Movies

SPIKE LEE IF GOD IS WILLING AND DA CREEK DON'T RISE HBO DOCUMENTARY VIDEO

SPIKE LEE IF GOD IS WILLING AND DA CREEK DON’T RISE HBO DOCUMENTARY VIDEO

Posted on 25 Aug 2010 at 1:10pm

Director Spike Lee returns to New Orleans 5 years after the tragedy of  Hurricane Katrina.

Spike Lee Interview for ‘If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise’

Five years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans remains one of the most troubled places in the United States. Its woes are a consequence of the civic collapse that preceded Katrina, the devastating levee failures following the storm, and most recently, the unrivaled environmental devastation from the BP oil disaster. But New Orleans also remains the heart of American culture. It’s a place unrivaled in vernacular richness where people come from world around to eat, drink, listen and see — to live for a few days like many of us here live every day. Is it possible that the national seat of American tragedy can also redeem this country by refusing to give up its bon temps while fighting for its survival?

Spike Lee gives his answer in a new documentary, “If God Is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise,” a loosely structured, four-hour meditation on everything right and wrong with New Orleans five years after Katrina. It premieres Aug. 23 and 24 on HBO.

The tensions are on display from the film’s opening. Its first scenes include, in sequence, an angry and defiant poem (”No more use of our Gulf Coast waters, wetlands, heritage and soil/ No more ‘Up yours Louisiana,’ because we all know there’s blood in that BP oil/ If God is willing and the creek don’t rise”) read by the star of Lee’s earlier New Orleans documentary, Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc (now a star of David Simon’s “Treme”); images memorializing Katrina’s devastation; and the joyous celebrations of the Saints’ improbable 2009 Super Bowl victory. Interviewed in a throng of people following the Saints win, an unnamed woman sums it up, “Four and a half years ago we lost our home during the flood, and we are so privileged and honored to be here. Living in New Orleans is a privilege. It’s not easy, but it’s a privilege and a blessing.”

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SPIKE LEE IF GOD IS WILLING AND DA CREEK DON’T RISE HBO DOCUMENTARY VIDEO

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BLACK SWAN TRAILER NATALIE PORTMAN & MILA KUNIS KISS

BLACK SWAN TRAILER NATALIE PORTMAN & MILA KUNIS KISS

Posted on 19 Aug 2010 at 10:48am

Natalie Portman stars in Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming film “Black Swan“.  The film about an aging ballerina is set to debut opening night at the Venice Film festival in September. Check out the trailer which features a split second smooch between Portman and her co-star Mila Kunis.

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JOAQUIN PHOENIX

JOAQUIN PHOENIX “I’M STILL HERE” RAP DOCUMENTARY TRAILER LEAKED

Posted on 17 Aug 2010 at 3:28pm

The new trailer has  just leaked for Joaquin Phoenix’s “I’m Still Here”  rap documentary. We couldn’t tell if this provided any further  insight into the Oscar nominated actor’s recent bizarre behavior.  Joaquin got everyone talking after his Letterman appearance and public announcement that he was quitting acting to pursue his dreams as a rap star. Check out  a cameo from rap royalty Diddy. The movie directed by Phoequin’s brother in law Casey Affleck hits theaters in September.

We could see that poor Joaquin Phoenix needs a bath, a shave, a haircut, rehab and a serious intervention if this doc is really based on his life. We hope this is not foreshadowing River Phoenix’s tragic downfall.  Joaquin is talented. Hopefully he will be able to get his life back on track.

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Sundance Institute Announces a Week of Creative Film Producing Initiatives Culminating in the Second Annual Creative Producing Summit

Sundance Institute Announces a Week of Creative Film Producing Initiatives Culminating in the Second Annual Creative Producing Summit

Posted on 16 Aug 2010 at 11:24am
Netflix Founder and CEO Reed Hastings to Give Keynote at Creative Producing Summit

Creative Producing Labs Held for Feature Film and Documentary Fellows Prior to the Summit

Sundance Institute announced a series of initiatives designed to support independent producers in feature film and documentary. Activities include  the Creative Producing Labs, Fellowships and the annual Creative Producing Summit all combining to help emerging independent filmmakers navigate the newest trends in the business of creating and distributing independent film.

