All these wonderful things

One of the Biggest Weeks of the Year Hits Full Steam in Sheffield Tonight

We're in the midst of a pretty momentous week for documentary film: imminently, two major, established international documentary fests kick off their latest edition, a promising newcomer unveils itself in New York City and we’ll be announcing this year’s Cinema Eye nominees.

When you think about it, this week also marks the beginning of perhaps the most jam-packed, three-month stretch during our documentary year.  Think about it, before the next 92 days are through we will know this year’s Oscar nominees, this year’s Spirit Award nominees and the Cinema Eye, IDA & Gotham award winners.  We’ll have gotten our first look at the major docs of 2011 via their premieres in Amsterdam and Park City.  And we’ll know the names of the films that are set to premiere in Austin.

It all begins today when the international documentary contingent braves the London tube strike to travel to Sheffield for the last November edition of Doc/Fest (it moves to June next year – yep, they’ve got another fest to plan starting right about yesterday).  Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg’s JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK will launch this year’s Doc/Fest, with Stern, Sundberg and Rivers all in person.

Tomorrow night, at the Cinema Eye Roller Disco, we’ll announce the 2011 Cinema Eye nominees in 12 categories: 11 feature and the new award for Nonfiction Short Film.  Each year, the Cinema Eye nominators manage to come up with a pretty remarkable mix of big ticket docs and slightly less heralded, artistic efforts.  In a year heralded by many as the second coming of documentary (due to the huge number of major new works), it will be interesting to find out which films are called out on Thursday.

A Story About George Hickenlooper and the Summer of 2008

By now you have probably heard that the filmmaker George Hickenlooper, who co-directed the landmark documentary HEARTS OF DARKNESS, the much appreciated MAYOR OF THE SUNSET STRIP and a number of other features, documentaries and shorts, died on Saturday in Denver at the very young age of 47.

Many of the reports stated that Hickenlooper was in town for the Opening Night screening of his new fiction film, CASINO JACK, at the Denver Film Festival.  But that wasn't until this Thursday.  He was in Denver this weekend to support and film the last few days of his cousin John Hickenlooper's campaign for Governor. 

I met George for the first time several years back at the St. Louis Film Festival.  George was from St. Louis, I was too, and on more than one occasion he and I were both called back to film-related events sponsored by Cinema St. Louis.

While I didn’t know George well - we'd mostly converse politely when we'd find ourselves back in Missouri - I ended up spending a good deal of time around him and his cousin John in Denver during the summer of 2008 – and the story I can tell from that experience says something special, I think, about George’s character.

The Top 25 Film Festivals for Documentaries, 2nd Edition - #23. Denver

Previously: #22. Dokufest Kosovo

#23. Denver

Our take:  Despite a year of turmoil behind the scenes, this year's Denver Film Festival reasserted its position as one of the the top regional festivals in the US and one with terrific and often imaginative documentary programming.  With the startlingly fast fade of AFI Fest, Denver now owns the month of November stateside.  Hospitality this year seemed slightly reduced (wasn't it everywhere) but the fest's legendary Late Night and Filmmaker Lounges remain a model for the circuit.  Denver's drawback?  The local audiences aren't quite as taken with the doc slate as they are with the higher profile narratives. 

Selection of US films screened at 2009 festival:  45365, BEETLE QUEEN CONQUERS TOKYO, BIG RIVER MAN, CON ARTIST, CONVENTION, FORGETTING DAD, GARBAGE DREAMS, HICK TOWN, THE HORSE BOY, MY NEIGHBOR, MY KILLER, OCTOBER COUNTRY, POLIWOOD, STILL BILL, TRIMPIN: THE SOUND OF INVENTION

Our coverage of Denver here.

The Monday Brief: Indie Film in Hell - The Bloodbath, CineVegas & Polanski, But Signs of Hope With Ondi Timoner's Innovations, CAPITALISM, SEPTEMBER & IT MIGHT GET LOUD

Is the entire indie film world going to hell?  That's been the question vibrating through our community for the past several weeks, particularly after a Toronto International Film Festival that was light on sales and a summary paper issued by Anne Thompson, in which she labeled this year's TIFF an "indie bloodbath":

"The old independent market is over. A new one will take its place. But we are smack in the middle between the end of one paradigm and the start of another, and it’s a scary place indeed...

If nobody knew anything before, they know even less now. The one sure thing is that moviemakers will now PAY to get their films released. The few remaining distributors can sit back and wait for movies to drop in their laps, often with P & A funds attached. All hopes of a hot sale at a festivals were dashed this year."

