Programmers occupy a unique space in the film landscape, serving as a force that both curates and supports films, while often remaining unknown to all but the most impassioned cinephiles. Given that STF Artistic Director Thom Powers has made programming documentary film his life’s work, I thought it would be interesting to get his views on the state of documentary in the year 2012. What follows is a conversation we had on December 30, 2012.

[This Q&A was edited for clarity]

Rahul Chadha: I guess the first question is, if you had to sum up the year in documentary, how would you do it?

Thom Powers: One of the things that impressed me about 2012 was the sizable output of really intellectually meaty films. And a lot of these films had to do with the Middle East—and I’m thinking of THE LAW IN THESE PARTS, or THE GATEKEEPERS. And outside of the Middle East I would point to THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE—films that had a really strong engagement with history and showed a depth of reporting and probing interviews that really added to our understanding of these different issues.

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As the Toronto International Film Festival gets underway September 6-16, hundreds of representatives from theatrical distributors, broadcasters, digital platforms and other acquisition teams will be in town looking for new films to buy. Last week, we profiled some of the documentary sellers (and we continue to update that list). Now we present a list of prominent U.S. companies who took the time to answer our questions. Thanks to my SVA SocDoc student Erik Spink who helped me compile this information. If you’re an active buyer at TIFF who would like to be added, please email me.

A24

We are a New York-based Production and Distribution company.

Attending TIFF: Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, John Hodges, Matt Bires, Noah Sacco

TIFF history: A24 was recently formed and this is the company’s first trip to TIFF.  We are very excited.

Looking for: Cross over commercial films.

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ATO Pictures

We are a NYC-based theatrical distribution company releasing four to six films per year.

Attending TIFF: Johnathan Dorfman, Sarah Lash

TIFF history: We acquired Last Call at the Oasis at TIFF 2011.

Looking for: We are looking for films (primarily narrative) that serve an adult audience and have the potential for crossover success.

* * *

Brainstorm Media, Something to Talk About

Brainstorm Media is acquiring feature length, social issue documentaries for a new series called “Something to Talk About” which will showcase one documentary a month on the Audience Network of DirecTV, with a simultaneous theatrical release and DVD and digital sales. Full details are here and at SomethingToTalkAbout.us

Attending TIFF: Meyer Shwarzstein, founder and Brian Newman, acquisitions

Docs at TIFF: Brainstorm Media is launching “Something to Talk About” at TIFF. Brainstorm Media and EPIX will also present the EPIX Original Movie and animated feature A Liar’s Autobiography – The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman

Looking For: Social issue documentaries

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Cinedigm Entertainment Group (CEG)
@NewVideoDigital

CEG, the entertainment group of Cinedigm, is a state-of-the-art distributor of award-winning indie films and alternative content both theatrically and via all key digital, mobile and home media platforms. New releases include The Invisible War; Citadel; and In Our Nature.  CEG includes New Video, which Cinedigm acquired in April.

Attending TIFF: Susan Margolin, Vincent Scordino, Mark Kashden, Emily Rothschild
(acquisitions team only – we have other people attending)

TIFF history: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (nominated for 2012 Academy Award, Best Documentary); Last Call at the Oasis (distributing in partnership with ATO); Crazy Horse (VOD and digital distribution)

Other docs in our history: The Invisible War; Hell and Back Again; GasLand; Waste Land; Restrepo; Being Elmo

Looking for: 1) Docs with significant theatrical potential (mainstream subject, visually stunning, awards-worthy); 2) Docs with identifiable fan bases that respond to a targeted marketing approach; 3) Docs by the best filmmakers in the business as well as groundbreaking newcomers; 4) Docs that can change the world.

* * *

Cinema Guild
@cinemaguild

A distributor of documentary, foreign and independent film.

Attending TIFF: Ryan Krivoshey

TIFF history: Seeing Agnes Varda’s The Beaches of Agnes for the first time at TIFF is something I’ll never forget. As soon as the credits began to roll, I ran out of the theater and placed a call to the film’s rep. We met later that afternoon and we closed on the film shortly after the festival.

Other docs in our history: The Interrupters, Planet of Snail, The Law In These Parts, Marwencol, Sweetgrass, Ne Change Rien, The Order of Myths

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The Toronto International Film Festival has always been an active marketplace for docs to be sold. Noteworthy acquisitions at the festival in recent years include First Position; Cave of Forgotten Dreams; Food, Inc; and Every Little Step. This year’s line-up features more commercially promising titles than ever before in my memory. I circulated a survey among the sales agents known to me and was assisted by my SVA SocDoc student Lauren Kraus. If you’re a seller at TIFF missing from this list, please email me to be added. Watch the STF blog next week for a Guide to Documentary Buyers at TIFF.

