When her son was just two months old, Roja Pakari fell ill. After several medical tests, she was eventually diagnosed with incurable bone marrow cancer. Extended stays in hospital for treatment meant she slowly became a stranger to her little boy, who thought the hospital was her home.
Co-directed with fellow Danish filmmaker Emilie Adelina Monies, “The Son and the Moon” is Pakari’s love letter to her son, which she will be premiering at Cph:dox, one of Europe’s leading documentary film festivals, on March 18. Variety is debuting the poster below.
Mixing her own footage with archives of her native Iran shot with a camcorder, the film chronicles the six years since the birth of her son and the diagnosis of her illness: how she survived coma, her desire – in her own words – “not only to survive but to live” despite cancer, and how she reclaimed her place as...
Co-directed with fellow Danish filmmaker Emilie Adelina Monies, “The Son and the Moon” is Pakari’s love letter to her son, which she will be premiering at Cph:dox, one of Europe’s leading documentary film festivals, on March 18. Variety is debuting the poster below.
Mixing her own footage with archives of her native Iran shot with a camcorder, the film chronicles the six years since the birth of her son and the diagnosis of her illness: how she survived coma, her desire – in her own words – “not only to survive but to live” despite cancer, and how she reclaimed her place as...
- 3/13/2024
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
Cph:Forum, the financing and co-production event on the industry programme of Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, has selected new projects from the producers of Flee and Cow for its 2024 edition; and has refreshed its industry awards with six prizes.
Danish producer Signe Byrge Sorensen will participate with Freedom (working title), directed by Camilla Nielsson, who previously made Sundance 2021 title President about a challenger in Zimbabwe’s corrupt presidential elections.
Scroll down for the full list of Forum projects
Sorensen is CEO of Danish documentary production house Final Cut For Real, which has made films including The Killing Of A Journalist,...
Danish producer Signe Byrge Sorensen will participate with Freedom (working title), directed by Camilla Nielsson, who previously made Sundance 2021 title President about a challenger in Zimbabwe’s corrupt presidential elections.
Scroll down for the full list of Forum projects
Sorensen is CEO of Danish documentary production house Final Cut For Real, which has made films including The Killing Of A Journalist,...
- 2/8/2024
- ScreenDaily
Cph:forum, the financing and co-production section of the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival (also known as Cph:dox), will showcase 32 projects, including new works from producers such as Sidsel Lønvig Siersted, Signe Byrge Sørensen (“Flee”), Diane Becker (“Navalny”) and Mandy Chang, the creative director of Fremantle label Undeniable and former head of BBC documentary strand Storyville, as well as directors Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh (“Writing With Fire”), and Mads Brügger (“Cold Case Hammarskjöld”).
Other projects include those by directors Sky Hopinka (“Kicking the Clouds”), Talal Derki (“Of Fathers and Sons”), and Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche (“Advocat”), and producers Lindsey Dryden (“Trans in America”), Mila Aung-Thwin (“Midwives”) and Kat Mansoor (“Cow”).
Cph:forum will bring together more than 65 filmmakers and producers from 26 countries between March 18-21.
The selected projects will compete for a number of long-standing as well as newly-introduced awards at Cph:Industry, the professional section of the festival.
Other projects include those by directors Sky Hopinka (“Kicking the Clouds”), Talal Derki (“Of Fathers and Sons”), and Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche (“Advocat”), and producers Lindsey Dryden (“Trans in America”), Mila Aung-Thwin (“Midwives”) and Kat Mansoor (“Cow”).
Cph:forum will bring together more than 65 filmmakers and producers from 26 countries between March 18-21.
The selected projects will compete for a number of long-standing as well as newly-introduced awards at Cph:Industry, the professional section of the festival.
- 2/8/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
In documentary film “The Fall,” Danish director Andreas Koefoed tells the story of Estrid, who fell out of a fifth floor window when sleepwalking at the age of 11. Koefoed, whose “The Lost Leonardo” was released last year by Sony Pictures Classics, speaks to Variety about his latest film, which has its world premiere Thursday at the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival (Cph:dox) in Dox:Award, the main international competition category.
Estrid survived the accident but suffered 17 fractures. Through hard work and will-power, she regained her mobility, but the trauma of the fall stays with her and her family. Koefoed first met Estrid a few months after the fall when shooting a short film for a rehabilitation center for war veterans where she was getting treatment.
“I was touched by her personality, her story, the aura around her. I felt it was both a miracle and a tragedy at the same time:...
