Category Archives: #AFIDOCS

TODAY AT THE AFI DOCS FORUM

Posted by Larry Gleeson

Saturday, June 17

10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., AFI DOCS Festival Hub at the District Architecture Center (DAC), 421 7th St. NW in Washington, DC.

3:00 p.m. Special VR Program at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in Washington, DC.

Day Three of the AFI DOCS Forum includes panels on making and distributing short docs on a speedy timeline; VR Exhibition to view the best and latest in virtual reality; and a special VR program at the Newseum on how VR emerged as a powerful storytelling platform in documentary filmmaking.

The Forum will present a variety of networking and professional development events for filmmakers, industry professionals and those with a passion for nonfiction storytelling. Open to all AFI DOCS passholders, each day of the Forum will include breakfast and lunch.

Today’s full schedule is as follows:

9:30 a.m.
Morning Refreshments

10:00 a.m.
Short Order: Making and Distributing Rapid Response Short Docs
Short doesn’t always mean fast in documentary filmmaking, but there are major advantages to making and distributing short docs on a speedy timeline. This panel of makers and funders addresses a faster approach to shorts, outlines available opportunities for support and explores key partnerships vital to working in this mode.

Moderator:

Panelists:

11:30 a.m.
VR Exhibition
View a curated selection of the latest and best in virtual reality (VR).

1:00 p.m.
In With the New: The Latest Trends in Documentary Distribution
Staying current with the latest distribution trends is critical to filmmakers’ success in reaching audiences and generating revenue. This panel of industry experts and new players in the distribution space examines the current state of documentary distribution and explains the evolving relationship between theatrical, broadcast and online platforms.

Moderator:

Panelists:

SPECIAL VR PROGRAM AT THE NEWSEUM
Open to all AFI DOCS Passholders
Use the Newseum’s C Street Entrance at the back of the building.

3:00 p.m.
VR EXHIBITION

4:30 p.m.
Virtual No More: How VR Is Having Real-World Impact
Hosted by the Newseum at the Knight TV Studio, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001.

With lightning speed, VR has emerged as a viable storytelling platform and a major force in documentary. Driving VR’s rise is its huge promise for building stronger empathy in audiences and connecting people to powerful, real-world stories and social issues. This panel will explore how filmmakers and organizations are using VR to change hearts and minds.

Moderator: Mitch Gelman, Chief Technology Officer, Newseum

Panelists:

AFI DOCS FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

Posted by Larry Gleeson

AFI DOCS Charles Guggenheim Symposium With Honoree Laura Poitras

Spotlight Screening of AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER at the Newseum and World Premiere of RECRUITING FOR JIHAD

Day Two of the AFI DOCS Forum

 

Washington, DC, Friday, June 16, 2017 — AFI DOCS presents a full schedule of Friday’s events that include the Charles Guggenheim Symposium celebrating Academy Award ®-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras.  The Symposium will include a conversation with Poitras and Director of Ford Foundation’s JustFilms Cara Mertes.  The Newseum will host the Spotlight Screening of AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER, and the extended international version of RECRUITING FOR JIHAD will have its world premiere.  Also, the 2017 AFI DOCS Forum is in its second day at the Festival Hub in the District Architecture Center.  These events and festival screenings further the mission of AFI DOCS: to bring filmmakers, our nation’s leaders and audiences together in the heart of Washington, DC.

 

 

WHO: Poitras, Mertes and AFI President & CEO Bob Gazzale

WHAT: GUGGENHEIM SYMPOSIUM

This year’s Symposium pays tribute to groundbreaking filmmaker Laura Poitras, with clips from her acclaimed works along with an in-depth discussion moderated by Director of Ford Foundation’s JustFilms Cara Mertes.

WHEN: 6:30 p.m.

WHERE:  Newseum, Annenberg Theater, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC

 

 

WHO: Director Jon Shenk and ClimateWire’s Emily Holden

WHAT: AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL:  TRUTH TO POWER – SPOTLIGHT SCREENING

This timely sequel to Academy Award®-winning documentary AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (2006) takes up with former Vice President Al Gore and his efforts to educate the public — and those in power — about climate change and the crisis facing our planet.

WHEN:  8:30 p.m.     Screening begins

10:10 p.m.   Panel with Shenk moderated by Holden

WHERE:  Newseum, Annenberg Theater, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC

 

Tickets for select screenings are still available. Order online at AFI.com/AFIDOCS. Same day tickets must be purchased in-person at festival venues: Landmark E Street Cinema, the Newseum and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.

WORLD PREMIERE OF RECRUITING FOR JIHAD’S

EXTENDED INTERNATIONAL VERSION

 

8:45 p.m.  RECRUITING FOR JIHAD at Landmark E Street Cinema Theatre 6.  Journalist Adel Khan Farooq gains unparalleled and unsettling access into the shrouded world of jihadism. He shadows Norwegian Muslim Ubaydullah Hussain — a polarizing figure — as he recruits young converts aiming to travel to Syria and join ISIS.  Farooq casually encounters soon-to-be jihadists as he documents this notorious but largely unknown world.  Expected guests include directors Adel Khan Farooq and Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen.

 

AFI DOCS FORUM:  DAY TWO

10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.  Festival filmmakers and industry professionals will meet at the AFI DOCS Festival Hub at the District Architecture Center (DAC) for day two of the four-day AFI DOCS Forum.  Open to all AFI DOCS passholders, each day of the Forum includes breakfast and lunch. Each day the Forum will explore a unique topic with keynote presentations, conversations, panel discussions and micro-meetings.  Friday’s AFI DOCS Forum schedule, sponsored by Corporation for Public Broadcasting, will include:

 

10:00 a.m.  Truth in Storytelling
How do we engage a post-truth society, with its fake news, hate speech and misleading narratives that further antagonism toward objective, fact-based sources for news and information?  Public media journalists and independent documentary filmmakers participate in a conversation about reporting and nonfiction storytelling in a post-truth world.

 

11:30 a.m.  Documentary Film in Service of a Civil Society

All locally owned and operated, public television stations help citizens and communities understand the issues they face at home and regionally, enabling them to develop solutions based on facts and rooted in community partnerships.  As localism is seen increasingly as a way to bridge the widening partisan divide, representatives of public broadcasters from across the country discuss the role of public media in their communities and the expanding roles of journalism and documentary film in activating civic engagement and creating a more equitable society.

 

2:00 p.m.  Documentary Case Study: GENTLEMEN OF VISION + Nine Network of Public Media (St. Louis, MO)

In 2015, St. Louis independent documentary filmmaker Frank Popper and St. Louis PBS affiliate Nine Network began production on a documentary about the nationally acclaimed, competitive high school step team Gentlemen of Vision (GOV).  Following the team as they strived to win their national competitions, graduate from high school and overcome personal challenges, the documentary emerged from the Nine Network’s work on American Graduate, a national and local initiative to help young people succeed in school and in life — with the goal of increasing the graduation rate nationwide to 90% by the year 2020.

 

Photos and a recap from the day’s events will be made available for download in the pressroom at afidocspress.afi.com.