CINEPHIL

Cinephil is an international sales and advisory firm based in Tel Aviv specializing in documentaries, which has a strong reputation for securing international distribution deals and financing for documentaries from all over the world on behalf of film producers and directors. With a history of selling unique and award-winning films, Cinephil also acts as a strategic advisor and co-producer.

Attending TIFF: Philippa Kowarsky

Docs at TIFF: The Gatekeepers – Cinephil was one of the main producers of this film and we were attracted to the project immediately. The film gives incredible insight into a previously unseen world. For the very first time the heads of the Shin Bet, the Israeli Secret Service candidly share stories and insights. A shocking analysis of the current situation in the Middle East but also a mirror to the rest of the world, how do democracies protect themselves? How far can we go?

The Act of Killing is one of the best documentaries we have ever seen. This film offers a look into the psyches of mass murderers in a creative and innovative way. And it does so both in form and content. The killers’ cavalier attitude is a chilling portrait of how their own narratives are self-perpetuating; it is as they say a “…winner’s narrative, it is the winners who write history”. With extraordinary access and beautiful scenes, this film is both a macabre and breathtaking glimpse into not only a part of Indonesian history that most are unaware of, but the psychological landscape of a killer.

State 194 jointly repping with Submarine (North America). In frozen times such as these, this film and its main protagonist Palestinian Prime Minister Dr. Salam Fayyad are a gust of optimism. His courage and determination are contagious. The fact that so much is going on in the West Bank and so little is known in the world, motivates us to get this story of a remarkable leader, successfully establishing the infrastructure of a state while advocating non violence as the way – out there worldwide.

TIFF history:  Precious Life sold to HBO, short-listed for the Academy Awards, HBO LA, theatrical in Canada Mongrel Media and worldwide

Other docs in our history: Recently, Sundance 2011 Love Free or Die directed by Macky Alston sold to Wolfe Releasing, Emmy nominated, Where Soldiers Come From by Heather Courtney, the critically praised A Film Unfinished by Yael Hersonski (also Emmy nominated), Oscar short-listed Precious Life by Shomi Eldar, Budrus directed by Julia Bacha, which premiered in Berlin and Defamation which premiered in Berlin, Special Mention Tribeca FF, Hot Docs and the Stanly Kubrick award at Traverse City FF, among others.

Looking for: Strong creative documentaries with international appeal. Documentaries with unique access and/or fresh perspectives covering both specific and universal subjects, topics that matter, films that just may make a difference, also arts and culture.

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In the lead-up to the Toronto International Film Festival, STF fall season and DOC NYC, I’ve frequently been guiding filmmakers on how to make the most of Twitter. It’s free and far-reaching. If you’re a newcomer, you won’t take long to get the hang of it and find your comfort level. Note the examples of @errolmorris or @gary_hustwit or @mmflint who each have different approaches. Read the charming NYRB blog by @MargaretAtwood about her early experiences on Twitter.

For more guidance, here are 10 Twitter TIps for filmmakers from @thompowers:

1) Refine your profile: Make your Twitter name short and easy to remember. Because Twitter traffics in 140 character messages, every letter counts when people re-Tweet you. Use the profile bio to steer readers to your web site or Facebook page. Get a catchy image for your icon. If you decide to change/shorten your Twitter handle, you can do it without losing your followers. A big decision is whether to create a handle for one specific film or you as a filmmaker. I think the latter strategy is longer-lasting. Also readers prefer to follow a person more than a promotional feed.

2) Communicate w/ popular users in the film world: See the STF list of Top 100 Twitter users in the documentary world; and Twitter’s list of documentary streams. You can catch the attention of other users by mentioning them in Tweets, like “Watch our new trailer… cc: @thompowers”

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Here at Stranger Than Fiction we’ve scoured the Twitterverse to bring you those people and institutions driving the best doc-related conversations happening in 140 characters or less. Please note: we’ve left off feeds that promote a specific film; and the data on numbers of followers is approximate, collected in recent weeks. Please click “Read more” below to take a look at our top 100 documentary twitter accounts. Be sure to join our Twitterthon on Thursday, May 10 at 9pm at #SundanceNOW.