Estrid survived the accident but suffered 17 fractures. Through hard work and will-power, she regained her mobility, but the trauma of the fall stays with her and her family. Koefoed first met Estrid a few months after the fall when shooting a short film for a rehabilitation center for war veterans where she was getting treatment.
“I was touched by her personality, her story, the aura around her. I felt it was both a miracle and a tragedy at the same time:...
- 3/21/2022
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
There are 30 projects in first physical event since 2019.
New works from One Child Nation director Jialing Zhang and Chuck Norris vs. Communism filmmaker Ilinca Calugareanu are among the 30 projects participating in Cph:forum, the financing and co-production market of Cph:dox film festival.
The Forum will run from March 28-31, and will be the first in-person edition since 2019.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
Massachusetts-based Chinese filmmaker Zhang is participating with German-Dutch co-production The Total Trust (working title), produced by Knut Jager through Germany’s Filmtank. The documentary will examine the growth of surveillance culture in China, from cameras to AI profiling.
New works from One Child Nation director Jialing Zhang and Chuck Norris vs. Communism filmmaker Ilinca Calugareanu are among the 30 projects participating in Cph:forum, the financing and co-production market of Cph:dox film festival.
The Forum will run from March 28-31, and will be the first in-person edition since 2019.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
Massachusetts-based Chinese filmmaker Zhang is participating with German-Dutch co-production The Total Trust (working title), produced by Knut Jager through Germany’s Filmtank. The documentary will examine the growth of surveillance culture in China, from cameras to AI profiling.
- 2/10/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
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
At Cph:Forum, Eurimages Award goes to Maria Back’s Psychosis in Stockholm; 31 projects pitched.
Cph:dox expanded its industry offerings this year by adding a Work-in-Progress session on the eve of its Cph:forum for six Nordic documentaries currently in production or post-production.
Short presentations including footage was shown for projects including:
The Acali Experiment (Swe/Den/Ger/Us), dir Marcus Lindeen, prod Erik Gandini
The story will examine what happened when Mexican anthropologist Santiago Genovés tried a unique experiment in 1973, putting 10 people on a raft for a 101-day voyage to study human behaviour. Lindeen brought the participants together for the first time in 43 years to talk about Genoves’ manipulative behaviour. “I wanted make a reunion and let them talk about their memories of what happened on the raft,” he said. “We let the subjects make a study of the scientist.” The team aims to deliver the film in the autumn.
Contact: gandini@fasad.se
[link...
Cph:dox expanded its industry offerings this year by adding a Work-in-Progress session on the eve of its Cph:forum for six Nordic documentaries currently in production or post-production.
Short presentations including footage was shown for projects including:
The Acali Experiment (Swe/Den/Ger/Us), dir Marcus Lindeen, prod Erik Gandini
The story will examine what happened when Mexican anthropologist Santiago Genovés tried a unique experiment in 1973, putting 10 people on a raft for a 101-day voyage to study human behaviour. Lindeen brought the participants together for the first time in 43 years to talk about Genoves’ manipulative behaviour. “I wanted make a reunion and let them talk about their memories of what happened on the raft,” he said. “We let the subjects make a study of the scientist.” The team aims to deliver the film in the autumn.
Contact: gandini@fasad.se
[link...
- 3/24/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
The Sheffield Doc/Fest is one of the world’s premiere non-fiction film festivals, celebrating both the art and business of documentary film. The business part is a key component, as Sheffield’s MeetMarket has unlocked over $53 million of deals for documentarians since its inception in 2006. It’s for this reason that the filmmakers at Sheffield, while in addition to being top-of-their-field artists, are also experts at how to pitch their projects and getting investors onboard.
To tap into some of that knowledge, IndieWire reached out to six of these experienced filmmakers who have had success pitching and are participating in this year’s MeetMarket, to get their advice about what does and does not work when presenting your project to investors.
Read More: How Field Of Vision’s Quick Production Turnaround Is Changing The Way Documentaries Are Made And Seen
What Works
Maya Gallus, “A Female Gaze”: “This is a film about women filmmakers and how their ‘gaze’ reveals itself in the work. The topic is urgent right now as there is much in the news about the paucity of women at the helm in film and television and why we need to correct this gender disparity. It’s really a film about how the stories we tell reveal who we are as a society. So the timing is excellent. Funders are open and ready to listen. And there is no other contemporary film on the subject.”