 

A LOOK BACK AT THURSDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, June 15, AFI DOCS kicked off the four-day AFI DOCS Forum at the District Architecture Center.  Day one of the Forum included filmmaker conversations and presentations on diversity and inclusion in the documentary field.  Thursday’s film programming included the Spotlight Screenings of MOSQUITO and THE REAGAN SHOW, followed by panel discussions at the Newseum.  Mariska Hargitay joined directors Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir for a screening and Q&A of I AM EVIDENCE.  TOUGH GUYS had its world premiere with producer Morgan Spurlock on Thursday at E Street Cinema.

 

OTHER FRIDAY EVENTS:

11:00 a.m.  THE GROWN-UPS

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 7

In Maite Alberdi’s delightful, award-winning portrait, a group of middle-aged adults with Down syndrome attend culinary classes in Chile.  The students navigate life, love and making the perfect pastries, while dreaming of living independently.

 

11:00 a.m.  CHAVELA

AFI SILVER THEATRE 2

The dramatic, soulful interpretations of Mexican lesbian singer Chavela Vargas paved the way for women seeking equality in a traditionally male world.  A renowned nightclub performer reduced to alcoholic impoverishment, Vargas made a triumphant comeback in her 70s that secured her reputation as an artist of uncompromising passion and independence.  Expected guests include director Daresha Kyi.

 

11:15 a.m.  WAITING FOR THE SUN

AFI SILVER THEATRE 3

China has the largest number of prisoners on death row worldwide. The children of the condemned face social stigma and few options.  Enter Grandma Zheng, a former prison guard who, via her orphanage Sun Valley, provides housing, education and a second chance for a normal life.

 

11:30 a.m.  SHORTS PROGRAM 2:  GREAT LOVES

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 6

Featured films:  BALANCÉ, CUCLI, HAVANA HOUSE, LADY EVA, LIFE, DEATH AND CHEERLEADING and THE TABLES.  Expected guests include HAVANA HOUSE director Gaspar González, LADY EVA director Dean Hamer, LIFE, DEATH AND CHEERLEADING director Claire Tailyour and THE TABLES director Jon Bunning.

 

1:00 p.m.  TROPHY

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 7

As man forces more animals to the edge of extinction, the search for how to save them has become only more complex.  TROPHY is a dark journey into the global commodification of big game animals in Africa and the consequences that result.  Expected guests include directors Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau.

 

1:30 p.m.  NOWHERE TO HIDE

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 1

A hospital worker films life in central Iraq’s “triangle of death” after American forces leave in 2011, capturing unforgettable images of his family’s survival and providing a brave view of a chaotic and brutal war zone.  Expected guests include director Zaradasht Ahmed and producer Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas.

 

1:30 p.m.  NO MAN’S LAND

AFI SILVER THEATRE 2

In 2016, a well-armed band of anti-government militants took control of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.  NO MAN’S LAND is the riveting account of the siege that followed and its aftermath.  Expected guests include director David Byars.

 

1:45 p.m.  SHORTS PROGRAM 3: CLOSE TIES

AFI SILVER THEATRE 3

Featured films:  ALL GOOD THINGS, CLOSE TIES, EDITH+EDDIE and HOW THE AIR FEELS.  Expected guests include EDITH + EDDIE director Laura Checkoway and HOW THE AIR FEELS director Khaula Malik.

 

2:15 p.m.  SHORTS PROGRAM 7:  WORLD VIEWS      

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATER 6

Featured films:  ELECTION, HOMELAND, MONUMENT I MONUMENTO, MY DAUGHTER NORA, PICKET LINE and THE PRICE OF CERTAINTY.  Expected guests include THE PRICE OF CERTAINTY director Daniele Anastasion.

 

3:45 p.m.  UNREST

AFI SILVER THEATRE 2

When a mysterious illness robs newlywed and Harvard grad student Jennifer Brea of the life she dreamed of living, she reaches out to others grappling with a little-understood disease that primarily afflicts women.

 

4:00 p.m.  GENTLEMEN OF VISION

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 7

Produced by St. Louis PBS affiliate Nine Network, GENTLEMEN OF VISION profiles the struggles and triumphs shared by a competitive high school step team and their determined coach as they prepare for a key competition.  Expected guests include directors Jim Kirchherr and Frank Popper, and film subjects Amy Shaw and Marlon Wharton.

 

4:00 p.m.  NEW CHEFS ON THE BLOCK

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 1

Opening a new restaurant is not for the faint of heart.  Time, money, stress, repeat.  Two DC-area chefs put everything on the line to open two very different establishments — Frank Linn’s Frankly…Pizza! and Aaron Silverman’s Rose’s Luxury (Bon Appetit’s “Best New Restaurant in America” in 2014).  Expected guests include director Dustin Harrison-Atlas, film subjects Frank Linn and Kate Diamond, and The Washington Post’s Tim Carman.  Q&A moderated by The Washington Post’s Joe Yonan.

 

4:15 p.m.  A GREEK WINTER

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 6

In the wake of the Greek debt crisis, a spirited brother and sister from Thessaloniki must face the impossible choice of keeping their small family business afloat or helping neighbors in need.  Expected guests include director Ingeborg Jansen.

 

4:15 p.m.  THE CAGE FIGHTER

AFI SILVER THEATRE 3

In this unflinching and up-close portrait, a 40-year-old blue-collar dad is caught between his desire to make a comeback in mixed martial arts, and his family, who abhors his brutal hobby.  Expected guests include sound engineer Frank Scheuring.

 

6:00 p.m.  32 PILLS: MY SISTER’S SUICIDE

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 7

In December 2008, Ruth Litoff took her own life and left behind a legacy of art, love and tragedy.  Years later, her sister Hope undertakes a mission to understand Ruth’s illness and her desire to end her life.  Expected guests include director Hope Litoff and producer Beth Levison.

 

6:15 p.m.  CITY OF GHOSTS

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 6

The latest film from Matthew Heineman (CARTEL LAND) is a harrowing and inspirational portrait of the men behind “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently,” a group of heroic citizen journalists who are courageously fighting to bring to light ISIS’ atrocities in their hometown.  Expected guests include director Matthew Heineman and moderator Jason Dick from CQ Roll Call.

 

6:15 p.m.  DINA

AFI SILVER THEATRE 2

This tender story of overcoming obstacles and finding love follows a 49-year-old woman coping with autism and a fledgling romance with Scott, a Walmart door greeter.  DINA garnered the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.  Expected guests include directors Antonio Santini and Daniel Sickles, as well as the film subjects Dina Buno and Scott Levin.

 

6:30 p.m.  RUMBLE

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 1

RUMBLE celebrates the unsung Native American and First Nation musicians who helped shape rock and roll in this rollicking and thoughtful film about the rarely acknowledged Indian role in the history of North American music.  Featuring interviews with George Clinton, Martin Scorsese, Buffy Sainte-Marie and many more.  Spotlight Screening.  Expected guests include director Catherine Bainbridge and producers Ernest Webb and Tim Johnson.

 

6:30 p.m.  THE GIRL DOWN LOCH ÄNZI

AFI SILVER THEATRE 3

Juggling the awkwardness of adolescence and the magnetism of a local legend, a 12-year-old girl navigates life on a Swiss family farm and dreams of searching a gorge for the titular mythological girl.