And if you think filmmakers going to festivals have it bad, what about the festivals themselves?  This year has seen an unprecedented upheaval, as five of the top 10 festivals for documentaries saw a change in leadership (Sundance, Silverdocs, Los Angeles, Tribeca and Full Frame) and a number of film festivals found themselves making news - Toronto over its choice of Tel Aviv for its City to City Spotlight, Los Angeles in its battle with the BANANAS!* filmmakers and lawyers from Dole, SF Jewish Film over its screening of RACHEL, Tokyo due to its rejection-then-capitulation/acceptance of THE COVE, not to mention the coup at the Denver Film Society.  And what does it say about the New York Film Festival if most of NYC's indie film cognoscenti took the first flights out of town to be in Austin for Fantastic Fest, just as NYFF was opening?

Now we learn that CineVegas, one of the best regional festivals in the US, will not be back for its 2010 edition (although they state publicly that they will try to return sometime after that) and yesterday  the news that filmmaker Roman Polanski was arrested in Switzerland as he was en route to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Zurich Film Festival.

Add to all this what any filmmaker on the festival circuit (including this one) can tell you with certainty - for many festivals, the days of largesse have passed.  No travel, no accommodations, no screening fees.  Oh yeah, and if you want more than a couple tickets to your film, you're going to have to pay for them.

Let that sink in for a moment.

BREAKING: Denver Post Reports Bo Smith Out, Erickson, Withey and Henderson to Return

The Denver Post's Lisa Kennedy is set to report in Sunday's paper that the board of the Denver Film Society has removed Bo Smith from the Executive Director position after months of turmoil that culminated in more than 21 resignations earlier this week.

Britta Erickson, who had been Director of Festivals for DFS prior to Smith's arrival, will be named Interim ED, according to the Post report. She, along with Programming Director Brit Withey and festival co-founder Ron Henderson, had resigned as part of a mutiny against Smith's leadership. All 3 are set to return to the organization.

Sources in Denver (see my previous article on this topic for lengthy full disclosure) indicated that the Board was surprised both by the solidarity in resignations and by the national outcry and coverage that kicked off with indieWIRE's Brian Brooks breaking the story on Tuesday.

[Links for this story to added later - am blogging from my phone.]

UPDATED: Chaos in Denver: Henderson, Withey, Erickson, 17 Others Quit Film Festival

indieWIRE has an excellent run-down on the still-developing story of the mass resignations of at least 20 staffers from the Denver Film Festival/Denver Film Society:

"A dramatic mass exodus is underway at the Denver Film Society, organizer of the three decade old Denver International Film Festival. Longtime veterans of the organization, including Festival Director Britta Erickson and Artistic Director Brit Withey, as well as esteemed co-founder Ron Henderson, have resigned in Denver. And now they are being followed out the door by some seventeen other people at the Film Society and the festival. The move marks a striking mutiny currently taking place at the leading Colorado film institution.

Word of the mass exodus from the Denver organization and festival, an increasingly popular stop on the fest circuit for filmmakers and industry alike, began to emerge late last week with the departures apparently stemming from a growing rift with Burleigh “Bo” Smith, the new DFS executive director who joined the organization in October. Smith, a twenty-one year veteran who was the head of film, video and concerts at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, was chosen in part by DFS founder Ron Henderson who began his retirement in 2007. Henderson had agreed to stay on as a consultant but also gave final notice earlier this week after attempting to rescue the group in the wake of the impending departures. He is currently negotiating his departure date."

Before continuing, I must give full disclosure: I have a long relationship with the Denver Film Festival and personal friendships with Erickson, Henderson and Withey.  As the indieWIRE article notes, Britta Erickson is a producer on my new film.  Brit Withey has blogged for this space and has been a member of the Cinema Eye Honors nominations committee for the past two years.  Last year, we named Denver as one of the top 25 festivals for documentary.  I also know and have worked with Bo Smith, who programmed my first film at the Boston MFA. 

All that said, I can vouch for Withey's statement refuting Smith's claim that the resignations were timed to financial difficulties at the organization.  There has been unease over the leadership of Smith since late last year, particularly in an organization as tightly bound as the DFS had been throughout Henderson's leadership and in his passing the torch to Withey and Erickson in 2007. 