Al Morrow, “Sour Grapes”:“Humor always helps in a pitch no matter what the subject or overall tone of the film. I always try and bring out the lighter moments in a story.”
Lindsey Dryden, “Canary In A Coal Mine”: “Successful pitches for me and my teams have been the ones where we’re clear about our story and how we’re going to tell it, succinct, and obviously really excited about the film. That enthusiasm is infectious, especially when it comes from a strong, skilled team.”
Jessica Wolfson, “Did It! From Yippie To Yuppie: Jerry Rubin, An American Revolutionary”:Sometimes you get wrapped up in the pitch and forget to read the reaction of the person you are talking to. Having a partner at the table is great because it allows you to take a moment and assess the situation while the other person is talking. At the Ifp Film Week, [co-director] Paul [Lovelace] and I were able to do that. This helped us make the pitch more engaging for the other end of the table.”
Jeanie Finlay, “Luxury Bitches”: “Being accepted to pitch is not the be all and end all and money will not just appear from sky. It’s worth seeing if people have time to meet outside of the official timetable. A pitch is essentially just a meeting. The most important thing is following up with commissioners and financiers afterwards. Lots of people give ‘great meeting’ and you can have a lot of exciting discussions, but if that isn’t followed up afterwards it was just a lovely meeting.”
Read More: Why Documentary Filmmakers Must Take Care of Legal Business Early and Often
What Doesn’t Work
Lindsey Dryden, “Canary In A Coal Mine”: “I think filmmakers often make a couple of key mistakes (and we’re all guilty of them from time to time). The first is pitching too hard: talking endlessly, lecturing whoever they’re meeting until their eyes glaze over, and not listening. Secondly, filmmakers often don’t tell the actual story: they describe their subject or theme or context, but don’t tell you what’s actually going to happen, how the story will unfold, and how they’re going to tell this story in a unique way. These are things documentary filmmakers can’t know for certain – and films like ‘Call Me Kuchu’ and ‘The Overnighters’ are brilliant examples of completely unexpected twists – but we should be damn good at imagining how our stories might play out.”
Sara Stockmann, Producer of Bobbi Jene”: “It is understandable that pitch teams want to give a 360 degree understanding of their project and in doing so they often get lost in too many details and factual information.”
Maya Gallus, “A Female Gaze”: “Too much extraneous talk. Get to the point: what is the story, who is going to be in it, do you have special or unique access, and what will the audience see. Show a clip. Then let them ask questions.”
Read More: The Critical Role Non-Profits Played in Getting This Year’s Tribeca Film Festival Docs Made
Advice To Filmmakers Get Ready To Pitch
Al Morrow, “Sour Grapes”: “The trailer is everything. If you have a strong trailer that works as a three minute experience and shows the potential and scale of the story you’re most of the way there. It needs to look like your film will look. You can’t say, ‘here’s a trailer, but the film will be different/better.'”
Sara Stockmann, “Bobbi Jene”: “Know whom you are talking to. Do your research on the decision makers. It doesn’t make sense to pitch a project to a decision maker who is not open to the kind of story you are presenting. If you have a great project you will find funding, but don’t waste your energy on 50 meetings. Instead select the five top on your list and save your energy for these. Financing is building a dialogue. Try to collect information from the person you are pitching to. It will come in handy on a future project.”
Lindsey Dryden, “Canary In A Coal Mine”: “A pitch doesn’t have to be formal: it’s the opportunity to have a conversation about the amazing thing you want to make, so keep it conversational, know how to describe your film in a few bullet points, let your passion for the story shine through, and remember to listen. The people you’re pitching to are usually interesting and talented folk who want to discover the ways that you’re interesting and talented, so keep it informal and enjoy the exchange.”
Jessica Wolfson, “Did It! From Yippie To Yuppie: Jerry Rubin, An American Revolutionary”: “[T]ake some time to think of questions you think someone might ask about your film, particularly the more challenging aspects. Because they will ask these questions. Being confident in your answers and in the vision of your film, this will help make a successful pitch.”
Maya Gallus, “A Female Gaze”: “Establish why this film needs to be made now, and why you are the one to make it. Emphasize your passion about the story or access to the subjects – anything to differentiate yourself from the pack.”
Jeanie Finlay, “Luxury Bitches”: “Lastly, do not attempt to pitch to people after 9pm. I saw a funder being accosted on the dance floor last year at about midnight being given proposals and DVDs by an eager filmmaker. I would put money on it that it didn’t result in a commission. Just go to the parties and have fun and let other people do the same.”
