Hendricks and John Lang
Feeling cast out from society, two teens form a romantic relationship under the belief that they’re transforming into monsters. What begins as fantasy ends with horrific consequences as they both lose touch with reality. (Writer/Director: Rick Spears)
Adam Hendricks has had over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry, including development positions at The Jinks/Cohen Company and Macari Edelstein Entertainment. Adam left development to raise financing and produce the independent feature film Caroline and Jackie (Tribeca Ff 2012). He developed and produced a variety of web series for Fourth Wall Studios, including Dirty Work, winner of the 2012 Emmy for Original Interactive Programming. In 2013, Adam partnered with John Lang to form Divide & Conquer, a production company specializing in independent films, as well as commercials for clients including Ford, EA Sports and Victory Motorcycles.
John Lang began his career in Austin, Texas, working with the Austin Cinemathéque and South by Southwest Film Festival. Since relocating to Los Angeles in 2008, John has worked in a variety of fields within the film industry including production, development, festivals, and sales. In 2011, John joined Rough & Tumble Films as a development and production executive, where he co-produced We Gotta Get Outta this Place (Tiff 2013). In 2013, John partnered with Adam Hendricks to form the commercial and feature film production company, Divide & Conquer.
I’m No Longer Here
Producing Fellows: Gerry Kim and Mayuran Tiruchelvam
Following the death of his older brother, a teenage Mexican boy is forced to migrate to New York City. When he arrives, he quickly realizes that the violence plaguing his home is no match for the feelings of alienation and loneliness he experiences in America. (Writer/Director: Fernando Frias)
Gerry Kim & Mayuran Tiruchelvam formed Dodgeville Films to produce humanistic narrative and documentary films. Their most recent documentary, "To Be Takei," a portrait of actor/activist GeorgeTakei, premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Starz Digital Media. Gerry produced House of Suh, a feature documentary that premiered at HotDocs in 2010 and aired on MSNBC. Mayuran wrote and co-produced "The Girl is in Trouble," executive produced by Spike Lee, and line-produced "The Mend," which premiered at SXSW in 2014. In addition to " I’m No Longer Here," Gerry and Mayuran are developing Christina Choeʼs Nancy, which was selected for the 2013 Ifp Emerging Storytellers Lab, the 2013 Venice Film Festivalʼs Biennale College Cinema Program, and Film Independentʼs Fast Track. They are in post-production on the documentary Farewell, Ferris Wheel, a participant in the 2014 Film Independent Documentary Lab. They received their MFAs from Columbia University in New York City.
Microchip Blues
Producing Fellow: Riel Roch Decter
Fed up with his mundane existence working at the microchip factory, Jimmy teams up with a washed up mystic scientist to build the world's fastest microchip, win back his ex-girlfriend and save his factory from going quantum. (Writer/Director: Aaron Beckum)
Riel Roch Decter is a Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based producer and the Co-Founder of Memory, a new media and film company. Riel began his career as the Director of Production for the independent production company Olympus Pictures working on such films a "Rabbit Hole" and "Beginners." He has produced numerous awarding-winning films including the short "Night Giant"and the feature film The Wait, starring Jena Malone and Chloë Sevigny which premiered at SXSW 2013.
Tracktown, USA
Producing Fellow: Laura Wagner
In a small American town obsessed with competitive running, a famous but sheltered and lonely young runner rebels against her parents, coach and everything she’s ever known in the midst of her first Olympic Trials. (Co-Writer/Director: Jeremy Teicher, Co-Writer: Alexi Pappas)
Laura Wagner is an independent producer, founder of Bay Bridge Productions and current resident at San Francisco Film Society’s FilmHouse. She recently produced the feature film"It Felt Like Love" by Eliza Hittman, which premiered at Sundance in 2013 and opened in theaters in 2014. She also produced the film "Memorial Day" by Josh Fox, and she was Associate Producer of the documentary "John Leguizamo: Tales from a Ghetto Klown," which premiered on PBS and "Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey," the award-winning Imax film directed by the creators of "Stomp."