 

8:15 p.m.  DONKEYOTE

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 7

Chico Pereira’s portrait of a 73-year-old Spaniard planning a quixotic trip to the U.S. to walk the Trail of Tears with his beloved dog and donkey shows how the journey can be even richer than the destination.

 

8:45 p.m.  QUEST

AFI SILVER THEATRE 2

Following a close-knit family in Philadelphia’s inner city as they face innumerable struggles from the 2008 election to today, QUEST shows how much can change — and how much can remain the same — over the course of eight years.  Expected guests include director Jon Olshefski and the film’s subjects, the Rainey family.

 

9:00 p.m.  A SUITABLE GIRL

AFI SILVER THEATRE 3

Tradition, modernity and gender roles converge in this honest portrait of three young women in India as they — and their parents — contemplate their marriage prospects, careers and future happiness.  Expected guests include directors Smriti Mundhra and Sarita Khurana.

 

9:15 p.m.  FOR AHKEEM

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 1

Behind the racially charged headlines of Ferguson, MO, is 17-year-old Daje “Boonie” Shelton, a young woman from North St. Louis struggling to make it to graduation after an unexpected pregnancy.  Expected guests include directors Jeremy S. Levine and Landon Van Soest.

 

About the American Film Institute

Celebrating its golden milestone, the American Film Institute began its mission on June 5, 1967 — to preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. Established by Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidential mandate in the White House Rose Garden, AFI is America’s promise to educate today’s audiences and tomorrow’s artists. The Institute was anchored by a foundation of luminaries from the film community including Gregory Peck as Chair, Sidney Poitier as Vice Chair, George Stevens, Jr., as Director and CEO with board members Francis Ford Coppola, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and Jack Valenti.

 

In 1969, AFI opened the Center for Advanced Film Studies, now called the AFI Conservatory, an elite MFA program whose inaugural class included Terrence Malik, Caleb Deschanel and Paul Schrader. The program’s acclaimed film and television alumni include Andrea Arnold, Darren Aronofsky, Julie Dash, Patty Jenkins, Janusz Kamiński, David Lynch and Robert Richardson, among others.

 

In addition to the AFI Conservatory, AFI programs include the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive, which preserve film heritage for future generations; the AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film; AFI AWARDS, honoring the most outstanding movies and TV series of the year; AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies television events and movie reference lists, which have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers; year-round and special event exhibition through AFI FEST presented by Audi, AFI DOCS and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.  For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm,
facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/AFI.

 

About AFI DOCS

AFI DOCS is the American Film Institute’s annual documentary festival in Washington, DC.  Presenting the year’s best documentaries, AFI DOCS is the only festival in the U.S. dedicated to screenings and events that connect audiences, filmmakers and policy leaders in the heart of our nation’s government.  The AFI DOCS advisory board includes Ken Burns, Davis Guggenheim, Chris Hegedus, Werner Herzog, Rory Kennedy, Barbara Kopple, Spike Lee, Errol Morris, Stanley Nelson, D A Pennebaker, Agnès Varda and Frederick Wiseman.  Now in its 15th year, the festival will be held June 14–18, 2017, in landmark Washington, DC, venues and at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD.  Visit AFI.com/AFIDOCS and connect on twitter.com/AFIDOCS, facebook.com/AFIDOCS, youtube.com/AFI and instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, business, mobile and high speed internet services. We offer the nation’s best data network* and the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider.** We’re one of the world’s largest providers of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. Nearly 3.5 million companies, from small to large businesses around the globe, turn to AT&T for our highly secure smart solutions.
AT&T Products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.  Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at facebook.com/att and YouTube at youtube.com/att.

 

© 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
*Claim based on the Nielsen Certified Data Network Score. Score includes data reported by wireless consumers in the Nielsen Mobile Insights survey, network measurements from Nielsen Mobile Performance and Nielsen Drive Test Benchmarks for Q3+Q4 2016 across 121 markets.

**Global coverage claim based on offering discounted voice and data roaming; LTE roaming; and voice roaming in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier. International service required. Coverage not available in all areas. Coverage may vary per country and be limited/restricted in some countries.

(Source: Press materials provided by Gabrielle Flamand, AFI DOCS PR, 202.339.9598 or gabrielle@prcollaborative.com and Liza Ameen, American Film Institute, 323.856.7885 or LAmeen@AFI.com)

 

 

 

AFI DOCS THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTS

Posted by Larry Gleeson

Programming Includes Spotlight Screenings of MOSQUITO and THE REAGAN SHOW at the Newseum

Screening of I AM EVIDENCE with Mariska Hargitay and World Premiere of TOUGH GUYS

Day One of the AFI DOCS Forum

Washington, DC, Thursday, June 15, 2017 — AFI DOCS presents a full schedule of Thursday’s events including the Spotlight Screenings of MOSQUITO and THE REAGAN SHOW at the Newseum.  Mariska Hargitay will join audiences for a Q&A of I AM EVIDENCE and TOUGH GUYS has its world premiere.  The 2017 AFI DOCS Forum kicks off at the Festival Hub in the District Architecture Center.  These events and festival screenings further the mission of AFI DOCS: to bring filmmakers, our nation’s leaders and audiences together in the heart of Washington, DC.

 

 

WHO:          Director Su Rynard and film subjects including former CDC Director Thomas

Frieden, MD; MalariaWorld’s Bart Knols, PhD; and South Miami Mayor Philip

Stoddard, PhD.

WHAT:      MOSQUITO – SPOTLIGHT SCREENING

MOSQUITO is an urgent exposé on humankind’s millennia-long war against one of the biggest threats to the survival of our species, and on the efforts of scientists to keep this deadly menace at bay.

WHERE:      Newseum, Annenberg Theater, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 

WHEN:       6:30 PM

 

 

WHO:          Director Sierra Pettengill

WHAT:      THE REAGAN SHOW – SPOTLIGHT SCREENING

Ronald Reagan brought a host of Hollywood savvy to the White House, with his team making unprecedented use of staged moments to inform popular opinion.  Whether riding horses or grappling with Gorbachev, his administration crafted the story.

WHERE:      Newseum, Annenberg Theater, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC

WHEN:       8:45 PM

Tickets for select screenings are still available. Order online at AFI.com/AFIDOCS. Same day tickets must be purchased in-person at festival venues: Landmark E Street Cinema, the Newseum and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.

I AM EVIDENCE SCREENING WITH MARISKA HARGITAY

6:00 p.m.  I AM EVIDENCE at Landmark E Street Cinema Theatre 3.  Thousands of untested sexual assault evidence kits are languishing in storage facilities across the U.S. — and law enforcement inaction means serial perpetrators are at liberty to strike again.  This urgent and eye-opening film investigates the backlog through the intertwined stories of four victims and those leading the fight for justice.  Introduction and Q&A with producer Mariska Hargitay, directors Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir, and moderated by The Washington Post’s Monica Hesse.

 

WORLD PREMIERE OF TOUGH GUYS

8:30 p.m.  TOUGH GUYS at Landmark E Street Cinema Theatre 1.  Told through the colorful stories of scrappy brawlers and amateur promoters, TOUGH GUYS brings to life the birth of mixed martial arts competitions in 1980s Pittsburgh.  Spotlight Screening.  Expected guests include directors Henry Roosevelt and W.B. Zullo and producers Craig DiBiase, Morgan Spurlock and Rachel Traub.