The Denver Post's Lisa Kennedy wrote of the situation in mid-April, suggesting that board members felt that the reputation of the vaunted film festival overshadowed the year-round programming that the film society put on at their Starz Film Center:

"If we're known in five years equally for our wonderful film-center programming and our film festival, that would be success," says former board chair Nina Henderson-Moore.

[More full disclosure: Henderson-Moore is the wife of Denver Post editor Gregory Moore, who is Kennedy's boss as well as a minor character in my new film, which features the political unit at the Post as a major storyline.]

Such a view would align with what Smith told me in November about his vision for the film society - in essence a belief that the festival was successful and didn't need the same care and tending as the rest of the organization.  There was a great deal of talk of reaching out to neglected communities in the Denver area.  From Kennedy's piece:

"In mid-March, the film society sent out its first press release under Smith. The three-plus pages outlined programming initiatives and enhanced community partnerships with such organizations as the Jewish Film Festival, the XicanIndie Film Festival and Asian Avenue magazine. It was a promising articulation of the film society's mission to "to develop opportunities for diverse audiences to discover film through creative, thought-provoking experiences."

But a number of changes had already taken place, seemingly under the radar. For example, one had to be a close reader of the e-newsletter to film society members to learn that the film society had cut back its hours of operation. Or you could simply have been a moviegoer who arrived at the FilmCenter one Monday or Tuesday night to suddenly find locked doors and dimmed lights."

While Kennedy's piece would only hint at the tension that - even at that point in mid-April - was already at a boiling point, now-departing staffers are speaking openly about their decisions to leave, putting the blame squarely at the feet of Smith and the board, which, according to Brian Brooks' article tonight at indieWIRE, held an emergency meeting Tuesday night where "in an apparently sharply divided decision, (they) ultimately voted to continue to back Smith as the executive director of the organization."

“I see the organization not continuing under its present leadership, I’d rather leave now than see it fall apart,” Starz FilmCenter General Manager Oaken Beeson told indieWIRE today. He is among the many people who have resigned in Denver. “We’ve been ignored by the board of directors and I don’t want to be there as the organization destroys itself.”

More details as they become public.

Updates after the break

IN DEPTH: Part Two of The 25 Top Film Festivals For Documentaries

Continuing our first of what will hopefully be an annual look at the world's top 25 film festivals for documentary films.  For numbers 1-10, go here.  As always, rankings are based on our research as well as the anonymous thoughts of numerous filmmakers and industry figures.

11. Berlin

Our take:
Berlin screens a limited selection of documentaries each year, so those that do get in have a unique spotlight on them.  Still, the same issues at play in Toronto count here as well.  The focus tends to be elsewhere.  One of the best organized festivals in the world and surprisingly easy to navigate, plus a huge industry presence from around the world.  But one wonders what the Berlinale's POV on docs is.  This year, for the first time, a doc screened in competition (granted it was Errol Morris) and a doc screened as the opening night film (granted it was Martin Scorsese), so maybe things are changing.  But it's criminally easy to premiere at Berlin and have no one stateside take much notice.

12.  BritDoc

Our take:
A kind of English cousin to True/False, BritDoc is often compared to its American relative in terms of fun, intimacy and opportunities for connecting with others.  Plus, it has a pitching forum, although bear in mind that it is exclusively reserved for Brit filmmakers.  Only 10 international films are screened, but worth attending even if you don't have a film in the festival as the pitching forum draws a stellar line-up of major international doc players and there's none of the crush that greets them in Amsterdam.  Plus, there's the summer camp vibe - staying in the Oxford dorms, eating in the Harry Potter dining hall and drinking late into the morning at the on campus bar.  Working out some funding issues and newcomer kinks (this will be its 3rd year), but hard to beat on lots of levels.

Others:
Filmmaker:
"Great films, a tight little program of unusually high quality stuff. Great parties. Fantastic atmosphere and they really take care of all their filmmakers.   Has all of the above plus it’s a bit more serious about being an industry event too (which is good if that’s what you’re wanting). Great networking, also great atmosphere and a lot of fun."

Industry:
"The most fun of any doc fest i've been too - they make it so open and inviting, and the pitch panel is the best going.  Plus i love the open mic punk rock karaoke."

Filmmaker:
"My favorite is BritDoc, am so proud of what they've achieved and think they are just awesome on the doc-only front."

Filmmaker:
"I love great settings and if this is not the greatest....  Imagine spending a couple of days at the Harry Potter Castle. This is it! This is a great oppotunity to meet other filmmakers, but what this festival lacks compared to True/False is audience. Not the most visited screenings I have been to. Parties are great especially do not miss the "live" karaoke."