We the Animals
Mark Silverman Honoree & Producing Fellow: Jeremy Yaches
Based on the bestselling novel by Justin Torres,We the Animals is about the brutal yet loving dynamic of a mixed-race working class family, seen through the eyes of the youngest son, as he discovers his heritage, his sexuality and his madness. (Co-Writer/Director: Jeremiah Zagar, Co-Writer: Dan Kitrosser)
Jeremy Yaches is an Emmy-nominated producer and co-founder of Public Record, a production company that specializes in film, TV, branded content, and commercials. He produced the award-winning documentary "In A Dream," which has screened all over the world and was broadcast on HBO. A graduate of Boston University, Jeremy lives and works in Brooklyn.
Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab
The Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab allows documentary filmmakers to work intensively with award-winning Creative Advisors to hone their craft. The Lab includes sessions on financing, creative distribution, marketing and outreach for independent documentary films. This year’s Creative Advisors include Producers Bonni Cohen ("The Island President"), Brenda Coughlin ("Dirty Wars"), Josh Penn (Court 13) in addition to Nancy Willen (Acme PR), Jess Search (Britdoc), and Josh Braun (Submarine).
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2014 Documentary Film Creative Producing Fellowship are:
Transgender Youth Documentary
Director: Eric Juhola
Producer: Jeremy Stulberg
The Mathis Family in Colorado Springs struggle when their 6-year-old transgender daughter, Coy, is banned from the girl's bathroom at her elementary school. Coy's parents hire a lawyer to fight back and the family is thrust into the media spotlight, causing their lives to change forever.
Eric Juhola founded the film and television production company Still Point Pictures and produced the Gotham Award nominated documentary "Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa," winning 8 best documentary prizes at festivals around the world, followed by a theatrical release and Us broadcast on the Sundance Channel. Eric has additionally directed and produced documentaries and specials for Itvs/PBS, Discovery Channel, MTV, TLC, and TruTV, and has been featured at many film festivals including Tribeca.
Jeremy Stulberg is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and motion picture editor. His feature documentary, "Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa," co-directed with his sister Randy, screened at over 40 film festivals in the Us and Europe Jeremy has produced and edited award winning documentaries and feature films such as "My Mother’s Garden" (HotDocs, MSNBC) and "White Horse" (Berlin Ff 2008, HBO).
(T)error
Co-Directors/Producers: Lyric R. Cabral & David Felix Sutcliffe
"(T)error" is the inside story of ******, an active counterterrorism informant for the FBI. Filmed on the ground, it captures the dramatic unraveling of the informant's 20-year career with the Bureau after the target of his investigation realizes that he’s been set up.
Named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, Lyric R. Cabral is an independent documentary filmmaker and photojournalist based in New York City. Cabral's photography has been recently published through the Gordon Parks Foundation, the Aperture Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution Photography Initiative, and National Geographic Channel UK.
David Felix Sutcliffe is an independent documentary filmmaker recently named one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” His first film, "Adama," was broadcast on PBS in November 2011. Sutcliffe has worked as a cinematographer on films in Paris, Indonesia, Kenya, and Kansas, and has taught documentary film for the Harlem Children’s Zone, the Tribeca Film Institute, and the Brooklyn Arts Council since 2003.
Uncertain
Co-Directors/Co-Producers: Anna Sandilands & Ewan McNicol
On the shores of a dying lake, neighbors in the once outlaw town of Uncertain, Texas, are haunted by their pasts and battling demons for a future more certain—a tender, humorous southern gothic tale.
Anna Sandilands is a documentary filmmaker and founder of Lucid Inc. a communications company that makes work for clients based in real stories and documentary films. With Ewan McNicol she has made the short films "The Roper," "Missing," "Ufologist," "Dirt Racer," and "Oil Man" and make TV commercials and communications for clients including Google, Apple, Nike, Nokia and BlackBerry. Anna was named Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 Fresh Faces To Watch” in 2013.
Ewan McNicol is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, photographer and partner of Lucid Inc. a communications company that makes work for clients based in real stories and documentary films. With Anna Sandilands, his work has received awards including the Webby for Best Documentary, The One Club’s One Screen award for Best Documentary, an Effie and been nominated for a Cinema Eye award. Their films have been screened at film festivals including Sundance, BFI London International Film Festival, Edinburgh, SXSW, True/False, Seattle, Hot Docs, Silverdocs, Visions du Reel and Idfa. Ewan was named Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 Fresh Faces To Watch” in 2013.