Author	Handle	Followers	Description
Michael Moore	@MMFlint	1,021,233	Filmmaker ('Fahrenheit 9/11'), author ('Stupid White Men'), citizen ('United States of America').
Gary Hustwit	@gary_hustwit	151,100	The jet-lagged and guitar-obsessed director of the documentary films Helvetica, Objectified, and Urbanized. Proud new father of Hazel Hustwit.
Louis Theroux	@louistheroux	144,175	I make documentaries for the BBC
Sundance Film Festival	@sundancefest	126,715	We find, love and share the best independent films in the world. We are presented by the non-profit Sundance Institute.
HBO Documentary	@HBODocs	44,158	HBO Documentary Films. Defining. Moments.
Errol Morris	@errolmorris	31,839	writer, filmmaker, something else maybe…
National Film Board of Canada	@thenfb	30,000	Films from NFB.ca. News, updates and human tweets by @spittin_nickels and @jmatlin.
Scott Macaulay	@FilmmakerMag	24,268	Editor, Filmmaker Magazine
Christian Payne	@Documentally	20,279	storymaker. social technologist. occasional speaker. http://OurManInside.com, UK
SnagFilms	@SnagFilms	18,588	Stream over 3,000 films for FREE on SnagFilms.com. Or watch anytime, anywhere on your iPad, Kindle Fire, Blackberry tablets, and Android smartphones & devices.
Independent Lens	@Independent Lens	15,726	Award-winning independent films and documentaries on PBS. Tweeting tasty morsels for your indie pleasure.
Hot Docs	@hotdocs	11,829	Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America's largest documentary festival, conference and market
Sheffield Doc Fest	@sheffdocfest	11,264	The UK's leading documentary and digital media festival, conference and market.
POV	@povdocs	9,000	Documentaries with a point of view on PBS.
Zeitgeist Films	@zeitgeistfilms	8,286	Bringing the best in documentary, foreign and independent cinema to American screens since 1988. http://zeitgeistfilms.tumblr.com/
IDFA	@idfa	7,134	The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam is one of the leading documentary events in the world. IDFA 2012: 14-25 November.
Documentary Site	@documentarysite	6,313	Die-hard fan of all things documentary. Blogger for the awesome @povdocs. RTs are not endorsements.
The Documentary Blog	@DocumentaryBlog	6,000	A blog for documentary film fans.
Documentary Channel	@DOC_Channel	5,700	DISH Network 197 DIRECTV 267 Passionate. Perspective.
SundanceNOW	@sundancenow	5,510	With SundanceNow, you can rent and buy the best in contemporary and classic independent films from all over the world.
Channel 4 Documentaries	@DocsOn4	5,433	he home of documentaries on @C4Insider, @More4Tweets and @Film4. Join the conversation on #OneBorn, #DeathRow and #Undateables
Silverdocs	@SILVERDOCS	5,400	Silverdocs Documentary Festival, taking place June 18-24, 2012. Celebrating our 10th year!
Basil Tsiokos	@1basil1	5,300	Documentaries: Sundance. Film & Festival Consultant. Co-Producer: THE CANAL STREET MADAM. Former Artistic & Executive Director: NewFest.
Eugene Hernandez	@eug	5,266	Now: Film Society of Lincoln Center (@FilmLinc @FilmComment). Also: Co-Founder, indieWIRE (@Indiewire).
True/False Film Fest	@truefalse	5,187	Documentary film festival in Columbia, MO, February 28–March 3, 2013
Thom Powers	@thompowers	5,120	Festival programmer for @MontclairFF (May), @TIFF_net (Sept), @DOCNYCfest (Nov), @STFdocs (year round). Curator for @SundanceNOW Doc Club.
Kartemquin Films	@Kartemquin	4,891	Documentary Powerhouse. Producing social change since 1966. Films include The Interrupters, Hoop Dreams, Typeface, A Good Man, No Crossover, Milking the Rhino.
Ingrid Kopp	@fromthehip	4,700	People & teach workshops on docs, social media, engagement & technology. Also consulting on the TFI New Media Fund.
Full Frame Doc Fest	@FullFrame	4,156	Each spring since 1998, Full Frame's 4 day festival celebrates the theatrical exhibition of non-fiction cinema in historic downtown Durham, NC.
Danfung Dennis	@Danfung	4,100	Founder of Condition ONE/ Director of Hell and Back Again
Mona Nicoara	@monanicoara	4,000	Doc filmmaker and human rights activist. Made OUR SCHOOL, which deals with Roma school segregation
Icarus Films	@IcarusFilms	3,935	Distributor of documentary films. Main web site www.IcarusFilms.com
Christopher Campbell	@thefilmcynic	3,807	Editor of the Documentary Channel Blog. Documentary columnist and contributing writer for Movies.com.
Documentary Club	@documentaryclub	3,651	People that like watching documentaries discussing and sharing their suggestions, opinions, and of course – documentaries.