Nine projects have been selected to participate in the Sundance Institute Creative Producing Labs and Fellowships (August 16-20). The Fellows represent five films from the Feature Film Program and four films from the Documentary Film Program.  The Creative Producing initiatives are designed to nurture independent producers with project-specific support through Labs, grants, and long-term advisor relationships, as well as reinvigorating dialogue within the independent producing community.  The Fellows receive ongoing creative and strategic support throughout the year from industry mentors and the Feature Film and Documentary Program staffs, as well as direct granting designed to further development and production of film projects.
Immediately following the Creative Producing Labs, a wider group of Sundance Institute-supported projects are invited to join the Creative Producing Lab Fellows for the Creative Producing Summit (August 20-22). This group will also include four Stories of Change Fellows working on films about leading social entrepreneurs as part of the ‘Stories of Change’ partnership with the Skoll Foundation.
The Creative Producing Summit is a three-day invitation-only gathering that connects 40 independent  filmmakers with 20 top film industry professionals, producers, distributors and directors. This year, Netflix Founder and CEO Reed Hastings will give the keynote address. Other panelists include Michael Barker (Sony Pictures Classics), Arianna Bocco (IFC), Meredith Blake (Cause & Affect); Peter Broderick (Paradigm Consulting), Craig Emanuel (Loeb & Loeb LLP), Marian Koltai-Levine (PMK/BNC), Charlotte Mickie (E1 Entertainment), Ted Mundorff (Landmark Theaters), Josh Radnor (on behalf of SAGIndie), filmmakers Jennifer Arnold and Heather Rae, John Sloss (Cinetic Media), and Graham Taylor (William Morris Endeavor).  For a full list of panelists visit www.sundance.org.
“As with all the artists we support, independent producers are in critical need of resources, mentoring and an environment to brainstorm creatively in order to navigate the changing currents of the film industry,” said Keri Putnam, Executive Director, Sundance Institute. “We are grateful to the veteran leaders and trailblazers alike who are lending their time and expertise to the next group of talented independent producers.”
Details of the initiatives include:
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab, a five-day Lab for narrative feature film producers, which takes place at Sundance Resort, Utah. The Lab is designed to develop a producer’s creative instincts in all stages of film production and to evolve his/her communication and problem-solving skills.
The Fellows and projects selected for the Feature Film Creative Producing Fellowship are:
·         AMERICANO/Amy Lo
·         BLUEBIRD/Kyle Martin
·         ELLA WALKS THE BEACH/Adele Romanski
·         NOBODY WALKS/Alicia Van Couvering
·         THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE/Jennifer Cochis
AMERICANO (Producing Fellow: Amy Lo; Writer/Director: Jesus Beltran) —When a rebellious ‘wetback’ gets involved with an older white woman, his new life begins to fall short of the American dream he’s been chasing for more than a decade.
Amy Lo produced the critically acclaimed Planet B-boy, which was one of the top-grossing documentaries of 2008 and broke ground as an independent film securing innovative sponsorship deals with Samsung and Southpole, and engaging audiences across different platforms including mobile phone content, live contests, and a 24-hour takeover of the YouTube.com homepage.  In addition, she associate produced the UK film On a Clear Day, which had its world premiere at Sundance in the international competition and was acquired by Focus Features for distribution.  She was the sole U.S. producer selected to take part in the Berlinale Co-Production Market 2009 and previously worked in development and production on a range of films including Inside Man, Munich, and El Cantante.
BLUEBIRD (Producing Fellow: Kyle Martin; Writer/Director Lance Edmands) —In the frozen woods of an isolated Maine logging town, one woman’s tragic mistake shatters the balance of the community, resulting in profound and unexpected consequences. Told through fragmented and intersecting story lines, Bluebird examines the struggles of regret and redemption at the frontier of modern America.
Kyle Martin is a Brooklyn based independent film producer.  His previous works include the SXSW 2010 Jury Prize winner Tiny Furniture, the Rose D’or nominated NY Export: Opus Jazz, Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be The Same, and Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell. (Mark Silverman Honoree)
ELLA WALKS THE BEACH (Producing Fellow: Adele Romanski; Writer/Director David Robert Mitchell) —A young woman breaks up with her boyfriend and runs away, spending a night and a day traveling along an iconic California beach, meeting interesting people, playing music, having adventures, and testing the waters of ‘being single’.
Adele Romanski’s producing credits include David Robert Mitchell’s first feature, The Myth of the American Sleepover, which premiered at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival and subsequently played at Cannes’ Critics’ Week.  Adele also produced Katie Aselton’s debut feature, The Freebie, which premiered in the inaugural NEXT category at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and will be released theatrically this fall. Originally from Florida, Adele now lives in Los Angeles.
NOBODY WALKS (Producing Fellow: Alicia Van Couvering; Co-Writers Lena Dunham and Ry Russo-Young; Director Ry Russo-Young) — A driven young artist is a guest at the home of a Hollywood sound designer and his family as he helps her finish her first film.  Their professional connection triggers a sexual and emotional entanglement that lays bare the needs, narcissism and questionable morality of everyone involved.
Alicia Van Couvering is a New York City native who began working in independent film at age 16, as an associate producer on Barbara Kopple’s My Generation.  Her production credits include Todd Solondz’s Palindromes and Life During Wartime, Junebug, Choke, Precious, Twelve, Sleep Dealer,as well as numerous art installations and music videos. Her first film as a producer, Tiny Furniture,won the Narrative Jury Prize at SXSW 2010 and will be released by IFC Films in the Fall.  She is a contributing editor to Filmmaker Magazine. (Steve Bing Fellow)
THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE (Producing Fellow: Jennifer Cochis; Writer/Director Lee Toland Krieger) —In 1993, the tragic murders of three 8-year old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas launched a modern day witch hunt that led to the arrests and convictions of three local teenagers.  Based on a true story.
Jennifer Cochis is a film and music video producer; in 2009 she co-produced the feature film Douchebag.  Douchebag had its world premiere in Dramatic Competition at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and will be theatrically released in October of this year.  In addition to film, she has produced numerous music videos working with some of the most exciting directors and musicians in Los Angeles.  Currently, Jennifer is collaborating with other producers in developing several multi-genre feature film projects. (Shelia C. Johnson Fellow)
During the Lab, the Fellows work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors, including producers Mary Jane Skalski (The Visitor, The Station Agent), Lynette Howell (Blue Valentine, Phoebe in Wonderland), Tim Perell (World’s Greatest Dad, The Myth of Fingerprints) and Jay Van Hoy (Treeless Mountain, Old Joy); and filmmakers  Gregg Araki (Mysterious Skin, The Doom Generation) and Bart Freundlich (The Myth of Fingerprints).
The Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab, a four-day Lab for documentary feature film producers, takes place at Sundance Resort, Utah. Invited producers are chosen from a pool of Sundance Documentary Film Program grantees and will participate in one-on-one consultations, and presentations aimed at honing the craft of creative documentary producing. The Lab is designed to develop a producer’s creative instincts in all stages of documentary film production and to evolve his/her communication and problem-solving skills. Producers Jennifer Arnold (Director, A Small Act), Meredith Blake (Cause & Affect) and sales agent Josh Braun (Submarine Entertainment), will serve as Creative Advisors to the Documentary Creative Producing Lab.
The Fellows and projects selected for the Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab are:
·         25 to LIFE/Michael L. Brown (U.S.)
·         DEAR MANDELA/Dara Kell and Christopher Nizza  (U.S./South Africa)
·         GREEN SHALL OVERCOME/Megan Gelstein (U.S.)
