Archive for July 2010

07/28/2010

»  DocuWeeks Showcases Pushing the Elephant and Summer Pasture

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Cinereach is excited for grantee films Pushing the Elephant and Summer Pasture, who are both included in the International Documentary Association’s 14th annual DocuWeeks showcase. As part of this, they will each have a one-week theatrical run in both New York and Los Angeles. These screenings qualify the films for consideration for next year’s Academy Awards and provide audiences with the opportunity to experience these powerful stories on the big screen.

See below for more details, including screening dates and times.

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07/26/2010

»  Cinereach Grantee Updates

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As Cinereach nears its 5th year of existence, more and more of the films we’ve supported are gathering momentum, crossing the finish-line and getting out into the world. Below are recent highlights from some of our grantees’ journeys.

A Small Act by Jennifer Arnold & Patti Lee

A Small Act by Jennifer Arnold & Patti Lee

A Small Act by Jennifer Arnold & Patti Lee, 2009 Grantee
Since its Sundance premiere, A Small Act has inspired over $300,000 (and climbing) in donations for featured Kenyan charity the Hilde Back Education Fund. A Small Act also received the Adrienne Shelly Excellence in Filmmaking Award and Audience Award for Best Feature at the Nantucket Film Festival. After festival screenings at HotDocs, OutFest and more, A Small Act recently premiered on HBO and is currently available on demand.

Aqui Y Alli (Here and There) by Antonio Mendez Esparza, 2010 Grantee
Aqui Y Alli (Here and There), currently in development, participated in the Sundance Institute’s 2010 June Screenwriters Lab.

Circumstance by Maryam Keshavarz, 2009 Grantee
Circumstance was awarded a Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant by the San Francisco Film Society, to be used towards post-production.

Donor 150 by Jerry Rothwell, 2010 Grantee
Donor 150, in production, was awarded the support of the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund and the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program.

Entre Nos by Paola Mendoza & Gloria La Morte

Entre Nos by Paola Mendoza & Gloria La Morte

Entre Nos by Paola Mendoza & Gloria LaMorte, 2008 Grantee
Entre Nos was released theatrically by IndiePix in May and is now available on both cable VOD and on DVD.

Girl Model by David Redmon & Ashley Sabin, 2009 Grantee
Girl Model, now in post-production, was selected to receive support from the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program in June.

Gasland by Josh Fox, 2009 Sundance Reach Fund Grantee
Following its premiere at Sundance and other festival screenings, Gasland premiered on HBO this summer, and can be seen on demand. Through community and online outreach, Gasland has galvanized viewers to protest the practice of hydraulic fracturing and its environmental impact. A screening tour in August and September, presented by Rooftop Films and the Fledgling Fund, will bring the film to more audiences.

Habibi Rasak Kharban by Susan Youssef, 2009 Grantee
Habibi Rasak Kharban, now in post-production, participated in IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs for Narratives. Additionally, Youssef was profiled in Filmmaker Magazine’s annual “25 New Faces” in filmmaking talent.

Look, Stranger by Arielle Javitch, 2009 Grantee
Javitch was profiled in Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces” in filmmaking talent as Look, Stranger undergoes post-production.

Pariah by Dee Rees

Pariah by Dee Rees

Pariah by Dee Rees, 2009 & 2010 Grantee
Pariah participated in IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs for Narratives and is currently in post-production.

Project Kashmir by Senain Kheshgi & Geeta Patel, 2006 Grantee
Project Kashmir made its broadcast premiere in May on PBS’ Independent Lens series.

Pushing the Elephant by Beth Davenport & Elizabeth Mandel, 2008 Grantee
Pushing the Elephant made its world premiere at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, followed by a special presentation at The Global Health 2010 Conference. The film is also included in the International Documentary Association’s 2010 DocuWeeks showcase and will be shown in New York and Los Angeles theaters in August. The film will be broadcast on Independent Lens in March 2011, during a series on women’s empowerment. Leading up to that date, there will be a series of screenings and events with select partners to reach audiences who are concerned about the issues presented in the film.

Summer Pasture

Summer Pasture by Lynn True, Nelson Walker III & Tsering Perlo

Summer Pasture by Lynn True, Nelson Walker III & Tsering Perlo, 2008 Grantee
Summer Pasture made its world premiere at the Full Frame Film Festival, where it received the Inspiration Award Honorable Mention. It has since been a selection of the Nantucket Film Festival and others, and it will have its international premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, as a part of the Critics Week showcase. The film is also included in the International Documentary Association’s 2010 DocuWeeks showcase, to be shown in New York and Los Angeles theaters in August.

