Public Classifieds and Announcements - Get The (D-)Word Out!

Internship: Intern for Promises Films and work directly with Academy nominated, Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker.

Location: Berkeley, CA at the Zaentz Media Center
Duration: Through 2011
Salary: Unpaid. (our FCP system is available to this intern).
Hours: 10 hours week, as many hours as you wish, can be done from your home.
Application deadline: February 25th, 2011
How to apply: Send cover letter and resume to ria@promisesfilms.com

Promises Films is an independent documentary production company located at the Saul Zaentz Media Center in Berkeley, CA. We are in the Outreach/Distribution/Publicity phase for our latest documentary film Our Summer in Tehran, which follows filmmaker (and former Globetrekker host) Justine Shapiro and her 6-year-old son to Tehran where they spend the summer with three very different Iranian families. The film will be broadcast on public television stations across the nation in April 2011. To learn more about the film and view clips, visit our website at www.oursummerintehran.com.

We are looking for a very organized individual who is has strong computer skills and is able to update our website using HTML and CSS. We want to find someone honest, who possesses common sense, integrity, and self-initiative. We yearn for that special person who is interested in being part of the final phase in making a film: distribution or who is fascinated by the themes this film explores: US-Iran relations, citizen diplomacy, interfaith relations, cross cultural communication, and alternative media. This is a wonderful job for a motivated college student or anyone interested in learning more about how an independent documentary film gets out into the world.

In this position, you will learn about how an independent documentary attracts publicity, outreach, domestic and international distribution and broadcast. You will be exposed to some fundraising and screening events. This internship offers you an opportunity to connect with other filmmakers at the Zaentz Media Center, build your resume, and learn the nuts and bolts of how to make an independent film. Past interns and employees have gone on to do their masters in journalism and filmmaking (USC and Stanford) and work at Pixar, Pilot Films and TV Production in London. This internship does not involve hands-on, field production.

Promises Films is a non-profit organization.

Required Skills
• Must have strong skills in editing HTML and CSS in order to make necessary updates to company websites
• Technical excellence with Apple computers, Microsoft Office, and Google docs
• A whiz with social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter
• Ability to communicate well over the telephone, email, and in person
• Well-organized with strong follow-through and attention to detail
• Ability to take direction and work independently, without the need for constant supervision
• Familiarity with Final Cut Pro a plus! (on-going editing for new web-clips)

Responsibilities will include
• Updating company websites and social media sites
• Mailing/shipping and tracking shipments of DVD screeners
• Outreach to the Iranian-American community, museums, libraries, schools, and universities to host screening events of Our Summer in Tehran
• Maintaining the office contact database on FileMaker pro.
• Coordinating receipts, invoices, and donations with our office bookkeeper
• Post content about Our Summer in Tehran on organizational websites, list-serves, and social networking sites
• Editing clips for the film’s website and YouTube (optional-depending on your interest and skill with editing)

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to ria@promisesfilms.com.

Anyone filmed or done any work in Sudan, specifically Juba? I'm trying to budget for a fixer, driver and not too sure what the rate would be.
Also, any suggestions to Juba accomodations would be great!

I've emailed a colleague who might be able to advise, Gabrielle.

BTW with your professional experience you should apply to become a Full Member and you can search the Pro forums yourself

A word of warning if you are thinking of submitting your film to, or attending the Swansea International Film Festival (via Shooting People)

Wow! I think I could hold a better film festival in my home theater. At least I like filmmakers...

In reply to John Burgan's post on Mon 14 Feb 2011 :

What a parasite! He also does other festivals via Amritsa (classy website). You're probably best off steering clear of these ones too:

Swansea Bay Film Festival
Heart of England International Film Festival
International Youth Film Festival
International Film Festival of Mind, Body, Spirit & Ecology
International Film Festival of South Africa
International Film Festival Ireland
International Gay Film Festival UK
International Film Festival of Australia – Barossa Valley
International Film Festival Thailand
International Film Festival of West Wales

I love how they're all "international".