Stay on top of the latest in gear and filmmaking news! Sign up for the Indiewire Toolkit newsletter here.
Related storiesHow 'The Witness' Evolved From HBO-Scripted Series To A Doc Revealing the Truth Behind A Shocking MurderHow Field Of Vision's Quick Production Turnaround Is Changing The Way Documentaries Are Made And SeenWatch: The Short About a Changing Williamsburg That Was Inspired by the Once-Lost 'Los Sures'...
To tap into some of that knowledge, IndieWire reached out to six of these experienced filmmakers who have had success pitching and are participating in this year’s MeetMarket, to get their advice about what does and does not work when presenting your project to investors.
Read More: How Field Of Vision’s Quick Production Turnaround Is Changing The Way Documentaries Are Made And Seen
What Works
Maya Gallus, “A Female Gaze”: “This is a film about women filmmakers and how their ‘gaze’ reveals itself in the work. The topic is urgent right now as there is much in the news about the paucity of women at the helm in film and television and why we need to correct this gender disparity. It’s really a film about how the stories we tell reveal who we are as a society. So the timing is excellent. Funders are open and ready to listen. And there is no other contemporary film on the subject.”
Al Morrow, “Sour Grapes”:“Humor always helps in a pitch no matter what the subject or overall tone of the film. I always try and bring out the lighter moments in a story.”
Lindsey Dryden, “Canary In A Coal Mine”: “Successful pitches for me and my teams have been the ones where we’re clear about our story and how we’re going to tell it, succinct, and obviously really excited about the film. That enthusiasm is infectious, especially when it comes from a strong, skilled team.”
Jessica Wolfson, “Did It! From Yippie To Yuppie: Jerry Rubin, An American Revolutionary”:Sometimes you get wrapped up in the pitch and forget to read the reaction of the person you are talking to. Having a partner at the table is great because it allows you to take a moment and assess the situation while the other person is talking. At the Ifp Film Week, [co-director] Paul [Lovelace] and I were able to do that. This helped us make the pitch more engaging for the other end of the table.”
Jeanie Finlay, “Luxury Bitches”: “Being accepted to pitch is not the be all and end all and money will not just appear from sky. It’s worth seeing if people have time to meet outside of the official timetable. A pitch is essentially just a meeting. The most important thing is following up with commissioners and financiers afterwards. Lots of people give ‘great meeting’ and you can have a lot of exciting discussions, but if that isn’t followed up afterwards it was just a lovely meeting.”
Read More: Why Documentary Filmmakers Must Take Care of Legal Business Early and Often
What Doesn’t Work
Lindsey Dryden, “Canary In A Coal Mine”: “I think filmmakers often make a couple of key mistakes (and we’re all guilty of them from time to time). The first is pitching too hard: talking endlessly, lecturing whoever they’re meeting until their eyes glaze over, and not listening. Secondly, filmmakers often don’t tell the actual story: they describe their subject or theme or context, but don’t tell you what’s actually going to happen, how the story will unfold, and how they’re going to tell this story in a unique way. These are things documentary filmmakers can’t know for certain – and films like ‘Call Me Kuchu’ and ‘The Overnighters’ are brilliant examples of completely unexpected twists – but we should be damn good at imagining how our stories might play out.”
Sara Stockmann, Producer of Bobbi Jene”: “It is understandable that pitch teams want to give a 360 degree understanding of their project and in doing so they often get lost in too many details and factual information.”
Maya Gallus, “A Female Gaze”: “Too much extraneous talk. Get to the point: what is the story, who is going to be in it, do you have special or unique access, and what will the audience see. Show a clip. Then let them ask questions.”
Read More: The Critical Role Non-Profits Played in Getting This Year’s Tribeca Film Festival Docs Made
Advice To Filmmakers Get Ready To Pitch
Al Morrow, “Sour Grapes”: “The trailer is everything. If you have a strong trailer that works as a three minute experience and shows the potential and scale of the story you’re most of the way there. It needs to look like your film will look. You can’t say, ‘here’s a trailer, but the film will be different/better.'”
Sara Stockmann, “Bobbi Jene”: “Know whom you are talking to. Do your research on the decision makers. It doesn’t make sense to pitch a project to a decision maker who is not open to the kind of story you are presenting. If you have a great project you will find funding, but don’t waste your energy on 50 meetings. Instead select the five top on your list and save your energy for these. Financing is building a dialogue. Try to collect information from the person you are pitching to. It will come in handy on a future project.”