Filmmaker:
"The Harry Potter-esque setting is a little strange, and the emphasis is definitely not on the films being screened. It felt like a television pitch session with films and panels arranged around it. I've heard that this year's event will be improved on that front. I hate pitch sessions... I just don't like to see artists begging for money, I guess. But the social interaction here is great. Brit Doc attracts the cream of the British film and TV brass, and the punk rock karaoke is top notch!"

13.  Telluride

Our take:
The prestigious fall fest in the Colorado mountains only screens a handful of documentaries each year and those that do are often on their way to Toronto.  Yet for those that do get in, it's a spotlight like none other.  You will get reviewed by nearly every major outlet just by virtue of your presence here.  But warning, it's invitation only, so maybe you should know someone who knows someone to get them to make an inquiry.  Tough to beat the setting and the warm, intimate environment.

Others:
Filmmaker:
"All around best fest"

14.  Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival

Our take:
Despite the presence of its legendary sister festival in the fall, Thessaloniki Documentary is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best documentary festivals in Europe.  Less of an industry fest and more focused on connecting with other filmmakers.  Supportive audiences, easy to navigate, extremely social and a focus on films from oft-neglected regions of the world.  The latter can lead to some spotty programming choices but also some gems that may never have a presence outside the Balkans.

Others:
Filmmaker:
"A great fest for the visiting international filmmaker.  Though the programming isn't uniformly great, there are a lot of gems to be discovered, and their retrospectives are both surprising and very strong.  Audience turnout tends to be good (not great) and Q&A's can be lively.

Their hospitality is superb.  You can look forward to nightly dinners at a rotating group of great Greek restaurants, beautiful views of theharbor, and the occasional late night adventure to a smoky disco.  The
dinners (and their famous Ouzo lunch) are as good as any fest, and the intimacy of them (most will involve 8 - 16 people) makes for great, and relaxed, conversation.

Screening rooms are relatively close together, films are almost always subtitled in English, and their discussions, which delve much deeper into social issues than most fest panels, come with headphones and a translator."

Filmmaker:
"Great films, great guests, all very easy to have a good time at."

Industry:
"Great because they're getting regional perspectves--European, Balkan, Chinese, Middle Eastern--and grouping thematically--in a way that's unlike north American curating/grouping."

Filmmaker:
"The Thessaloniki Film Festival I am told, attracts A-list stars and directing talent from across the international spectrum of filmmaking and hundreds of film journalists, executives and fans for the biggest film fest in the Balkan Peninsula.  The Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival (held in mid-March) attracts....documentarians! And hallelujah for that.  Freed from the blinding glitz and glam of major film festival, with no red-carpets to navigate and no VIP hierarchy to worry about, Thessaloniki Doc Fest gathers some of the best international docs and an impressive roster of filmmaker guests for an intimate celebration of the form.  The market arm is pretty low-key as well, but it does exist, yet it's not a high-pressure sales & pitch forum like HotDocs or IDFA. Thessaloniki is about discussions & dialogues - whether over some of the most sumptuous lunches & dinners I have ever encountered on the fest circuit or at moderated panels & workshops. And it gave me a chance to meet some other filmmakers in a very relaxed and nurturing setting - and they bring in some real stellar documentary talent; both legends and newcomers.  The city isn't much to look at, it was mostly gray and wet, but the students were on strike, so screenings were heaving and the hospitality was top-notch.  If you can make it a stop on your tour - it's a pretty busy time on the fest calendar (we went from there to Copenhagen for NatFilm Festivalen) - I'd highly recommend it."

15.  Festival de Cannes

Our take:
Good luck getting in, but if you do land a spot as one of the only documentaries in what is arguably the biggest festival in the world, be prepared to fight for attention like nowhere else.  There are just too many anticipated films to see, and critics and buyers put first priority on those in competition for the Palme d'Or.  Further, it can be by far the most expensive festival to screen at - it is the French Riviera after all.  Still, if lucky, you can get attention and the prestige of having played on La Croisette.

16.  AFI Fest

Our take:
Usually has an extremely strong competition line-up (treated on par with narrative) and other nonfiction titles are sprinkled throughout the festival.  Great venue in the Arclight Cinema complex, with amazing sound and picture.  Treat filmmakers exceptionally well with lots of parties and chances for interaction.  Industry presence in LA is huge - HOWEVER, most stay in Santa Monica for the concurrent AFM market and are not willing to trudge over to Hollywood for screenings.  The fest has attempted to bridge the gap between the festival and the market but hasn't yet come up with a winning combination.  If you go with no expectations (i.e. sales), you'll have a great time.

