All these wonderful things

The Top 25 Film Festivals for Documentaries, 2nd Edition - 6 That Would've Made the List If Only They...

Previously: 9 More International Festivals That Matter

In figuring out which film festivals would make up the 2nd round of our Documentary Film Festival survey, there were a number of festivals which stood out as important and potentially monumental in the life of a film.  They have brand value (people have heard of them) and they have distributors attending (sales potential).  But they barely show any docs - not just American docs, but any docs.  So, herewith are...

Five festivals that would've made the list if only they showed more documentaries:

Cannes Film Festival

Important Recent Premieres:  MY NEIGHBOR, MY KILLER, A THORN IN THE HEART, TYSON, WALTZ WITH BASHIR

Our coverage of Cannes here.

Others:

Filmmaker:  "It's a market, but not really for docs."

Industry:  "If you’re a filmmaker and you get a film in Cannes, it looks really good on your resume.  Not sure it does much for the film.  You might be a little bit marginalized there.  If you’re waiting for Cannes to give you an answer and you are passing on SXSW or Full Frame or Hot Docs, then I think you’re making a huge mistake.  Even getting into Cannes may not be as good as playing 2 or 3 of these spring festivals.  99% of the time it doesn’t work out."

Industry:  "The ultimate prestige event for docs, but they take so few that it's not a must-attend."

Industry:  "I love Cannes.  Cannes is a secret to me.  Everybody’s there.  Everybody’s there from all over the world.  You can see so many films.  It’s a great value for what you can see.  But they show so few documentaries – it’s kind of crazy."

IN DEPTH: The 2010 Documentary Short Oscar Shortlist

Late Friday afternoon, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the eight films that have been shortlisted for the Best Documentary Short Oscar.

And once again it was a huge day for HBO Documentary Films.  The network - which traditionally dominates this category - was responsible for at least five of the eight shortlisted titles, including a film that will air on the network this coming week - a profile of children's book author/illustrator Maurice Sendak by WHERE THE WILD THINGS auteur Spike Jonze and his frequent collaborator Lance Bangs.

Also happy?  Us.  Three of our CONVENTION collaborators - Steven Bognar, Daniel Junge and Julia Reichert - were amongst those announce today.  Bogner and Reichert for their HBO Labor Day premiere doc THE LAST TRUCK: CLOSING OF A GM PLANT (above) and Junge for his THE LAST CAMPAIGN OF GOVERNOR BOOTH GARDNER.  Congrats to them and all on this year's shorts shortlist, 3 to 5 of whom will be making the voyage to the Kodak Theatre as Oscar nominees in March.

After the break, the skinny on this year's potential nominees:

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.

Split Decisions: Film Critics Divide Over Major Fall Fest Titles

With Telluride over, Venice in full flower and Toronto just days away, some of the fall's biggest narrative films are finally getting public airings, and for the most part they are stirring polarity amongst film critics.  Glancing at GreenCine Daily's definitive wrap-ups of critical responses out of Colorado and Italy is enough to make your head spin.

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD is either "a ravishing, magisterial, poetic epic that moves its characters toward their tragic destinies with all the implacability of a Greek drama" or "the most pretentious studio release in a decade!!!".

The Iraq war provocation REDACTED shows that "Brian De Palma's filmmaking skills have seldom been as razor sharp as they are in his sensational new film" or it's a "[d]eeply felt but dramatically unconvincing 'fictional documentary' [... that...] has almost nothing new to say about the Iraq situation and can't make up its mind about how to package its anger in an alternative cinematic form".  (See previous post for more about REDACTED fauxcumentary-style.)

George Clooney's new film MICHAEL CLAYTON?  "A highly accomplished first feature" says one London critic, as another writes that "it's poorly edited and tries too hard to be a Seventies-style conspiracy thriller".

The trades also split on IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH, Paul Haggis' follow-up to Best Picture winner CRASH (wow, that still pains to type), with The Hollywood Reporter reviewing that the director "avoided the dreaded sophomore slump... In the Valley of Elah is a deeply reflective, quietly powerful work that is as timely as it is moving" but Variety writes that it's "too self-serious to work as a straight-ahead whodunit and too lacking in imagination to realize its art-film aspirations".

There was some consensus, however.  Seems like mostly positive responses for Sean Penn's adaptation of Jon Krakauer's INTO THE WILD, Jason Reitman's JUNO, Todd Hayne's Dylan biopic I'M NOT THERE; mostly lukewarm for Ang Lee's LUST, CAUTION, Wes Anderson's THE DARJEELING LIMITED and the remake of SLEUTH; and mostly negative for Woody Allen's CASSANDRA'S DREAM and Noah Baumbach's MARGOT AT THE WEDDING.

Lots of Venice and Telluride reports at GreenCine Daily, great reports and interviews from Telluride at SpoutBlog, Kim Voynar's extensive coverage at Cinematical and, of course, the always excellent Eugene Hernandez at indieWIRE.

Toronto begins in 2 days.