Lindsey Dryden, “Canary In A Coal Mine”: “A pitch doesn’t have to be formal: it’s the opportunity to have a conversation about the amazing thing you want to make, so keep it conversational, know how to describe your film in a few bullet points, let your passion for the story shine through, and remember to listen. The people you’re pitching to are usually interesting and talented folk who want to discover the ways that you’re interesting and talented, so keep it informal and enjoy the exchange.”
Jessica Wolfson, “Did It! From Yippie To Yuppie: Jerry Rubin, An American Revolutionary”: “[T]ake some time to think of questions you think someone might ask about your film, particularly the more challenging aspects. Because they will ask these questions. Being confident in your answers and in the vision of your film, this will help make a successful pitch.”
Maya Gallus, “A Female Gaze”: “Establish why this film needs to be made now, and why you are the one to make it. Emphasize your passion about the story or access to the subjects – anything to differentiate yourself from the pack.”
Jeanie Finlay, “Luxury Bitches”: “Lastly, do not attempt to pitch to people after 9pm. I saw a funder being accosted on the dance floor last year at about midnight being given proposals and DVDs by an eager filmmaker. I would put money on it that it didn’t result in a commission. Just go to the parties and have fun and let other people do the same.”
Stay on top of the latest in gear and filmmaking news! Sign up for the Indiewire Toolkit newsletter here.
Related storiesHow 'The Witness' Evolved From HBO-Scripted Series To A Doc Revealing the Truth Behind A Shocking MurderHow Field Of Vision's Quick Production Turnaround Is Changing The Way Documentaries Are Made And SeenWatch: The Short About a Changing Williamsburg That Was Inspired by the Once-Lost 'Los Sures'...
- 6/14/2016
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Berlinale title follows three gay teenagers as they come out in Us Bible Belt.
Paris-based documentary specialist Wide House has taken on sales of Danish Jannick Splidsboel’s coming-of-age study, Misfits, ahead of its world premiere in the Panorama section of the Berlinale (Feb 5-15).
The documentary follows three teenagers growing up in the Us Bible Belt as they attempt to come out and remain part of communities that traditionally condemn homosexuality.
It is produced by Sara Stockmann at Sonntag Pictures, whose credits include Janus Metz’s Cannes Critics’ Week Grand Prize winner Armadillo.
Splidsboel was previously at the Berlinale with his 2009 work How Are You.
Other Berlinale titles on Wide House’s Efm slate Atsushi Funahashi’s Nuclear Nation II, which will receive its world premiere in the Forum strand.
The documentary is a sequel to Funahashi’s Nuclear Nation, which screened at the 2012 Berlinale, about the residents of a small town who were forced to leave...
Paris-based documentary specialist Wide House has taken on sales of Danish Jannick Splidsboel’s coming-of-age study, Misfits, ahead of its world premiere in the Panorama section of the Berlinale (Feb 5-15).
The documentary follows three teenagers growing up in the Us Bible Belt as they attempt to come out and remain part of communities that traditionally condemn homosexuality.
It is produced by Sara Stockmann at Sonntag Pictures, whose credits include Janus Metz’s Cannes Critics’ Week Grand Prize winner Armadillo.
Splidsboel was previously at the Berlinale with his 2009 work How Are You.
Other Berlinale titles on Wide House’s Efm slate Atsushi Funahashi’s Nuclear Nation II, which will receive its world premiere in the Forum strand.
The documentary is a sequel to Funahashi’s Nuclear Nation, which screened at the 2012 Berlinale, about the residents of a small town who were forced to leave...
- 1/21/2015
- ScreenDaily
$150,000 in Documentary Finishing Funds to be Awarded to Eight International Filmmakers Chosen from a Record Number of Submissions; Spotlighting Women Documentary Award Presented in Partnership with the Ppr Corporate Foundation for Women’s Dignity & Rights
* * *
Marshall Curry, James Franco, Barbara Kopple and Robin Wright among 2012 Jury Members
The Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi) and Gucci announced the 2012 recipients selected for the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund. The Fund, now in its fifth year, provides finishing finances, year-round support and guidance to domestic and international documentary filmmakers with feature-length films highlighting and humanizing issues of social importance from around the world. Eight projects have been selected from a record 697 submissions from 56 countries to receive a total of $150,000, to be administered by the Tribeca Film Institute.
