Doc U: And The Award Goes to...
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Everybody likes to be a winner, and documentary filmmakers are no exception.
Winning (or even being nominated for) any of the many prestigious awards given out each year for documentary excellence can raise the profile of your film, and may even boost your career. But the trophies don’t come easy. It takes a lot of planning, time, and effort to even get in the running. And their actual impact – both in terms of box office and career – is hard to judge. So is the chase really worth it?
In the home stretch of this year’s awards season, IDA brings together a group of doc insiders with a variety of perspectives on the process to ask and answer this question and many more. What are the chances you’ll win? What does it take and how much does it cost? And what does an award really mean for the future of your film and your career?
Panelists:
Lynne Littman, Director
David Magdael, Publicist
Steve Pond, Columnist
Kay Schaber Wolf, WGAW Independent Film Executive
AJ Schnack, Filmmaker, Writer
Moderator:
Adam Chapnick, Vice President, IDA Board of Directors
AJ Schnack, Filmmaker, Writer
AJ SCHNACK is a filmmaker and writer based in Los Angeles. His films include the ensemble documentary CONVENTION (2009), which was released by IFC Fims/Sundance Selects, KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON (2006), for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and received the inaugural Cinematic Vision Award at AFI Silverdocs, and GIGANTIC (A TALE OF TWO JOHNS) (2003). He is currently in post-production on a new film about the music and tourism mecca of Branson, Missouri. He's also producing THE ART OF MAKING MONEY, a new film about art and currency directed by Nathan Truesdell, and was an editor on BEATS, RHYMES AND LIFE, Michael Rapaport's new documentary about A Tribe Called Quest that premiered at Sundance 2011.
Schnack is the founder and co-chair of the Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking, which recently celebrated its 4th annual event at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York. He also writes the popular nonfiction film blog All these wonderful things (http://edendale.typepad.com).
Lynne Littman, Director
Director LYNNE LITTMAN received an ACADEMY AWARD for her documentary film, NUMBER OUR DAYS, based on the fieldwork of anthropologist, Barbara Myerhoff. Ten years later, her feature documentary, IN HER OWN TIME, chronicled Dr. Myerhoff’s final fieldwork and her death at age 49. IN HER OWN TIME was first screened at Sundance. She made her feature film directing debut with TESTAMENT, starring Jane Alexander, who was Oscar-nominated for Best Actress. Originally produced for American Playhouse, TESTAMENT premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, screened at the Berlin Film Festival and was distributed theatrically by Paramount Pictures prior to its PBS broadcast. For the recent DVD release of TESTAMENT Littman directed two new bonus feature documentaries. In July 2009, Littman was elected to the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and from 2002 to 2009 she served as Chair of the Directors Guild of America Documentary Awards. Littman was a member of IDA’s Board of Directors from 1990 through 2009.
David Magdael, Publicist
David Magdael has more than 17 years of experience in public relations, strategic planning, development, marketing, corporate relations, community outreach and entertainment and media relations in North America, Europe and Asia. Excelling in project management, strategic planning, radio media, cause related marketing, and multicultural public affairs, he continues his work with the entertainment industry in planning and mounting winning media campaign for films such as the Oscar®-winning THE PERSONALS for HBO; THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE for Cinemax; Oscar®-winning HBO documentaries KING GIMP and BIG MAMA; the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner SOUTHERN COMFORT; and the Sundance Film Festival's CHAIN CAMERA; and other outstanding film projects.
Kay Schaber Wolf, WGAW Independent Film Executive
Kay Schaber Wolf is the WGAW's Independent Film Executive. Kay conducts outreach to emerging writers and filmmakers, encouraging them to use WGA contracts and join in the community of Guild writers. Kay works with WGAW members to identify and implement ways to increase independent narrative and documentary screenwriters' status and influence within the film industry.
Prior to 2002, Kay worked at the WGAW for eight years in a variety of positions, most recently as an Industry Alliances Representative in the independent film, new media, nonfiction and animation areas. During that period she also worked a year at IFTA (Independent Film and Television Alliance) as the Director of Producer Services. Before her Guild work, Kay was at ABC Productions/The Hemisphere Group in Los Angeles developing and producing international co-productions and at Saban Entertainment in development. Kay received a B.A. in telecommunications/broadcast journalism from Indiana University.
Steve Pond, Columnist
Steve Pond is an awards and film columnist for theWrap.com. He has been writing about popular culture and the entertainment industry for more than twenty-five years for such publications as Rolling Stone, Premiere, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Washington Post and Playboy, and is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller “The Big Show."
Adam Chapnick, Vice President, IDA Board of Directors
ADAM CHAPNICK oversees Film and New Media at IndieGoGo, where he serves as CEO of Distribber.com, a new-model flat-fee distribution service that places independent films on digital sales platforms such as iTunes, Netflix, Amazon and Hulu while allowing filmmakers to keep 100% of their revenue. Adam speaks regularly on cutting edge distribution and audience engagement strategies at markets and festivals including Sundance, South By Southwest, Digital Hollywood, AFM, WestDoc, Distribution U, The Conversation, Social Media Week, American Cinematheque and elsewhere. Adam has amassed one of the larger followings in the independent film community on Twitter. Find out why: @AdamChapnick
The evening's on-stage conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A, and a reception on the Cinefamily's backyard Spanish patio!
©2011 WilkiIMAGE Photos By Wilki W. K. Tom All Rights Reserved
Michael Lumpkin IDA Executive Director
Moderator:
Lynne Littman, Director
David Magdael, Publicist
AJ Schnack, Filmmaker, Writer
Kay Schaber Wolf, WGAW Independent Film Executive