DOC NYC festival	@DOCNYCfest	3,623	DOC NYC, New York's Documentary Festival, takes place Nov. 7 – 15, 2012 in Manhattan's West Village.
Cinereach	@cinereach	3,611	Cinereach funds and produces vital, artful fiction and nonfiction films.
Docs In Progress	@docsinprogress	3,371	Non-profit arts organization dedicated to empowering independent documentary filmmakers and showcasing documentary film as an art form to the public.
Real Screen	@realscreen	3,303	devoted exclusively to the non-fiction film and television industries, we aim to bring diverse communities together for dialog, debate and discussion
Lee Schneider	@docuguy	3,207	DocuCinema. Directing a documentary called Shelter. Interviewing for the be global podcast. Consultant at Red Cup.
Center for Social Media	@Ctr4SocialMedia	3,157	Investigating and showcasing strategies for socially engaged media making.
AJ Schnack	@ajschnack	2,795	Filmmaker [Gigantic, Kurt Cobain About a Son, Convention] and co-chair of Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking.
Charlotte Cook	@CharlotteCook	2,697	Director of Programming @hotdocs
Joe Berlinger	@joeberlinger	2,660	Documentary film-maker whose films include Paradise Lost, Brother's Keeper, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, and Crude.
IDA/Documentary.org	@IDANews	2,600	Filmmaker Services, and Public Programs & Events from the International Documentary Association.
Dok Leipzig	@DOK_Leipzig	2,464	55th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, Germany
Doc Movies	@DocMovies	2,463	Documentary, DIY, Digital Distribution, and New Media www.docmovies.com
Scottish Documentary Institute	@ScottishDocInst	2,462	All about creative documentary, Scotland
Cinema Guild	@CinemaGuild	2,358	A distributor of documentary, foreign and independent film.
Maysles Films	@mayslesfilms	2,351	Company headed by legendary filmmaker Albert Maysles
DFG	@the_dfg	2,254	The UK's national organisation working to promote talent and innovation in documentary filmmaking
Simon Kilmurry	@SKilmurry	2,147	Exec Producer of POV
Marshall Curry	@marshallcurry	2,100	Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker. Director of Street Fight, Racing Dreams.
Anthony Kaufman	@antkaufman	2,051	freelance journalist, covering indie film beat for Variety, Village Voice, indieWIRE, Filmmaker, IFC.com, et. al.
UnionDocs	@UnionDocs	2,026	UnionDocs (UnDo) is a Center for Documentary Art that generates and shares big ideas.
The D-Word	@dwordcom	1,924	The D-Word is the leading independent documentary community, with more than 8,300 Professionals and Enthusiasts from 117 countries. Founded in 1999.
ITVS	@ITVSIndies	1,857	Official Twitter account for the Independent Television Service (ITVS)
Maysles Cinema	@MayslesCinema	1,837	The Maysles Cinema, non-profit theater located in Harlem dedicated to the exhibition of documentary film and video
IDFA Doc Lab	@DocLab	1,821	Showcasing new and unexpected forms of digital documentary storytelling since 2007. Official new media program @IDFA. Curated by @CasparSonnen
Chicken & Egg Pictures	@chickeneggpics	1,808	Chicken & Egg Pictures is a hybrid film fund and non-profit production company dedicated to supporting women filmmakers.
Tom Roston	@DocSoupMan	1,737	Doc Soup Man blogs at the PBS POV website, where he reports and rants on all things documentary. Other news, food & culture bits here, too. (www.tomroston.com)
Ryan Harrington	@ryejh	1,736	Director of Documentary Programming for the Tribeca Film Institute
Ken Burns	@kenburns	1,722	Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has been producing films for PBS for more than 25 years. His next film, 'The Dust Bowl,' airs November 2012 on PBS.
European Documentary Network	@EDNEDN	1,659	EDN is stimulating networks & knowledge within the documentary sector. 1000+ members from over 60 countries. Releasing DOX Magzine and The EDN Financing Guide. Denmark
GFEM	@MediaFunders	1,648	Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM) is an association of grantmakers committed to advancing the field of media arts and public interest media funding.
Arts Engine	@arts_engine	1,643	Media That Matters + Big Mouth Films + MediaRights + Docuclub = Good social-issue indie media & documentary!
Mila Aung-Thwin	@EyeSteelFilm	1,621	Documentary film company. Previous subject matter includes: Migrant factory workers, Punk Muslims, Copyright and Cruise Boats. Upcoming: Fruit
Pat Aufderheide	@paufder	1,577	Prof, Communication, American University