Others:
Filmmaker:
"Hats off to anybody who can figure out how the hell to have a great, dynamic festival in the middle of the city that has no middle. By the sheer genius of co-opting the ArcLight theaters and having just ONE center for all activities, AFI Fest rocks. It's also staffed by total film-loving AFI types who are very helpful and kind.  Just a fun vibe overall, and you absolutely can't beat the quality of the projection.  What other festival schedules a specific appointment for you to meet with the projectionist a half-day before your screening, where he will allow you up to a half-hour to tweak and listen and adjust the details of your screening?  I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. AFI Fest is better than the other LA Festival. And even though AFI plays the celeb card and bring out the stars for their gala events, the docs do not get buried there. They play in the same theaters as everyone else (and do just as well)."

17.  San Francisco International Film Festival

Our take:
The venerable Northern California fest has long put a big spotlight on its nonfiction line-up and provides an excellent introduction to the well-established bay area documentary community.  Tends to lean toward serious, social issue topics (as does the community) and you might find a warmer reception if that's your bent.  A screening here often disqualifies you from playing at LAFF.

Others:
Filmmaker:
"Very nice hotel and great shopping, but I felt very alone there. The festival was not very good at "putting" filmmakers together, and that is often important for the impression of the festival. I used a lot of time on transportation and it was not a very "festive" festival even though I had a lot of expectiontions from this city I have heard so much about."

18.  Seattle International Film Festival

Our take:
The biggest (in terms of length alone) of all North American festivals, Seattle's month long cinema pilgrimage is also screens more docs than nearly any other fest.  But the length and size can also be a detriment.  Filmmakers are often only in town for a couple days, making it difficult to connect with others (despite the presence of a fully furnished hospitality lounge inside the host W Hotel).  Audiences are notoriously superb, with many screenings selling out within hours of going on sale.  The size and sheer logistical issues can tend to daunt the staff, leading filmmakers to sometimes feel on their own.

Others:
Filmmaker:
"Always has great response to docs but it's huge."

Filmmaker:
"Those people are absolutely fanatical about movies (and books, and music of course).  They definitely win the contest for "Most People Willing To Stand in the Cold and the Rain to see your Film".  And again -- they're an incredibly smart audience.  The festival really makes the filmmakers feel special and throw great parties too (also a nice bonus)."

Filmmaker:
"Great for locals, but too long, too unfocussed and not a good festival for "working" your doc (unless you're premiering on opening weekend, or have a locally-produced film). The press is erratic (well, it's a 100% guarantee that the Seattle Weekly will fucking hate your movie and tell the whole city before you arrive), the technology in the theaters is subpar. This is a filmgoer's festival, not a filmmakers festival. Go there to watch."

19.  Sheffield Doc Fest

Our take:
While BritDoc is the UK's documentary summer camp, Sheffield is quickly becoming the UK's rival to IDFA, complete with market, pitch sessions and lots of opportunities to connect with European commissioning editors.  Schedule-wise, it's not always convenient for Americans, coming as it does just a couple weeks before IDFA, but it's reputation is growing quickly as an important place to premiere and screen nonfiction work on the continent. 

Others:
Filmmaker:
There weren't that many US filmmakers there, but it's the center of the UK doc scene & the UK doc scene is really fascinating & diverse (in style & content) & the programming is fascinating & there are good panels, and a great pitch market (the 'meet market' - one on one meetings with commissioners).  Good audiences, everything very close together & easy to manage, good events, well organized... I'm a big fan.  It's a great way for US people to meet European funders & filmmakers, smaller & more manageable than Amsterdam.  One of my favorite fests.

Filmmaker:
Sheffield is all about the networking and meetings and they have some pretty good films too. Not very generous to filmmakers. The parties and decent I suppose.

20.  Denver Film Festival

Our take:
One of the best regional film festivals in the US, with audience support that almost rivals Seattle and filmmaker hospitality that is second to none - flights, hotels, food, drinks, more drinks are all on the house.  Certainly one of the best social festivals - you will get ample, ample time to meet and mingle with other filmmakers and make new friends - it has a surprising strong and curated line-up of documentaries.  Its placement late in the year means that it can sometimes serve as a summary of the year's best - from Sundance all the way through Toronto and is often a champion of films that might otherwise go unnoticed, like this year's Spirit Award nominee RUNNING STUMBLED.  Not heavy on industry, but recent efforts to draw more press were largely successful in the 2007 edition.