·         SEMPER FI: ALWAYS FAITHFUL/Rachel Libert and Tony Hardmon (U.S.)
25 to LIFE  (Director/Producer: Michael L. Brown) —William Brawner was infected with HIV before he turned two and kept it a secret for over twenty years. Now he confronts  his promiscuous past and embarks on a new phase of life with his pregnant wife, who is HIV-negative.
Michael L. Brown is a graduate of NYU’s Graduate Film School. He has directed a several short films including A Riot in the Dark, and Heart Swallowed Whole, his NYU thesis stars Julito McCullum (The Wire). For the past three years, Brown has also worked as the personal videographer to Sean “Diddy” Combs where he helped shoot Combs’ fashion documentary, If I Were King.
DEAR MANDELA (Co-Directors/Producers: Dara Kell and Christopher Nizza) — As South Africa hosts the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the government aims to ‘eradicate the slums’ by evicting families from their homes at gunpoint. Dear Mandela chronicles the rise of three young leaders from the chaos on the streets to the highest court in the land as a new generation puts Nelson Mandela’s promise of a ‘better life for all’ to the test.
Dara Kell is a South African filmmaker and editor, and is the recipient of Participant Media’s ‘Outstanding Filmmaker’ award, representing Africa. Her editing credits include The Reckoning, Jesus Camp, Courting Justice and Mercurial Son: The Blues of Lurrie Bell. She facilitates filmmaking workshops with grassroots organizations both in the U.S. and South Africa to empower communities to tell their own stories. Dear Mandela is her first feature-length documentary.
Christopher Nizza is a New York City born, bred and based filmmaker and editor. His Emmy Award-winning work includes documentaries and television shows (‘Hollywood DC’, ‘Ironman Triathlon’, ‘Dakar Rally’, ‘Iditarod’) as well as video game commercials and music videos. A former high school basketball player-turned-journalist, he has edited programming for most of the major networks and cable channels. Dear Mandela is his first feature-length documentary.
GREEN SHALL OVERCOME (Director/Producer: Megan Gelstein) — Van Jones’ dream for America is social justice through green jobs. Handpicked by the Obama Administration to help create the nation’s “green” energy policy, this controversial environmentalist gets more than he bargained for when partisan politics collide. Can his revolution of black and green ultimately succeed?
Megan Gelstein is a San Francisco-based documentary filmmaker who produced and directed They Made America for the acclaimed history series America Experience. She is an Emmy-award winning producer whose work has been broadcast nationally on The History Channel, ITV Network of London, and The Discovery Channel. Megan is originally from Brooklyn, NY, and is a graduate of Oberlin College. Gelstein is also a Stories of Change Fellow.
SEMPER FI: ALWAYS FAITHFUL (Co-Directors/Producers: Rachel Libert and Tony Hardmon) —
A retired Marine fights for justice on behalf of U.S. soldiers and their families exposed to toxic drinking water.
Rachel Libert is the co-founder of Tied to the Tracks Films, a production company dedicated to the creation of films that raise awareness and effect social change. Her most recent film, Beyond Conviction, premiered at LA Film Festival, was broadcast as a special on MSNBC and was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the TODAY Show.
Tony  Hardmon is a veteran documentary cinematographer who has worked with numerous acclaimed directors such as Michael Moore, Stacey Peralta, Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky, Liz Garbus, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. Semper Fi: Always Faithful is his directorial debut.
Stories of Change Projects and Fellows:
· BAREFOOT COLLEGE (working title)/Jehane Noujaim
· GREEN SHALL OVERCOME/Megan Gelstein (also a Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab Fellow)
· CONNECTED/Jonathan Stack and Mara-Michelle Batlin
· UNTITLED PARTNERS IN HEALTH DOCUMENTARY/Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern
BAREFOOT COLLEGE (working title) (Director: Jehane Noujaim) — An intimate observational documentary that follows five women/grandmothers with limited formal education as they take a life-changing journey to India from their home villages in Africa, the Middle East and South America to become educated in solar engineering, and then return home to provide their villages with electricity.
Jehane Noujaim is a filmmaker (Control Room, Startup.com) and the founder of Pangea Day.  Noujaim was raised in Cairo, Egypt where she began her career as a photographer. Following a BA in Film and Philosophy at Harvard, she was awarded the Gardiner fellowship under which she directed Mokattam (1998). Noujaim went on to produce and direct Startup.com in association with Pennebaker Hegedus Films. She has since worked in both the Middle East and the U.S. as a co-director: Egypt: We See You, Storm from the South;  cinematographer: Born Rich, Only the Strong Survive, and Down from the Mountain; and Executive Producer: Encounter Point, Budrus.
CONNECTED (Director: Jonathan Stack; Producer: Mara-Michelle Batlin) — What happens when highly-skilled professionals leave the world’s leading technology companies in Silicon Valley, returning home to Africa to revolutionize business and governments there?  Connected follows the challenges and triumphs of tomorrow’s “DotCom Billionaires” who are bringing technology solutions that radically improve the lives of Africans.
Mara-Michelle Batlin is a co-founder and producer at Highest Common Denominator Media Group. She worked for over 2 decades as an executive, consultant and trainer in communications and advocacy for think tanks and NGOs in developing countries, helping to frame issues, develop communications strategies, and interface with critical constituencies for policy reform initiatives. She has a B.A. in economics from Mills College, and studied at the London School of Economics and the Naval Postgraduate School. She received an MA in International Policy and Economic Development from the Monterey Institute for International Studies.
Jonathan Stack is a multiple Emmy Award-winning and two-time Academy Award® nominated documentary filmmaker. During his career Jonathan has written, produced and directed over 25 films and 50 television programs including The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison, which was honored with the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize. His films have been distributed through HBO, BBC, A&E, Channel Four, the Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, and many others in 20 countries. With HCD Media Group Jonathan directed The Farm: Ten Down a story about a decade behind bars in Angola Prison.
UNTITLED PARTNERS IN HEALTH DOCUMENTARY (Director: Kief Davidson; Producer: Cori Shepherd Stern) — This is the story of Partners In Health, a remarkable public health charity organization operating in thirteen of the poorest countries around the world and the controversial man who founded it, Dr. Paul Farmer.  Dr. Farmer and his colleagues are larger-than-life heroes to millions, fighting to change the way the world cares for its poorest citizens, by insisting on quality health care as a basic inalienable human right.
Kief Davidson is an award-winning feature film and documentary director, whose latest film Kassim the Dream, about a former child soldier turned boxing champion, premiered at the 2008 Tribeca film festival and won over 10 international film festivals including. Additionally, Kassim was nominated by the IDA for Best Feature and was released theatrically by IFC Films. His prior film, The Devil’s Miner, won over 15 awards at festivals including Tribeca, Hot Docs, and Chicago.
Cori Shepherd Stern divides her time between international NGO work and producing film. Her credits include The Arizona Project for Miramax, script by Sheldon Turner, Ben Affleck directing. The film is based on true events in 1970s Arizona, which lead to 19 indictments of major crime figures and shut down mob activity in Goldwater’s Arizona. Cori is also executive producing Warm Bodies for Summit, written and directed by Jonathan Levine. Additionally, Cori is known for her work as a social entrepreneur and innovative strategist for poverty alleviation.  Her projects have been featured on BBC, NPR, and Oprah.
Sundance Institute receives major support for its Creative Producing Initiatives from: the Ford Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, B.Co., The Charles Engelhard Foundation, Cinereach Foundation, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Microsoft, the Open Society Institute, SAGindie, Sheila C. Johnson, and the Skoll Foundation.
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VIDEO 50 CENT ON THE VIEW SPEAKS WEIGHT LOSS, ACTING & DRUG DEALING