STFdocs	@STFdocs	1,543	Stranger Than Fiction (STF) is a Tues. night documentary series held at Manhattan’s IFC Center, curated by Thom Powers.
Cathy Fischer ITVS	@ITVSInteractive	1,330	Produce new media projects, support independent film, digital storytelling and social media for ITVS.org and Independent Lens and Global Voices on PBS.org
Doug Block	@DougBlock	1,300	Documentary filmmaker: I shoot the human animal. Current films: @TheKidsGrowUp, Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, 112 Weddings
Eddie Schmidt	@Eddie_Schmidt	1,300	Nominated documentaries; Wrtr/Producer; Ex-Board Pres of Int'l Documentary Association; Raconteur; Man of Zest & Opinion
Doc Space	@DOC_space	1,277	Toronto Doc. Community
Doc Geeks	@docgeeks	1,261	UK-based blog that aims to give you all sorts of cool stuff about documentaries.
DocuClub	@docuclub	1,223	Monthly screening of rough-cut docs with moderated feedback discussion post-screening.
David Tames	@cinemakinoeye	1,211	Documentary filmmaker & media technologist working in old, new, & future media, in both screen & physical space.
Point of View Magazine	@POVmagazine	1,200	Point of View is Canada's documentary film magazine, printed in Toronto since 1992.
Flaherty Seminar	@FlahertySeminar	1,195	The Robert Flaherty Film Seminar is named after Robert J. Flaherty, who is considered by many to be the father of the American documentary.
BBC Storyville	@bbcstoryville	1,169	Storyville: the BBC's international feature documentary strand.We aim to bring the most interesting character-based stories from around the world to the screen
Bassam Tariq	@curry_crayola	1,155	co-director of These Birds Walk. co-creator of 30 Mosques. i co-llaborate a lot.
Caspar Sponnen	@casparsonnen	1,052	founder of @Pluk_de_Nacht Open Air Film Festival Amsterdam.
Cinema Eye Honors	@cinemaeyehonors	936	Honoring exemplary craft and innovation in nonfiction film and promoting the highest commitment to rigor and artistry in the nonfiction field.
Documentary Tech	@DocumentaryTech	908	an open-source collaborative project exploring documentary filmmaking techniques and technology.
Jonathan Archer	@jonarcher	906	Programmer at ITVS / Transmedia & Documentary & Indie Film & more.
Marjan Safinia	@Marj	900	Documentary Filmmaker, IDA Board President, Activist, Iranian, Monkey
Reva Goldberg	@RevaGoldberg	860	Filmmaker, Brooklynite (by way of Newton, MA), currently heading up The Reach Film Fellowship and Communications dept. at Cinereach LTD.
Heather Croall	@heathercroall	858	director Sheffield Doc/Fest and Crossover Labs
Cat Bird Productions	@CatbirdProd	840	all documentary, all the time | platform agnostic, Montreal
Robert Greene	@prewarcinema	637	Present tense documentaries. KATI WITH AN I, FAKE IT SO REAL, etc.
IDF	@IDF_Prague	636	Documentary Film. Founded in 2001, IDF supports creative documentaries and filmmakers from C&E Europe.
DOX Magazine	@DoxMagazine	603	DOX is the leading international magazine for the European documentary film industry. DOX is released 4 times a year and has been published since 1993.
SunnySide of the Doc	@SunnySideDoc	587	The Sunny Side of the Doc global network stimulates documentary co-production through: SSD, the International Documentary Market, since 1989.
Bronx Documentary Center	@followbdc	573	The Bronx Documentary Center (BDC) is a gallery and educational space dedicated to showing photography, film, and new media from around the globe.
Senain Kheshgi	@Senain	551	Pakistani-American documentary director and producer. On the Board of the International Documentary Association (IDA)
Documentary Network	@Documentary	549	Watch free documentaries, long/short/interactive films. Get news and big moments with videos! The insider network for pros and doc fans.
POV Engage	@POVengage	482	PBS’ POV's free screenings, resources and all things engaging!
The Ross Brothers	@rossbros	417	ramblin' wreckless hobos with standard def cameras
Doc Alliance	@DocAllianceFilm	350	DocAllianceFilms provides online permanent access to more than 600 outstanding documentaries from around the world, Prague
Cynthia Lopez	@docuqueen	324	Cynthia Lopez, Co-Executive Producer of POV.
Stanley Nelson	@stanleynelson1	176	Filmmaker. 3-Time Emmy winner. Cofounder and executive director of Firelight Media.
Open Doc Lab	@opendoclab	159	MIT's Open Doc Lab brings technologists, storytellers, and scholars together to advance the new arts of documentary.

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