Protagonist

Just saw Jessica Yu's film Protagonist and really enjoyed it.

Also, grabbed a great promo item: a flipbook which reproduces one of the animations from the film.

Above: waiting in line for the screening in Fletcher Hall.

First Night of Full Frame

I've arrived in Durham.

So far: rode in a van past some lush trees. Then more trees, followed by trees. Then checked into room 618 at the Marriott. Then signed in as a "Full Frame Fellow" and got the festival pass, tickets, program and folder.

Shook some hands, met some nice people. Went to dinner. The plan is to get up early and see "Protagonist."

Above: the first night party winding down.

First Views of Command Z

My friend in California went to the "Command Z" show, and took a few photographs....

Please Select an Artist

The Bottom Line

I'm going to the Full Frame Film Festival Thursday as a participant in the "Full Frame Fellows" program. I'm looking forward to this session Friday:

Show Me the Money:
The Reality of the Documentary Heyday
Industry leaders discuss who is really benefiting from new documentary platforms and delivery systems. Together the panelists ask about the bottom line in the ever-changing business models of theatrical, television and downloadable distribution.

Moderated by Eugene Hernandez (Editor-in-Chief, indieWIRE). Panelists include Dan Klores (Crazy Love), Sheila Nevins (President, HBO Documentary and Family), Tom Quinn (Head of Acqusitions, Magnolia Pictures), Ted Sarandos (Chief Content Operator, Netflix), Steve Savage (President and Co-Founder, New Video, Docurama) and John Sloss (Principle, Cinetic Media).

See You at HotDocs

Just found out: our film Blind Faith is one of 12 finalists for the International Documentary Challenge.

So we are going to an April 28th screening at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto.

Article on Command Z

The Command Z show is installed and opens March 31.

Here's an article from The Daily Breeze:

Art: Pixel Perfect

Eighty-Three Percent

Received an email today explaining that 79 of the 95 teams that entered the International Documentary Challenge finished their films on time. It went on to explain that the 12 finalists will be announced by April 2.

If you figure each team made a five-minute documentary, then the judges have to watch six-and-a-half hours of short documentaries....

Full Frame

In April I will be attending the Full Frame Film Festival in North Carolina. They've just posted the list of new documentaries that will be screened:

New Docs: Films in Competition

Done, Done, and Done

We completed the film on time and sent it off.

Details soon....

Five Days to Five Minutes

Over at Actualities I will be tracking my participation in The International Documentary Challenge.

That should be fun.

Real Life, Filmed Real Fast

I'm participating in the International Documentary Challenge.

This morning at 8 a.m. received a choice between two genres and a theme -- and now need to make a short documentary matching that. It will be about 5 minutes in length, and has to be sent off postmarked on Monday.

I've just text messaged the six members of our team, and now we have to decide what film to make and how to make it.

tf

The Numbers Game

Last year, when I received notice I had been accepted to the Graduate Certificate in Documentary Media Studies program at The New School, I began keeping track of the documentaries I watched.

"An Inconvenient Truth" was the 100th since I started that list. Of course, it won at the Academy Awards on Sunday night, and "The Blood of Yingzhou District" won in the short doc category.

That was number 94 for me.

Actualities

I've started posting about Documentary on a blog called
Actualities.

DocuDay NY 2007

In the cab heading down to 53rd Street, I told the driver I was going to spend 14 hours watching documentaries. He seemed horrified at first, then said: "I could watch that much baseball. I guess it's good if it's what you like."

I stared out the window, watching snow-covered Central Park fly past, and thought, "Yep. It's what I like."

Each year, DocuDay screens the feature and short documentaries nominated for the Academy Award. This year's program:

Deliver Us From Evil
Iraq In Fragments
The Blood of Yingzhou District (39-minute short) 
Recycled Life (38-minute short) 
Rehearsing a Dream (39-minute short) 
Two Hands (18-minute short) 
Jesus Camp 
My Country, My Country
An Inconvenient Truth

Sundance Winners

Documentary Awards, Sundance 2007:

Grand Jury Prize, Documentary:
Manda Bala
Jason Kohn

Audience Award, Documentary:
Hear and Now
Irene Taylor Brodsky

Independent Film Competition, Directing, Documentary:
War/Dance
Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine

The World Cinema Jury Prize, Documentary:
Enemies of Happiness
Eva Mulvad and Anja Al Erhayem

The World Cinema Audience Award for Documentary:
In the Shadow of the Moon
David Sington

World Cinema Competition Documentary Special Jury Prize:
Hot House
Shimon Dotan

Independent Film Competition Documentary Special Jury Prize:
No End in Sight
Charles Ferguson

Excellence in Cinematography, Documentary:
Manda Bala
Heloisa Passos

Independent Film Competition Documentary Jury, Editing:
Nanking
Hibah Sherif Frisina, Charlton McMillian, and Michael Schweitzer

The Shorts Special Jury Prize for Short Filmmaking:
Freeheld
Cynthia Wade

Sundance Video Blog Number Something or Other

Academy Award Nominations, 2007

Documentary Feature:

Deliver Us From Evil
An Inconvenient Truth
Iraq in Fragments
Jesus Camp
My Country, My Country

Documentary (short subject):

The Blood of Yingzhou District
Recycled Life
Rehearsing a Dream
Two Hands

Sundance Rolls On

And on...

Sundance Video Blog Number 5

Number 5:

Sundance Video Blog Number 4

Part the fourth: