Each June, The Media That Matters Film Festival selects a group of 12 shorts by independent filmmakers designed to spark action and debate in twelve minutes or less. Unlike other festivals, MTM works to promote its selections year-round through online streaming, broadcasts and community screenings.
Interviews
Documentary 2.0: Making Media That Matters
Katy Chevigny, Executive Director of Arts Engine, Inc., the nonprofit arm behind the festival, and Gina Teleroli of Meerkat Media Collective, one of the seven collaborators behind Every Third Bite, another of this year’s official selections, discuss artistic collaboration, trends from this year’s festival, and how the Internet is changing the way we make and view film.
June 13th, 2008 | Jen SwansonFor Inspiration, Judd Ehrlich Looked to the Subject of His New Film, "Run For Your Life"
A look at the crowd-pleasing Fred Lebow biography that premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
June 11th, 2008 | Mike HofmanWhile vampires made a big splash at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, a documentary about a son of Transylvania carved out a decidedly different niche for itself.
To Shoot "Flying," Jennifer Fox Gave Up Control of Her Camera
An interview with filmmaker Jennifer Fox about her six-part documentary series "Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman"
May 2nd, 2008 | Michele MeekAs an award-winning director, producer and camerawoman, Jennifer Fox is certainly well-versed in all the conventions of ‘proper’ documentary filmmaking – introduce the camera slowly, don’t talk about your own life, “create a neutral plane they can project on,” as she says.
"Prince Among Slaves": Recreating History on a Budget
Director Andrea Kalin talks about making a film set in the 18th Century and on two continents
March 3rd, 2008 | Mike HofmanPrince Among Slaves, which aired in February on PBS as part of public television's Black History Month programming, is the story of Abdul Rahman Ibrahima, an African prince who was captured by slave traders in 1788. He completed the Middle Passage in shackles, and ended up sold to a farmer of modest means in Natchez, Mississippi.
Mastering Archival Footage: How to Find It, When to Use It
To make "Doc", a film about her father, Immy Humes had to master of a mountain of source material
January 22nd, 2008 | Mike HofmanImmy Humes is adept at bringing a light touch to dark subject matter as she did in her Oscar-nominated 1991 short A Little Vicious, about a dangerous pit bull and the family who loved him, and 1996’s Lizzie Borden Hash & Rehash, about the abiding fascination Americans have for the New England spinster who was accused of being an ax murderer.
Writing a Companion Book to Your Film
Charles H. Ferguson, the director of "No End in Sight," talks about his award-winning documentary and the follow-up book due out this month
January 8th, 2008 | Mike HofmanAn examination of how the Iraq War went so wrong, Charles H. Ferguson’s documentary No End In Sight is by turns forensic and surreal, a synthesis of devastating facts, damning archival footage, and poignant interviews with well-placed Iraqis and Americans who tried in vein to keep catastrophe at bay.
What an Actor Looks for in a Filmmaker
William Mapother of "Lost" and "In the Bedroom" talks about what compels him to work with independent filmmakers
December 19th, 2007 | Erin TrahanHe’s most recognized for his menacing role as Ethan Rom on Lost, most respected for playing the cheated-on, threatening husband in In the Bedroom, and most pitied as an innocent victim in The Grudge.
Taking an Abstract Idea and Creating a Narrative
How the filmmakers behind "King Corn" crafted a compelling documentary about an inanimate subject matter
December 10th, 2007 | Erica BernsteinKing Corn is a slightly apocalyptic documentary that explores where we come from—or where our food comes from, at the very least. By interweaving a filmmaker-as-subject story of two guys, a cornfield, and some ammonia fertilizer with disparate elements, the film expertly tackles the complicated overarching issues related to farming subsidies in the United States.
A Loving Riff on Punk Life in Tokyo
Before filmmaker Pamela Valente left Japan, she filmed "Rock n' Tokyo", a loving look at the city's throbbing underground music scene
December 9th, 2007 | Leah Hochbaum RosnerThe first time Pamela Valente, 37, set foot in Tokyo, she was instantly swept away. The Brazilian-born filmmaker, who’d been living in France for more than a decade, loved Paris, but longed to return to live in a city where the pace was more frenetic. So in 2003, she up and moved to Tokyo.
How to Get a Short on Logo
Marc Leonard, an executive at the cable network, talks about "The Click List," a weekly program devoted to short film
November 19th, 2007 | Mike HofmanGrassroots filmmakers are always looking for mainstream distribution, and short films often have a particularly tough time gaining exposure. Which is why the success of the Logo Network’s short-film programming is welcome news. Two years ago, Logo, which is basically MTV’s gay cousin, launched The Click List: The Best in Short Film, a weekly show featuring an eclectic mix of stories.