Ten nonfiction projects in rough cut stage have been selected to participate in IFP's Independent Filmmaker Lab, a mentorship program for projects below $500K that are feature directorial debuts. The program was created five years ago as a one-year fellowship, matching up creative teams with industry folk who can help with post-production, festival and post-festival strategies, and beyond. Each fellowship allows three participants per project.
Since its inception, about 57% of the participating projects have been completed and gone on to premiere at major US and international festivals; 24% have reached wider audiences via theatrical exhibition, DVD distribution and/or television broadcast. Milton Tabbott, IFP's senior director of programming and supervisor of the Doc Lab says, ". . . a first solo feature is always a big step, and in today's economy and shifting media landscape, it's more important than ever to enter that fray with the best possible work, informed about options. That preparation is a large part of what the Labs do."
The selected projects and Fellows for the 2009 Lab are:
Beijing Taxi - Intimate stories of three cabbies connect a morphing cityscape and tales of citizens coping with the dizzying pace of change accelerated by the 2008 Olympics. Miao Wang (Director, Producer, Editor).
Casino Nation - After a long and bloody struggle, the Seneca Nation of Indians now owns one of the most lucrative casinos in the world. Is this a new beginning…or the end of days? Laure Sullivan (Director, Producer, Editor), Terry Jones (Director, Producer), Paul Wilson (Director Producer, DP).
An Interview with Simone Weil - A journey to understand the controversial French philosopher and activist Simone Weil (1909-1943) becomes a reflection on the complex role of documentarians in today’s world. Julia Haslett (Director, Producer, Editor), Fabrizia Galvagno (Producer).
Land of Opportunity – A chronicle of the historic and tumultuous rebirth of a great American city, New Orleans, through the eyes of those on the front lines. Luisa Dantas (Director, Producer, Editor), Rebecca Snedeker (Co-producer).
Our House -- In an industrial warehouse in New York City, three young political radicals form an underground squatter community for the homeless – all in the name of Jesus Christ. Greg King (Director, Producer, DP, Editor), David Teague (Director, DP).
Paul Goodman Changed My Life - About one of America’s most important social thinkers, whose Growing Up Absurd ushered in the 1960s, opening up a new world for its young readers. Jonathan S. Lee (Director, Producer), Kimberly Reed (Editor), Robert Hawk (Associate Producer). (Goodman, pictured above) The Road to Nasiriyah -- The struggle to document the looting at Iraqi archaeological sites following the 2003 war ends with the kidnapping of an American journalist and his Iraqi interpreter. Marie Hélène Carleton (Director, Producer, Writer, DP, Editor), Micah Garen (Director, Producer, Writer, DP, Editor).
Texas Heart - Bridging non-fiction with science fiction, the film follows two surgeons as they prototype a pulse-less artificial heart, creating a new physiology for the post-human future. Treva Wurmfeld (Director, Producer, Writer, DP, Editor).
Twelve Ways to Sunday -- Set in the poverty belt of Western New York, a film about sharing stories when there is little else to share. Anna Farrell (Director, Producer, DP, Editor).
War Don Don – A chronicle of the rise and fall of a former rebel leader in Sierra Leone. Through his trial, a nation faces its wartime past. Rebecca Richman Cohen (Director, Producer), Francisco Bello (Producer, Editor).
Congratulations to all the Fellows. We're all waiting with anticipation to see your masterpieces.
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