Speed Sisters
Producer: Avi Goldstein
The Middle East’s first all-women motor racing team has come together in Palestine. What will it take to go further and faster than anyone thought they could? Speed Sisters captures the drive to follow your dreams against the odds, leaving in its trail shattered stereotypes about gender and the Arab world.
Avi Goldstein co-founded SocDoc Studios to produce story-driven films that engage audiences with social issues. He recently completed the documentary film "Fire Lines" (to be distributed by Journeyman Pictures) with the Ma'an Network in Bethlehem and Common Ground Productions. Avi received an BA in Psychology from Princeton University and was previously a consultant at Vantage Partners, a Boston-based negotiation and relationship management consulting firm spun out of the Harvard Negotiation Project. He recently completed an Ma in Non-Profit Management and Leadership, and facilitates interest-based negotiation and problem-solving skills workshops for high schools students. "Speed Sisters" is his first feature-length documentary.
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theater artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as "Born into Brothels," "Trouble the Water," "Son of Babylon," "Amreeka," "An Inconvenient Truth," "Spring Awakening," "I Am My Own Wife," "Light in the Piazza" and "Angels in America."Join Sundance Institute on Facebook,Twitter and YouTube.
- 7/30/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
As we know, a passage through the many Sundance labs doesn’t guarantee a gold ticket for Park City in January, but undoubtably its certainly a professional nudge in the right direction. A total of nine films (5 fiction) will be heading to the Labs (July 28 – August 1) with this year’s Creative Advisors including folk we’ve mentioned on several occasion here in Paul Mezey (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Pam Koffler (Boys Don’t Cry), Jay Van Hoy (Love is Strange) and Julie Lynn (Albert Nobbs). Among this year’s summer camp for film producers we have the likes of Riel Roch Decter (who produced 2013 SXSW entry The Wait
from helmer M. Blash) and producer Laura Wagner (from Eliza Hittman’s It Felt Like Love fame). Here are the projects and producers heading up to the mythic location. Press release follows.
Feature Film Creative Producing Lab
The Feature Film Creative...
from helmer M. Blash) and producer Laura Wagner (from Eliza Hittman’s It Felt Like Love fame). Here are the projects and producers heading up to the mythic location. Press release follows.
Feature Film Creative Producing Lab
The Feature Film Creative...
- 7/29/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
(From Sundance Institue Newsletter)
New research shows Sundance Institute lab projects helmed by women succeed at just shy of equal rates as male-helmed projects in production and top festival exhibition. Collaborative initiative now includes deepened mentorship program, financing intensives, expanded network of allied organizations and updated research. Study conducted by Stacy L. Smith, Ph.D., Katherine Pieper, Ph.D. and Marc Choueiti at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California.
At a gathering of filmmakers, producers and members of the film distribution industry, at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, Keri Putnam, Executive Director, Sundance Institute, and Cathy Schulman, President, Women In Film Los Angeles, announced significant growth of a collaborative initiative designed to achieve gender parity and sustainable careers for women working in filmed entertainment.
Recent expansions of the initiative, which launched two years ago, include a deepened mentorship program, new financing intensives, an expanded network of allied organizations and new and updated research, the results of which were also released today. The study was commissioned by Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles and was conducted by Stacy L. Smith, Ph.D., Katherine Pieper, Ph.D. and Marc Choueiti at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California.
Putnam said, “Our collaborative initiative has furthered the dialogue around the importance of women behind the camera. We are grateful to the researchers and allied organizations in lending their analysis and expertise to help us identify the most productive next steps to address existing challenges.”
Schulman said of the results, “In terms of our committed course of change for women, this year's study is another invaluable tool in understanding how Sundance and Women In Film can help guide the industry to institutionalize permanent progress through our programs and collective influence."
The research documented the gender distribution of filmmakers participating in Sundance Institute Feature Film Program (Ffp) and Documentary Film Program (Dfp) Labs between 2002 and 2013 to determine how many emerging female writers, directors and producers receive critical artistic support as part of their filmmaking background, and how this may affect their careers and the pipeline overall. It also updated last year’s inaugural study by quantitatively examining the gender of 1,163 content creators (directors, writers, producers, cinematographers, and editors) across 82 U.S. films selected and screened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Lastly, the research delved deeper into the original qualitative interviews to further explore obstructions facing female directors and producers in the narrative space.
