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ARCHIVE OF MEETINGS SEPTEMBER 2008 THRU MAY 2009:
We're on break for the summer & will meet again on Sept. 13th. Then we will meet the 1st
Sunday of every month.
JUNE
7TH: ANNUAL DINNER OUT
MAY 3RD: CREATIVE FUNDRAISING
IN A DIFFICULT ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT. SPEAKER: VENTUR CAPITALIST, TAN RAO (Tan has raised over $40 million in venture
capital money & has great ideas!)
APRIL 5TH: UPDATE ON MEMBERS INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS -
Catch up with status of our projects, (where we are, what we're currently doing) and also specific issues with which we need
help. Let's connect!
MARCH
MEETING - Cancelled due to fearless leader's broken arm surgery.
FEBRUARY 1ST:
JANUARY 4TH:
FUNDRAISING BRAINSTORMING- 4 INTERESTING PROJECTS:
1) Bill Lichtenstein's "The American Revolution", chronicles radio station WBCN-FM, in Boston, one of the nation's original "progressive rock" radio stations,
between the years 1968 and 1974.
The film
tells the story of that era through the history of the radio station, and examines the role that WBCN played in covering and
promoting the profound cultural, social, musical and political changes that took place in the U.S. during that period.
The
American Revolution" will show a new generation of young people, how, in the late-1960s and early-1970s,
powerful social change was facilitated through the convergence of media, music, politics and culture, creating a movement
that helped end a war and drive two unpopular sitting presidents from office.
2) Kavita &
Sauli Pillay's "My Good Name is Stalin" explores
the contradictory south Indian state of Kerala, a "paradise" for tourists, with India's best educated
population, yet highest alcoholism and suicide rate. Kerala's longstanding romance with Communism is increasingly
viewed as a factor in keeping India's best-educated population from participating in the country's economic ascent. Against
the backdrop of a skyrocketing Indian economy and Russia's recent military resurgence, My Good Name Is Stalin explores
Kerala's role as the world's first - and potentially last - democratically elected Communist state through the eyes of six
Keralites who share one infamous name.
Steve's last film was "Talking to the Wall":
www.talkingtothewall.com about the economic devastation of the development of a Walmart
in Western Mass and was funded by ITVS, LINCS.
4) Rhonda Moskowitz's "Teshuva
(Return)", chronicles three generations of two interconnected Jewish families, each family has members who
are or have been prisoners. The film follows twenty three year old Jewish parents Dana and Phil, who are traveling
on a road filled with obstacles and setbacks, from incarceration towards redemption. Drug addiction caused them to be imprisoned
emotionally, spiritually and physically, and they are still struggling. The shattered lives of their parents, siblings
and children are being chronicled during Dana and Phil's respective journeys to finding their way back.
Each filmmaker will have 5 minutes to present their
project, 5 minutes to present their fundraising plans and/or ideas and then the group will brainstorm for 15 to 20 minutes.
SEPTEMBER 7TH:
IFP INDEPENDENT FILM WEEK. HELP ACCEPTED MEMBERS GET READY.
Three
films by Connect the Docs members have been selected! This is fantastic!
We
will screen the 20 min. submission reels of two of them. (The 3rd reel we saw last year.)
Hand
outs of the projects written submissions will be given at the meeting,which include the log lines, synopses, summaries, artistic
statements, etc.
The
group will brainstorm to help the filmmakers navigate Independent Film Week to optimal advantage. This includes pitches, marketing
materials, how to handle individual meetings, etc.
I
had a 40 minute conversation with Milton Tabbot and will relay the great advice he gave.
The
Films Are:
Beth Murphy & Sean Flynn's THE PROMISE OF FREEDOM
Joel Gardner & Catie Camp's SUNLIGHT MAN
Aron Gaudet & Gita Pullapilly's THE WAY WE GET BY
OCTOBER 5TH:
RAISING FUNDS FOR INDIE DOCS & SELLING INDIE DOCS ON I-TUNES
Find out how I-Tunes University (I-Tunes philanthropic arm) can be used to raise
funds for docs and how I-Tunes TV Store can be used sell docs. Documentary Educational Resources, will have
its' own page on I-Tunes University and a presence on I-Tunes TV Store. Cynthia Close, DER's Executive
Director, (and Connect the Docs major sponsor), will give a presentation on how these exciting, new and cutting edge
ways of giving documentary films exposure work, and what they mean for the films and filmmakers.
