Seventh Annual Points North Documentary Forum
Leaders in the documentary film industry convene for a series of masterclasses, panels, workshops, pitch sessions and the Sustainable Maine Engagement Summit
August 27, 2015 [Camden, Maine] – The Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) has unveiled the lineup for its seventh Points North Documentary Forum. The three-day conference program runs concurrently with the festival from September 17 – 20, 2015 at the historic Camden Opera House in Camden, Maine, and Rockport Opera House in Rockport, Maine. This year’s program will feature four masterclasses focused on directing, editing, producing and interactive media, panel discussions, case studies, networking events and the sixth annual Points North Pitch, which is now part of the year-long Points North Fellowship for filmmakers with feature documentaries in development. The lineup marks the continued growth of CIFF’s Points North program as a launching pad for the next generation of documentary artists, as well as a unique space for the international documentary community to reflect on the craft, business and future of nonfiction storytelling.
Six projects have been selected to participate in the 2015 Points North Fellowship and Points North Pitch. These filmmaking teams will travel to Camden for a day of pitch training and industry mentorship at the Maine Media Workshops with Sundance Institute’s Kristin Feeley and producer Andrea Meditch. On September 19, the filmmakers will take the stage at the Camden Opera House and pitch their documentary works-in-progress before a live audience and receive critical feedback from a panel that includes representatives from HBO, CNN Films, TIME Inc., Vimeo, Sundance Institute, Tribeca Film Institute, Catapult Film Fund, and Impact Partners, among others. One project will receive the Points North Pitch Award and Modulus Finishing Fund, which includes a $10,000 in-kind post-production package from Boston-based Modulus Studios and three consultations with the Tribeca Film Institute. A full list of selected projects and filmmakers is included below.
Filmmakers, students and other Points North attendees will have numerous opportunities to connect with industry delegates throughout the festival weekend, both formally during masterclasses, panels, and one-on-one meetings, and informally during CIFF parties and receptions. For filmmakers interested in strengthening their storytelling craft, Points North will feature three additional masterclasses with Academy Award winning director Alex Gibney, producer Andrea Meditch, and veteran editor David Teague.
Since 2011, the Points North Documentary Forum has been highlighting how nonfiction storytelling is evolving in response to digital media technologies and platforms. This year, the Forum will include two sessions in its Storyforms strand - a performance of the collaborative, multimedia documentary LIVING LOS SURES, and an interactive documentary masterclass led by Alexandre Brachet, a digital storytelling pioneer and founder of the Paris-based agency Upian. Points North will close with “The New News,” a program of short films produced or commissioned by news organizations, followed by a panel discussion with editors and filmmakers focused on the convergence of documentary and journalism on digital platforms and the changing nature audience engagement with the news.
“We're honored and excited to have the opportunity to continue to develop a platform for filmmakers to introduce their projects to some of the most influential decision-makers in the documentary industry," says Ben Fowlie, Founder and Executive Director of the Camden International Film Festival.
"It’s a privilege to bring together such a diverse, talented and inspiring group of participants in Camden for this year’s Forum," says Points North Director Sean Flynn. “Whether you’re developing a feature, producing a short film for the web, exploring interactive media, using media as a tool for social change, or interested in craft of documentary storytelling - there’s something here for everyone."
Access to the full conference program is open to all CIFF passholders. Passes are now on sale on the Camden International Film Festival website. For more information, please visit: http://camdenfilmfest.org/pointsnorth.
The Points North Documentary Forum is made possible by the generous support of The Fledgling Fund, the LEF Foundation, Vimeo, Modulus Studios, Maine Arts Commission, Maine Community Foundation, Documentary Educational Resources, Maine Media Workshops, G-Technology, the Davis Family Foundation, Vermont College of Fine Arts, the Tribeca Film Institute and CNN Films, who partnered with CIFF and Tribeca Film Institute earlier this year to launch the Camden / TFI Retreat.
A full conference schedule and list of industry delegates is attached to this press release and available online at www.camdenfilmfest.org/pointsnorth.