For the second year, the Ppr Corporate Foundation for Women’s Dignity & Rights has joined the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund to present the Spotlighting Women Documentary Award. Three film projects have been chosen that illuminate the courage, compassion, extraordinary strength of character, and contributions of women from around the world, including Iran, Timor-Leste and Nigeria.
2012 projects were selected by a jury consisting of Marshall Curry, Jesse Dylan, James Franco, Barbara Kopple, Andrea Meditch, and Robin Wright. The committee chose the recipients from finalists selected by Tfi. In addition to funding, grantees will each receive year-round support from Tfi, including one-on-one guidance and consultation to help each film to reach completion, enter the marketplace, and find broader audiences for their work.
“Over the past four years, alumni projects of the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund have gone on not only to receive artistic and critical recognition from around the world, but also to inspire and impact change through the social justice issues within the stories they are telling,” said Ryan Harrington, Director of Documentary Programming at the Tribeca Film Institute. “We are proud of their success and look forward to helping this year’s filmmakers finish and bring awareness to their films .”
The projects that will collectively receive $100,000 total in funding for the 2012 Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund are:
- E-Team (Directors Katy Chevigny & Ross Kauffman)
- God Loves Uganda (Director Roger Ross Williams)
- First to Fall (Director Rachel Anderson)
- Mercy Mercy (Director Katrine W Kjaer)
- Two Children of the Red Mosque (Director Hemal Trivedi)
The projects that will collectively receive $50,000 total in funding for the 2012 Spotlighting Women Documentary Award are:
- Alias Ruby Blade (Director Alex Meillier)
- Stargazing(working title) (Director Berit Madsen)
- The Supreme Price (Director Joanna Lipper)
“It was difficult to choose from among such a strong group of projects, but those we selected for the 2012 Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund and the Spotlighting Women Awards feature strong, engaging characters and an intimate style to tell stories that illuminate the remarkable range of human struggle and triumph around the world,” said Andrea Meditch on behalf of the jury.
Films funded through the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund explore social issues across the globe through compelling and deeply personal stories, including: the intersection of religion and African culture in evangelical communities in Uganda; a fascinating look into the work of three members of the Human Rights Watch’s Emergency Team; the journey of young civilian expatriate rebels to liberate their home country; the complexities of international adoption; and the juxtaposing stories of two children in Pakistan pursuing very different dreams. The grantees projects include:
E-Team
Directed by Katy Chevigny & Ross Kauffman, produced by Chevigny, Kauffman & Marilyn Ness — The E-Team follows the intense and courageous work of three intrepid human rights workers on the frontlines of identifying international human rights abuses. Dramatic and crucial, Human Rights Watch’s Emergency Team work is custom-made for a compelling documentary film with a global perspective.
God Loves Uganda
Directed and produced by Roger Ross Williams, produced by Julie Goldman — God Loves Uganda is a journey into the heart of East Africa, where Ugandan pastors and their American counterparts spread God’s word and evangelical values to millions desperate for a better life. Inspired by his own roots in the African American Baptist church, director Roger Ross Williams seeks to explore a place where religion and African culture intersect.
First to Fall
Directed by Rachel Anderson, produced by Tony Gerber, executive produced by Mike Lerner —First to Fall follows a group of young civilian expatriate ‘rebels’ on their 8-month journey to liberate their home country. They give up comfortable, stable lives in order to take up arms against a corrupt regime and risk their lives in a brutal, chaotic war.
Mercy Mercy
Directed by Katrine W Kjær, produced by Miriam Nørgaard, Sara Stockmann & Vibeke Windeløv —International adoption seems like the perfect solution to a heartbreaking imbalance: Poor countries have babies in need of homes, and rich countries have homes in need of babies. Unfortunately, a lot of the orphans are not orphans at all.
Two Children of the Red Mosque
Directed and produced by Hemal Trivedi, co-directed by Mohammad Naqvi, produced by Whitney Dow and Jonathan Goodman Levitt — After attending Pakistan’s most notorious madrassah, 12-year-olds Zarina and Talha pursue different dreams. Zarina attends school while trying to avoid marriage; Talha remains a madrassah student preparing for Jihad. Their stories personalize Pakistanis’ ideological war.
The Spotlighting Women Documentary Awards highlight the courage and strength of women from around the world including: an Arabian teenage who dreams of a career as an astronaut despite her family’s disapproval; the role of one woman in establishing Timor-Leste as an independent nation; and another woman’s work fighting the corruption in Nigeria’s government. The grantees projects include:
Alias Ruby Blade
Directed by Alexander Meillier, produced by Tanya Ager Meillier — One courageous woman risks everything for the love of the imprisoned leader of a nation struggling for freedom. Together they nurture the tumultuous birth of the world’s newest nation – Timor-Leste.