CALL FOR ENTRIES! Documentary Films! 2011 DocMiami Film Festival

Submit Your Documentary Today! http://tinyurl.com/submit2011

http://docmiami.org

Feature Documentary
Feature Documentaries with a total running time from 61 – 180 minutes. (All films in a language other than English require English subtitles)

Documentary Short
Short Documentaries with a total running time between 4 and 30 minutes. (All films in a language other than English require English subtitles)

MiniMovies
Very short documentaries and fiction forms plus all experimental genres allowed with a total running time of under 4 minutes (this is up to 3 minutes and 59 seconds, not a second more!) – Go to the limit of documentary film making: free form – free content –(All films in a language other than English require English subtitles)

Documentary Medium-Length and Essay Forms
Medium length documentaries and documentarian film essays with a total running time between 31 and 60 minutes. (All films in a language other than English require English subtitles)

NEW: DISCOUNTS FOR FLORIDA FILMMAKERS

About Us

Our organization is dedicated to promoting the best that documentary film making has to offer worldwide. We seek to provide film makers a forum which promotes their unique contributions to the evolution of the cultural arts within South Florida and within the entertainment industry as a whole. In addition we:

- Provide a documentary film festival to promote the art form of up and coming documentary filmmakers at a local, national and international level.
- Host a film expo highlighting global film organizations and professionals.
- Provide educational outreach programs for young filmmakers grades 6-12.
- Host three benefit concerts to raise funds in order to build much needed schools in Tanzania!

Thanks John Burgan for your help and advice! Much appreciated.Hopefully your friend has some good ideas...

Can anyone recommend a good professional accountant in the New York City area with experience working with small film production companies? I'd be grateful for any referrals.

Call For Entries:

Africa Volunteer Corps is searching for short films to participate in our Visualize Change Film Forum, a the inaugural event of our annual fundraising series. AVC is an organization dedicated to harnessing the potential of Africans, strengthening grassroots social change in Africa, and putting the development process in the hands of locals. We ask for films that portray empowerment, positive images of Africa, or the importance of local initiatives to the development process. We seek especially to showcase African filmmakers, but we welcome filmmakers of all nationalities.

On March 3rd, 2011, the selected films will be shown in Chicago to an audience of 100+ philanthropists. The screening will be followed by a question and answer session with AVC founder Caitlin Kelley. A biography of each filmmaker (as well as contact information) will be included in our event program. The selected films may also be included in a sister event to be held in New York City in April.

Films must be 10-60 minutes in length. DVDs can be sent to Africa Volunteer Corps c/o Caitlin Kelley, 963 Kent Ave, #3, Brooklyn, NY 11205. If available, digital files can be submitted via Dropbox to caitlin.kelley@africavolunteercorps.org. Films must be received by February 18th to be considered for inclusion in our 2011 forum. Those sent after this deadline will be kept for consideration in future events.

In reply to Jeffrey Henigson's post on Wed 16 Feb 2011 :

I've been happy with Arnold Civins over at Citrin Cooperman & Co, LLP 212.697.1000 x313. They're not the cheapest firm, but they have solid experience in the industry and are very professional. If you meet with Arnie, tell him I sent you. He's a nice guy. Good luck! :)

Panasonic AF100 package available for rent in Brooklyn (with Panasonic Vario 14-140mm lens, 3 batteries, 64gb of media, and the Barry Green AF100 guidebook). $250/day, with multi-day discounts. Please contact me at aschocken at gmail.

FREE event this Wednesday night in NYC for those interested in memoir, black history, women's and civil rights. Out of The Blue Films, Inc. has been asked to help organize a book signing, reading, conversation with TV pioneer Belva Davis – the first black female TV reporter in the western U.S.

Ms. Davis will be in conversation with author/philanthropist Deborah Santana at The Strand Bookstore at Broadway & 12th Street this Wednesday, 2/23, at 7pm.

Invite attached: http://outofthebluefilms.com/BelvaDavisEvent/index3.html

For New York Folks:

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY SEEKS EDITOR

PROJECT: The Kivalina Project: The Story of America's Climate Change Refugees

ABOUT: Set in the modern Arctic, "The Kivalina Project" tells the story of a slow and insidious disappearance of an entire American town and the sea wall that is meant to save it.

EDITOR POSITION: "The Kivalina Project" is looking to hire a passionate and eloquent storyteller. An editor with experience in verite or character driven narratives, along with a feature documentary credit is a plus, but not a requirement. This is a good project for those who are interested in climate change and exploring it beyond a traditional journalistic narrative.

Looking to hire an editor for 8 weeks to begin cutting the backbone of the feature in preparation for final shoots in summer and fall 2011. Salary is a flat rate/lowbudget. ("The Kivalina Project" has been supported by Tribeca All Access, IFP's Spotlight on Documentary, Vague/Columbus Film Award, Berlinale's Berlin Today Award, and IDFA.)

CONTACT: Director/Producer Gina Abatemarco
gabatemarco@gmail.com
–

For DC-area filmmakers...

March 7: Panel on Self-Distribution Success for Documentaries

Are you thinking of self-distributing your documentary, but are worried your documentary may have too narrow an audience? Don't be. This Docs In Progress panel will focus on how to harness the power of the niche audience to get your film out there in the marketplace. It will focus on real-world strategies filmmakers without a traditional distributor can take in reaching a target audience who can help drive online interest, press coverage, and ultimately DVD sales. You'll learn from filmmakers who have used the power of social media, bloggers, Amazon reviews, and non-festival public screenings to build a following and a market for their films.

WHEN?
Monday, March 7, 2011
6:30 pm Networking
7:00-9:00 pm Panel Discussion and Q&A

WHERE?
Docs In Progress
8700 First Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910

REGISTRATION FEE/PROCESS

Registration fee is $25 if registered and paid in advance. $30 at the door. Advance registration is highly recommend since seating is limited to 20.
More info and link to Registration here:

More on the speakers in the hidden section.

DocuClub in March!

Our March DocuClub will take place on Wednesday, March 9, 7 p.m., at DCTV, located at 87 Lafayette (at Walker).

This month, we are thrilled to try something new, and will screen trailers for documentaries in the early stages of production. We are delighted to present the following projects and filmmakers:

1. Betting the Farm by Cecily Pingree:
The documentary follows three farm families as they launch a new milk company in a desperate attempt to save their farms. Will their gamble rescue them—and with them an entire way of life—or will it leave them worse off than when they started? For more info, go to:
www.pull-start.com/btf.

Cecily Pingree is a filmmaker based in Maine. Betting The Farm is her debut documentary feature. Cecily formed a production company, Pull-Start Pictures, with Jason Mann in 2008. Cecily also teaches video workshops within the Maine public school system for The Telling Room.

2. Florence, Arizona by Andrea Scott:
The town of Florence, Arizona may have its roots in the 1880s, but at present, it is a place built firmly upon the foundation of prisons. In just 8.2 square miles, Florence houses 32,000 residents, three schools, and nine correctional facilities. In 2011, Florence will break ground on its 10th prison, while over on the other side of town, unsustainable desert development continues to thrive in the form of Anthem, a very different kind of gated, suburban community. As the debate over illegal immigration roars on in Arizona, and new allegations over private prison corporations’ involvement in the writing of Arizona’s sweeping immigration law come to the fore, Florence, Arizona will explore the consequences of a prison economy and venture to answer the question: What happens to a place and its people when the force that drives its economy, and by extension, much of life, is the incarceration of other individuals?

Andy Scott is a Brooklyn-based documentary filmmaker and writer. Her current work explores the vast world of Americana, from Jewish bikers to home movies to Mah Jongg. For three years, she worked as an associate producer and assistant editor for Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Cynthia Wade. Currently, she works as associate producer and assistant editor for the forthcoming feature-length documentary, Hungry In America, directed by Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush. Scott is also currently at work on a project about the universality of the coffee shop throughout the world. Her recent forays into Super8 film and experimental sound work have been screened at New York’s premiere Super8 festival, FlickerNYC.

3. Kathleen and Eddie by Desireena Almoradie:
Feature-length documentary about three left-wing women activists from radically different ideologies, who are torn apart – and ultimately brought together – by a single act of terrorism.

Desireena Almoradie is a media activist whose works have been exhibited around the globe. She co-directed, produced, and edited the short narrative film Green Stalk, which screened at the British Film Institute among other venues. She produces for public television, and, in 2009, won a GLAAD Media Award for the story "Funding the Marriage War" that aired on the PBS show In the Life.