VIDEO 50 CENT ON THE VIEW SPEAKS WEIGHT LOSS, ACTING & DRUG DEALING

Posted on 30 Jul 2010 at 1:27pm

50 Cent stopped by the View on Wednesday to discuss his dramatic weight loss for the movie Things Fall Apart. The rapper claims he found inspiration studied Robert DeNiro to prepare for his acting role.

Isn’t it a shame that Fiddy lost the weight but he still doesn’t have the acting chops?  His latest film, Twelve, received mixed reviews after it debuted at Sundance earlier this year. Can you believe he stopped by the View a day before Barack Obama’s historic visit?

This reminds us of some  interesting points that were raised in the short documentary film Barack & Curtis Manhood, Power and Respect  directed by Byron Hurt.

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SUNDANCE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES 2010 CINEREACH PROJECT AT SUNDANCE INSTITUTE GRANTEES

SUNDANCE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES 2010 CINEREACH PROJECT AT SUNDANCE INSTITUTE GRANTEES

Posted on 27 Jul 2010 at 3:33pm

Eleven Documentary and Narrative Feature Film Projects Selected for Development, Production

and Post-Production Support

LOS ANGELES, CA – Sundance Institute and Cinereach announced today the 2010 projects awarded grants for development, production, or post-production as part of a $1.5 million, three-year initiative, The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute. The initiative is designed to support documentary and narrative feature film projects with themes that evoke global cultural exchange and social impact, and projects representing emerging and innovative voices selected for their distinctive and personal storytelling. The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute is directly supporting eleven projects, each at a critical moment in their development.

In addition to grant awards, The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute includes core artist support activity at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, Directors Lab, Documentary Edit & Story Lab, Composers & Documentary Lab, the Creative Producing Feature and Documentary Labs, and the Sundance Film Festival.

“The unique partnership between Sundance Institute and Cinereach enables a deeper support of innovative independent film,” said Keri Putnam, Executive Director, Sundance Institute. “The initiative is an extension of the ongoing support provided by the Sundance Institute through our Labs and funding opportunities, dedicated  to nurturing artists’ individual voices. We’re thrilled to be working with Cinereach to support these eleven documentary and narrative feature film projects at critical stages in their development.”

