For those interested in the factual broadcast business ("unscripted television"?), Peter Hamilton (Documentary Television) offers a crisp, enlightening and engaging (and sobering) history/current overview in this interview for the Paley Center for Media. Read more – ‘Digital pennies’.
For those looking for a snapshot of the current state of documentary funding, a preview of 28 upcoming productions at pitch or production stage, and endless opportunities for professional insights and networking, I recommend registering as an Observer at Hot Docs’ Toronto Documentary Forum. The deadline is this Friday, March 19. In other Hot Docs [...] Read more – ‘TDF Observer Deadline Looms’.
(the trailer for BLOOD IN THE MOBILE…will the feature doc crossover into obsolescence?) While attending one festival can be exhausting, several in a row has given me something like vigour. Perhaps a tolerance is built up. Like with certain drugs and other things to which one should just say… maybe later. Though its possible this, [...] Read more – ‘Sheffield’s Crossover Summit’.
(Is the heart of documentary still beating? Ummm, maybe. The market at DOK Leipzig) The tag line for DOK Leipzig this year was “The Heart of Documentary,” and while the competition and survey programmes showed plenty of life, the chatter indicated that broadcast television was pulling the plug on creative documentary. A fellow festival colleague [...] Read more – ‘The Heart of Documentary’.
(“Hi there, internet.” Sundance’s John Cooper, Berlin’s Weiland Speck, tiff’s Piers Handling, Tribeca’s Geoff Gilmour and I, the not so attentive moderator, discuss “The Changing Role of Film Festivals” at tiff. Photo courtesy of Peter Belsito via Sydney’s Buzz) A side effect of being tossed from my summer media diet into Fall’s fulsome trough of [...] Read more – ‘A Sense Of An Ending’.
(look, my first widget from SnagFilms….this one for the Hot Docs 2007 title WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY?) Yesterday SnagFilms announced that it had entered into “Founders’ Alliances” with several organizations, including Hot Docs. This means that soon there will be a Hot Docs Channel on SnagFilms.com, which seems to be the early leader among sites [...] Read more – ‘What’s Next For Film Festivals?’.
(Michael Noer (VESTERBRO) at the World Premiere of his new film, the very funny (and somehow tender) moped road-trip flick THE WILD HEARTS….photo via Michael’s Facebook page) Day 20 on the Euro Doc Tour 2008 was another action packed festival day. Started with some screening in the market, then participated on a consulting panel at [...] Read more – ‘Wild Guesses at CPH: Forum – Day 20’.
This festival has done in three days, that which takes five at most events…kick my ass. I’m done with the chat and all that, and will take a train, and then a plane, to Copenhagen later today. Its cozy there, and cute, and quiet, and you don’t have to drink beer at breakfast if you [...] Read more – ‘Later, Sheffield – Day 16’.
(Producer on-a-roll Rachel Wexler (The English Surgeon, Garbage Warrior) pitches at Sheffield’s MeetMarket) I popped into Sheffield’s MeetMarket this morning, just to get a sense of the “plastics” of the event. I’m not sure where formalized pitching markets started (somehow, I recall hearing the Danes conceived them), but such events, in varying forms, are now [...] Read more – ‘Don’t Say “Pitch” – Day 15’.
(from left, Robert Cibis (JESUS LOVES YOU), Geoffrey Smith (THE ENGLISH SURGEON), Simon Kilmurry (P.O.V.), Minou Norouzi (ANATOMY OF FAILURE), and Boris Despodov (CORRIDOR #8) It feels like a Hot Docs ’08 reunion at Sheffield as I’m meeting many filmmakers who presented their work at this year’s Festival. I’m doing the Intros and Q&A’s with [...] Read more – ‘Brits Unite At Sheffield – Day 14’.
