3) HANOI CINEMATHEQUE (March) – On a belated honeymoon trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, Raphaela and I set aside one night for film. Gerry Herman, an American expat who runs the excellent Hanoi Cinematheque, invited us to curate a night of STF in his space. We screened THE REAL SHAOLIN, about martial arts students in China, and enjoyed a spirited Q&A afterward.

4) CINEMA EYE HONORS (March) – The second edition of this documentary awards ceremony took place in the splendid event space of the New York Times building. The night was dominated by multiple-award winner WALTZ WITH BASHIR and the amusing acceptance speeches of artist David Polonsky. For 2010, the ceremony will move earlier on the calendar to January 15. (Photo: at Cinema Eye with Philippe Petit, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed and AJ Schnack).

5) FULL FRAME’S PRESENTATION OF GARRETT SCOTT GRANT (April) – Each year, the Garrett Scott grant aims to nurture the careers of first time filmmakers by sending them to the Full Frame festival for mentoring sessions. After three years of sitting on the selection committee with Ian Olds and Rachael Rakes, I was gratified this year to see some of our past recipients distinguish themselves with completed works, including Mai Iskander’s GARBAGE DREAMS that made the Oscar shortlist; and Robin Hessman’s MY PERESTROIKA which was accepted into Sundance. The 2009 recipients were Elinyisia Mosha and Cameron Yates. Applications are now being accepted for the 2010 grants.

6) “FALLEN CHAMP” AT STF (April) – Barbara Kopple made this documentary subtitled “The Untold Story of Mike Tyson” for broadcast television in 1993. Among other achievements, her team uncovered the remarkable footage of the teenage Tyson training with Cus D’Amato. When that footage was being re-purposed for a new documentary called TYSON, it seemed fitting to take a fresh look at Kopple’s version. I was disappointed by critics who generally failed to reflect on the relationship between the two films. At least, the STF audience had the chance to compare.

7) CANNES FILM FESTIVAL (May) – Docs are rarely at the forefront in Cannes. But they increasingly have a place in sidebar initiatives such as the Doc Brunch and the American Pavilion. For me, Cannes is indispensable as a meeting ground to find films that I’ll be showing in the fall. Out of the official line-up, I was dazzled by HENRI-GEORGE CLOUZOT’S INFERNO and in the market screenings, I discovered TURTLE: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY. Both wound up in the line-up at the Toronto International Film Festival. Taking meetings along the Croissette, I first learned about VIDEOCRACY from the Swedish Film Board; and about COLONY from the Irish Film Board. Those two went on become highlights of both TIFF and STF’s fall season.

8) TRAVERSE CITY FILM FESTIVAL (Aug) – Celebrating its fifth year, this festival co-founded by Michael Moore is one of the hidden gems of the film calendar. Nestled on a bay off Lake Michigan, Traverse City makes an idyllic locale. The centerpiece facility is the gorgeous State Theater that Moore has restored into a year-round old-fashioned movie palace, complete with red velvet curtains, an organ and stars twinkling on the ceiling. At a 20th anniversary screening of ROGER & ME, Moore noted that the city of Flint looks pretty good in his first film compared to its further dissolution today.

9) TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Sept) – In my job overseeing the documentaries at TIFF, it’s a treat to watch the first reactions to films that will keep audiences talking for a long time. Already several of these titles have entered theatrical play, including THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA; CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY; COLLAPSE; and LA DANSE. In the coming winter season, STF patrons can enjoy two more (SNOWBLIND and THE ART OF THE STEAL) and in the spring we’re hoping to bring CLEANFLIX and possibly others. You can read Raphaela’s Top 10 TIFF memories here.

10) “HOW TO FOLD A FLAG” AT STF (Nov) – Speaking of TIFF, the festival supplied numerous great titles for the fall season of STF, starting with AHEAD OF TIME on Opening Night and continuing with VIDEOCRACY, COLONY, COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS, and BASSIDJI. The culmination was the closing night screening of HOW TO FOLD A FLAG with the directors Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein joined by one of the former soldiers in the film Jon Powers.