 

AFI DOCS FORUM:  DAY ONE

10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.  Festival filmmakers and industry professionals will meet at the AFI DOCS Festival Hub at the District Architecture Center (DAC) for day one of the four-day AFI DOCS Forum. Open to all AFI DOCS passholders, each day of the Forum will include breakfast and lunch. Each day the Forum will explore a unique topic with keynote presentations, conversations, panel discussions and micro-meetings. Thursday’s Forum schedule will include:

 

10:00 a.m.  Going to the Source: Documentary Funders Share Their Insights
Industry insiders discuss current funding priorities and new initiatives while exploring the ever-shifting documentary landscape and emerging trends in the funding world.  Panelists include Dan Cogan, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Impact Partners; Melissa Fondakowski, Program and Development, The Redford Center; Sheila Leddy, Executive Director, The Fledgling Fund; Maida Brankman, Founder, Genuine Article Pictures; and Jax DeLuca, Media Arts Director, Visual Arts, National Endowment for the Arts.

 

11:30 a.m.  Meet the Funders Meetings

Filmmakers connect with documentary funders in one-on-one, 15-minute micromeetings. Directors will sharpen their pitches, talk funding or get a focused critique of their work in progress trailer.  Panelists include Pamela A. Aguilar, Senior Director of Programming and Development PBS; Maida Brankman, Founder of Genuine Article Pictures; Jax DeLuca, Media Arts Director at National Edowment for the Arts; Melissa Fondakowski, Program and Development at The Redford Center; Tamara Gould, Senior VP of National Productions and Strategic Partnerships at ITVS; Sheila Leddy, Executive Director of the Fledgling Fund; Wendy Llinas, Associate Director of Programming and Development PBS; Justine Nagan, Executive Producer at POV; and David Weinstein, Senior Program Officer at National Endowment for the Humanities.

 

2:00 p.m.  Documentary: The Art of Canada

From the birth of motion pictures, Canada has been a driving force in documentary, and it’s easy to see why.  Shot near Inukjuak, Quebec, Robert J. Flaherty’s 1922 film NANOOK OF THE NORTH is considered one of the world’s first documentaries — and it was Flaherty’s work that inspired John Grierson, father of the National Film Board, to coin the term “documentary.”  So what’s up with our doc friends up north today?  Find out as Hot Docs’ Shane Smith talks with the Canadian filmmakers featured in this year’s AFI DOCS.

 

A LOOK BACK AT WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

At the Newseum on Wednesday, June 14, AFI DOCS kicked off its 15th edition with the Opening Night Gala and East Coast Premiere screening of ICARUS, from director Bryan Fogel.  A panel discussion with director Bryan Fogel was followed by a reception.

 

OTHER THURSDAY EVENTS:

 

11:45 a.m.  THE GROWN-UPS

AFI SILVER THEATRE 2

In Maite Alberdi’s delightful, award-winning portrait, a group of middle-aged adults with Down syndrome attend culinary classes in Chile.  The students navigate life, love and making the perfect pastries, while dreaming of living independently.

 

12:30 p.m.  SHORTS PROGRAM 1:  YOUTH CULTURE

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 6

Featured films:  EDUCATION, KOJO: A SHORT DOCUMENTARY, SHIVANI, “THE TALK” TRUE STORIES ABOUT THE BIRDS & THE BEES and WAITING FOR HASSANA.  Expected guests include SHIVANI director Jamie Dobie and composer Jonathan Meiburg.

 

1:00 p.m.  STEP

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 1

Meet the “Lethal Ladies,” the amazing step dance team from the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women.  Amanda Lipitz’s inspiring portrait will have you cheering as the Ladies attempt to finish first in the city’s dance competition and to become the first women in their families to go to college.

 

1:30 p.m.  SHORTS PROGRAM 4:  FRAMING THE IMAGE

AFI SILVER THEATRE 3

Featured films:  116 CAMERAS, BETWEEN THE SAND, A FEW THINGS ABOUT ROBERT IRWIN, JOE BLAUSTEIN AND THE FLOOD OF FLORENCE, THE KODACHROME ELEGIES, THE MOVING CAMERA PROJET, TURTLES ARE ALWAYS HOME and WINTER’S WATCH.  Expected guests include 116 CAMERAS director Davina Pardo, JOE BLAUSTEIN AND THE FLOOD OF FLORENCE director Alan Griswold and WINTER’S WATCH director Brian Bolster.

 

1:45 p.m.  THE GIRL DOWN LOCH ÄNZI

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 7

Juggling the awkwardness of adolescence, the loneliness of rural life and the magnetism of a local legend, Alice Schmid’s hybrid doc follows 12-year-old Laura as she navigates life on a remote Swiss family farm.  With humor and aplomb, Laura attempts to find a friend who can join her in searching a gorge for the titular mythological girl.

 

1:45 p.m.  FOR AHKEEM

AFI SILVER THEATRE 2

Behind the headlines of Ferguson, MO, is 17-year-old Daje “Boonie” Shelton, a young woman from nearby North St. Louis struggling to make it to graduation, a goal further complicated by an unexpected pregnancy.  Intimate and affecting, this delicately told coming-of-age story underscores the complexities of race and class in America.  Expected guests include directors Jeremy S. Levine and Landon Van Soest, and producer Iyabo Boyd.

 

2:45 p.m.  THE WORK

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 6

A moving story of redemption and renewal unfolds in this remarkable vérité film that follows a group of “outsiders” into California’s Folsom Prison to join inmates in an intense four-day therapy session.  THE WORK garnered the top documentary prize at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival.  Expected guests include director Jarius McLeary, and producers Alice Henty and James McLeary.

 

3:30 p.m.  ACORN AND THE FIRESTORM

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 1

Filmmakers Reuben Atlas and Sam Pollard go behind the headlines and fake news reports to tell the story of the 2008 demise of ACORN.  The longstanding community activist group was brought down by an undercover sting concocted by right-wing journalists impersonating a prostitute and her pimp.  Expected guests include directors Reuben Atlas and Sam Pollard.

 

4:00 p.m.  SHORTS PROGRAM 5:  LABORS OF LOVE

LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA THEATRE 7

Featured films:  FIRST POLE ON MARS, THE FORGER, HAND.LINE.COD., THE RABBIT HUNT and STYROFOAM.  Expected guests include THE FORGER director Alexandra Garcia and THE RABBIT HUNT producer Maida Brankman.

 

4:00 p.m.  RESURRECTING HASSAN

AFI SILVER THEATRE 3

In Montreal, a family of blind street musicians cope with the death of their youngest member.  As their lives begin to slowly fall apart, the family make a desperate attempt to overcome their tragedy by trying to find a way to bring their fallen kin back from the dead.  Expected guests include director Carlo Guillermo Proto.

 

4:15 p.m.  MUHI – GENERALLY TEMPORARY

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MUHI tells the story of a young boy from Gaza, separated from his family, whose very existence depends on the loving care he receives from an Israeli hospital.  This deeply affecting film makes a compelling case against the border walls that divide families and communities.  Expected guests include directors Rina Castelnuovo-Hollander and Tamir Elterman.