Key findings include:
Artist Support Through Sundance Institute Labs •Female storytellers compete and flourish at Sundance Institute labs. Of the 432 lab fellows between 2002 and 2013, 42.6% were female. Women comprised 39.3% of fellows in the Feature Film Program (Ffp) and 54.5% of fellows in the Documentary Film Program (Dfp).
•Sundance Institute Lab projects helmed by women succeed at just shy of equal rates as male-helmed projects in production and top festival exhibition. The percentage of Ffp lab projects completed did not vary by gender; roughly 41% of male-helmed and female-helmed projects were finished. 81.3% of all finished Ffp films went on to play at the top 10 festivals worldwide, and of these, no gender differences emerged.
Barriers Facing Female FilmmakersThe initial report revealed career obstacles that face female filmmakers, including gendered financial barriers, male-dominated industry networks, and stereotyping on set. We analyzed a subset of the original 51 interviews with industry thought leaders and seasoned content creators.
•When industry leaders think director, they think male. Traits were gathered from 34 narrative and documentary decision-makers and filmmakers. We explored whether attributes of successful directors reflect stereotypical characteristics of men or women. Nearly one-third of traits (32.1%) were coded as masculine and 19.3% feminine. Conceiving of the directing role in masculine terms may limit the extent to which different women are considered for the job.
•Putting female directors on studio lists is limited by stereotypes. A group of 12 individuals working in the narrative realm were asked specifically about hiring directors into top commercial jobs. Two-thirds (66.7%) indicated that there is a smaller pool of qualified female directors. Half mentioned that stereotypically male films (i.e., action, horror) may not appeal as job opportunities to female directors. These findings illustrate how a reliance on stereotypes creates decision-making biases that weaken women’s opportunities.
Updates To Last Year’S Study•Of the 1,163 content creators working behind the camera on 82 U.S. films at Sff in 2013, 28.9% were women and 71.1% were men. The presence of women differed by storytelling genre: 23.8% of content creators were women in narrative films whereas 40.4% were women in documentary films.
•2013 was an extraordinary year for women in documentary filmmaking at Sff. 42.2% of documentary directors and 49.2% of documentary producers were women at the 2013 Festival. Focusing on directors specifically by program category, 46.4% of U.S. documentary competition directors were female as were 30.8% of documentary premiere helmers.
•Female narrative directors saw gains and losses in 2013, but little overall change. For the first time, gender parity was achieved in U.S. dramatic competition movies in 2013 with 50% of all helmers being female. In contrast, only one of the 18 directors in the premieres section was a woman.
•Narrative directors at the 2013 Festival continued to outperform directors in the top 100 box office: Turning to the 100 top-grossing films of 2013, only 2 (1.9%) of the 108 helmers were female. This represents a 48.1% drop from the percentage of female directors in the Festival’s U.S. Dramatic Competition films.
•Examining female participation at the Festival as directors and producers from 2002 to 2013 revealed no meaningful change over time. Instead, the percentages of female participation often fluctuate but no continuous and sustained increases or decreases were observed across the 12 years. For dramatic features, females accounted for 24.4% of all competition helmers and 13.9% of all non-competition helmers. In documentaries, the percentage of female competition directors is 41.7% and 25% of non-competition helmers.From 2002-2013 17.1% of directors of U.S. narrative films and 35.3% of directors of U.S. documentary films at Sff were female.
This year’s mentorship fellows include Producer Brenda Coughlin (Dirty Wars), Director Marta Cunningham (Valentine Road), Director Mari Heller (Diary of a Teenage Girl), Director Shola Lynch (Free Angela and All Political Prisoners), Producer Jordana Mollick (Life Partners) and Producer Kim Sherman (A Teacher).
The Dove short film fellow is Cynthia Wade, who directed a short film entitled Selfie, with producer Sharon Liese. Cynthia was mentored by Academy Award-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple.
In addition, this past year Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles launched a Finance Forum in Los Angeles, where 68 female filmmakers with 58 industry advisors and guests participated. A second financing intensive will be presented in April 2014 in New York.
Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles also continued to meet with leading organizations working on gender in media. Allied Organizations involved in and lending counsel to the collaborative project include: AFI Conservatory; Alliance of Women Directors; Athena Film Festival; Chapman University; Chicken & Egg Pictures; Creative Capital; Film Independent; Fledgling Fund; Ford Foundation; Fusion Film Festival at Nyu; Gamechanger Films; Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media; Ifp; Ifp New York; Impact Partners Women's Fund; Loreen Arbus Foundation; Los Angeles Film Festival; Loyola Marymount University; Nyu; Paley Center for Media; Producers Guild of America; Reel Image Inc.; Tangerine; The Harnisch Foundation; Time Warner Foundation; UCLA; USC; USC/Annenberg; Writers Guild of America; Women and Hollywood; Women In Film Nywift; Women In Film; Wifv (DC); Women Make Movies; Women Moving Millions and Women's Media Center.
The Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles collaboration is supported by Dove, Norlien Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Gruber Family Foundation, J. Manus Foundation, Bhakti Chai, and The Harnisch Foundation.
New research shows Sundance Institute lab projects helmed by women succeed at just shy of equal rates as male-helmed projects in production and top festival exhibition. Collaborative initiative now includes deepened mentorship program, financing intensives, expanded network of allied organizations and updated research. Study conducted by Stacy L. Smith, Ph.D., Katherine Pieper, Ph.D. and Marc Choueiti at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California.
At a gathering of filmmakers, producers and members of the film distribution industry, at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, Keri Putnam, Executive Director, Sundance Institute, and Cathy Schulman, President, Women In Film Los Angeles, announced significant growth of a collaborative initiative designed to achieve gender parity and sustainable careers for women working in filmed entertainment.
Recent expansions of the initiative, which launched two years ago, include a deepened mentorship program, new financing intensives, an expanded network of allied organizations and new and updated research, the results of which were also released today. The study was commissioned by Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles and was conducted by Stacy L. Smith, Ph.D., Katherine Pieper, Ph.D. and Marc Choueiti at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California.
Putnam said, “Our collaborative initiative has furthered the dialogue around the importance of women behind the camera. We are grateful to the researchers and allied organizations in lending their analysis and expertise to help us identify the most productive next steps to address existing challenges.”
Schulman said of the results, “In terms of our committed course of change for women, this year's study is another invaluable tool in understanding how Sundance and Women In Film can help guide the industry to institutionalize permanent progress through our programs and collective influence."
The research documented the gender distribution of filmmakers participating in Sundance Institute Feature Film Program (Ffp) and Documentary Film Program (Dfp) Labs between 2002 and 2013 to determine how many emerging female writers, directors and producers receive critical artistic support as part of their filmmaking background, and how this may affect their careers and the pipeline overall. It also updated last year’s inaugural study by quantitatively examining the gender of 1,163 content creators (directors, writers, producers, cinematographers, and editors) across 82 U.S. films selected and screened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Lastly, the research delved deeper into the original qualitative interviews to further explore obstructions facing female directors and producers in the narrative space.
Key findings include:
Artist Support Through Sundance Institute Labs •Female storytellers compete and flourish at Sundance Institute labs. Of the 432 lab fellows between 2002 and 2013, 42.6% were female. Women comprised 39.3% of fellows in the Feature Film Program (Ffp) and 54.5% of fellows in the Documentary Film Program (Dfp).
•Sundance Institute Lab projects helmed by women succeed at just shy of equal rates as male-helmed projects in production and top festival exhibition. The percentage of Ffp lab projects completed did not vary by gender; roughly 41% of male-helmed and female-helmed projects were finished. 81.3% of all finished Ffp films went on to play at the top 10 festivals worldwide, and of these, no gender differences emerged.
Barriers Facing Female FilmmakersThe initial report revealed career obstacles that face female filmmakers, including gendered financial barriers, male-dominated industry networks, and stereotyping on set. We analyzed a subset of the original 51 interviews with industry thought leaders and seasoned content creators.
•When industry leaders think director, they think male. Traits were gathered from 34 narrative and documentary decision-makers and filmmakers. We explored whether attributes of successful directors reflect stereotypical characteristics of men or women. Nearly one-third of traits (32.1%) were coded as masculine and 19.3% feminine. Conceiving of the directing role in masculine terms may limit the extent to which different women are considered for the job.