Stargazing (working title)
Directed by Berit Madsen, produced by Henrik Underbjerg & Stefan Frost— A young Arabian girl wants to become an astronaut. But at her age the nightly stargazing excursions in the desert are a thorn in the side of family and traditions.
The Supreme Price
Directed and produced by Joanna Lipper— The Supreme Price tells the story of Hafsat Abiola. Following the annulment of her father’s victory in Nigeria’s Presidential Election and her mother’s assassination by the military dictatorship, Hafsat faces the challenge of transforming a corrupt culture of governance into a democracy capable of serving Nigeria’s most marginalized population: women.
About the Ppr Foundation:
Since its inception in 2009, the Ppr Corporate Foundation for Women’s Dignity & Rights pursues two objectives: fighting violence against women and promoting women’s empowerment.
Through its partnerships with local and international NGOs, social entrepreneurs or awareness raising programs, the Ppr Foundation encourages staff mobilization to the benefit of women.
The Ppr Foundation is part of Ppr Home.
www.fondationppr.org...
* * *
Marshall Curry, James Franco, Barbara Kopple and Robin Wright among 2012 Jury Members
The Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi) and Gucci announced the 2012 recipients selected for the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund. The Fund, now in its fifth year, provides finishing finances, year-round support and guidance to domestic and international documentary filmmakers with feature-length films highlighting and humanizing issues of social importance from around the world. Eight projects have been selected from a record 697 submissions from 56 countries to receive a total of $150,000, to be administered by the Tribeca Film Institute.
For the second year, the Ppr Corporate Foundation for Women’s Dignity & Rights has joined the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund to present the Spotlighting Women Documentary Award. Three film projects have been chosen that illuminate the courage, compassion, extraordinary strength of character, and contributions of women from around the world, including Iran, Timor-Leste and Nigeria.
2012 projects were selected by a jury consisting of Marshall Curry, Jesse Dylan, James Franco, Barbara Kopple, Andrea Meditch, and Robin Wright. The committee chose the recipients from finalists selected by Tfi. In addition to funding, grantees will each receive year-round support from Tfi, including one-on-one guidance and consultation to help each film to reach completion, enter the marketplace, and find broader audiences for their work.
“Over the past four years, alumni projects of the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund have gone on not only to receive artistic and critical recognition from around the world, but also to inspire and impact change through the social justice issues within the stories they are telling,” said Ryan Harrington, Director of Documentary Programming at the Tribeca Film Institute. “We are proud of their success and look forward to helping this year’s filmmakers finish and bring awareness to their films .”
The projects that will collectively receive $100,000 total in funding for the 2012 Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund are:
- E-Team (Directors Katy Chevigny & Ross Kauffman)
- God Loves Uganda (Director Roger Ross Williams)
- First to Fall (Director Rachel Anderson)
- Mercy Mercy (Director Katrine W Kjaer)
- Two Children of the Red Mosque (Director Hemal Trivedi)
The projects that will collectively receive $50,000 total in funding for the 2012 Spotlighting Women Documentary Award are:
- Alias Ruby Blade (Director Alex Meillier)
- Stargazing(working title) (Director Berit Madsen)
- The Supreme Price (Director Joanna Lipper)
“It was difficult to choose from among such a strong group of projects, but those we selected for the 2012 Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund and the Spotlighting Women Awards feature strong, engaging characters and an intimate style to tell stories that illuminate the remarkable range of human struggle and triumph around the world,” said Andrea Meditch on behalf of the jury.
Films funded through the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund explore social issues across the globe through compelling and deeply personal stories, including: the intersection of religion and African culture in evangelical communities in Uganda; a fascinating look into the work of three members of the Human Rights Watch’s Emergency Team; the journey of young civilian expatriate rebels to liberate their home country; the complexities of international adoption; and the juxtaposing stories of two children in Pakistan pursuing very different dreams. The grantees projects include:
E-Team
Directed by Katy Chevigny & Ross Kauffman, produced by Chevigny, Kauffman & Marilyn Ness — The E-Team follows the intense and courageous work of three intrepid human rights workers on the frontlines of identifying international human rights abuses. Dramatic and crucial, Human Rights Watch’s Emergency Team work is custom-made for a compelling documentary film with a global perspective.
