Documentary Filmmakers Lose the MacArthur Documentary Fund

The MacArthur Foundation has ended its documentary fund. The grant, which topped $200,000, was one of the largest for documentary filmmakers. The Foundation stated that by ending the grant, it hopes to support documentary filmmaking through its partners. Its open letter states:

For many years, we have witnessed the powerful ways in which organizations like Sundance Institute and Firelight Media provide comprehensive support to filmmakers and new media artists, deploying MacArthur's financial resources with razor sharp intentionality, while serving many more filmmakers and artists than we possibly could directly. As a result, we have decided to reinforce and expand the Foundation's support of documentary filmmakers and nonfiction media producers through partner organizations. In fact, we have been steadily increasing grant levels to Sundance Institute, Firelight Media, POV, Kartemquin and others, and we plan to establish new relationships with additional partners that fund nonfiction film and new media projects, provide training and mentorship, and assist with distribution, engagement and impact. By 2017, MacArthur's total investment in the documentary community is expected to be larger than ever.

I feel that this is part of the democratization of filmmaking. As technology becomes cheaper and films are produced for almost nothing, the foundations and organizations that fund independent filmmaking see less use for funds. It is a blessing and a curse, as filmmakers are forced to do more with less. Unfortunately, this may mean less films produced, as well as a less diversity among films, as those films who can afford finishing funds will be from a small demographic.

Happy Filmmaking.

Do professionals who play themselves deserve SAG cards?

Act of Valor receives more and more press everyday. Real Navy SEALs, real combat tactics, real bullets, real action (well, quasi-real action). The narrative posing as a doc found its selling point among the most patriotic of us and took off faster than a Tuskegee airman. The movie was shot in cinéma vérité style on a Canon 5d Mark II.

So, because the movie is a box office success, it begs the question: should these SEALs receive SAG cards? They haven't.



Judge for yourself. Now, technically, they cannot receive compensation for this film. However, given the filmmakers are making beaucoup money (sorry, beaucoup was the only word that works here), is it fair that these "few and proud" are not receiving the compensation they would if they were actors?

They were given lines to speak. They performed “action” and “business”. That’s the basic definition of an actor. Even reality TV defines one as such. It’s a complicated, legal issue. These SEALs are active-duty. They are already receiving a stipend. But, what about actors who sing? Or design clothes? Or have endorsements stated elsewhere?

I say go ahead and give them a SAG card. The film is not classified as a documentary. There may be some true actors upset; there may be some military members upset. But in the end, they performed the task of actors and if they were in any other profession (President Regan, anyone?), they would still receive residuals.

Happy Filmmaking.

RIP: Mike deGruy and Andrew Wight

Less than a week ago, two fellow filmmakers and close friends died together in an helicopter crash off the Australian coast. Australian Andrew Wight and American Mike deGruy were found 97 miles north of Sydney, in Nowra. DeGruy, an Emmy and BAFTA-award winning marine documentary filmmaker, is a fellow Mobilian. Not just any Mobilian, but a card-carrying advocate of the river deltas and bayous that make up our home.



From his website:

Mike deGruy was born on December 29, 1951 in Mobile, Alabama. It was here, at the confluence of 5 rivers, with an amazing delta flowing through rich swamps of alligators, birds of every flavor, fish, deer and snakes, all emptying into Mobile Bay and finally the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, that Mike gained his enthusiasm for the ocean - a love that continues to this day.

We also both eventually left Mobile for the California sun, but that is another story. DeGruy probably spent most of his life convincing people he's not from Louisiana.

Here is deGruy discussing the now infamous BP Gulf Coast oil spill.



Happy Filmmaking!

Preproduction Research Photos for "C'est la Mort"

Preproduction is moving along. Because C'est La Mort is a historical documentary, I visited some of the Mobile's long-time residents at the city's historic Church Street Graveyard. Many of the city's more famous residents currently reside here, including Joe Cain and Eugene Walter. This cemetery peeked around the mid-to-late 1800s. Following Mobile's strong Catholic tradition, the northern third of the graveyard (and the best ground) was reserved for practicing Catholics. Protestants were buried in the back. Unbaptized individuals seemed to be buried to the west due to all the baby-sized graves on that side, even though some babies seem to be buried with mom or other family members.

Thought I would share my fabulously creepy photos taken with my phone.

Joe Cain.

Lopez Family graves.

Young woman who died at 26 in 1847.

Eugene Walter.

Catholic grave.

Possible Mason grave.

Child named "Louise". Mom and dad weren't too far.

Another child or children's grave.

Happy Filmmaking!

Pushing the Elephant

One day, genocide will be a historical term. Until that day, we have organizations like Mapendo International that raise awareness about nightmares the average American can't fathom.