 

5:45 p.m.  NO MAN’S LAND

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In 2016, a well-armed band of anti-government militants led by the sons of renegade rancher Cliven Bundy took control of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon in an act of defiance against the feds.  NO MAN’S LAND is the riveting account of the siege that followed and its aftermath.  Expected guests include director David Byars.

 

6:15 p.m.  THE CAGE FIGHTER

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In this unflinching and intimate portrait, Joe Carman, a blue-collar Washington state dad, can’t shake his compulsion to compete in mixed martial arts.  The violence in the ring only serves to intensify the family drama, as Carman’s wife and four daughters try to come to grips with his brutal hobby.  Expected guests include producer Andrea Meditch and sound engineer Frank Scheuring.

 

6:15 p.m.  WAITING FOR THE SUN

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China has the largest number of prisoners on death row worldwide. The children of the condemned face social stigma and few options.  Enter Grandma Zheng, a former prison guard who, via her orphanage Sun Valley, provides housing, education and a second chance for a normal life.

 

6:30 p.m.  MAMA COLONEL

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In a country still recovering from the scars of war, the headstrong Colonel Honorine Munyole leads a special police unit in the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo —  with the mission to serve and protect the women and children of her country when no one else will.  Spotlight Screening.  Expected guests include director Dieudo Hamadi and film subject Colonel Honorine (schedules permitting).

 

6:45 p.m.  DONKEYOTE

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The symbiotic relationship between man and animal is front and center in Chico Pereira’s portrait of a 73-year-old Spaniard and his two beloved companions, a dog and a donkey.  As he attempts a quixotic plan to travel to the U.S. to walk with them along the Trail of Tears, DONKEYOTE shows how the journey can be even richer than the destination.

 

8:15 p.m.  A GRAY STATE

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In 2010, Iraq and Afghanistan veteran turned filmmaker David Crowley began crowdfunding a large-scale action film forewarning of a future America gone police state.  As chronicled here via his obsessive video journaling, he became a rising star among fringe right-wing groups over the next five years, all the while spiraling toward a violent, tragic and inexplicable end.  Expected guests include director Erik Nelson.

 

8:45 p.m.  WHAT LIES UPSTREAM

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Cullen Hoback’s trip to his home state of West Virginia to find out why the drinking water in Charleston has developed a strange smell turns into an eye-opening investigation into the dismal state of our nation’s water supply and the broken regulatory system behind America’s epidemic of dirty water.  Expected guests include director Cullen Hoback and producer John Ramos.

 

8:45 p.m.  LA CHANA

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Winner of the Audience Award at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, LA CHANA celebrates the incomparable talent and spirit of Spain’s greatest gypsy flamenco dancer as she reflects on her storied past while preparing for a return to the stage in her 70s.  Expected guests include director Lucija Stojevic.

 

9:00 p.m.  A GREEK WINTER

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In the wake of the Greek debt crisis, a spirited family from Thessaloniki must face the impossible choice of keeping their small business afloat or helping neighbors in need.  In chronicling interactions with customers, the film presents the human toll of financial strife with restraint and emotional resonance.  Expected guests include director Ingeborg Jansen.

 

About the American Film Institute

Celebrating its golden milestone, the American Film Institute began its mission on June 5, 1967 — to preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. Established by Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidential mandate in the White House Rose Garden, AFI is America’s promise to educate today’s audiences and tomorrow’s artists. The Institute was anchored by a foundation of luminaries from the film community including Gregory Peck as Chair, Sidney Poitier as Vice Chair, George Stevens, Jr., as Director and CEO with board members Francis Ford Coppola, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and Jack Valenti.

 

In 1969, AFI opened the Center for Advanced Film Studies, now called the AFI Conservatory, an elite MFA program whose inaugural class included Terrence Malik, Caleb Deschanel and Paul Schrader. The program’s acclaimed film and television alumni include Andrea Arnold, Darren Aronofsky, Julie Dash, Patty Jenkins, Janusz Kamiński, David Lynch and Robert Richardson, among others.

 

In addition to the AFI Conservatory, AFI programs include the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive, which preserve film heritage for future generations; the AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film; AFI AWARDS, honoring the most outstanding movies and TV series of the year; AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies television events and movie reference lists, which have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers; year-round and special event exhibition through AFI FEST presented by Audi, AFI DOCS and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.  For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm,
facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstituteinstagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/AFI.

 

About AFI DOCS

AFI DOCS is the American Film Institute’s annual documentary festival in Washington, DC.  Presenting the year’s best documentaries, AFI DOCS is the only festival in the U.S. dedicated to screenings and events that connect audiences, filmmakers and policy leaders in the heart of our nation’s government.  The AFI DOCS advisory board includes Ken Burns, Davis Guggenheim, Chris Hegedus, Werner Herzog, Rory Kennedy, Barbara Kopple, Spike Lee, Errol Morris, Stanley Nelson, D A Pennebaker, Agnès Varda and Frederick Wiseman.  Now in its 15th year, the festival will be held June 14–18, 2017, in landmark Washington, DC, venues and at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD.  Visit AFI.com/AFIDOCS and connect on twitter.com/AFIDOCS, facebook.com/AFIDOCS, youtube.com/AFI and instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.

 

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, business, mobile and high speed internet services. We offer the nation’s best data network* and the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider.** We’re one of the world’s largest providers of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. Nearly 3.5 million companies, from small to large businesses around the globe, turn to AT&T for our highly secure smart solutions.
AT&T Products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.  Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at facebook.com/att and YouTube at youtube.com/att.

 

© 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
*Claim based on the Nielsen Certified Data Network Score. Score includes data reported by wireless consumers in the Nielsen Mobile Insights survey, network measurements from Nielsen Mobile Performance and Nielsen Drive Test Benchmarks for Q3+Q4 2016 across 121 markets.

**Global coverage claim based on offering discounted voice and data roaming; LTE roaming; and voice roaming in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier. International service required. Coverage not available in all areas. Coverage may vary per country and be limited/restricted in some countries.

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(Press materials provided by: Gabrielle Flamand, AFI DOCS PR, 202.339.9598 or gabrielle@prcollaborative.com, Liza Ameen, American Film Institute, 323.856.7885 or LAmeen@AFI.com)

 

 

TODAY AT THE AFI DOCS FORUM

Posted  by Larry Gleeson

Thursday, June 15, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., AFI DOCS Festival Hub at the District Architecture Center (DAC), 421 7th St. NW in Washington, DC.

Day One of the AFI DOCS Forum includes a panel with Canadian filmmakers to discuss Canada’s role in creating the documentary form; and panels with short-documentary filmmakers and funders to discuss and support the model.

The Forum will present a variety of networking and professional development events for filmmakers, industry professionals and those with a passion for nonfiction storytelling. Open to all AFI DOCS passholders, each day of the Forum will include breakfast and lunch.

Today’s full schedule is as follows:

9:30 a.m.
Morning Refreshments

10:00 a.m.–11:15 a.m.
Going to the Source: Documentary Funders Share Their Insights
Industry insiders discuss current funding priorities and new initiatives while exploring the ever-shifting documentary landscape and emerging trends in the funding world.