“I’m heartened by the breadth of support that has touched a dynamic group of projects in such a short time. Today’s filmmakers are charting their own destinies and it’s critical their custodians adapt alongside them,” said Philipp Engelhorn, Cinereach Founder and Executive Director. “We’re thrilled with our partnership with the Sundance Institute, and I believe the results are indicative of the power of collaboration in uncharted times.”

Projects recently selected as Sundance Institute Cinereach Grantees through the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program include:

POST PRODUCTION GRANTING

Yelling to the Sky

Writer-director: Victoria Mahoney (Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Lab Fellow)

Producer: Diane Houslin (Sundance Institute Creative Producing Fellow)

In a distressed New York neighborhood, the younger of two mixed-race sisters navigates an identity between the known: a violent life of crime, and the unknown: a life of purpose and meaning.

Here

Director: Braden King (Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Lab Fellow)

Writers: Braden King and Dani Valent

Producers: Jay Van Hoy and Lars Knudsen

Cartographer Will Shepard hits the road for his latest job: to create a new, more accurate satellite survey of Armenia. During his assignment, he forms a bond with an Armenian expatriate and art photographer.

PRODUCTION GRANTING

On the Ice

Writer-director: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (Sundance Institute Directors and
Screenwriters Lab Fellow)

Producers: Cara Marcous (Sundance Institute Creative Producing Fellow) and Lynette Howell

On the snow-covered arctic tundra, at the top of the world in Barrow, Alaska, two Iñuit teenagers try to get away with murder.

DEVELOPMENT GRANTING

Postcards from the Zoo

Co-writer-director: Edwin (Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab Fellow)

Co-writer: Daud Sumolang (Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab Fellow)

Producers: Meiske Taurisia, Lorna Tee

After being abandoned at a young age at the zoo, a young woman leaves her magical childhood behind to discover the world outside.

The Ruined Cast

Writer-director: Dash Shaw (Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Fellow)

Producers: Howard Gertler, John Cameron Mitchell

Told with hand-drawn animation, a disconnected family is thrown into chaos when the scientist father loses the test subject of his experiment with appearance-altering technology.

Projects recently selected as Sundance Institute Cinereach Grantees through the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program include:

DEVELOPMENT GRANTING

The Arizona Project (Working Title)

Directors: Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini

Reporting from the frontlines of the new battle for America’s soul, filmmakers Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini follow the volatile, unfolding story of Arizona’s racially charged immigration law, Senate Bill 1070.

Untitled Margaret Brown Oil Spill Documentary

Director: Margaret Brown

Margaret Brown’s new documentary is an investigation into the personal stories behind the tragic 2010 BP Oil Spill. The film uncovers how government and corporate interests respond in the wake of an environmental crisis, and the way this affects a region and culture so rooted in nature.

Untitled Documentary by Lauren Greenfield

Director: Lauren Greenfield

This untitled cinema verite film by Lauren Greenfield is a portrait of an American family against the backdrop of the financial crisis.

Projects previously selected and announced as Sundance Institute Cinereach Grantees through the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program in December 2009 included 25 to Life (Director: Mike Brown); The Fire This Time (Director: Blair Doroshwalther); and Gasland (Director: Josh Fox).

The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute supports a unique and flexible resource pool for documentary and feature filmmakers and their projects. The Project consists of a discretionary fund that can be used towards projects by filmmakers that are participating in Sundance Institute’s existing Feature Film Program and Documentary Film Program, and are in need of urgent support. As a result of this unique partnership, Sundance Institute is more equipped to bridge funding and creative support gaps at critical stages of its Fellows’ projects.

About Sundance Institute

Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the

development of original storytelling in film and theatre, and presents the annual Sundance Film Festival.

Internationally recognized for its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers,

film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Angels in America, Spring Awakening, Boys Don’t Cry and Trouble the Water. www.sundance.org.

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LINDSAY LOHAN JAIL CELL HELL + MUGSHOT BOOKING PHOTO

LINDSAY LOHAN JAIL CELL HELL + MUGSHOT BOOKING PHOTO

Posted on 21 Jul 2010 at 4:02pm

Lindsay Lohan is now serving her 90 day jail term in a California prison. According to inmates Lilo is affectionately referred to as a ‘fish”.  The Mean Girls actress was sentenced to enter a 90 day stint in rehab after she finishes her Twitterless prison time.  Lindsay is not allowed to use Twitter, smoke or wear hair extensions during her prison stay.

Lindsay Lohan is now a “fish.”

That’s what new inmates at the women’s jail are called, and to underscore their lowly status, each is given what’s called a “fish kit,” which is a sandwich bag containing a small tube of toothpaste, a white toothbrush, three packets of cream deodorant, three packets of shampoo and a small bar of soap.

“Nothing is name brand. They’re all generic and cheap quality,” says Michelle, a former inmate who declined to give her last name, about the intake process at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, Calif.

As Lohan, 24, begins her 90-day sentence for violating probation in a DUI case, a strange and surreal world awaits, far from the perks and freedoms she enjoys during her jet-setting lifestyle – save one. She’ll have a show-business neighbor.
According to a jail insider, Lohan will be housed in a 12-by-8 cell next to E! reality TV star Alexis Neiers, 19, who’s currently at Lynwood on a six-month sentence for her part in burglarizing Orlando Bloom’s house.