I recently had the pleasure to meet Rose Mapendo and her brother Kigabo, as well as filmmakers Beth Davenport and Elizabeth Mandel at a Los Angeles screening of Pushing the Elephant. The film combines the heart-wrenching emotions of war and death associated with the Congolese Civil War with the joy of a family reunion as Rose embraces a daughter she has not seen in 13 years.

Rose is the epitome of a strong, black woman. She has survived her husband's murder, imprisonment, refugee status, and separation from her daughter. And she doesn't give up the struggle. She fights for the victims of the genocide, especially the women. I urge you to support this documentary.

Happy Filmmaking.

LAFF-ing All The Way to the Bank

What has happened to you, LA Film Festival? You are disappointing me. Last night felt like Purgatory. And by that, I mean, waiting in line for absolutely everything. I guess it was my fault for not securing a pass. But hey, I don't have $500 right now to give to the film festival so I can stand in line somewhere else. Some of us have student loans to pay. While I used to and still enjoy chatting up my fellow line-waiters, you come to realize that many of the conversations in-line are not about that great film from Kenya. Instead, the conversations steer closer to, "Did they say the film is running 15 minutes late, or 45 minutes late?"

There seems to be a lack of scheduling this year. I waited in line for about 40 minutes to get into the free screening of Lost Angels, only to find out not only were there no more seats, but the film started 15 minutes late. And it was too late to check out another film. So, I guess I can hang out in the void that is LA Live's open air space until my next film starts at 9:45pm. Only, that film actually started around 10:15pm.

Yeah, that was silly of me. What I like about LAFF last year was the enclosure atmosphere. Everything was about the film festival in Westwood. This year, the indie film crowd shares the same space as graduating high school seniors, Club Nokia goers, Lakers fans, and hockey families enjoying all the pleasures of the NHL draft. Seriously. This makes for a diverse, but chaotic crowd of individuals, who all happen to be hungry. Oh, and the Starbucks is out of food. The smell of Miller Light and diapers does not mix well with the smell of some full-bodied, California Cabernet and smugness. And both do not mix well with the smell of hair gel, lip gloss, and used condoms either.

I guess I should talk a little about the movie I did see last night. Ain't in It for My Health documents aging rocker Levon Helm as he struggles with waning popularity, money issues, and losing his voice. Great film, but personally, I wanted to see more about Levon's previous battle with cancer. Seems to be omitted from the doc. Also, the doc never fully answered why Levon was bitter about The Band's height of popularity.

Happy Filmmaking.

Blogging the LAFF

It's that time of year! The LA Film Festival is now in full swing. This year, instead of the rolling hills and glistening streets of Westwood, the festival takes place downtown at the recently-completed LA Live. Methinks this is part of the city's plan to gentrify the once-avoided area.

Anywhoo, I thought I would take the time to review the films I saw today and the festival thus far. While I still ponder the reasoning behind moving the festival downtown, I must admit it was a smart choice. Moving the festival to LA Live makes it more accessible to locals via Metro. Not to mention, everyone in Los Angeles knows where the Staples Center is. Despite its premier location, I must shake my head at the available food and rest options currently at LA Live. Last year, there was a plethora of cafes, fast food joints, convenience stores, restaurants, and sushi bars to keep the plebeians happy. This year, most of the food choices center around the sit-down restaurant experience and Starbucks. Needless to say, the Starbucks is seeing alot of action these days for festival-goers looking for a quick bite in-between screenings. There's a Subway three blocks up and one block east, but seriously, no one walks in LA. I found it by accident myself.

Moving on to the screenings. I saw two docs today. Great films. A quick review on both.

GasLand, directed by hippie-raised Pennsylvanian Josh Fox, protests natural gas companies' abuses of our most precious and vital resource: water. Interview after interview reveals how landowners' water reserves are now filled with undrinkable, flammable water. Yes, you can literally light what is supposed to be drinking water straight from the faucet. The citizens try to fight back in their own ways, but are ultimately at a loss for a final solution. God only knows what these folks are drinking. Interesting enough, Fox mentions during the Q-and-A how he is now the target of natural gas companies who are desperately trying to debunk his film. He wasn't lying.

The film was informative, however, Fox inserted himself in the documentary a little too much for me. I gave it a 3 in the audience choice vote.

Where are You Taking Me?, directed by Kimi Takesue, highlights life in post-civil war Uganda. Takesue uses a non-narrative, minimalist documentary style in order to create a living portrait of the Ugandan people. She uses plenty of close-ups, carefully capturing each nameless subject as they go by their daily lives. Scenes slowly reveal themselves, busting stereotypes wide open. For example, one scene shows young children breaking rocks in a quarry. Dirty and waif-like, they peer at the overseer. He's pushing them to work harder. Then, a boom mike and camera appear, and the word "cut" is heard. This is a movie set. As you watch, you come to the realization that despite the civil war being in the recent past, the Ugandan people are optimistic. They are also more athletic and multi-lingual than you will ever be! My vote was a 4.