God Loves Uganda
Directed and produced by Roger Ross Williams, produced by Julie Goldman — God Loves Uganda is a journey into the heart of East Africa, where Ugandan pastors and their American counterparts spread God’s word and evangelical values to millions desperate for a better life. Inspired by his own roots in the African American Baptist church, director Roger Ross Williams seeks to explore a place where religion and African culture intersect.
First to Fall
Directed by Rachel Anderson, produced by Tony Gerber, executive produced by Mike Lerner —First to Fall follows a group of young civilian expatriate ‘rebels’ on their 8-month journey to liberate their home country. They give up comfortable, stable lives in order to take up arms against a corrupt regime and risk their lives in a brutal, chaotic war.
Mercy Mercy
Directed by Katrine W Kjær, produced by Miriam Nørgaard, Sara Stockmann & Vibeke Windeløv —International adoption seems like the perfect solution to a heartbreaking imbalance: Poor countries have babies in need of homes, and rich countries have homes in need of babies. Unfortunately, a lot of the orphans are not orphans at all.
Two Children of the Red Mosque
Directed and produced by Hemal Trivedi, co-directed by Mohammad Naqvi, produced by Whitney Dow and Jonathan Goodman Levitt — After attending Pakistan’s most notorious madrassah, 12-year-olds Zarina and Talha pursue different dreams. Zarina attends school while trying to avoid marriage; Talha remains a madrassah student preparing for Jihad. Their stories personalize Pakistanis’ ideological war.
The Spotlighting Women Documentary Awards highlight the courage and strength of women from around the world including: an Arabian teenage who dreams of a career as an astronaut despite her family’s disapproval; the role of one woman in establishing Timor-Leste as an independent nation; and another woman’s work fighting the corruption in Nigeria’s government. The grantees projects include:
Alias Ruby Blade
Directed by Alexander Meillier, produced by Tanya Ager Meillier — One courageous woman risks everything for the love of the imprisoned leader of a nation struggling for freedom. Together they nurture the tumultuous birth of the world’s newest nation – Timor-Leste.
Stargazing (working title)
Directed by Berit Madsen, produced by Henrik Underbjerg & Stefan Frost— A young Arabian girl wants to become an astronaut. But at her age the nightly stargazing excursions in the desert are a thorn in the side of family and traditions.
The Supreme Price
Directed and produced by Joanna Lipper— The Supreme Price tells the story of Hafsat Abiola. Following the annulment of her father’s victory in Nigeria’s Presidential Election and her mother’s assassination by the military dictatorship, Hafsat faces the challenge of transforming a corrupt culture of governance into a democracy capable of serving Nigeria’s most marginalized population: women.
About the Ppr Foundation:
Since its inception in 2009, the Ppr Corporate Foundation for Women’s Dignity & Rights pursues two objectives: fighting violence against women and promoting women’s empowerment.
Through its partnerships with local and international NGOs, social entrepreneurs or awareness raising programs, the Ppr Foundation encourages staff mobilization to the benefit of women.
The Ppr Foundation is part of Ppr Home.
www.fondationppr.org...
- 6/25/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Cinema Eye Honors, devoted to highlighting the best of the year's nonfiction films, have flipped for Lixin Fan's fantastic "Last Train Home," which follows a family of migrant workers as they struggle to stay connected while living separated by hundreds of miles. "Last Train Home" received the most nominations -- seven -- while Banksy's "Exit Through The Gift Shop" and Afghanistan documentary "Armadillo" each received six. The award ceremony will take place on January 18 at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, and will be broadcast on the Documentary Channel.
Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
Armadilllo
Directed by Janus Metz
Produced by Sara Stockmann and Ronnie Fridthjof
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Directed by Banksy
Produced by Jaimie D'Cruz
Last Train Home
Directed by Lixin Fan
Produced by Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross
Marwencol
Directed by Jeff Malmberg
Produced by Jeff Malmberg, Tom Putnam, Matt Radecki, Chris Shellen...
Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
Armadilllo
Directed by Janus Metz
Produced by Sara Stockmann and Ronnie Fridthjof
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Directed by Banksy
Produced by Jaimie D'Cruz
Last Train Home
Directed by Lixin Fan
Produced by Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross
Marwencol
Directed by Jeff Malmberg
Produced by Jeff Malmberg, Tom Putnam, Matt Radecki, Chris Shellen...
- 11/5/2010
- by Alison Willmore
- ifc.com
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