pbs Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I almost called this a 'Watch This' post, and then a 'Fan Rant', but either way, the general idea is that I'd recommend all of you to tune in or at least record PBS tonight for the broadcast premiere of Nina Davenport's terrific documentary, Operation Filmmaker, in which a young Iraqi film student is invited to work on the set of Liev Schreiber's Everything is Illuminated and how that experience begins to unravel for all involved -- Davenport included (and that's not to mention appearances from Elijah Wood and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as themselves!).

It's fascinating in the purest trainwreck sense, and deserves to be paired up with Overnight and shown to all fledgling filmmakers as a guide for what NOT to do when all manner of opportunities are offered to you in the field. Davenport's correlations to the Iraqi conflict as her subject becomes less and less cooperative are still shaky at best, but that doesn't stop this doc from making my Top Twenty of the year.

And nothing against Dear Zachary..., but I'm pretty sure that this doc won't have you in tears by the end. Check your local listings, though: some have said 10 PM EST, others 11 PM.

If nothing else, 2007 will go down as the Year of the Iraq War Films. Back in September, when I reviewed Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq, I ran down the litany of the recent Iraq-war films, from Fahrenheit 9/11 to Body of War. Anyone who's been to film fests this year has probably had about all the war they can stomach for a while; it just gets depressing after a while. War is probably as old as mankind, and the evolution of modern weaponry hasn't made it any prettier when average people die in battles in which they are pieces in a chess game being played out by people who will likely never face death in the way the troops they send to fight their battles do.

Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience is one of the efforts this year to capture the experience of the soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts started "Operation Homecoming," a project that brought some of America's most distinguished writers to the troops and their families, to create a compilation of stories and poems about the war, to be printed in an anthology. Pulling from this collection of thousands of writings-- ranging from poems to letters to parody of life in the desert -- the doc captures some of those stories, read by folks like Robert Duvall, Josh Lucas, and Aaron Eckhart. The writings -- some polished, some less so -- are wrenching reminders of the real cost of war, brought your way by the folks who are over there sweating in the desert and risking their lives on a daily basis.

Earlier this month it was reported that Latino groups have been protesting Ken Burns' latest documentary mini-series. The PBS-funded production about WWII, titled The War, apparently ignored the half-million Hispanic soldiers who fought in the war. Well, the Latinos have won. PBS has hired Hispanic documentarian Hector Galan to assist Burns with a revision to the completed film that will now feature Latinos respectfully represented. Galan, who has directed many programs for PBS, most recently made the feature Los Lonely Boys: Cottonfields and Crossroads. He is currently working on a new film about Latin rhythms, which is now on hold until his work with Burns is completed.

Burns, who is one of the most celebrated documentary filmmakers, has to be somewhat upset about being mandated a helper, but of course he isn't displaying any frustration. Following the announcement of Galan's hiring, Burns told reporters that the revision is a win-win solution. Obviously, though, he lost a little bit in the agreement. Considering the 14-hour series took six years to produce, it could take all summer to introduce even a little bit about Hispanic soldiers. The duo will have to work fast if they want to finish in time for the scheduled premiere this September.

PBS has scored big -- they have solidified a 15-year contract with filmmaker Ken Burns. Ultimately, this is a lifetime contract since Burns is no young pup. For those who don't know, Ken Burns is a phenomenal documentary director and producer. He is the creator of the 1990's documentary The Civil War that won many awards including two Emmy's and a Peabody. The film was incredible; my father was a huge fan and I'm glad ... or else I probably wouldn't have seen it. Burns' connection to that period in America's history leads the audience to a fascinating comprehensive look throughout the 680-minute mini series.

Ken Burns decided to continue with his war theme and subsequently made another 14-hour documentary studying World War II. The film is another masterpiece; LA Times reports the PBS network chief Paula Kerger describing it as "his greatest work." And, said "great work" will be aired exclusively on PBS until 2022 when his contract ends.

Would you be content with only having one outlet for you work to be aired? It must have been a huge decision for Ken Burns to make, especially with a brand new documentary that just wrapped and is ready for viewing. PBS believes that Burns' dedication to public broadcasting is what helped him make his decision. To this, I truly applaud. The PBS mission statement is "to enrich the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services that inform, inspire and delight." It has done just that since 1969.

Burns' World War II documentary will air on PBS this September.

The holiday season is the time to ask for those big items you've been wanting all year, those toys or gadgets or appliances or DVDs that were just too expensive to splurge on with your own money. And now, with the holidays being so associated with the expectation of gifts, Christmas lists (and Hanukkah lists and Kwanzaa lists, etc.) are made by kids and adults alike. Nobody wants to receive a gift they don't desire, and nobody wants to buy a present that the recipient will not like, so it is now common to go ahead and tell Santa, your parents, your spouse and/or your friends exactly what you want from them. And depending on the gift-giver, you probably will wish for ask for tell them to get you something big.

When it comes to movies, single-title DVDs just aren't going to cut it. Criterion editions are almost there, but not quite. No, for your present demands, you need something bigger, like a box set. The same can be said for DVDs as it can be for CDs, that box sets are the greatest gifts for the holidays because few people purchase them at regular times of the year. Nowadays there are DVD sets for just about every movie fan. For the documentary lover, however, there are some titles that must be purchased in a box set (due to them being series), and many of them are essentials.

Be sure to be specific on your list, because there are a lot of cheap doc sets out there that might be interesting to watch, but which are not well made and which were definitely bought at the nearby drugstore rather than the video shop. Don't let your gift-giver be confused and/or frugal. And if you are the gift-giver, this list may be a good source for ideas for what to buy your gift-receiver, but keep in mind that documentaries can be an acquired taste for some. Sure, a baseball fan may be into Ken Burns' Baseball and a jazz fan should enjoy Burns' Jazz, but you really never know for sure unless they tell you so directly. And at doc box prices, you don't want to go wasting your money.

So you've made an independent film. Worked your butt off filming it around your day job, maxed out your credit cards financing the damn thing, probably pissed off a few friends and relatives along the path of your filmmaking obsession. What to do with the finished product (besides submitting it to the usual round of film festivals, natch)? PBS's Independent Lens -- a "film festival in your living room" --  wants to see the fruits of your labor for their 2007-08 season. Although the series is primarily focused on documentaries, they'll also consider dramas, experimentals and shorts. You have until September to get your submissions in, so stop battling with your editor and music director and get those last-minute edits done, already.  Want more info? Go get it over here.