•Putting female directors on studio lists is limited by stereotypes. A group of 12 individuals working in the narrative realm were asked specifically about hiring directors into top commercial jobs. Two-thirds (66.7%) indicated that there is a smaller pool of qualified female directors. Half mentioned that stereotypically male films (i.e., action, horror) may not appeal as job opportunities to female directors. These findings illustrate how a reliance on stereotypes creates decision-making biases that weaken women’s opportunities.
Updates To Last Year’S Study•Of the 1,163 content creators working behind the camera on 82 U.S. films at Sff in 2013, 28.9% were women and 71.1% were men. The presence of women differed by storytelling genre: 23.8% of content creators were women in narrative films whereas 40.4% were women in documentary films.
•2013 was an extraordinary year for women in documentary filmmaking at Sff. 42.2% of documentary directors and 49.2% of documentary producers were women at the 2013 Festival. Focusing on directors specifically by program category, 46.4% of U.S. documentary competition directors were female as were 30.8% of documentary premiere helmers.
•Female narrative directors saw gains and losses in 2013, but little overall change. For the first time, gender parity was achieved in U.S. dramatic competition movies in 2013 with 50% of all helmers being female. In contrast, only one of the 18 directors in the premieres section was a woman.
•Narrative directors at the 2013 Festival continued to outperform directors in the top 100 box office: Turning to the 100 top-grossing films of 2013, only 2 (1.9%) of the 108 helmers were female. This represents a 48.1% drop from the percentage of female directors in the Festival’s U.S. Dramatic Competition films.
•Examining female participation at the Festival as directors and producers from 2002 to 2013 revealed no meaningful change over time. Instead, the percentages of female participation often fluctuate but no continuous and sustained increases or decreases were observed across the 12 years. For dramatic features, females accounted for 24.4% of all competition helmers and 13.9% of all non-competition helmers. In documentaries, the percentage of female competition directors is 41.7% and 25% of non-competition helmers.From 2002-2013 17.1% of directors of U.S. narrative films and 35.3% of directors of U.S. documentary films at Sff were female.
This year’s mentorship fellows include Producer Brenda Coughlin (Dirty Wars), Director Marta Cunningham (Valentine Road), Director Mari Heller (Diary of a Teenage Girl), Director Shola Lynch (Free Angela and All Political Prisoners), Producer Jordana Mollick (Life Partners) and Producer Kim Sherman (A Teacher).
The Dove short film fellow is Cynthia Wade, who directed a short film entitled Selfie, with producer Sharon Liese. Cynthia was mentored by Academy Award-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple.
In addition, this past year Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles launched a Finance Forum in Los Angeles, where 68 female filmmakers with 58 industry advisors and guests participated. A second financing intensive will be presented in April 2014 in New York.
Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles also continued to meet with leading organizations working on gender in media. Allied Organizations involved in and lending counsel to the collaborative project include: AFI Conservatory; Alliance of Women Directors; Athena Film Festival; Chapman University; Chicken & Egg Pictures; Creative Capital; Film Independent; Fledgling Fund; Ford Foundation; Fusion Film Festival at Nyu; Gamechanger Films; Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media; Ifp; Ifp New York; Impact Partners Women's Fund; Loreen Arbus Foundation; Los Angeles Film Festival; Loyola Marymount University; Nyu; Paley Center for Media; Producers Guild of America; Reel Image Inc.; Tangerine; The Harnisch Foundation; Time Warner Foundation; UCLA; USC; USC/Annenberg; Writers Guild of America; Women and Hollywood; Women In Film Nywift; Women In Film; Wifv (DC); Women Make Movies; Women Moving Millions and Women's Media Center.
The Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles collaboration is supported by Dove, Norlien Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Gruber Family Foundation, J. Manus Foundation, Bhakti Chai, and The Harnisch Foundation.
- 1/22/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
This is a tough awards season! Lots of great movies to see, so little time! I'm catching up like crazy before we vote for the Critics' Choice Movie Awards for the Broadcast Film Critics Association. So I apologize if I haven't updated you with the latest on the awards season 2013-2014! And there were many award-giving bodies announcing nominations.