NOVEMBER 2ND
MAKING THE PERSONAL DOCUMENTARY
Workshop given by Ross McElwee
DECEMBER 7TH
MEET LYDA KUTH, EXEC. DIR. OF LEF.
LEF will now be funding only films and this coming year will be funding only the documentary
genre. Find out what this means for New England documentary filmmakers. Also Lyda will answer your questions about applying
for a LEF grant.
ARCHIVE OF MEETINGS SEPTEMBER 2007 THRU JUNE 2008:
SEPTEMBER 9th:
Our first meeting after summer break. Eat pizza, drink wine, and connect with your fellow filmmakers!
! We will screen rough early footage from Sunlight Man, Connect the Docs member, Joel Gardner's doc-in-progress
about his father, the late writer, John Gardner.
OCTOBER 14th:
How helpful is the IFP Market for a doc-in-progress? 25 meetings with industry heavy
weights one year later... Filmmaker, Liz Canner, was accepted into the 2006 IFP Market in with her doc-in-progress
about the pharmaceutical industry, Orgasm, Inc. (Now there's a title that will sell a film!) She had 25 meetings with
industry heavy weights. It's now one year later. What were the results? Liz will share what she did right, the mistakes
she made and what has happened since.
NOVEMBER
11th: Stressed out from making your
film? Long to connect with fellow doc filmmakers IN PERSON (instead of the virtual world) and talk about the newest
and best docs? Come relax and have a stimulating and informative conversation with one another and...
Join us this Sunday with Brian Tamm, Managing Director
and one of the wonderful programmers of the now nationally renowned Independent Film Festival of Boston, http://www.iffboston.org.
Brian will talk with us about the doc films he
saw at this year at the Toronto International Film Festival and also at Silverdocs.
Want to find out about Arthur Dong's latest film?
Nina Davenport's? How about Julian Schnabel's Lou Reed's Berlin? Also find out about the best docs and
filmmakers you're less familiar with from the far corners of the earth such as Wang Bing and his film Fengming: A
Chinese Memoir or Klaartje Quirjinns and his film film, The Dictator Hunter.
Also feel free to ask Brian how they program the super
star docs along with films from lesser known filmmakers and other festival programming questions.
A print out of all the docs will be given at the meeting.
You can also click on this link to see the 2007 selection of TIFF's doc films:
TIFF Doc Film Programmer Extradordaire, Thom Powers doc blog:
DECEMBER 9th: Connect
the Docs member, Ben Achtenberg, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker and owner of Fanlight, a national health & medical film
distribution company, will screen his Academy Award nominated short, Code Gray, and another short film, either
Stanley or Everyday Choices. With over 25 years of being in the forefront of distribution, he'll
also talk about producing for the educational market and answer any of your questions. Click here for more information
about Ben and his films: http://www.fanlight.com/BA-Profile.php .
JANUARY 13th: Fundraising Brainstorming
Session. Four interesting projects will be presented:
4) Margaux Joffe's doc, KOCI, and
intimate look at the life and work of Czech painter, Frank Koci, who lived and worked in Beat-Era San Francisco, and
painted over 2,000 paintings never seen by the public until this film. http://www.margauxjoffe.com
Filmmakers will have 5 minutes to present
their project and 5 minutes to present their fundraising plans and/or ideas. The will then brainstorm for 10 to 15 minutes.
FEBRUARY
3rd: Need a respite from Super Bowl mania?? Come and join your fellow filmmakers
at a screening of an Oscar nominated doc film . You will have 4 to 5 Oscar-nominated
films to choose from. One of the films is among this year's nominees. The film screened will be chosen by member consensus
at the meeting.
MARCH 9th: FUNDING, "THE ASK", A continuation of our Jan.
13th meeting.
MAY
11th: Rough cut screening of member Sieh (C-ya) Samureh's 80 minute reel of SWEET SALONE, about
the young music and entertainment scene in Sierre Leone, http://www.sweetsalonefilm.info/.
JUNE
8th: Eat, drink and be merry at our Fourth Annual Dinner Out. Have a great summer!
See you in Septmember!
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