The Mosuo Sisters by Marlo Poras & Yu Ying Wu Chou, 2009 Grantee
Recently The Mosuo Sisters, in production, was awarded the support of the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund and the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, as well as a production grant from the LEF Foundation.

Two Gates of Sleep by Alistair Banks Griffin, 2009 Grantee
Two Gates of Sleep had its world premiere at Cannes, as part of the Director’s Fortnight showcase.

What Tomorrow Brings by Beth Murphy, 2010 Grantee
What Tomorrow Brings was awarded a production grant by the LEF Foundation.

Untitled Gay Retiree Documentary by PJ Raval, 2009 Grantee
Untitled Gay Retiree Documentary was awarded a production grant by the LEF Foundation.

07/02/2010

»  ENVISION: Addressing Global Issues through Documentaries, Saturday, July 10

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Courtesy of IFP:

envision

For the second year IFP is collaborating with the United Nation’s Department of Public Information to present ENVISION – a forum uniting the filmmaking community, civil society organizations, activists, journalists, public policy makers, NGOs, and the general public in the shared goal of envisioning a better world for all and achieving impact through media.

The Spotlight Focus in 2010 from the UN’s Millennium Development Goals is the goal of universal education. Screenings of Cinereach grantee Jennifer Arnold’s A Small Act (HBO Documentaries), and Davis Guggenheim’s Waiting for Superman (Paramount Vantage), will be accompanied by discussions on challenges to achieving education globally, the impact of individual action and philanthropy, and current issues around the U.S. education crisis.

To purchase tickets and for details on the program, to be held Saturday, July 10 at the Times Center, click here. Tickets are $25 (a $10 discount) if you use code IFPENV.

06/30/2010

»  The Difference A Film Makes: A Small Act Leads to Big Giving

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A Small Act, by Cinereach grantees Jennifer Arnold and Patti Lee, is a great addition to the ongoing debate on whether documentaries in support of a cause make an impact. Set against recent violence and turmoil in Kenya, and framed by the challenges Kenyan children face in their pursuit of an education, the story at the heart of A Small Act illustrates the positive repercussions of individual action.

The film is no doubt increasing awareness of the issues it depicts, but it has also inspired many viewers to follow in the footsteps of the film’s protagonists. The Hilde Back Education Fund (HBEF), the organization whose work funding school tuition is featured in the film, has received over $340,000 in donations since the film’s premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival (including funds from audience members who wrote checks and handed them to the filmmakers immediately following screenings and other sources). All the contributions made to the project will have meaningful impact, as the HBEF will now be able to offer its support to more students, over a larger number of years.

From L to R: Director Jennifer Arnold and the subjects of A Small Act, Chris Mburu, Hilde Back and Jane Wanjiru Muigai

From L to R: Director Jennifer Arnold and the subjects of A Small Act, Chris Mburu, Hilde Back and Jane Wanjiru Muigai

We look forward to seeing what other actions the film will inspire with its upcoming HBO premiere, July 12th. HBO has created a partnership with Network for Good. Their link leads to over 1.8 million causes and foundations that can use support, including the Hilde Back Education Fund, and local programs looking for volunteers.

On July 10th in NYC, A Small Act will be featured in Envision 2010. This annual forum, presented by IFP and the United Nations’ Department of Public Information, addresses global issues through the lens of documentary films. This year’s Envision looks at solutions to education crises, and a panel following the screening of A Small Act will explore how the film’s story could be translated onto a larger scale throughout Africa and the world. This panel will include Chris Mburu, the main subject of A Small Act and the founder of the HBEF.

05/19/2010

»  Spotlight on Documentaries: Application Deadline May 21!

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IFP is currently accepting submissions for the Spotlight on Documentaries area of its project forum at the upcoming Independent Film Week. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 21.

Spotlight on Documentaries participants will take part in one-on-one meetings with financiers, 25-minute micro-cinema pitch screenings,  and be included in an Industry Video Library, roundtable discussions with festival programmers, and private events with buyers and programmers.

Spotlight on Documentaries is for U.S. filmmakers only (U.S.-born or living and able to work in the U.S.). Submissions should be feature length projects (50 minutes or longer) in production or post-production. They cannot be completed works, and work-in-progress material must be submitted.

Submit an online application here and mail in two DVD copies of your sample work to be considered.

05/19/2010

»  NEH Announces New Grant Program for Doc Filmmakers

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National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has announced a new grant program called Bridging Culture through Film: International Topics which supports documentary film projects that examine international and transnational themes. More information is available here.

