THE INDEPENDENT Obsessed with Independent Film Since 1978 January 23, 2008 See the stories below or go to www.independent-magazine.org/read ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Our Advertisers & Supporters: Screening Room Now available on DVD, Screening Room was a 1970s Boston television series that for almost ten years offered independent filmmakers a chance to show and discuss their work on a commercial (ABC-TV) affiliate station. http://www.independent-magazine.org/ad/redirect/645/ Video In the Villages For over 14 years, the Video in the Villages' project has encouraged the encounter of the Indians with their images. The project's proposal is to turn video into a tool that will enable the expression of their identity, reflecting their vision about themselves and about the world. http://www.independent-magazine.org/ad/redirect/644/ RIT School of Film & Animation RIT is conducting an open search for Live Action and Animation Tenure Track Faculty. http://www.independent-magazine.org/ad/redirect/904/ Aquarius Health Care Media: Aquarius Health Care Media is the leading distributor of educational documentaries on many major healthcare issues, with film topics including Aging, Mental Health, Women's Health, Caregiving, Alternative Medicine, Kids & Teens, Disabilities and more. http://www.independent-magazine.org/ad/redirect/771/ Filmmakers Workshop Filmmakers Workshop is a program of the Center for Independent Documentary that offers Boston area independent media artists a non-competitive, supportive community to strengthen their work. http://www.independent-magazine.org/ad/redirect/643/ Learn how to advertise at http://www.independent-magazine.org/ad/redirect/575/ and support The Independent: http://www.independent-magazine.org/about/donate ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THIRTEEN WAYS OF LOOKING AT SUNDANCE Sundance is growing in every which way, from the number of submissions (more than 8,000 this year) to the festival's online presence (which now includes a number of downloadable shorts). But as it gets bigger, is it getting better? That's the question that The Independent's Erin Trahan posed to upstarts looking for their big break this year, veteran filmmakers, Park City locals and more. Does the industry's grassroots view Sundance as a place where they can be nourished, or a place to go sell out? To share your take on Sundance, post a comment: http://www.independent-magazine.org/comment/reply/897#comment-form http://www.independent-magazine.org/node/897 OSCAR NOMINATIONS: THE DOCS, SHORTS, AND ANIMATED SHORTS The nominations for the 80th annual Academy Awards have been announced. The best documentary feature field includes three films related to the Iraq War: No End in Sight, Operation Homecoming, and Taxi to the Dark Side. The documentary short subject category includes Freeheld, a film about a dying police officer who battles to get pension benefits for her partner (pictured at left), and La Corona, a film about a beauty pageant held in a women's prison. Finally, the animated short category features I Met the Walrus, a film about a teenager's unlikely encounter with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. http://www.independent-magazine.org/node/887 A SUNDANCE VOLUNTEER BLOGS ALL Didn't make it to Park City this year? Therese Shechter did—in fact, for the seventh year in a row, she's volunteering at the festival. So what makes this Sundance different from every other one? This time around, Schecter finds herself lamenting a lack of a functional hot tub at her condo and professing love for strangers who deliver hot food. Oh, and she has caught a few films—so far, Anvil! The True Story of Anvil (pictured at left) is her favorite—in between pitching her latest documentary, The American Virigin, to movers and shakers in the indie world. In her next dispatch, Schecter will answer readers' questions about Sundance. To submit one, click http://independent-magazine.org/feedback http://www.independent-magazine.org/node/885 MASTERING ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE: HOW TO FIND IT, WHEN TO USE IT As if it wasn't hard enough for Immy Humes to make a film about her brilliant but rough father, H.L. "Doc" Humes (pictured at left), she also had to contend with a mountain of source material. Assembling all of it and then incorporating it into a polished narrative took her 16 years. In the end, Doc features photographs from the fifties, black-and-white film footage from the sixties, reel-to-reel video from the seventies, and much more. And did we mention the hundred-page FBI file? Humes recently spoke with The Independent's Mike Hofman about the process of hunting down this material, and then how she came to choose a structure that knit it all together. You may check out a series of clips from her film on our "Watch" page. http://www.independent-magazine.org/node/879 TAKE A TRIP, MAKE A FILM: A LOOK AT STUDY-ABROAD PROGRAMS If you're looking to get away from your day-to-day routine while also brushing up on filmmaking skills, then a study-abroad program may be right for you. The New York Film Academy organizes boot camps in London, Paris, and Florence. In Ottawa, you can sign up for summer workshops taught by top directors. In Singapore, you can work towards a degree from New York University. And in Prague, you can work with state-of-the-art technology in a film-school building that dates to the 11th Century. The Independent's Lynn Tryba has compiled a guide to educational programs in far-flung destinations that range in length from weekend seminars to six-week sabbaticals. http://www.independent-magazine.org/node/876 Also see... ADVICE & RESOURCES FOR DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS (from the Learn section) We are thrilled that Fernanda Rossi, the Doc Doctor, has re-joined The Independent as a senior contributing editor. Her latest monthly column, "Anatomy of a Film", will look at documentaries that have hit it big, and trace how the filmmakers got from the idea stage to successful distribution.. Meanwhile, our Documentary section also features the complete archives of Fernanda's immensely popular Ask the Doc Doctor series, as well as interviews with seasoned documentarians and helpful articles on topics ranging from budgeting to editing. http://www.independent-magazine.org/themes/documentary ADVICE & RESOURCES ON FILM DISTRIBUTIION (from the Learn section) The Independent's popular Distributor FAQ series is back with recent profiles on Wolfe Releasing, a company that distributes LGBT films, and Landmark Media, which specializes in films used by teachers in grade schools. To read more about distribution, visit the Distribution section. http://www.independent-magazine.org/themes/distribution FROM OUR FREE CLASSIFIEDS: Darklight Festival Now Accepting Entries According to the posting, this festival, based in Dublin looks for submissions that explore "the convergence of art, film, and technology and... that challenges concepts, visual aesthetic, narrative, access, methods of production, and dialogue, through contemporary film-making techniques. We support and encourage work that pushes technological boundaries and displays creative excellence. Our mission is to nurture new talent and to create bold new possibilities for the imagination." To read the rest of the posting, click here. To read other postings, click here. http://www.independent-magazine.org/read/classifieds ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The Independent is a publication of Independent Media Publications. To subscribe, create a free account at http://www.independent-magazine.org/user/register To unsubscribe, login at http://www.independent-magazine.org/user and click the "edit" tab and then on "Contact Information" and page down to "Email newsletter" and select "Unsubscribed" and then hit submit.