David Poland Writes on Brian De Palma's Faux-Doc Provocation, Redacted

Late last week, right wing blogs began beating the drum against Brian De Palma's latest film REDACTED, which premiered in Venice and had the nerve to show that very occasionally people do some pretty inhumane things.  I suppose that it's perfectly fine to show corrupt cops or corrupt pols or corrupt and evil school principals, but if you depict an actual event wherein the bad guys happen to be guys wearing the uniform of the United States, you are given an official "I hate the troops" club card. 

But I'm more interested in REDACTED's form, as De Palma shoots on HD video, takes material from the internet (including grisly photos) and generally takes a faux-documentary approach to the story.  It's this that Movie City News' David Poland writes about in a salvo against the film and makes some interesting points comparing De Palma's work to that of Michael Tucker & Petra Epperlein, James Longley, Laura Poitras, Andrew Berends and so many other nonfiction filmmakers who have literally risked their lives to get their films to audiences:

If the film didn’t steal so freely from the many quality documentaries that actually put documentarians in harms way to attempt to get a more accurate picture of what is happening on the ground in Iraq, I don’t think I would have found it so grating.

The line for a filmmaker making a simulated doc is very thin. Is there political value in a film that recreates what has already been shown in doc form, but adds 10% of material that polemicizes the reality by creating “simulated reality” that extends what the filmmaker would like to be the truth. If this film was an investigation, on some level, of the issue of where that line lives, I would be happy to watch that. But I would argue that what it does is to create evidence – even though we are watching an admittedly fictional film – to make a case that cannot be made with the actual facts.

Ironically, one of the films that Redacted seems to steal from – a house raid seems to be almost shot for shot the same – is Gunner Palace, which also had young soldiers who were in danger of going adrift and who were constantly facing the dichotomies of this war. The irony is that when the Gunner Palace filmmakers found a lose thread in their documentation of events in the person of a journalist who was taken into custody on the night of one of the house raids, they followed up with an entire documentary, The Prisoner, that told his rather horrifying story. And then, when one of the guards from Abu Gharib showed up at a screening of the film and was willing to go on record, they added more to that documentary until the story was as complete as they could make it.

Seems to me that they made the responsible choice.

Telluride Docs: New Films on Norman Lloyd & Peter Sellars

Variety has the lineup of films screening this weekend at the Telluride Film Festival and there is a larger documentary slate than in some past years, with no less than seven nonfiction films on the slate.  And while Telluride will stick to tradition of offering sneaks of some of the biggest docs set for Toronto (including new work from Werner Herzog, Barbet Schroeder and Kevin Macdonald), it also has two new films, one about the actor Norman Lloyd and one on the theatre director Peter Sellars.

Also, Eugene Hernandez at indieWIRE has the info about the festival's Backlot sidebar, which includes FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: THE STORY OF AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM, which was directed by longtime Boston Phoenix critic Gerald Peary.  It's one of at least 2 film directed by film critics at this year's fest (the other is from Variety critic Todd McCarthy).

Here's a list of the nonfiction films at this year's Telluride Film Festival (with descriptions from the fest):

PIERRE RISSIENT: MAN OF CINEMA
Directed by Todd McCarthy
About the influential publicist, sometime film distributor and film buff who discovered talent such as Jane Campion and Abbas Kiarostami.  (Previously screened at Cannes.  Heading to Toronto.)

WHO IS NORMAN LLOYD?
Directed by Matthey Sussman
Biography tracing actor/director Norman Lloyd's 70 years as an entertainer.

TERROR'S ADVOCATE
Directed by Barbet Schroeder
Documents the story of the controversial French lawyer Jacques Verges, a former Free French Forces guerrilla who defended unpopular figures such as Carlos the Jackal and Holocaust denier Roger Garaudy.  (Previously screened at Cannes.  Heading to Toronto.)

MY ENEMY'S ENEMY
Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Tracks Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie, a.k.a. the Butcher of Lyon.  (Previously had a sneak preview at BritDoc.  Headed to Toronto.)

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
Directed by Werner Herzog
Explores the vast empty splendor of Antarctica and, along with the physicists, biologists and volcanologists he interviews, tries to extract meaning from this desolate place.  (Headed to Toronto.)

JOURNEY WITH PETER SELLARS
Directed by Mark Kidel
Travels the globe with Sellars to reveal the inner life of a true visionary.

STEEP!
Directed by Mark Obenhaus
Extreme skiing documentary features ski legends Stefano de Benedetti, Glen Plake, Doug Coombs and Seth Morrison.  (Previously screened at Tribeca.)

Ghosts of Cite Soleil, John Lennon, Deep Water Touch Down in Telluride - But It Doesn't Really Count

Catching up on some of the stuff that has happened in the past week...

On Thursday, the Telluride Film Festival kicked off their 33rd addition by announcing, as is the custom, this year's line-up on the day that most visitors were starting to arrive in the mountain resort town.

In addition to the roster of high profile Oscar bait films like Todd Field's Little Children (which David Poland has annointed as the Best American Film of 2006 - to date),
Stephen Frears' The Queen & Alejandro Inarritu's Babel - a trio of documentaries made the Telluride list this year - Asger Leth's Ghosts of Cite Soleil, David Leaf and John Scheinfeld's The U.S. vs. John Lennon and Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell's Deep Water.