But Neiers got the more famous digs: She’s in the cell once occupied by Paris Hilton.

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SUNDANCE INSTITUTE PRESENTS SHORTSLAB: L.A.

Posted on 16 Jul 2010 at 1:23pm
First-Ever All-Day Workshop for Shorts Filmmakers on Saturday, July 31 at Downtown Independent Theater
Filmmakers Miguel Arteta, Peter Sollett and Jay Duplass Added to the Line-Up
LOS ANGELES, CA — Sundance Institute invites filmmakers to participate in ShortsLab: L.A., its first-ever short film workshop on July 31at the Downtown Independent Theater. The three-part, all-day educational workshop will offer filmmakers first-hand insight and access into the world of story development, production, and exhibition of short films. Panelists include  representatives from The Directors Bureau, Filmmakers Alliance, Fox Digital Studios, Funny or Die, Kickstarter, Paramount Pictures, SAGIndie, Topspin Media, UTA, Wholphin, Withoutabox/IMDb, YouTube, and more.  In addition, acclaimed filmmakers and Sundance Alumni Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl), Peter Sollett (Raising Victor Vargas) and Jay Duplass (Cyrus) will share their experiences working with short-form films during their careers.
Also — for the first time — Sundance Film Festival shorts programmers will give one-on-one feedback (post-Festival) to ShortsLab attendees who submit their short films to the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
For information or to purchase tickets visit: www.sundance.org/shortslab
ShortsLab: LA — Presented by Sundance Institute
Saturday, July 31
9:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Downtown Independent Theater — 251 South Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tickets: $150
Tickets available online only: www.sundance.org/shortslab
· Story Development (9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.): Acclaimed filmmakers and Sundance Film Festival alumni Miguel Arteta, Jay Duplass, and Peter Sollett will share their experiences working with short-form films. These tales from the trenches will focus on conceptualization and script development.
· Production (1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.): Industry professionals and special guests speak to the many challenges filmmakers face during production, including budgeting, working with unions, music rights, financing, and much more.
· Exhibition (3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.): An eclectic mix of speakers — including festival programmers, agents, managers and distributors — share advice on how to handle a completed film.
· Cocktail Mixer and Screening (5:30 p.m.): ShortsLab: L.A. caps off with an informal gathering followed by a 7:30 p.m. screening of award-winning short films from the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
· Feedback: If a filmmaker participates in ShortsLab: L.A. and submits a short film to the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, a Festival programmer will call them post-Festival to offer individual feedback on the film.
Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the development of original storytelling in film and theatre, and presents the annual Sundance Film Festival. Internationally recognized for its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Angels in America, Spring Awakening, Boys Don’t Cry, Sin Nombre, Born into Brothels and Trouble the Water. www.sundance.org
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SUNDANCE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES $500,000 IN GRANTS FOR CONTEMPORARY ISSUE DOCUMENTARY FILMS

SUNDANCE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES $500,000 IN GRANTS FOR CONTEMPORARY ISSUE DOCUMENTARY FILMS

Posted on 30 Jun 2010 at 3:12pm

Documentary Filmmakers Supported in China, Pakistan, South Africa, Russia, Guatemala, Israel, Ukraine, Colombia and the United States.

Los Angeles, CA–Sundance Institute today announced the Documentary Film Program grant recipients for the Spring 2010 round. Eighteen feature-length documentary films, chosen from 750 filmmakers in 111 countries, will receive a total of $500,000 in support. In addition to financial assistance, all of the filmmakers are eligible for a range of year-round creative support services from Sundance Institute, including Creative Labs, Work-in-Progress screenings, and documentary activity at the Sundance Creative Producing Summit and Sundance Film Festival.
Selected filmmakers follow international stories ranging from young leaders in South Africa’s Shack Dweller’s Movement to the presidential campaign that might change the future of politics in Colombia, to the moving story of a Palestinian and an Israeli who form the bonds of friendship. U.S. stories follow former gang members fighting violence in Chicago, undocumented immigrants facing life and death in Arizona’s desert, inner city Philadelphia girls taking pride in their urban soccer team, and Detroit residents fighting to bring their city back to life.
“Sundance Institute salutes the filmmakers from 111 countries who submitted proposals in this round; we had an incredibly high quality applicant pool,” said Cara Mertes, Director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. “The result is a new resurgence of nonfiction filmmaking on the world stage, and we look forward to welcoming the new grantees into the fold.”
The Sundance Institute Documentary Fund is a core activity of Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, which provides year-round creative support to nonfiction filmmakers globally. Proposals are accepted twice a year, and submissions are judged on their approach to storytelling, artistic treatment and innovation, subject relevance and potential for social engagement. Sundance Institute considers projects in the Development, Production/Post-Production and Audience Engagement phases.  The film selection is juried by creative film professionals and human rights experts. The next postmarked deadline is July 7, 2010. Please visit www.sundance.org/documentary or www.sundance.org/DocSource for more information.
DEVELOPMENT
Detroit Hustles Harder
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (U.S.)
Can Motor City rise from its ashes? There is a growing feeling that as Detroit goes, so goes the nation. This film tells the dramatic story of a city and its most innovative people who refuse to leave the building, even as the flames are rising.
Politics Not as Usual
Margarita Martinez (Colombia)
“Antanas Mockus goes on the campaign trail in a bid for the Colombian presidency. Mockus’ candidacy is a grassroots, socially networked movement of a new kind, and his campaign may hold keys to the future of South American politics.
The Path (working title)
Senain Kheshgi (U.S.)
In a coming-of-age story, a Pakistani teenage girl grows up during one of the most violent times in her country’s history.
PRODUCTION AND POST-PRODUCTION
The Anderson Monarchs
Eugene Martin (U.S.)
Girls at an inner-city soccer club transcend race, poverty, crime and stereotypes to successfully play the game they love.
Better This World
Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega (U.S.)
Two childhood friends from Midland, Texas set out to prove the strength of their political convictions to themselves and their mentor: a revolutionary activist turned FBI informant.
Dear Mandela
Dara Kell and Christopher Nizza (U.S. / South Africa)
In the year leading up to the 2010 Soccer World Cup, three young leaders in South Africa’s Shack Dwellers Movement resist mass eviction while putting Nelson Mandela’s promise of a ‘better life for all’ to the test.
Donor 150
Jerry Rothwell (U.K.)
The filmmaker weaves together a twenty-first century tale of identity and genetic inheritance to reveal what may perhaps be the family of the future.
Girl Model (working title)
Ashley Sabin and David Redmon (U.S.)
First-hand accounts of the modeling industry by scouts, agencies and a 13-year-old model reveal a complex supply chain between Siberia and Japan.
Granito
Pamela Yates (U.S.)
A classic documentary film deeply intertwined with Guatemala’s turbulent history is revisited decades later, and proves to be a crucial player in a present-day case against genocide.