2015 Points North Fellows
FOURTH WALL
Directed by Luke Meyer
Produced by Tom Davis, Luke Meyer and Keith Newton
The history of the controversial New York City “psychotherapy sex cult” known as the Sullivanians illustrates how the choices we make in life – regardless how idealistic – have a profound effects not only on us, but on our children too. Almost as a parable for broader American culture, the film FOURTH WALL tells the story of the Sullivanians’ winding departure from a utopian dream to the resonant aftermath that still exists today.
GREYWATER
Directed and Produced by Jeff Unay
Greywater is the story of Joe (40), a blue-collar, loving family man who finds solace in cage fighting amidst hard times at home. One night, he returns to his family wounded, breaking a long-standing promise made to them years ago - that he would never fight again. It is a story about a powerful yet tender man struggling to retain his dignity and manhood on the cusp of middle age.
NO PLACE FOR CHILDREN
Directed by Carlye Rubin and Katie Green
Produced by Carlye Rubin, Katie Green and Tina Grapenthin
“No Place For Children” focuses on three families whose teenage sons were charged, convicted and sentenced to spend more years in prison than they’ve been alive. By documenting the daily struggles of their loved ones left behind, this documentary goes beyond being a polemic of the juvenile justice system to provoke thought about the controversial moral dilemmas surrounding guilt and accountability within society.
¡NO SOY PUTA!
Directed by Suzan Beraza
Produced by Erika Morillo and Michelle Maughan
¡No Soy Puta! tells the story of two women, a Haitian sex worker and a Dominican prostitute-turned-activist, as they strive to build better lives for their families. Through their stories, we discover the racial tension and violent demonstrations that have erupted recently as two nations, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, attempt to share the island of Hispaniola.
THREE RISING TOWERS
Directed and Produced by Jordan Fein and Hunter Baker
THREE RISING TOWERS tells the story of a Native American workforce reliant on sustainable energy industry jobs that have existed for decades; who reconcile providing for their families with upholding cultural traditions they've practiced for generations. As global pressure increases to modernize energy production away from carbon-based fuels, homesteads dotting the Four Corners region face imminent change.
WHOSE STREETS
Directed by Sabaah Jordan and Damon Davis
Produced by Flannery Miller
When an unarmed teenager is gunned down in a quiet neighborhood, longstanding tensions erupt. A year later, spontaneous protests give way to an organized movement for change. A new generation of leaders is born and this time the battle is not for civil rights, but for the right to live.
Points North Documentary Forum Program
September 17 - 20, 2015
Camden Opera House | Camden, ME
Rockport Opera House | Rockport, ME
Friday, September 18
Camden Opera House
10:00am - 4:00pm (Third Floor)
One on One Meetings
Schedule a 20-minute meeting with funders, distributors and industry experts to pitch your documentary project and receive valuable critical feedback. Schedule will vary for each delegate. If possible, bring your trailer on a laptop or tablet with headphones. Full list of delegates and RSVP instructions will be announced here on September 1.
10:00am - 11:30am (Washington St. Conference Room)
Being There: Stories of Place
Documentary pioneer Ricky Leacock famously described his filmmaking pursuits as a "search for the feeling of being there." Filmmakers in the ethnographic tradition have long attempted to create a sense of place that transports viewers into a different cultural and geographic context. This panel provides an entry point into CIFF’s “Being There” sidebar, bringing together curators and directors for a discussion about how filmmakers creatively represent a place through image and sound - and how audiences experience it.
Alice Apley (Documentary Educational Resources)
Olivia Wyatt (SAILING A SINKING SEA)
Dominic Gagnon (OF THE NORTH)
Turner Ross (WESTERN)
Ilisa Barbash (Peabody Museum, Harvard University)
11:30am - 1:00pm (Tucker Room)
Creative Producing - Masterclass with Andrea Meditch
One of the biggest challenges in documentary filmmaking is finding compelling ways to convey your vision for the film while you are still working on it. Executive Producer Andrea Meditch (MAN ON WIRE, BUCK, ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD) leads a masterclass focused on uncovering the essence of your film, and communicating your story effectively to your filmmaking team, potential editors, possible funders, partners, distributors and audiences.
