Sorry for the late memo - my laptop's keyboard decided to crap out and I ended up having to pick up a bluetooth keyboard as a workaround since Apple has deemed that this issue is of course no longer covered. Anyway, there is indeed doc news, so venture forth!
– Jordan M. Smith
MISCELLANEOUS
The Rise of Documentaries at Wesleyan University Tom Gianakopoulos writes in Documentary Magazine: “Wesleyan University is a liberal arts college located in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831, Wesleyan is a school 'where critical thinking and practical idealism' are encouraged to intermingle. With a student body of approximately 3,000 undergraduates and 200 graduate students, it boasts alumni as varied as composer/writer/director/actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, filmmaker Michael Bay and writer/director Joss Whedon. However, we would be remiss if we did not mention that other Wesleyan alums include Fulbright Scholars, MacArthur 'Genius' Grant Fellows, Academy Award winners, and Nobel Prize laureates…Documentary recently spoke with co-directors of the Wesleyan Documentary Project—Tracy Heather Strain, Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies and Associate Director, College of Film and the Moving Image; and Randall MacLowry, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Film Studies—about how these values and approaches to education manifest within Wesleyan’s Film Studies Program.”
BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Fund Opens Davide Abbatescianni reports at Cineuropa: “On 21 March, the British Film Institute (BFI) announced the opening of the BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Fund. With a total of £36.6 million (€41.43 million) set to be handed out over the course of three years, the funding will offer ‘crucial support’ for the British independent feature-film sector. In detail, funding will be made available through four different funds: Development; Creative Challenge, funding labs; Discovery, backing debuts; and Impact, for second features and beyond. The grants are part of Screen Culture 2033, the BFI’s ten-year strategy committed to supporting independent film ‘in recognition of its vital importance to the country’s cultural and economic life’. The strategy’s support measures account for a total of £54 million (€61.16 million) over three years, ‘representing almost 40% of the BFI’s National Lottery ‘good cause’ funding’, and they will be ‘dedicated to filmmaking and supporting talent development, shorts, features and immersive content’.”
Fremantle Documentaries Launches New Premium Label Nick Cunningham reports at Business Doc Europe: “Fremantle Documentaries unveiled March 21 its new Undeniable label, dedicated to producing world-class premium feature documentaries and series. The label will develop and produce premium projects, 'and harness its global expertise to attract and work with high-profile talent and international commissioners,' says the company. The launch was announced by Mandy Chang, Fremantle’s Global Head of Documentaries, March 21 at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen. The new label will sit within Fremantle’s Documentaries division. ‘Undeniable’s ambition is to make provocative, entertaining, diverse, and influential films and series that push the boundaries of storytelling and challenge assumptions about the world around us. From investigative, geopolitical, and single narrative stories to cultural landmark films, contemporary history, true-crime and genre busting biopics on a global scale,’ the company writes in a press release.”
What is an observational style – an old fashion or giving films something they lost? Truls Lie reports at Modern Times Review: “Let me write about an important niche of documentaries. This spring, observational documentaries were focused on at the 25th Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival. In a film world dominated by one-character-driven three-act narratives, there is a growing need for documentaries that depart from this formula. With the festival’s concept, «The Art of Reality Beyond Observation», and many observational films screened – both written texts and film examples marked this great alternative. So, what does it mean to work ‘observational’? Maybe audiences are getting back some of the wonders of witnessing the spontaneity of life felt in the early days of cinema? Or if that is hard to do today, maybe the observational style gives more to the audience as a mode of human inquiry?”
Applications Are Now Open for the Chicken & Egg Pictures Grant Filmmaker Magazine reports: “Chicken & Egg Pictures has announced their latest initiative, teaming up with Netflix on a $450,000 fund to support women and non-binary documentary filmmakers who have previously made at least two feature films and are currently working toward their next project. As many as 30 filmmaking teams will receive a $10,000 grant for research or a $20,000 grant for development. In addition to the grant, recipients will be provided with ‘peer support, mentorship opportunities and deeper connections in the documentary film industry.’ The Chicken & Egg Pictures Research & Development Grant is accepting applications through 12 p.m. ET on Monday, April 24. Recipients will be announced sometime this summer.”
Local Content Quotas For Aussie Streamers Peter Hamilton reports in a pair of video interviews at Documentary Business from the Australian International Documentary Conference: “I recently mingled with 800 delegates attending AIDC – the Australian International Documentary Conference – on a beautiful, late Summer day in Melbourne. Two award-winning producers described local industry highlights: Industry veteran Simon Nasht (Smith&Nasht) spoke about the uncertain impact on producers of forthcoming local content quotas on Netflix and the scaled-up streamers; And Mint Pictures’ head of factual Dan Goldberg shared his company’s active production pipeline, commenting on the current standard funding model.”