Moderator: Kathryn Washington, Director of Television Content, Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Participants:

  • Maida Brankman, Founder, Genuine Article Pictures
  • Dan Cogan, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Impact Partners
  • Jax DeLuca, Media Arts Director, Visual Arts, National Endowment for the Arts
  • Melissa Fondakowski, Program and Development, The Redford Center
  • Sheila Leddy, Executive Director, The Fledgling Fund
  • David Weinstein, Senior Program Officer, Division of Public Programs, National Endowment for the Humanities

11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Meet the Funders Meetings
Filmmakers connect with documentary funders in one-on-one, 15-minute micromeetings. Sharpen your pitch, talk funding or get a focused critique of your work-inprogress trailer (five minutes or less). Space is full and spots on a waitlist may be available for AFI DOCS Filmmaker and Industry pass holders. If you would like to be placed on the waitlist, please email Lauren at Lselman@afi.com for more information.

Participants:

  • Pamela A. Aguilar, Senior Director of Programming and Development PBS, General Audience Programming
  • Maida Brankman, Founder, Genuine Article Pictures
  • Jax DeLuca, Media Arts Director, Visual Arts, National Endowment for the Arts
  • Melissa Fondakowski, Program and Development, The Redford Center
  • Tamara Gould, Senior Vice President, National Productions and Strategic Partnerships, Independent Television Service (ITVS)
  • Sheila Leddy, Executive Director, The Fledgling Fund
  • Eliza Licht, VP Content, Strategy & Engagement, Point of View (POV)
  • Wendy Llinas, Associate Director of Programming and Development PBS, News and Public Affairs
  • David Weinstein, Senior Program Officer, Division of Public Programs, National Endowment for the Humanities

2:00 p.m.
Documentary: The Art of Canada
From the birth of motion pictures, Canada has been a driving force in documentary, and it’s easy to see why. Shot near Inukjuak, Quebec, Robert J. Flaherty’s 1922 film NANOOK OF THE NORTH is considered one of the world’s first documentaries — and it was Flaherty’s work that inspired John Grierson, father of the National Film Board, to coin the term “documentary.” So what’s up with our doc friends up north today? Find out as Hot Docs’ Shane Smith talks with the Canadian filmmakers featured in this year’s AFI DOCS.

Panelists:

(Source: afi.com)

The AFI DOCS Interview: THE WORK Director Jairus McLeary

Posted by Larry Gleeson

A moving story of redemption and renewal unfolds in THE WORK, a remarkable vérité film that follows a group of “outsiders” into California’s Folsom Prison to join inmates in an intense four-day therapy session. THE WORK garnered the top documentary prize at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival.The film screens at AFI DOCS on Thursday, June 15, and Saturday, June 17. AFI spoke with Jairus McLeary about the film, which he co-directed with Gethin Aldous.

AFI: What inspired you to tell this story?

JM: I was one of the first civilian volunteers to be invited to the first four-day event inside Folsom. My own father invited me and although I trusted him implicitly, the weight of what I didn’t know about the inside of a maximum prison made me say no. It wasn’t until the third time he asked me that I said yes. I was floored, and that feeling never went away no matter how many times I went back. I’d done things like this before but never in a similar setting or with people so utterly committed to blunt honesty. For the convicts who lived there, that commitment was sometimes a matter of life and death.

AFI: How did you find the subject(s) in your film?

JM: For the three civilian volunteers that were chosen as subjects, we used word of mouth. It’s the same way any volunteer from the streets comes to one of the four-day events for the first time. my brothers I each picked a few men from our lives who were interested in doing this work and who we thought might be ready and we narrowed that selection down until we reached Charles, Brian and Chris. For the men inside, many of them knew us from over the years and the Inside Circle Foundation knew us and trusted that we were sincere and committed, so Rob Allbee [ex-prisoner and co-founder of the program] acted as a go-between. He was what’s called a brown-cardholder, which means the prison administration allows him and a handful of other men from the Foundation to participate in the convict’s weekly meetings.

Rob and my father began to speak to the shot-callers of all the major gangs that participate in the group on our behalf so that we could start to put a shooting strategy together. These men are the top of the hierarchical political system inside and set the tone for the rest of the prison population on the yard.  After we had their trust, they vouched for us with the other inmates we didn’t know as well. Only then did we begin to approach the prison administration with a concrete plan.

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Chaplain Dennis Merino, also a founding member, worked inside the prison for years and he began to approach people within the CDCR past and present, to help us craft a proposal of our intentions so that we could then gain access to the warden. With his consent and trust earned from years of positive results with the convicts who had participated in the Program, we were able to begin to negotiate the conditions of the shoot with the proper department within the prison. With permission out of the way could set our shoot dates and concentrate on what the convicts felt comfortable with in the room on the day. They handpicked first-timers and facilitators among themselves who felt comfortable divulging personal information about themselves and doing their therapy work under shooting conditions.

AFI: What was an obstacle you faced while making the film?

JM: The entire crew needed to attend at least one four-day event and get a layout of the location, get to know the men in blue themselves and most importantly do some of their own personal work to gain a sensitivity that would not disturb the very thing we were hoping to capture. Only afterwards, would they give us their trust and consent.

For my brothers and I, being able to reach this point with a film with these kinds of variables has been the largest undertaking of our lives. But I think the biggest success is that the men who started and continue to participate in this program somehow trusted us with their efforts and allowed us to represent what they’ve accomplished in this way. That we were somehow able to work together as a family over 10 years on this project from start to finish and come through it without killing one another and no matter the pressures involved we were able to keep our relationships intact. At each point when it was truly needed, talented, motivated people stepped up who were willing to add their talent to this project that we were somehow able to keep in motion.

AFI: What do you want audiences to walk away with after screening your film?

JM: It’s my hope that the viewer will grasp the the risks that the convicts who participate in this kind of group therapy are taking to change. The work they do together in their circles could have life or death consequences out on the yard. That’s how important this work is to them. But those who stick with the program to do this work by bring in other participants and the numbers are growing. Over time the number of convicts on the yard doing this work has grown a that such that it’s had a positive net effect on the entire yard as the rate of violent incidences decrease. Change the environment and you change the system. and continued successful program participation could be very influential with parole boards. It could mean the difference between freedom and life imprisonment – whether they are released or not.

AFI: Why is DC a valuable location to screen your film?

JM: Going beyond how massive this opportunity is and how amazing AFI is as a platform for our film, DC is the heart of where policy is made. It allows us the potential to gain access and exposure for the Inside Circle Foundation and for the men who keep it going. The film is about people helping one another improve by going to their darkest places together as a group. We hope that the tools these men are using inside Folsom and San Quentin will be able gain traction and spread to other prisons. America leads the world in the number of incarcerated citizens and at this point, anything that works can help that massive problem. We’re hoping to assist the program in getting the funding and support from policymakers it needs to start quantifying and tracking their rates of success with the men in the form of hard numbers with the overall goal of increasing the amount of prisons the foundation operates in.

AFI: Why are documentary films important today?