We already told you about the Rome Film Festival and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, now let's talk about the 2013 Gotham Awards, the Ida Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye, and the Producers Guild announcing its best documentary choices.
First stop, we have the 2013 Gotham Awards where Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" topped the nominations with three nods including best feature, best actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor and breakthrough actor for Lupita Nyong'o.
Winners will be announced on Dec. 2nd where Richard Linklater, Forest Whitaker, and Katherine Oliver (head of the NYC...
We already told you about the Rome Film Festival and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, now let's talk about the 2013 Gotham Awards, the Ida Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye, and the Producers Guild announcing its best documentary choices.
First stop, we have the 2013 Gotham Awards where Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" topped the nominations with three nods including best feature, best actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor and breakthrough actor for Lupita Nyong'o.
Winners will be announced on Dec. 2nd where Richard Linklater, Forest Whitaker, and Katherine Oliver (head of the NYC...
- 12/2/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Sundance Selects has acquired North American rights to Richard Rowley's "Dirty Wars," the company announced Sunday. "Dirty Wars" premiered in the U.S. documentary competition section at the Sundance Film Festival. Rowley's film follows investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill on an unexpected journey as he chases down the truth behind America's covert wars. The film, with a screenplay by Jeremy Scahill and David Riker, was produced by Anthony Arnove, Brenda Coughlin, and Scahill. "Our entire team was blown away by 'Dirty Wars,' Richard Rowley's tough-minded, gripping film that plays out like a detective story," said...
- 1/20/2013
- by Todd Cunningham
- The Wrap
Documentaries continue to get snatched up in the early says of the Sundance Film Festival. Sunday, Sundance Selects nailed down a deal for North American rights to “Dirty Wars,” Richard Rowley’s look at investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill’s quest to expose America’s covert operations abroad. The film, part of the U.S. documentary competition, premiered at the Temple Theatre Friday night and screened again Saturday afternoon before the deal closed. Scahill and David Riker wrote the screenplay. Anthony Arnove, Brenda Coughlin and Scahill produced. “Our entire team was blown away by ‘Dirty Wars,’ Richard Rowley's tough-minded, gripping film that plays out like a detective story,” said Sundance Selects/IFC Films president Jonathan Sehring. “Jeremy Scahill's investigation into the war on terror being waged around the world is a vital, disturbing and incredibly humane story that will have people on both...
- 1/20/2013
- by Jay A. Fernandez and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Can’t believe I’m writing this, but AMC’s Sundance Selects is so far dominating the acquisitions marketplace at the Sundance Film Festival, even if it’s doing small documentary deals. They’ve just bought North American on Dirty Wars, the Richard Rowley-directed pic. That follows yesterday’s deal for The Summit. Here’s the announcement: Park City, Ut (January 20, 2013) – Sundance Selects announced today from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival that the company is acquiring North American rights to Richard Rowley’s Dirty Wars, which premiered in the U.S. documentary competition section. The film, with a screenplay by Jeremy Scahill and David Riker, was produced by Anthony Arnove, Brenda Coughlin, and Scahill. Rowley’s film follows investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill on an unexpected journey as he chasesdown the truth behind America’s covert wars. Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: “Our entire team was blown away by Dirty Wars,...
- 1/20/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
While not all films mentioned below are necessarily guaranteed future place among the Sundance Film Festival elite, it’s certainly a step in the right direction for the filmmakers and more importantly the producers backing the future of independent film. Among the eleven project participants below selected for the annual Creative Producing Labs and Creative Producing Summit (July 30 – August 3) in the Feature Film category we find such names as future superstars in Summer Shelton (she worked with Ramin Bahrani) and receives the first ever Bingham Ray Creative Producing Fellow, Tory Lenosky (worked as an assistant to Jay Van Hoy and Lars Knudsen) and Lucas Joaquin (second unit producer for Beasts of the Southern Wild). Here is the full press release below.
Feature Film Creative Producing Lab
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab is a five-day Lab where narrative feature film producers work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors to develop their creative instincts,...
Feature Film Creative Producing Lab
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab is a five-day Lab where narrative feature film producers work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors to develop their creative instincts,...
- 7/18/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.