DOC NYC Selects:
New Weekly Documentary Series Launched March 21
Inaugural Spring 2023 Season of Screening Series at NYC’s IFC Center Features Sneak Previews of Sundance, SXSW and Venice Hits, with Filmmakers in Person!
Winners of CPH:DOX 2023 Announced Announced via press release: “The juries have voted and the winners of the international competitions at CPH:DOX have been chosen. The main prize Dox:Award goes to the dark and very timely Motherland by Alexander Mihalkovich & Hanna Badziaka from Belarus. Besides the main prize Dox:Award, prizes have been awarded in the categories F:act Award, Nordic:Dox Award, New:Vision Award, Next:Wave Award and Politiken:Dox Award. ‘This was such a cinematic and meaningful film that took its time unfolding the complexity of living within an oppressive and unjust system. It poses questions about the idea of an individual choice within a cornered society. The title of the film is a way to give back the power to the women who are at the forefront of this fight. The award goes to Motherland by Hanna Badziaka and Alexander Mihalkovich.’”
Doc10 Unveils Its Lineup, Led by Davis Guggenheim’s Michael J. Fox Movie Addie Moorfoot reports at Variety: “Davis Guggenheim’s Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie will open the eighth edition of Chicago’s Doc10 documentary film festival on May 4. About Fox’s life, career and work as a public advocate for Parkinson’s research, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie debuted at Sundance in January. Guggenheim, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind An Inconvenient Truth will be at Doc10 to participate in a post-screening conversation. Doc10, a four-day fest running May 4-7, features a selection of 10 of this year’s most acclaimed documentaries and a package of prestigious doc shorts. Dedicated to supporting social-impact documentary films, the fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that raises funds for and produces docus including Crip Camp and Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Sundance Institute Announces Fellows for Trans Possibilities Intensive Announced via press release: "Today the nonprofit Sundance Institute shared the names of the six transgender storytellers of color selected for the second edition of the Trans Possibilities Intensive, a three-part event taking place from March 27-29 under the leadership of Moi Santos, Founder of the Trans Possibilities Intensive, guidance from experienced creative advisors and Sundance Institute’s Equity, Impact, and Belonging Program. The Fellows selected for 2023 are: Seyi Adebanjo, Rajvi Desai, Malik Ever, Nick Janaye, Jamie John and Tee Park Jaehyung. This year’s Creative Advisors include Sydney Freeland (Drunktown’s Finest), Aitch Alberto (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe), Félix Endara (UNSEEN) and Chase Joynt (Framing Agnes). While Sundance has a proud history of supporting trans artists across artist programs and Festival programming, the Intensive is an ancillary environment for participating artists to enhance their voice and craft, foster relationships with each other, and challenge the obstacles that continue to exclude transgender artists."
Cinéma du Réel: The Documentary Form Takes up Residence in Paris Fabien Lemercier reports at Cineuropa: “Today saw the 45th Cinéma du Réel International Documentary Film Festival kick off in Paris, having cancelled its usual pre-opening screening scheduled for the day before (of Alexander Abaturov’s French-Swiss production Paradise) in solidarity with the dramatic protests currently unfolding in France against the pension reform. The festival is due to close on 2 April, courtesy of Paul B Preciado’s star attraction Orlando, My Political Biography, which bagged multiple awards in Berlin. At the heart of the line-up concocted by Catherine Bizern is a competition with a new format, offering up 41 films (of which 20 feature films), including 27 screening in world premieres, three in international premieres and 11 in French premieres. Stand-out movies on the agenda notably include Bloodhound by Switzerland’s Yamina Zoutat, Slaughterhouses of Modernity by Germany’s Heinz Emigholz, Belgian-French production Adieu Sauvage by Colombia’s Sergio Guataquira Sarmiento, American-Croatian production The Fuckee's Hymn by Travis Wilkerson, and various titles well-received in the Berlinale Forum, such as The Trial by Ulises de la Orden (produced by Argentina, France, Italy and Norway) and Being in a Place – A Portrait of Margaret Tait by Scotland’s Luke Fowler.”
Join the DOC NYC Team!
DOC NYC Associate Director of Filmmaker & Industry Initiatives
The DOC NYC Associate Director of Filmmaker & Industry Initiatives oversees outreach, recruitment, and selections for the following festival honors and programs:
The annual 40 Under 40 list recognizing notable emerging filmmakers
The Documentary New Leaders leadership program for rising industry stars
The Industry Roundtables (formerly known as “Only In New York”) meeting forum for filmmakers with works-in-progress
The Storytelling Incubator mentorship program for first-time filmmakers
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The articles linked to in Monday Memo do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DOC NYC.
They are provided as a round up of current discussions in the documentary field.
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