JM: Documentaries allow us to immerse ourselves in the stories of others. They can take us to places we’ve never been and they allow us to access the truth in the experiences of others. In that way, it becomes a shared experience and has the potential to generate a range of emotions; from empathy to outrage. Not only do we learn about people, places or things we didn’t have a clue about before, as we know more about them and our reactions allow us to learn more about ourselves in relation to these things outside of ourselves and our experience. Both of these are motivating forces that have the ability to galvanize people to social discourse or action and effect change. That’s what documentaries have the power to do and that goes beyond entertainment. When I look at what’s happing in the media landscape today with the rising obfuscation of truth in this country, both empathy and outrage are sorely needed.

AFI DOCS 2017 Opening Night and Closing Night Films

AFI DOCS, AFI’s annual documentary celebration in the nation’s capital, announces the Opening and Closing Night films for its 15th annual edition. The festival will open with the East Coast premiere of Netflix’s ICARUS, directed by Bryan Fogel, and will close with ESPN Films’ YEAR OF THE SCAB, directed by Emmy® winner John Dorsey. Both screenings will be held at the Newseum, the festival’s Official Gala Screening Partner. AFI DOCS runs June 14–18, 2017, in Washington, DC, and Silver Spring, MD.

AFI DOCS is proud to announce the return of AT&T as Presenting Sponsor. AT&T’s continued support enables AFI DOCS to connect audiences, policymakers and storytellers in the heart of our national government.

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Michael Lumpkin, Director, AFI DOCS

“We are thrilled to have two extraordinary films, ICARUS and YEAR OF THE SCAB, open and close AFI DOCS 2017,” said Michael Lumpkin, Director, AFI DOCS. “Filmmakers Bryan Fogel and John Dorsey tell two very different David-and-Goliath tales. Remarkable — even unthinkable — stories like these are what make documentaries such compelling cinema. We look forward to celebrating these films with AFI DOCS audiences.”

The Opening Night screening of ICARUS will be held on June 14 at the Newseum and will feature a Q&A with director Fogel after the film. In ICARUS, he sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports. His journey to outsmart performance-enhancing drug tests transforms into a real-life thriller involving the biggest scandal in sports history — the cover-up of doping activities among Russian Olympians. ICARUS is Fogel’s first documentary feature.

The Closing Night screening of YEAR OF THE SCAB will be held on June 18 at the Newseum and will feature a Q&A with director Dorsey. His film chronicles the 1987 NFL strike and the Washington Redskins’ team of substitute players who overcame tremendous odds in order to defeat the best teams in the NFL. The perseverance of these players ultimately led the Washington Redskins to victory and helped end the strike.

Tickets to AFI DOCS, including Opening Night and Closing Night screenings, will be available early to AFI members exclusively beginning May 11, and to the public on May 15. Passes for AFI DOCS 2017 are now on sale. More information about AFI DOCS screenings and other special events will be announced soon. Stay tuned!

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Source: Here are the AFI DOCS 2017 Opening Night and Closing Night Films

AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER – Directors’ Statement

Posted by Larry Gleeson

Statement by AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER directors Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk on Today’s Decision by the Trump Administration to Withdraw from the Paris Agreement

June 1, 2017 by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk

“We were shocked and disappointed to hear President Trump’s announcement today regarding withdrawing the U.S. from the historic international deal reached in Paris. In our new film, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power we filmed behind-the-scenes in Paris to show the hard work, finesse, and passion that went into making the agreement happen.  We hope that the hard work of those who made the deal happen will not be in vain. The good news is that there is a great deal to be hopeful about. The technology exists to create enough clean energy for the world economy and to avoid total climate catastrophe. Now that President Trump is pledging to do less to keep America’s commitment to the world, we must all step up to do more to ensure the health of our planet.”

A decade after AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH brought climate change into the heart of popular culture, comes the riveting and rousing follow-up that shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution. Vice President Al Gore continues his tireless fight traveling around the world training an army of climate champions and influencing international climate policy. Cameras follow him behind the scenes – in moments both private and public, funny and poignant — as he pursues the inspirational idea that while the stakes have never been higher, the perils of climate change can be overcome with human ingenuity and passion.

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Statement by Former Vice President Al Gore on Today’s Decision by the Trump Administration to Withdraw from the Paris Agreement

June 1, 2017 by Al Gore

 

“Removing the United States from the Paris Agreement is a reckless and indefensible action. It undermines America’s standing in the world and threatens to damage humanity’s ability to solve the climate crisis in time. But make no mistake: if President Trump won’t lead, the American people will.

Civic leaders, mayors, governors, CEOs, investors and the majority of the business community will take up this challenge. We are in the middle of a clean energy revolution that no single person or group can stop. President Trump’s decision is profoundly in conflict with what the majority of Americans want from our president; but no matter what he does, we will ensure that our inevitable transition to a clean energy economy continues.”

(Source: Paramount Pictures)

 

 

AFI Conservatory Dean to Stepping Down After Upcoming Commencement

Posted by Larry Gleeson

The American Film Institute’s Jan Schuette is stepping down as Dean of the AFI Conservatory after this year’s June 5th Commencement Ceremony on the grounds of the Hollywood Chinese Theater.  Schuette has led AFI’s prestigious film school for three years and intends to continue his work in academia and also resume his professional work as a filmmaker and producer.

“It has been a distinct honor to serve as Dean of one of the world’s great film schools,” said Schuette. “When AFI invited me to take this role, its directive was to build upon its proud past and plant the seeds of growth for the future. Like filmmaking itself, these years have been both challenging and rewarding. I’m proud to say that many of these goals have been accomplished, and it’s the right time to turn the work over to a new Dean who will take the Conservatory forward. I care deeply about the Fellows and plan to continue my work in academia, which I love, while also resuming my career making films. Through commencement next June, my focus will remain on achieving another successful academic year and ensuring a smooth transition to the future.”

AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale said, “Jan’s devotion to the high standards of AFI will ensure the Conservatory remains a foremost training ground for the artists of tomorrow. In Jan, as is the spirit in the halls at AFI, our Fellows have been led by an artist who has lived it — who has been on the set and told the stories. We deeply appreciate his contributions and respect that he feels this is the right moment to pass the mantle of leadership to a new Dean and pursue the next steps in his own academic career, as well as his passion for filmmaking. We thank him for his commitment to the Fellows as well as championing essential issues like diversity, recruitment and ensuring the Conservatory evolves and changes as film does.”

An award-winning director, Schuette’s films have screened at the Cannes, Venice, San Sebastian, Toronto and Sundance film festivals. In 2002, he was a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, along with Martin Scorsese, Abbas Kiarostami and Tilda Swinton. As an academic, Schuette designed and founded three highly successful post-graduate film training programs in Europe. Prior to becoming Dean of the AFI Conservatory, Schuette was the Director of the German Film and Television Academy Berlin and taught at Harvard and Dartmouth Universities. He has also been a professor at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and is currently a member of the Academy of Arts in Berlin and the European Film Academy.

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The AFI DOCS Interview: RESURRECTING HASSAN Director Carlo Guillermo Proto

Posted by Larry Gleeson

RESURRECTING HASSAN follows a family of blind street musicians in Montreal as they cope with the death of their youngest member. As their lives begin to slowly fall apart, the family make a desperate attempt to overcome their tragedy by trying to find a way to bring their fallen kin back from the dead.

RESURRECTING HASSAN screens at AFI DOCS on Thursday, June 15. AFI spoke with director Carlo Guillermo Proto about the film.