Ghosts, which has its official world premiere in Toronto this Saturday - more on that in a moment - is the story of the violent last months of the regime of Haiti's Jean-Bertrand Aristide.  Wyclef Jean of the Fugees is one of the composers and is also featured in the film.  So far, the reviews seem to be very positive and I'm looking forward to seeing it in Toronto.

As I noted a couple of weeks ago, the new John Lennon documentary played Oscar qualifying runs in several U.S. cities in August, and now it's screening in Telluride, but will have its North American premiere - again, I'll get to this - in Toronto, also this Saturday.  The film recently had its world premiere (after paying customers were able to see the films in theatres in the U.S.) in Venice.  David Hudson at GreenCine has the early response - including an early rave from the Hollywood Reporter's Martin Grove which forecasts a possible Oscar nod.

Finally, Deep Water (no, not this one) is the story of weekend sailing buff Donald Crowhurst and his participation in a solo, non-stop, around-the-world yacht race.

Anne Thompson talked to festival director Tom Luddy about the doc choices and she's filing reports on her blog.  So is Eugene Hernandez.

Now, as I mentioned above, this seems to be high season for the annual "you say premiere, I say preview" shell game.  It seems that nothing actually screens at Telluride - even though anyone can attend and members of the press and distribution companies are out in force.  It's treated as if it's a press screening, I suppose, or even a cast and crew screening that happens to be open to the public and followed by a press conference.

These are the types of things that I can never explain to my mother in Illinois.

"What do you mean it's the premiere?  I thought it already played."

"Well, yes, mom, but that didn't count."

"Why not?"

"Well, because, see, it's...  Hm."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I."

It's not just the docs either.  Little Children, Kevin MacDonald's The King of Scotland, Babel and Almodovar's Volver are all scheduled for their North American premieres at Toronto, following their screenings at Telluride this weekend.  And Steven Shainberg's Diane Arbus bio Fur will have its world premiere next month at the inaugural Roma Cinemafest.  It played yesterday in Colorado.

So why do it?  What's with the crazy word games? 

For one thing, members of the press seem to like it.  They can catch the big movies at Telluride and focus on the undiscovered jewels to be unearthed in Toronto. 

It seems to work for the distributors.  Take Picturehouse, for example.  Just in case the press don't hoof it over to Rome next month to see Nicole Kidman walk down the red carpet, he's already got them seeing the film in Telluride.  If there is Oscar buzz to happen, better to start it in early September than in mid-October.

It works for the festivals.  Everyone gets to have the same collection of high profile films - they just tweak the language depending on what helps them sell tickets.  And really, is it really a premiere if Entertainment Tonight isn't there?

And I suppose it's better - in this case - for filmmakers too.  Do I really want to have every single critic skipping out on my film because they have to get a head start on their review of Todd Field's latest?  Isn't it hard enough to draw attention to an independent film without having to compete with the crowd of Oscar hopefuls.  (This is not to say that I have deluded myself into thinking that all of the stories coming out of Toronto will be about the doc program - unless it's a fauxcumentary about killing a world leader.)

But at some point, all the maneuvering over premieres and previews of all shapes and sizes (international, European, North American, east coast, west coast, southeast, et al) gets to be a bit maddening for us filmmakers.  Without getting into specifics, one European festival wrote us to say that they were very interested in showing our film, that there was a good chance that they would program it, that if we hadn't played any other festivals in Europe there was a possibility that they would put it in competition, that if we played another European festival before their festival then we could not be in competition but it was very possible that they would still program the film.

But if it's just a preview...

Update Monday afternoon - Anne Thompson has her Telluride wrap-up posted and points to possible Oscar nods for the narrative projects, no mention of whether she took in any docs.  But Variety's Todd McCarthy raves about Ghosts of Cite Soleil in his recap, saying "grabbed viewers by the throat and wouldn't let go".  Both make special mention of the German film The Lives of Others, with both saying it was fest viewers' number one film of Telluride "by far".  It is due to be released by Sony Pictures Classics and screens starting Thursday in Toronto.

Update Monday night - Eugene Hernandez now has his own sum-up posted at Indiewire.   

Update Tuesday morning - Anne Thompson adds to her Telluride coverage with a report on her blog about Ghosts of Cite Soleil:

Among the films that lacked distribution, only thrill-seeking documentarian Asger Leth's Ghosts of Cite Soleil generated any interest from buyers. A shocking cinema verite, it follows a fearless blond French relief worker into the inner sanctum of the vicious gangs running Haiti's notorious slum, Cite de Soleil. A sizzling soundtrack by Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean should enhance its marketability.

Ghosts entered Telluride with a production deal with Sony BMG, which will likely do a theatrical run if another distrib doesn't come in.  After the rapturous Telluride response, that seems unlikely.

Audiences will love/hate...

I haven't yet made it over to the Los Angeles Film Festival although I plan to see a couple of films there this week, including one made by someone I went to college with. In the meantime, I've been taken by an article in Thursday's LA Weekly, an interview between film critic/writer Scott Foundas and filmmaker Sally Potter, who is screening her new film Yes at this year's festival.