Happy Filmmaking!

Grab Your Comb for "Good Hair"!

Get ready for Chris Rock's view on an old African-American tradition! In the Black community, there is a very common question posed by little girls everyday, "do I have good hair?" This touches me personally because of my personal battle with loved-ones about my natural hair. Back in 2007, I cut my relaxed mid-back length hair for a hairstyle more in touch with Mother Nature (and Daddy Dollars!). Even if some consider my thick, curly-kinky hair to be "good," straight hair always trimuphs.

This film is already receiving great press, and I will have my ticket ready come October!

Happy Filmmaking!

What would you do for $1.5 million???

1.5M for Filmmakers? Cinereach and Sundance Unveil Three-Year Grant Program - indieWIRE

If not inspired by nothing else, Cinereach and the Sundance Institute decide to support small feature projects (both documentary and narrative) in order to discover new talent. The three-year program is a fellowship program that will allow filmmaker fellows access to immense industry resources.

The money is not much, considering the average American film is around $15-40 million. However, one can make a perfectly decent movie for, say, $100,000. You are only limited to your imagination. In the end, the budget is the budget. The importance is receiving more bang for your buck.

California's Culture War

Besides the Presidential election, one topic has been on California's mind more than anything else. The mention of it stirs intense emotion and passion. More than stem cells, more than crime, even more than abortion. That topic is Proposition 8, also known as "Eliminates the Right for Same-Sex Couples To Marry." If passed, it will simply state, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."


I ran across this protest on the corner of Wilshire/Normandie in Koreatown today. Most of them held signs which instructed motorists to honk if they are voting no on the issue. About half of the cars passing by honked profusely.

The yeas and nays are neck and neck and are somewhat bi-partisan, according to recent polls, but those supporting Prop 8 have outraised those opposing it by about $10 million. Everyone is getting in on this issue. Some violent actions on both sides have sprung throughout California. Senator McCain and Governor Palin have expressed support for the proposition, while Senators Obama and Biden are against it. I even received an automated phone call from "Bill Clinton" today, urging me to vote against the issue.

Several members of Hollywood have express their disdain over what they see as legalized discrimination. Brad Pitt has donated $100,000 to fight the proposition. Samuel L. Jackson was quoted in a "No on Prop 8" ad saying, "We have an obligation to pass along to our children a more tolerant, a more decent society." Entertainment and media companies against Prop 8 include Apple, Clear Channel, LA and NY Times, and Google. Supporters of the bill recognize Hollywood's reluctance in passing the bill by stating the cause should not be decided among celebrities or the media.

However, filmmakers on both sides of the issue let their cameras do the talking. You cannot turn on your television or surf online without seeing media outlets used to express support or opposition for Prop 8. As of today, there are 8,730 videos on YouTube relating to Prop 8. On the Pro-Prop 8 side, an infamous ad shows a young girl talking to her mother about what she learned in school. According to the spot, the girl learned that a "prince can marry a prince" and she can "marry a princess!" They also use Men in Black references to refer to the four judges that ruled definition of marriage by law unconstitutional.

On the other side, opponents have the power of documentary on their side: they screen Saving Marriage, a documentary about gay and lesbian marriage in Massachusetts at fundraising bashes. The film's producers/directors John Henning and Mike Roth hope that the documentary will help defeat the measure.

The outcome of the vote will probably be a hot documentary topic for at least a generation. Both groups believe that a vote against their stance will step back civil rights in one way or another. While the opposition's argument for civil rights is obvious, supporters believe if Prop 8 fails, their freedom to believe in their own morals will be trampled on. Brace yourselves for a cultural showdown.

My stance? Honk.

Happy Filmmaking.

"Racists for Obama?" I smell a doc!

Over at gawker.com, there is a blog post about some racist Americans who happen to be voting Obama. Only in America! Their logic is what baffles me. Apparently racist Americans believe that Obama is the better answer to the crippling economy, although they would never let him hold their wife's purse. Reminds me an episode of All in the Family where Archie Bunker watches a football game, enjoying the "spooks running and scoring" (in case the word "spook" escapes you, that means "black person" in racistspeak).

The article states:

"This is the hot new trend of late October: openly racist white people for Obama! It began with random tales of canvassers talking to voters who plainly said they were 'voting for nigger'.'"

Rest of the article is here.

Someone make a film on these people! It is screaming to be made!

Happy filmmaking!