4. Battle for Jerusalem by Liz Nord:
Battle for Jerusalem follows five young, Jewish artists and activists living in Jerusalem who fight to keep their city vibrant, open and religiously tolerant in the face of a rapidly growing ultra-Orthodox community and its desire to control all aspects of life in the ancient holy city. To find out more about this project, go to: www.battleforjerusalem.com, twitter: @lizfilm.

Liz Nord is a documentary filmmaker who has produced and exhibited work in Europe, the Middle East and throughout North America. In 2006, Nord toured the world with another film made in Israel, her critically acclaimed documentary about rebellious young musicians, Jericho’s Echo: Punk Rock In The Holy Land. In 2008, she ran MTV’s Street Team ’08 – an Emmy Award-winning project wherein 51 state-based citizen journalists covered the 2008 presidential elections from a youth perspective, across all media platforms. In 2009, she shot a documentary on-location in Haiti for musician Wyclef Jean’s charitable organization. She is also a media educator, lecturer, and columnist.

5. TBD. We will pick one 5th trailer to workshop tonight! If you are a current DocuClub member (you must join by February 28, 2011, to qualify) and have a 3-8 minute trailer you wish to workshop with us tonight, please bring 2 DVDs. The lucky participant could be you!

Our moderator will be Fernanda Rossi. Internationally-renowned speaker and story consultant Fernanda Rossi doctored over 300 films, including Academy Award nominees® The Garden, by Scott Hamilton Kennedy, and Recycled Life by Leslie Iwerks. She has also consulted on hundreds of trailers, many of which received funding from ITVS, NYSCA and NFB. She is the author of Trailer Mechanics: A Guide to Making your Documentary Fundraising Demo. For more info on Rossi, please go to: www.documentarydoctor.com.

This DocuClub event is open to the public. If you’re planning to attend, please RSVP to docuclub@artsengine.net.

Admission at DCTV is free for current DocuClub members and $6 for non-members.
Tickets will be sold at the door, cash only.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Please note that in order to allocate adequate feedback for all projects, we will start promptly at 7 p.m. No admittance after 7:15 p.m.

Membership is an annual $50 and it includes free admission to all DocuClub events. It takes five minutes to join online:

http://www.artsengine.net/store/items/docuclub_membership_individual_rate

Follow us on Twitter!
Stay abreast of DocuClub’s latest: twitter.com/docuclub.

Looking to rent an AVID system (version 5.0 or later preferred) for use in my NYC office. We will provide the hard drive storage for the media, but the editing system needs to be complete with three monitors (including a so-called "client monitor), speakers, keyboard, mouse, all necessary cabling as well as a mixing board. Mac CPU preferred if possible. Rental is for 19 week term, to be adjusted as necessary, preferably to start on March 15th, 2011. Equal opportunity vendor – email at MK@Ghostlightfilms.net

Hello,
I'm no director or film writer, well...not professionally anyway, I'm just a fan of cinema.
Anyway, I came on to D-Word.com to ask other enthusiast and professionals 3 questions.
But before that let me explain myself.

As I said, I am but a lonely observer, a fan, an audience member and I humbly come before you all to ask your opinion about 3 things.

1st – What to you makes a documentary (Independent or big budget) good?
For me, its whether or not the documentary can catch my eye, draw in my attention and teach me something about a culture, person, ideal, cause, etc all while being entertained.

2nd – I came across a trailer for an up and coming documentary called "Dumbstruck." For those of you who havent heard anything about the film, it was filmed during 2007 at a convention called "Vent Haven." This convention is for ventriloquist and those who are interested in ventriloquism. The movie follows several "Vents" and appears to tell their individual tales of how they became practitioners of the art of ventriloquism. My question is, obviously with a topic like ventriloquism the movie is geared toward a specific audience. But how does the director or production company for that matter successfully go about plugging the movie to audiences that 1) know nothing about ventriloquism and more importantly 2)hop over the hurdle that is the "Creepiness" of dummies and ventriloquism?

