The U.S. Copyright Office this week issued a ruling supporting the ripping of DVDs and recording of streaming video by documentary filmmakers seeking to use the content under fair use provisions. In a blog post, production house Kartemquin Films responded to the ruling, describing it as a victory for filmmakers, but noted that the ruling did not extend to Blu-Ray discs, a development they found troubling. The International Documentary Association (IDA) in a post also responded to the ruling, and there’s also a Los Angeles Times piece from December 2011 that provides an overview of some of the issues at play.
The IDA this week also released the list of nominees for its Documentary Awards, with the ceremony scheduled to be held Dec. 7-12 in Los Angeles. Those films nominated for best feature were THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon; THE INVISIBLE WAR by Kirby Dick; THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES by Lauren Greenfield; SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN by Malik Bendjelloul; and WOMEN WITH COWS by Peter Gerdehag. Steve Pond at TheWrap.com provided a nice overview of the nominees, and Alexandra Zeevalkink at DocGeeks rounded up the trailers for all of the feature doc nominees.
The IDA on Oct. 22 also named the recipients of its Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund. “Using the power of nonfiction storytelling, each of these films has the potential to change how our society views some of the most pressing issues of our time,” said Michael Lumpkin, IDA’s Executive Director, said in a statement.
Also announced this week were the nominees for the European Film Awards: Manuel von Stürler’s HIVER NOMADE (WINTER NOMADS); Julien Temple’s LONDON—THE MODERN BABYLON; and Jérôme le Maire’s LE THE OU L’ELECTRICITE (TEA OR ELECTRICITY).Christopher Campbell at the Documentary Channel blog had an overview of the nominees.
This week Stranger Than Fiction is playing host to BEARING WITNESS by Barbara Kopple, a revealing cinematic tale that examines one year in the personal and professional lives of five women journalists at different stages of their careers as they attempt to put a human face on otherwise impersonal tragedies, taking risks along the way to cover the world’s hot spots. The film is screening at the IFC Center on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 8pm. For more information and to purchase tickets go here.
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) this week announced the lineup for its Interactive Documentary Conference, a one-day event scheduled to take place on Nov. 18. Alexandra Zeevalkink at DocGeeks broke down the conference’s lineup.
The Cinema Eye Honors Awards Oct. 23 issued a statement outlining changes made to its voting process, with a 25-member committee and nominated filmmakers casting votes for the outstanding feature award, with the committee voting alone on the rest of the award categories.
Over at Indiewire’s The Playlist, Christopher Bell interviewed filmmakers Don Argott and Demian Fenton on their film LAST DAYS HERE, which is currently featured on SundanceNow’s DOC CLUB. The pair talked about the filmmaking process, the nature of the evolving marketplace for independent films, and their most recent documentary project.
Back at the Documentary Channel Blog, Christopher Campbell got a hold of BROOKLYN CASTLE director Katie Dellamaggiore and talked with her about working with relatively young subjects, among other issues. Campbell also got a chance to interview Mads Brugger, director of the recent film THE AMBASSADOR, and talk about the fine line between jokes and serious subject matter in his work.
Over at Indiewire, Bryce Renninger wondered if the films GASLAND and HILLARY presaged the demise of the issue doc.
In a piece for NPR, Fred Wasser interviewed Ross McElwee about his new film PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY, an exploration of McElwee’s relationship with his son and his own youth.
In recognition of the Oct. 25 premiere of Patricio Guzman’s NOSTALGIA FOR THE LIGHT on POV, the PBS show dug up a February 2012 video interview with the director, which you can watch here.
The Montreal International Film Festival released details on its lineup this week, which were reported on by Kelly Anderson at Realscreen.
This week Tom Roston’s blog post on POV dealt with the increasingly blurred line between political ads and political documentaries, leading Roston to conclude that a less didactic filmmaking approach is often more effective.
Basil Tsiokos of the What Not to Doc blog wrote up an overview of the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, more commonly known as CPH: DOX. The festival, which runs Nov. 1-11, has a massive lineup that Tsiokos ably covers.
This week, Anthony Kaufman’s Docutopia blog post considered the work of Julia Loktev, who often mashes up fiction and documentary aesthetics.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Lesley Goldberg this week wrote that director Joe Berlinger was producing a television series based on the PARADISE LOST trilogy of films he made with Bruce Sinofsky. Alison Willmore at Indiewire also wrote up the news.
There was some good news for directors Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall, directors of CALL ME KUCHU, who scored a distro deal for the U.S. with the Cinedigm Entertainment Group. The pair also wrote a piece for the UK’s Independent about the continuing struggles against homophobia in Uganda.
Over at Filmmaker Magazine, Michael Murie rounded up a bunch of notes on new cameras—including the new GoPro Hero—for his “This Week in Cameras” feature.
At the Independent Lens blog, Rebecca Huval interviewed THE ISLAND PRESIDENT director Jon Shenk on the continuing turmoil that engulfed the Maldives after film subject and country president Mohammed Nasheed was ousted in a coup in February.
Christopher Campbell has this week’s theatrical releases, which included THE ZEN OF BENNETTand a number of other films.
That’s it for this week, but please email any tips here, or send them via Twitter to@GuerrillaFace. Stay safe in the Frakenstorm!
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