MFVA Pitch Session Success!

The March MFVA event was a major success! Thanks to all who helped organize, especially Louise Rosen for putting together such a dynamic group of panelists. The evening consisted of the very first pitching session for Maine based filmmakers. This time around all were docs, we’re not biased….I swear! 5 filmmakers had the opportunity to pitch their film and screen a short clip of their work in progress to an extremely established panel, including Tom Koch, Vice President of PBS International, Cynthia Fennemen, Executive Director for American Public Television, Mary Lampson, editor for numerous docs including Harlan County and Trouble the Water, Sara Archambault, Managing Director for the LEF Foundation and Ben Fowlie, Founder and Director of the Camden IFF.

Well over 100 people gathered in John Seymore’s new Maine Studios for the event. Check out the Maine Film and Video Assoc. page for testimonials from participants and more information on upcoming events. Remember to sign up for a membership to take advantage of all the special membership perks!

POINTS NORTH, FRIDAY OCTOBER 2, 2009

Its official – CIFF 09 will present POINTS NORTH Documentary Film Forum as part of its 5th Anniversary Celebration!  This event has been in the works for quite some time and all of us at CIFF are very proud to be able to provide New England based doc filmmakers a chance to connect with and learn from top industry professionals and filmmakers.  While participants are still being finalized, a number have already been confirmed including Patricia Finneran from the Sundance Documentary Institute, Jalyn Henton from PBS, Ryan Harrington from the Gucci Tribeca Fund and Sara Archambault from the New England based funding organization, LEF.

This forum will introduce filmmakers in all stages of their professional career to major funding sources and distribution outlets to help clarify what films get funded and why.  There will also be a filmmaker panel, complete with a number of visiting CIFF filmmakers and CIFF alums who will discuss ways to create a sustainable living as a documentary filmmaker in this climate.  These exciting panels and information sessions will be followed by an intimate reception on the grounds of the Maine Media Workshop campus.

Sponsored in part by the LEF Foundation and Maine Media Workshops, POINTS NORTH is FREE and OPEN to the PUBLIC! Spread the word and let everyone know about this exciting opportunity to connect with some of the industries major players!

For more information, visit the POINTS NORTH page here: camdenfilmfest.org/pointsnorth

CIFF ALUMS WIN PEABODY!

Big ups to Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis for their 2008 Peabody Award. Their film, King Corn continues to garner serious attention two years after completion. For all aspiring filmmakers out there…the path they’ve forged is a serious model to study and learn from, and for those of you wondering what the Peabody is, its administered by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and is the oldest, and one of the most prestigious honors in electronic media given out each year.

Not to shabby! For a list of other winners, check it here.

If you don’t know much about the film…or are just obsessed with corn, check out this sweet little video blog from POV shot last month at SXSW.

P.O.V. annouces 2009 Lineup

Last week P.O.V. Executive Director, Simon Kilmurry announced the 2009 lineup for the renowned PBS documentary series. The diverse and award winning slew of films will surely satisfy the hunger of all nonfiction fans. Among the award-winning films and festival favorites we had to mention the addition of two of CIFF 08 favorites, Eric Daniel Metzgars Life.Support.Music and Aron Guadet and Gita Pullapilly’s The Way We Get By which will be featured this year as the November Special. For the complete list click here. From June 23rd on your Tuesday evenings should now be tied up!

Labrador Calls

Eric Daniel Metzgar, documentary filmmaker and CIFF alum (Chances of the World Changing, Life.Support.Music) is on a new adventure snowshoeing across 150 miles in Labrador with the Innu Nation. I had a chance to speak with him a few nights before he set out on the venture at True/False a week ago after a screening of his latest film, Reporter. This project is going to have a very unique web presence, and is hopefully something that will be done more and more as a way of archiving traditional storytelling. See what he’s up to and where he’s headed next on the projects website, Bed of Branches.
For more info on the project, check out this nice little summary at the PBS POV Blog.