The application deadline is July 28th. Any U.S. nonprofit organization with IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status is eligible, as are state and local governmental agencies. Individuals are not eligible to apply. Independent producers who wish to apply for NEH funding are advised to seek an eligible organization to sponsor the project and submit the application to NEH. Awards are for one to three years and for up to $75,000 (for development) and up to $800,000 (for production).

Applicants are encouraged to contact NEH program officers who will answer questions about the review process, supply samples of funded applications relevant to this grant program, and review preliminary drafts. Staff comments are not part of the formal review process and have no bearing on the final outcome of the application. Draft proposals should be sent as attachments to e-mail messages to publicpgms@neh.gov.

05/13/2010

»  LEF Foundation Announces Moving Fund Grant Recipients

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The LEF Foundation’s Moving Image Fund has announced 9 grants, three of which are being awarded to previous Cinereach grantees. A total of $165,000 is being distributed to independent documentary filmmakers with feature-length films – six production grants of $15,000 and three post-production grants of $25,000.

LEF is a private family foundation that seeks to identify and promote creative ventures and to sponsor work that challenges its audience with new ways of perceiving the world. The Moving Image Fund supports film projects that demonstrate excellence in technique, strong storytelling ability, and originality of artistic vision and voice. Click here for the full announcement.

Three Cinereach grantees received $15,000 production grants:

Image courtesy of Mosuo Sisters

Image courtesy of Mosuo Sisters

The Mosuo Sisters, a film by Yu Ying Wu Chou & Marlo Poras, about two spirited daughters from China’s last remaining matriarchal society. Their future is suddenly uncertain when they lose the only jobs they’ve ever known.

Image courtesy of Untitled Gay Retiree Doc

Image courtesy of Untitled Gay Retiree Documentary

Untitled Gay Retiree Documentary, by Sara Giustini & PJ Raval, is set against the backdrop of various LGBTQ-friendly retirement communities. This documentary captures the experiences of several LGBTQ seniors as they navigate their “golden years.”

Beth Murphy’s What Tomorrow Brings takes us to the village of Deh Subz in Afghanistan, where an American-sponsored girls’ school is challenging centuries of conservative social tradition.

Image courtesy of What Tomorrow Brings

Image courtesy of What Tomorrow Brings

Upcoming LEF Moving Image Fund grant deadlines for projects seeking pre-production support are June 18, 2010 and September 17, 2010. Please click here for guidelines and eligibility.

05/11/2010

»  SF Film Society Awards Post-Production Grants to Two Cinereach Projects

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On May 5th The San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) announced its Golden Gate award winners and juried prize/grant recipients. Here’s the full announcement.

Still courtesy of Maryam Keshavarz

Image courtesy of Maryam Keshavarz

Two members of the Cinereach family have been awarded San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grants, which recognize narrative films that tackle social justices themes from unique, personal perspectives, and take an artistic approach.

Cinereach grantee Circumstance, a fiction feature film by Maryam Keshavarz, received $50,000 towards post-production. Set in Iran, Circumstance is about three childhood friends as they grapple with sexuality, love and friendship during a tumultuous adolescence.

Still courtesy of Court 13

Image courtesy of Court 13

Beasts of the Southern Wild (working title), which Cinereach Productions is producing with New Orleans-based Court 13, also received $50,000. ‘Beasts’ draws inspiration from the dissolving bayou landscape and is driven by collaboration with communities living on the edge of the Louisiana Delta.


Image courtesy of Dragonslayer

Image courtesy of Dragonslayer

Cinereach Grantee Dragonslayer, a documentary film by Tristan Patterson, was under consideration to receive the SFFS/Film Arts Foundation grant, offered this year only (in honor of Film Arts Foundation’s 32-year legacy of support for nonfiction filmmaking) and received Honorable Mention.

05/03/2010

»  Entre Nos Opens in NYC May 14th

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Cinereach grantee, Entre Nos, a film by Gloria La Morte and Paola Mendoza, will open in NYC May 14th and will be screening at the Quad Cinemas (34 West 13th Street) through May 20th.

Entre Nos Premiere NYC

In Entre Nos, adoring mother Mariana has toted her two children from Colombia to New York City to indulge her husband’s whim. But when he abruptly abandons the family, she’ll have to rely on her own imagination and the courage of her remarkable kids to survive insurmountable odds during their first summer in the United States.

Discounted tickets will be available at the Quad Cinemas for $8 to members of IFP, NALIP, & WMM. Please bring proof of membership to receive the discount.

For more information visit the film’s website and be sure to check out the trailer.

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