Pit No. 8

Marianna Kaat (Estonia / Ukraine)
Set in the heart of a once-thriving Ukrainian coal mining region now overcome with poverty, the film is a timely portrait of parents and teenagers trying to earn a living in abandoned coal pits.
Shenandoah, PA
David Turnley (U.S.)
In Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, four of the town’s star, white football players are charged with beating to death Luis Ramirez, an undocumented Mexican immigrant. A Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer turns his eye towards creating a deeply felt portrait of a community on trial.
The Interrupters
Steve James (U.S.)
Using an innovative approach to breaking cycles of violence in inner cities, former gang leaders and ex-cons in Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods take a stand to “interrupt” shootings and protect their communities from the violence they themselves once employed.
The Law In These Parts
Ra’anan Alexandrowicz (Israel)
Using interviews, archival footage and deep historical research, this film explores the formal legal mechanisms of Israel’s forty year military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
The Mosuo Sisters
Marlo Poras and Yu Ying Wu Chou (U.S. / China)
When they lose the only jobs they’ve ever known, two spirited daughters from China’s last remaining matrilineal ethnic minority are thrust into the worldwide economic downturn.
The Undocumented
Marco Williams (U.S.)
The skyrocketing number of deaths of illegal immigrants along the Arizona border is viewed through multiple prisms in light of the state’s proposed new immigration law.
Turkey Creek
Leah Mahan (U.S.)
Settled by emancipated slaves in the 1860s, Turkey Creek is surrounded today by an airport, a Wal-Mart, two highways and an industrial canal that threaten the historic Mississippi community and its fragile wetlands. When the twin disasters of Hurricane Katrina and the BP spill devastate the Gulf Coast, residents join with other endangered coastal communities in the fight of their lives—and for a sustainable future for us all.
Within the Eye of the Storm
Shelley Hermon (Israel)
After Bassam, a Palestinian, and Rami, an Israeli, each experience personal tragedy, the two men turn from enemies to brothers.
DISCRETIONARY
Losing Sacred Ground
Christopher McLeod (U.S.)
Losing Sacred Ground tells from the perspective of indigenous elders and activists eight compelling stories of indigenous people resisting the destruction of their culture and lands, and explores climate change, biodiversity loss and sacred site destruction.

Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program is made possible by generous support from The Ford Foundation, Open Society Institute, the Skoll Foundation, The Charles Engelhard Foundation, Cinereach, the MacArthur Foundation, the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation, the Woodruff Charitable Memorial Trust and the Bastian Foundation.  Sundance Institute also gratefully acknowledges the generous assistance provided by the following organizations: Alesis Corporation, Apple Computer, Avid Technology, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, HP Marketing, JBL Professional, LaCie Limited, Mackie, Mark of the Unicorn, Sony Business and Professional Products, Sony Media, Sony SXRD and Soundcraft.

Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program
The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program is dedicated to supporting U.S. and international feature documentary films that focus on current human rights issues, social justice, civil liberties, and other contemporary issues. Since 1996, the Sundance Documentary Fund has supported more than 450 artists in 52 countries, providing a continuum of support throughout the life of a project. Films supported by the Fund have received widespread distribution to their intended audiences via broadcast and theatrical release, and many have garnered a number of awards and exceptional industry recognition. Films have included My Country, My Country; Iraq In Fragments; Why We Fight; The Inner Tour; The Betrayal (Nerakhoon); and Traces of the Trade. Please visit www.sundance.org/documentary or www.sundance.org/DocSource for more information.
Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the development of original storytelling in film and theatre, and presents the annual Sundance Film Festival. Internationally recognized for its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Angels in America, Spring Awakening, Boys Don’t Cry, Sin Nombre, Born into Brothels and Trouble the Water. www.sundance.org.
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SUNDANCE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES $500,000 IN GRANTS FOR CONTEMPORARY ISSUE DOCUMENTARY FILMS