On Jan 19, Albert Maysles the acclaimed co-director of GIMME SHELTER and GREY GARDENS, will visit STF to present his 1978 collaboration RUNNING FENCE following the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude as they attempt to rig a giant curtain fence from rural California into the Pacific Ocean. On Jan 26, the editor Jean Tsien will present THE BIGGEST CHINESE RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD directed by the China-based director Weijun Chen. Two years ago, their previous work PLEASE VOTE FOR ME was a huge crowd-pleaser at STF. This new one looks at a restaurant built on the scale of an amusement park, profiling characters from the top to the bottom of China’s new economy.

On Feb 2, STF is proud to welcome one of the great American doc makers for “A Night with Ross McElwee” (pictured). Best known for his landmark film SHERMAN’S MARCH, McElwee will travel from his base in Cambridge, MA to present a lesser known title from his catalogue still to be determined. Stay tuned to this web site for updates. On Feb 9, we’re delighted to host another documentary great Chris Hegedus, making a return visit to STF. She’ll be showing her doc STARTUP.COM (co-directed with Jehane Noujaim), the critically-acclaimed portrayal of entrepreneurs riding the wave of the dotcom frenzy in the late 1990s. The film gains extra resonance against the back drop of today’s economy. On Feb 16, director Don Argott will visit from Philadelphia to show THE ART OF THE STEAL which has become one of the most anticipated docs of the year, following its screenings at the Toronto and New York film festivals. Argott tracks the power struggle to gain control of Albert Barnes’ art collection valued in the billions. On Feb 23, fresh from his world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, director Dan Klores will appear with WINNING TIME: REGGIE MILLER VS. THE NEW YORK KNICKS, a marvelous work that explores the great 1990s sports rivalry. Klores, who previously made CRAZY LOVE and the college basketball series BLACK MAGIC, elicits delightful trash-talking interviews from Miller, Patrick Ewing, Spike Lee and other key participants.

Moving into the Winter Season’s final month on Mar 2, director Judith Helfand presents her debut film A HEALTHY BABY GIRL (1997). This remarkable first-person film explores her fight against cancer caused by drugs that were prescribed to her mother during pregnancy. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Helfand’s cancer survival. She went on co-direct BLUE VINYL and EVERYTHING’S COOL; and to run Chicken & Egg, a fund for women filmmakers. On Mar 9, NYU professor Dan Streible brings us the third STF edition of THE BEST OF THE ORPHAN FILM SYMPOSIUM. “Orphan film” is a term used by archivists to describe footage that turns up without any known owner. The work ranges from home movies to educational films to newsreels to the impossible to categorize. Every two years, Streible organizes a symposium of archivists from around the world to showcase their latest discoveries; and he brings the choice gems from this event to STF. It’s hard to describe the sense of discovery at these shows, but - trust us - the night is unforgettable. On Mar 16, for the Closing Night of the Winter Season, we’ll show the rarely screened classic DAVID HOLZMAN’S DIARY (1967), joined for the Q&A by L.M. Kit Carson aka “David Holzman.” This blend of documentary and fiction is a sly commentary on the first generation of cinema verite filmmaking.

Remember, over half of STF shows sell out in advance. The best way to ensure you don’t miss out is to purchase a season pass, available at the early bird special rate of $95. For that price you can see all 12 films described above, plus get 2 free dvds courtesy of our sponsor Docurama, and free popcorn at every STF show. If you ever can’t make a show, you can give the pass to a friend. The early bird special is good until December 31, 2009, then prices rise. To buy a pass, follow the link on Movietickets.com to WHICH WAY HOME, click on 8:00 pm and look for the season pass box.

Some photos from the night:

Megumi Sasaki (whose terrific film HERB AND DOROTHY is soon to be released on DVD by Docurama).

The women of B-Side, L to R: Liz Ogilvie, Tory Shobe and Jessica Wolfson.

Birthday boy Shoba (whose solo art show “Battlefields” is coming to the Dumbo Arts Center in March) with his wife (photographer Leslie Fratkin).

Makoto Sasa (director of FIRE UNDER THE SNOW) doesn’t let the rain deter her from keeping the conversation going with Molly on the sidewalk after midnight. 

BIG RIVER MAN plays this week at the IFC Center.  Click here for details.