Andrea Meditch (Back Allie Films)
12:00pm - 1:30pm (Washington St. Conference Room)
Vimeo Audience Development Workshop
With an unlimited supply of video now available across various digital platforms, building your audience and converting them into purchasers of your film has become harder than ever. In this workshop, Vimeo’s Sam Morrill will reveal the most recent trends in online viewing, and walk through real-life examples of techniques and promotional strategies pulled from the most successful launches on Vimeo On Demand, which currently offers more than 25,000 titles available for purchase globally.
Sam Morrill (Vimeo)
1:30pm - 3:00pm (Tucker Room)
Storyforms: LIVING LOS SURES
Produced over 5 years by 72 artists at the UnionDocs Center for Documentary Art, LIVING LOS SURES is a kaleidoscopic multimedia view of the Southside of Williamsburg -- a neighborhood once named the worst ghetto in America, now the site of a battle between local identity and luxury lifestyle. Using a restored 1984 documentary as a starting point, the project has developed into a collection of 40 short films, an interactive people’s history, and a web documentary called 89 Steps, each of which demonstrates new possibilities for interaction between an arts institution and its surrounding community. UnionDocs Artistic Director Christopher Allen will sample from these interconnected elements, bringing together a narrative that circulates around the possibilities and perils of co-creation and the hidden resources that exist on a single city block.
Christopher Allen (UnionDocs)
2:00pm - 3:30pm (Washington St. Conference Room)
Crowdfunding to Build Independence
Crowdfunding is becoming a fundamental piece of most financing plans for independent film. However, many filmmakers miss the opportunity to turn their film funding campaigns into audience-building opportunities that can last an entire career and provide the groundwork for distribution that the filmmaker controls. This workshop will outline a crowdfunding action plan designed to create a lasting, flourishing, direct relationship with your audience.
Emily Best (Seed&Spark)
3:30pm - 5:00pm (Tucker Room)
Storyforms: Interactive Documentary Masterclass
Digital platforms like the Web and mobile devices have opened up a world of creative possibilities for documentary storytellers. Alexandre Brachet, CEO of the Paris-based studio Upian, has been pioneering new forms of digital storytelling for more than 15 years, producing influential interactive documentaries like GAZA/SDEROT, ALMA, and most recently, DO NOT TRACK. In this masterclass, he shares lessons learned from these digital experiments and explores a range of topics including personalization, multi-platform storytelling, building a dialogue with the audience, and the relationship between story and interface.
Alexandre Brachet (Upian)
4:00pm - 5:30pm (Washington St. Conference Room)
Building Characters - Editing Masterclass
(presented by G-Technology)
Veteran editor David Teague (CUTIE AND THE BOXER, E-TEAM, FREEHELD) uses clips and case studies from his own work to discuss the challenges of character development in documentary. He will explore how to create compelling, memorable and authentic characters using both cinematic techniques and classical literary devices, the relationship between character, conflict and plot, and the ethical responsibilities involved in creating a movie character who also happens to be a real person.
David Teague
5:00pm - 6:30pm (Third Floor)
LEF Foundation Reception
After a busy day of panels, masterclasses and screenings, join the LEF Foundation for drinks, light fare and conversation with new friends at this annual gathering of the documentary film community. Open to All Access passholders only.
Saturday, September 19
10:30am - 12:30pm (Camden Opera House Auditorium)
Points North Pitch
Whether you’re a film professional or not, the Points North Pitch is an invaluable chance to learn about the process of developing a documentary film and see first-hand how leading decision-makers evaluate projects. Six teams of filmmakers selected for CIFF’s Points North Fellowship will pitch their works-in-progress to a distinguished panel of funders, broadcasters, distributors and producers. Each pitch lasts exactly 7 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of critical feedback. Filmmakers will have an opportunity to win the Points North Pitch Prize and Modulus Finishing Fund, which includes a $10,000 in-kind post-production package from Modulus Studios and three consultations from Tribeca Film Institute. The winner will be announced at 5:30pm at the Dowling Walsh Reception in Rockland.