Others:
Filmmaker:
"It was really intimate.  It felt like a family atmosphere."

Filmmaker:
"Meaningless in terms of visibility, but just a fantastic, well-organized festival where you feel appreciated and have fun."

Filmmaker:
"Like the secret bar for filmmakers that's open until 4am every night-- that's smart. Denver felt like a smaller festival, and it is, but the audiences were good, the theaters were good, and the staff was attentive to filmmaker needs."

Next up: Numbers 21-25 plus thoughts on some other fests of note.

Denver's Starz FilmCenter Latest Theater to Feel Effects of Lawsuit Against Shortlisted Doc Price of Sugar

Brit Withey has the latest at La Pistola:

"This morning our office received a letter from the law firm Patton Boggs informing us that a lawsuit was underway against Bill Haney and his production company Uncommon Productions by Grupo Vicini asking to cease and desist any further screenings of the film. Included was a copy of a cease and desist letter from Patton Boggs to Bill Haney and copies of 24 pages of the complaint filed against Haney and Uncommon Pictures in the United States District Court of Boston."

Patton Boggs is the powerful lobbyist and law firm in DC whose partners have included former Clinton lawyer Lanny Davis and Ben Ginsburg, who represented George Bush in the Florida recount of 2000.

Brit links to a November LA Times article by Gina Piccalo that gives some background:

"The Price of Sugar, which opens today in select theaters, isn't the first film to chronicle the plight of the Haitian immigrants in Dominican sugar cane fields. But its influence has been powerful and swift. Since its debut on the film festival circuit in March, the documentary has sparked interest from outspoken Haitian advocate Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles; and Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., has requested a copy to screen for the House Human Rights Caucus. Meanwhile, the plantation-owning Vicini family tried to legally block the film's release and, when that didn't work, its Washington lawyers filed a slander suit, claiming the film misleads viewers and includes fabricated scenes."

The Birth of a New Award for Nonfiction

This idea, that there should be awards for nonfiction that recognized the breadth of the genre and included the crafts of cinematography and editing and producing, has been simmering for more than a year. 

Little moments began to build.  I was dumbfounded that groups like the ASC - the American Society of Cinematographers - didn't give an award for cinematography in nonfiction features.  I was surprised to see filmmakers twist themselves and their bank accounts into knots trying to qualify via the Academy's byzantine and oft-changing rules.

Last summer, at the AFI Silverdocs film festival, I found myself in several conversations about the Academy and its qualification procedures.  I'd see filmmakers stressed, wondering where they'd get the money or whether they'd be able to qualify through the IDA's DocuWeek.  And at some point, sitting with filmmakers and others from within our community, I began to insist that the only way to fix this broken system with the Academy was to dilute the hypnotic power it seemed to hold over filmmakers.  And one way to do that was to create a new award, one that would salute the craftspersons and artists who work in nonfiction.  One that would not be subject to the same bizarre requirements and mysterious screening committees.  One that truly grew from within the community.

My first thought, at least the one I proposed in Silver Spring with at least one drink consumed, was that this was a job that should be handled by an existing entity - perhaps the IDA with an expanded list of awards that included areas of craft, or maybe a top nonfiction festival like Silverdocs.

But it soon became clear that these organizations and others had their hands more than full.  Getting someone else do take on this project would take years of persuasion (of boards, sponsors, etc.).

So, with Silverdocs completed, I returned to Los Angeles with this little idea tucked away.

Then came the Academy Shortlist.

A New Nonfiction Shortlist for a New Award

As part of today's announcement of the upcoming, inaugural Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking, we have revealed a shortlist of 15 films, selected by a blue ribbon committee of film festival programmers.  These 15 films were the top vote getters in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Filmmaking.  From this shortlist, five films will be nominated in the top category, with nominations to be announced in two weeks at an event in Park City, Utah.

The shortlisted films are:

BILLY THE KID
DEEP WATER
THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK
GHOSTS OF CITE SOLEIL
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON
INTO GREAT SILENCE
LAKE OF FIRE
MANDA BALA (SEND A BULLET)
THE MONASTERY - MR. VIG AND THE NUN
NO END IN SIGHT
SICKO
TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE
THE UNFORESEEN
ZOO

indieWIRE has more here.