Jan 11, 2010
SFFILM
The San Francisco Film Society will present SFFS Film Arts Forum: Thinking Outside the Doc Box, at which industry professionals will dismantle traditionally held beliefs about what today’s broadcasters are looking for in a documentary, at 7:30 pm, Monday, February 8 at Mezzanine, 444 Jessie Street.
Many filmmakers believe that their works must conform to pre-established models in order to be funded and broadcast in today’s documentary climate, the most popular structural model being the character-driven documentary. But is this the only viable documentary form? Not according to the world’s only full-fledged documentary funding service, the Independent Television Service (ITVS).
This special Film Arts Forum breaks the popular myth that broadcasters and programmers primarily are seeking character-driven documentaries that follow a three-act structure. Featuring clips from inventive non-narrative documentaries, representatives from ITVS, New Doc Editing and the Film Society will share ideas and techniques aimed at fostering truly innovative documentary storytelling.
The evening features a keynote address by Richard Saiz, senior programming manager for ITVS. Karen Everett of New Doc Editing will then provide an overview of innovative structural approaches to documentaries. Next, Michele Turnure-Salleo, director of Filmmaker Services at SFFS, will address the topic of institutional funding of documentaries and highlight a selection of compelling documentary projects supported by the Film Society. This portion of the evening will conclude with a dialogue between Saiz and Everett about contemporary currents in documentary production and questions from the audience. Afterwards guests will be available for further discussion in smaller groups.
The Forum will come to a close with the popular Laptop Shop, a unique opportunity for filmmakers to screen their clips, trailers, marketing materials and design directions for peer-to-peer review and feedback. Filmmakers are welcome to bring their laptops and any materials that they would like to distribute.
PRESENTERS
Richard Saiz is the senior programming manager at ITVS. He oversees Open Call, ITVS’s biggest funding initiative. He has over 35 years experience as a television journalist, producer, director and writer in both public and commercial broadcasting. Saiz joined ITVS in 1999. Aside from managing Open Call, he conducts workshops throughout the country for directors seeking funding from ITVS. A long-time writer/producer/director, his credits include 18 documentaries. He has won numerous awards including the duPont-Columbia Silver Baton and Golden Gate Award for Best TV Documentary from the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Karen Everett, owner of New Doc Editing, is an award-winning editor and story editor who helps documentary directors convey their vision in a way that keeps viewers glued to the screen. During the past 15 years, Everett has taught at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, one of the top American documentary programs. She is the author of the newly released book Documentary Editing. Everett has directed and produced five documentaries including the critically acclaimed PBS biography I Shall Not Be Removed: The Life of Marlon Riggs. Her films on lesbian relationships have screened at more than 150 film festivals worldwide and the latest, Women in Love, is available through Netflix.
Michele Turnure-Salleo heads the Film Society’s Filmmaker Services, including fiscal sponsorship, grants and residencies. Turnure-Salleo has produced and directed projects for film and television for more than 15 years in Sydney, Berlin, Vancouver, Banff and Marseille. She was the associate producer of Regret to Inform, an Oscar-nominated documentary about the effect of the Vietnam War on war widows.
Tickets $5 year-round SFFS members; $8 general; available in advance at sffs.org. Must be 21+ to attend.
For more information visit sffs.org/screenings-and-events.