MY 3rd and final question would be simply be...based on the trailer...would you watch this film? And if not...what would you change to target ALL audiences and not just practicing "vents"

Check out the trailer and see information on the select cities that will be showing the film on the movies facebook page.

http://on.fb.me/gX25Dg

WANTED: An experienced editor with AVID editing system to create a one hour historical documentary intended for national broadcast on public television. Editor must have at least seven years of experience editing historical documentaries for national broadcast, and experience coordinating work with graphics companies, stock music houses, and music composers as well as supervising all aspects of post-production including online, color correction, and audio mix. AVID system requirements include the AVID supported most current CPU (Processor: Two 2.66GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon (12 cores); Memory: 6GB); Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB Hard Drive – 1TB; 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s; One 18x SuperDrive) with software (version 5.0 or later), three monitors (two computer monitors minimum 19” and a so-called NTSC "client monitor), speakers, keyboard, mouse, all necessary cabling as well as a mixing board (at least 8 channels). Ghost Light Films will provide storage media. Total term is expected to be 19 weeks, to be adjusted as necessary, preferably to start on March 15th, 2011. All compensation will be dispensed as weekly payroll.

Ghost Light Films is an equal opportunity employer, who gives preference, to the extent practical and economically feasible, for products and services that conserve natural resources, protect the environment, and are energy efficient.

Contact Mk@Ghostlightfilms.net

Calling all screenwriters, it's time to climb out from your den! The 2011 Community of Writers at Squaw Valley is now accepting applications for our summer 2011 Screenwriting Program!

The Community of Writers at Squaw Valley Screenwriting Program focuses on individual attention and works-in-progress, mentored by award-winning writers and writer-directors. Crystallize the story you want to tell, and excise extraneous elements. Designed for both screenwriters and filmmakers, this unique program invites both narrative features and character-driven documentaries that are currently in development. Our goal is to assist writers who want to improve their craft and move them closer to production.

Deadline for application is May 10th. Check our website for further details: http://www.squawvalleywriters.org/swriter_ws.htm

Looking for someone to shoot a post-screening discussion in Manhattan on Sunday, March 13, in the late afternoon – early evening.

You'll need to set up before 3 PM, when the screening begins. The actual discussion should start at around 4:45 and is slated to run until 6, but could go over.

Equipment needed:
SD Prosumer Mini-DV camera (such as the DVX-100) w/ tripod
wireless cardoid with stand (can be rented)
mounted shotgun mic (can be rented)

Please contact Ethan Isenberg if interested, at ethan@secondlookproductions.com

TONIGHT IN DC:

Docs In Progress returns to the George Washington University on Friday, March 4 with new documentary rough cuts ready for your honest and constructive feedback. This program is organized by Docs In Progress and is sponsored by The Documentary Center at the George Washington University. It is open to the public.

WHAT'S SCREENING?

It's Only (a) Natural (rough cut of a documentary short)
by Richard Lewis and Yoland Lee
Actress Yolanda Lee has decided to cut her trademark curly natural. What starts out as a hairstyle choice sparks a heated conversation about race, relationships and charging dogs.

The Legend of Cool "Disco" Dan (rough cut of a documentary feature)
by Joseph Pattisall and Roger Gastman
Amidst the backdrop of Washington DC's former claim to fame as the murder capital of the United States and its unique urban culture centered around Go Go music, Cool "Disco" Dan emerged as an underground celebrity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He graffitied his moniker all over the city until it seemed as though no wall, rooftop, street sign, or Metro bus had been forgotten. Somehow he managed to survive while legions of his peers were killed, incarcerated, or became utterly adrift. This film looks back at Washington DC's own folk hero and what has become of him today.

WHEN?
Friday, March 4 from 7:00-10:00 pm.

WHERE?
George Washington University's Media and Public Affairs Building
Lower Level Auditorium (B-07)
805 21st Street, NW (corner of 21st and H Streets)
Washington DC 20052

Closest Metro: Foggy Bottom. Limited street parking free after 6:30 pm. Garage parking nearby on H and I Streets.

TICKETS?
$10 suggested donation ($5 suggested for Docs Insiders). Cash only. At the door (No advance tickets or RSVP required). Seating on a first come, first served basis.