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Sundance Institute Announces Fellows for 2010 Documentary Edit and Story Lab

Sundance Institute Announces Fellows for 2010 Documentary Edit and Story Lab

Posted on 23 Jun 2010 at 1:20pm
Films highlight stories from the U.S., China, Israel/Palestinian Territories and the Philippines
Los Angeles, CA –Sundance Institute today announced the 12 Documentary Film Fellows representing five film projects participating in the seventh Documentary Edit and Story Laboratory, June 19 – 27 in Sundance, Utah. Held in the Wasatch Mountains at Sundance Resort, the Lab supports filmmakers whose projects represent some of the most visionary, committed and crafted films now in production.
Fellows are invited from the grantee pool of about 60 active projects which the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program is currently funding. The Documentary Film Edit and Story Laboratory represents additional support for selected grantees, and offers an intensive artist-to-artist collaborative experience where nonfiction storytelling is engaged with rigor and candor. World class documentary editors and directors join with Sundance Institute staff as Advisors to the Fellows. Sundance Creative Labs are an open, creative environment in which Fellows advance works in-progress and are encouraged in the spirit of experimentation and risk taking.
“The Sundance Documentary Edit and Story Lab is welcoming Fellows working around the world on stories that impact every aspect of our lives,” said Cara Mertes, Director of the Sundance Documentary Film Program. “Many of these artists have been following their subjects for years, reflecting a deep engagement with their subjects. We expect these films to be completed in the coming year, and given the breadth of topic and richness of story, we anticipate that they will have a great impact.”
Lab Fellows in alphabetical order are: Ra’anan Alexandrowicz (Directing Fellow), Michael Collins (Directing Fellow), Heather Courtney (Directing Fellow), Ramona Diaz (Directing Fellow), Ron Goldman (Editing Fellow), Kyle Henry (Editing Fellow), Stephen Maing (Directing Fellow), Leah Marino (Editing Fellow), Eric Daniel Metzgar (Editing Fellow), Jonathan Oppenheim (Editing Fellow), Trina Rodriquez (Editing Fellow), Marty Syjuco (Directing Fellow).
These Fellows will be joined by six Creative Advisors, including Directors and Editors, to jointly engage in the creative process. Editors: Kate Amend (Academy Award–winner Into the Arms of Strangers and The Long Way Home), Jean Philippe Boucicaut (Citizen King), Jean Tsien(Shut Up And Sing, Please Vote for Me), and Mary Lampson (Harlan County, A Lion in the House), Directors: Laura Poitras (The Oath, Academy Award nominee My Country My Country) and Robb Moss (Secrecy, The Same Rive Twice).
The films selected for the 2010 Sundance Institute Documentary Editing and Story Lab are:
GIVE UP TOMORROW (U.S.)
After languishing for 12 years on death row in a Philippine prison, Paco Larrañaga finds hope when the international human rights community upholds his innocence and launches a grass-roots campaign that triggers the total abolishment of the death penalty.
HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE (U.S./China)
High Tech, Low Life follows the personal journey of two of China’s most well-known roving citizen reporters as they travel the country chronicling under-reported news and social issues stories.
THE LAW IN THESE PARTS (Israel / Palestinian Territories)
What happens to the rule of law when a democracy enforces military rule over a neighboring population in a territory one third of its size?
THE LEARNING (U.S.)
The Learning follows four Filipino teachers recruited to from the Philippines to teach in Baltimore City. Across the school year’s changing seasons, the film chronicles the sacrifices they make as they try to maintain a long-distance relationship with their children and families, and begin a new one with the mostly African-American students whose schooling is now entrusted to them.
WHERE SOLDIERS COME FROM (U.S.)
Looking for money for college, a group of childhood friends join the National Guard when they graduate from their rural high school. Thus begins their 4-year-journey from teenagers stuck in their town, to soldiers looking for bombs in Afghanistan, to 23-year-old combat veterans trying to restart their civilian lives.
Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program is made possible by generous support from The Ford Foundation, Open Society Institute, the Skoll Foundation, The Charles Engelhard Foundation, Cinereach, the MacArthur Foundation, the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation, the Woodruff Charitable Memorial Trust, Wallace Global Fund and the Bastian Foundation.  Sundance Institute also gratefully acknowledges the generous assistance provided by the following organizations: Alesis Corporation, Apple Computer, Avid Technology, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, HP Marketing, JBL Professional, LaCie Limited, Mackie, Mark of the Unicorn, Sony Business and Professional Products, Sony Media, Sony SXRD and Soundcraft.
Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program
The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program provides year-round support to nonfiction filmmakers
worldwide. The program advances innovative nonfiction storytelling about a broad range of contemporary social issues, and promotes the exhibition of documentary films to audiences. Through the Sundance
Documentary Fund, the Documentary Edit and Story Laboratory, Documentary Composers Laboratory, Creative Producers Lab, as well as the Sundance Film Festival, the Sundance Creative Producing Summit and a variety of partnerships and international initiatives, the program provides a unique, global resource for contemporary independent documentary film. www.sundance.org/docsource
Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the development of original storytelling in film and theatre, and presents the annual Sundance Film Festival. Internationally recognized for its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Angels in America, Spring Awakening, Boys Don’t Cry, Sin Nombre, Born into Brothels and Trouble the Water. www.sundance.org.
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Sundance Institute Announces Fellows for 2010 Documentary Edit and Story Lab

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