AFI: What led you to pursue documentary filmmaking?

CGP: Canada has always held a long tradition with documentary filmmaking. It’s that lineage that made me start telling stories with this particular tool. The immediacy that documentary gives a storyteller is infectious and almost addictive. You don’t have sit in front of a blank screen or typewriter, trying to find a story from nothing like you do with fiction filmmaking. You can just go out into the world and mine something profound from what life produces. 

AFI: What inspired you to tell this story?

CGP: The family’s tenacity and how they almost seamlessly maneuver themselves in a slighted world through such adversity was a big inspiration. When telling this story, it was important for me to capture the family’s fragility, their dreams and deepest fears, but at the same time create a framework within the story where the audience actually not only feels sympathy, but empathy, for the characters.

AFI: How did you find the subjects in your film?

CGP: When I was in film school at Concordia University in Montreal, I heard a family sing in a way that I’ve never heard since. The father would hit these high falsetto notes that I’d only heard Minnie Riperton or Mariah Carey sing. Mesmerized by their presence, every time I took the metro, I would miss countless rides as I stared in awe at this blind family of three. After a year of trying to work up the courage to speak to these incredible people, I asked them if they wanted to collaborate and we immediately began work on my second-year film, where I gave each member of the family a Super 8 camera and asked them to show us what they wanted us to see. It was during this time that I first heard the story of Hassan.

Resurrecting_Hassan_2

AFI: What was a particular obstacle you faced while making the film?

CGP: Although the idea to tell this story and capture their journey to try and resurrect Hassan was the family’s idea, the moment the story shifted, the family wanted to go into another direction. A massive discussion ensued. Finally, I had to remind them that they were the ones who wanted me to tell their story and we eventually came to an agreement that, if there was public interest after the film was done, that we would tell the second part of the their story in another documentary. 

AFI: What do you want audiences to walk away with after screening your film?

CGP: I think initially, people read the synopsis and they’re not prepared or willing to go on this journey. This film does not let you hide from your fears but confront them with an intensity that isn’t very popular. Those who have ventured into the cinemas to experience this family’s life will come out as different people. They’ll have experienced moments that may echo their own pain and misgivings, forcing them to face something more universal than they initially suspected from a blind family of three. 

AFI: Why is DC a valuable location to screen your film?

CGP: Honestly? Three words. Fugazi and Dischord Records. I was raised on the ethics of the hardcore punk scene of North America. Having gone to a Catholic School all my life, it was my only real religion. Ian MacKaye — who should be knighted or whatever they do to honor their local DC heroes — is someone who’s had a big impact on me. The DC hardcore punk rock community has fueled my urge to tell difficult and socially challenging stories with respect and empathy. The bands of Dischord Records gave my art practice and storytelling a purpose. Presenting RESURRECTING HASSAN close to the Dischord headquarters is something that excites me tremendously. 

AFI: What are your thoughts on what documentaries mean today in 2017?

North American audiences like their documentaries sexy. It’s hard to present compelling stories that make audiences confront their deepest fears and really challenge them emotionally. I think today’s audiences desperately need to be challenged to feel empathy, and not just sympathy, in order for documentaries to have a true impact.

We have to educate and advocate for difficult documentaries — to promote them and entice our audiences to feel and have an open dialogue about those emotions, so our communities  can better themselves not just with momentary sympathy but true empathy. Films that make us feel empathy are the films that matter, the films that make us feel things that we may not be ready to feel, which can lead to real constructive change.

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(Source: afi.com)

The AFI DOCS Interview: MOSQUITO Director Su Rynard

Posted by Larry Gleeson

MOSQUITO is an urgent report from the frontlines of humankind’s millennia-long war against the tiny creature that is one of the biggest threats to the survival of our species. The film is by turns taut, suspenseful, frightening and full of vital information, including the efforts of scientists to keep this deadly menace at bay.

Directed by Su Rynard, MOSQUITO world-premieres at AFI DOCS on Thursday, June 15.  AFI spoke with Rynard about the film.

AFI: What led you to pursue documentary filmmaking?

SR: After graduating from art school I began making video art, then short dramatic films, then feature dramas and documentary. Truthfully, sometimes all of these things happen at the same time! What I love about documentary is that it brings me into worlds that I would otherwise never have access too. It forces me to face things that are outside my comfort zone, to ask questions and search for meaning in every situation. My role as a director is to translate this into something the viewer can experience, intellectually, emotionally and viscerally.

AFI: What inspired you to tell this story?

MOSQUITO is the brainchild of Yap Films producers Elizabeth Trojian and Elliott Halpern, produced for Discovery Channel’s Discovery Impact strand. Elizabeth was inspired to come up with the idea of a film about mosquitos, growing up with a South African stepfather who had experienced malaria firsthand. I was lucky in this case that the project came to me. As a filmmaker, I’m interested in the human relationship with the natural world, and much of my work over the last 15 years has explored this question. MOSQUITO looks at the ways humans drive some species to extinction while making the world a better place for mosquitoes, and especially the ones that spread disease. In short, much of the mosquito problem is a human-made problem. Given that we are at a critical time ecologically, these are exactly the kind of questions that are really worth exploring.

AFI: How did you find the subjects in your film?

SR: Team work. Film is a visual medium, so I’m always looking at subjects who, in addition to being great characters, are engaged in film-able events that are interesting to watch. Associate producer Alex Ranken works all over the world, and had great connections in the countries where we were shooting, so we engaged people to work locally and research several candidates that we could then interview. Researcher Wendy Kirschner found ingenious ways to track down many of the people in our film. This ranged from cold-calling famous scientists, to creating a flyer and poster campaign that reached into the hearts of communities, and speaking with medical professionals willing to refer a patient who could share their story.

AFI: What was a particular obstacle you faced while making the film?

SR: Health and safety issues were paramount in filming MOSQUITO. We were filming in Brazil, Puerto Rico and Florida at the height of the Zika epidemic. We also filmed in Kenya in an area where we were exposed to active malaria cases. We are incredibly fortunate to come from Canada where we have full, top-notch health care benefits available to us, so we were able to access all the medical precautions available. There are, however, no vaccines or drugs for many mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile or Zika, to which we were exposed. We used insect repellent and all other recommended individual precautions. Despite our efforts, we were bitten by mosquitoes. In the end, it was luck that brought us all home safe and sound.

AFI: How do you want audiences to walk away from MOSQUITO?

SR: MOSQUITO is a cautionary tale. Today’s world is a global community — and with interconnectedness comes many benefits but also many challenges. There are no borders that will protect you from disease. One person with a highly contagious disease anywhere in the world can affect the health of potentially everyone on earth. So we have to think about how we live and use the planet. Otherwise, we will never solve the mosquito problem.

AFI: Why is DC a valuable location to screen your film?

SR: One of our scenes is shot in DC, featuring Public Health Entomologist Andy Lima, who shows us how urbanization can create new habitat for mosquitoes. People will be surprised and amazed to learn, from a mosquito perspective, what is really going on in DC! Importantly, we really want to bring the film and its message to the attention of policy-makers and public health authorities, so it’s great to be exhibiting the film in a prestigious festival in the U.S. capital.

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(Source: blog.afi.com)