Daniel Chalfen (Naked Edge)
Lisa Kleiner Chanoff (Catapult Film Fund)
Steve Cohen (Chicago Media Project)
Kristin Feeley (Sundance)
Lyda Kuth (LEF Foundation)
Alex Hannibal (Tribeca Film Institute)
Alexandra Johnes (TIME Inc)
Sam Morrill (Vimeo)
Jenny Raskin (Impact Partners)
Greg Rhem (HBO)
Courtney Sexton (CNN Films)
Moderator: Brian Newman (Sub-Genre)
1:30pm - 3:00pm (COH Auditorium)
Directing the Documentary - Masterclass with Alex Gibney
(presented by Vermont College of Fine Arts)
Alex Gibney has directed a prolific and diverse body of documentary films that dissect the failings of powerful institutions and individuals (Oscar winner TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM, MEA MAXIMA CULPA) or wrestle with the legacies of cultural icons (THE ARMSTRONG LIE, GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON, FINDING FELA!). In this masterclass, he shares his process of researching and approaching politically sensitive subjects, breaking down a complex story into a cinematic narrative, and developing a strong point of view through visual storytelling.
Alex Gibney (GOING CLEAR)
3:00pm - 4:30pm (Washington St. Conference Room)
Impact Investing
Most fundraising strategies for documentaries involve a mix of grants, private donations and crowdfunding, but a growing number of funders now provide equity investments in social impact-driven film projects. This panel discussion brings together leading investors in documentary to explore the possibilities and challenges of this unique funding model, including the balance between artistic, financial and social impact goals, and between the needs of filmmakers and their backers.
Jenny Raskin (Impact Partners)
Steve Cohen (Chicago Media Project)
Paula Froehle (Chicago Media Project)
Louis Venezia (Pilot)
Alexandria Bombach (FRAME BY FRAME)
Moderator: Sara Archambault (LEF Foundation)
Sunday, September 20
Rockport Opera House
11:00am - 1:00pm
The New News: Documentary Journalism Showcase
Join us for a curated selection of some of the year’s best short documentaries produced or commissioned by news organizations. Following a 75-minute film program, there will be a panel discussion featuring leading filmmakers and editors from the New York Times, the Guardian and FRONTLINE, who will explore the creative process behind the films, the changing nature of audience engagement with the news, and the possibilities that lie in the convergence of documentary and digital journalism.
Kathleen Lingo (New York Times Op-Docs)
Charlie Phillips (The Guardian)
Shayla Harris (Frontline)
Ben Solomon (New York Times, 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner)
Theo Rigby (MARATHON)
Moderator: Lauren Pabst (MacArthur Foundation)
About the Camden International Film Festival:
Founded in 2005 and recognized as one of the top documentary film festivals in the world, the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) brings the finest non-fiction cinema to the rugged coast of Maine, showcasing over 80 documentary feature and short films from around the globe each fall. Additional year-round programming includes the CIFF Selects screening series and the Engagement Summit, a unique program that connects Maine-based nonprofit leaders with documentary films and filmmakers to develop community-based social action campaigns designed to engage communities.
The Points North Documentary Forum provides emerging documentarians with opportunities for professional development and creative inspiration. and an opportunity to discover new voices in documentary media who are pushing the boundaries of the form and re-imagining the role of nonfiction storytelling in society. Programs include the year-round Points North Fellowship, masterclasses, workshops and international short form pitch opportunities such as The New York Times' Op Docs Pitch (2013) and, most recently, the AJ+ Pitch (2014). Past industry participants in the Forum include HBO, A&E, BBC, Participant Media, Al Jazeera America, Discovery, PBS, Ford Foundation, Tribeca Film Institute, Sundance Institute, Vimeo and Kickstarter.
The 2015 Camden International Film Festival and Points North Documentary Forum will take place September 17 - 20 in Camden, Rockport and Rockland, Maine. The Camden International Film Festival is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, CNN Films and Vimeo.
Passes to the 2015 CIFF and Points North are now available for purchase at www.camdenfilmfest.org
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