More info: http://www.docsinprogress.org/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=109&jevtype=jevent&year=2011&month=03&day=04&Itemid=1

FLAHERTY NYC: "PSYCHOGEOGRAPHIES"

Monday, March 14, 7:30pm, Anthology Film Archives

For the March installment of the Flaherty NYC monthly screening series, The Flaherty will present PSYCHOGEOGRAPHIES: work by Kathryn Ramey, Jason Livingston, & Joel Schlemowitz, a program of four 16mm films about places that are both real and imagined. There will be a post-screening discussion with the filmmakers, moderated by Colin Beckett, Critical Writing Fellow at UnionDocs.

Program Description

Yanqui WALKER and the OPTICAL REVOLUTION (Kathryn Ramey, 2009, 33min)
An experimental documentary about William Walker, an American expansionist and military dictator. Through military force and coercion, Walker became president of Nicaragua in 1856. The film blends found footage, documentary photography, ethnographic inquiry and personal travelogue with hand-processing, optical printing and hand conducted time-lapse to detour and derail the various approaches to history-making that have been applied to this story. Yanqui WALKER not only tells us something about history and how it connects to current political, social and economic situations, but also how art and poetry can be a means to subvert and transcend even the most oppressive of narratives. Winner, “Best Short Doc” at Athens International Film and Video festival; Jury selection (1st prize) at the Black Maria Film Festival.

"The stylized strategy of Kathryn Ramey captures the mythology of her allusive subject in this unusual work." –Black Maria Film + Video Festival

Weimar (Joel Schlemowitz, 1996, 8 mins)
This little film took root while reading Henri Murger's Bohemian Life and Alex De Jong's Weimar Chronicles, while feeling admiration for the quiet heroism of Rudy Burckhardt's movies, while the next NYFA rejection arrived, and while a little free film was slipped my way, befitting a project about the value of art in people's lives, and ironically commenting on such through the thrift of its production. No plot. No story. Just a series of suggestive tableaus. The bohemians are played by: Stephen Callahan, Marchette DuBois, Lee Ellickson, Genese, Gary Goldberg, Rebecca Hampden, Alice MacIntyre, Bridget Meeds, Wanda Phipps, Jennifer Todd Reeves, Madeline Schwartzman, MM Serra, and Stuart Sherman.

Tombeau for Arnold Eagle (Joel Schlemowitz, 1994, 4 mins)
A memorial film for my mentor, who was once Robert Flaherty’s cinematographer.

“Joel Schlemowitz is a wizard of cinema. Each [film] is a unique gem – quirky, provocative, playful, often handmade, and always daring – celebrating Joel's astonishing mastery of the tools of filmmaking, and his poetic grasp on the art of cinema.” –Alan Berliner

Under Foot & Overstory (Jason Livingston, 2005, 35 mins)
Local environmentalists, the Friends of Hickory Hill Park, work to protect nearly 200 acres of unique urban parkland in Iowa City, Iowa. The organization's mission statement must be produced. The inaugural Hickory Hill Park calendar must be completed. Nature images run parallel, collide or drift beside the demands of group writing, open space and the park's changing boundary. There will be a 6 minute intermission. Winner of a Jury Prize at the New York Underground Film Festival.

“The best piece on Program 6 [from Onion City] is another unusual documentary, Jason Livingston's Under Foot and Overstory; the sound track recording of a friends of the park committee trying to draft its mission statement combines with fragmented images to remind us that parks are works in progress." -–Fred Camper

Wanted: Documentary film editor so absurdly wealthy he or she doesn’t need a paycheck. Perhaps you have so much money you need multiple wallets. Or perhaps you’re building a career and want a great new building block for a resume. Or perhaps you’d just be willing to pitch in for a fortnight of serious unpaid work on a cool and equally serious documentary. Set at the edge of the Brooklyn waterfront, its panorama is parkland and politics, it pits developers, environmentalists and park enthusiasts against each other, and it provides a collection of compellingly current interviews against a tapestry of background history. I am fun to work with and may even buy you a slice of pizza now and then. It won’t take forever; but I promise you a good, compact, and meaningful passage in your career. Write to Karen. Thanks.