NOTE: A full list of the Points North Industry Delegates and the conference program is at the bottom of this press release.
Leaders in the Documentary Industry Converge in Maine for a Series of Panels, Workshops and a Public Pitch Session for New England-based Filmmakers
Camden, Maine – The Camden International Film Festival (CIFF), the premier venue for non-fiction film in New England, has unveiled the lineup for its Third Annual Points North Documentary Forum, a conference program that runs concurrently with the festival from September 30 – October 1, 2011 in Camden, Maine. The conference connects New England-based film and media artists to broadcasters, distributors, funding organizations, festival programmers and executive producers during a two-day program of intimate panel discussions, workshops, case studies, networking events and a public pitch session.
This year’s Points North program features representatives from three of the major broadcasters of documentary film – Sara Bernstein (HBO), Molly Thompson (A&E IndieFilms) and Yance Ford (POV). It will include delegates from leading funders – Richard Saiz (ITVS), Ryan Harrington (Tribeca Film Institute), Reva Goldberg (Cinereach), Natalie Difford (Chicken & Egg Pictures) and Sara Archambault (LEF Foundation). Also present will be several top producers, including Andrea Meditch and Julie Goldman (producers of the box office hit BUCK), Participant Media’s Courtney Sexton and Naked Edge Films’ Daniel Chalfen.
One of the most dynamic elements of the forum is the live pitch session open to the public. This year, organizers will choose four finalists to present their work-in-progress film projects to a delegation of 11 funders, broadcasters, distributors and producers on October 1. The format consists of a 7-minute pitch followed by 15 minutes of feedback from the panel. One winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize sponsored by Documentary Educational Resources and a scholarship to the Maine Media Workshops, as well as the potential to receive additional funding from panelists. Filmmakers interested in participating in the Points North Pitch have until September 9th to submit.
“The Points North Pitch was introduced last year as a way to highlight the amazing documentary work being created here in New England,” says Benjamin Fowlie, founder and director of the Camden International Film Festival. “The region’s filmmaking community is strengthening every year, and we’re more then proud to provide an outlet to expose the new work being created here in New England.”
Sean Flynn, producer of the Points North Documentary Forum, says “this is an unparalleled opportunity for New England filmmakers to hone their professional skills and knowledge while making personal connections with some of the most influential figures in the documentary industry.”
Last year’s pitch winner, Betting the Farm by Cecily Pingree and Jason Mann, went on to pick up grants from the Sundance Documentary Fund, LEF Foundation and Chicken & Egg Pictures, and the filmmakers were invited to the prestigious Sundance Producers Institute.
In addition to the public pitch session, this year’s conference highlights include a master class on short documentary with ITVS’ Richard Saiz, an intimate roundtable discussion with program officers from Tribeca Film Institute, Cinereach, Chicken & Egg Pictures and LEF Foundation, and a panel discussion on interactive documentary featuring some of the most innovative thinkers and practitioners in the field of new media.
There will also be a reception in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the LEF Foundation’s Moving Image Fund, which has been a pillar of support for New England’s documentary filmmaking community, supporting over 200 projects with approximately $3.5 million in funding.
Access to the conference program is open to all CIFF passholders and is not limited to those who are selected for the pitch. Passes are now on sale on the Camden International Film Festival website: www.camdenfilmfest.org.
The Points North Documentary Forum is funded in part from the generous support of the LEF Foundation, the Quimby Family Foundation, the Virginia Hodgkins Foundation and the Maine Arts Commission. A full conference schedule and list of industry delegates is attached and available online. For more information on the Festival and the Forum, visitwww.camdenfilmfest.org.
Points North Documentary Forum
September 30 - October 1
INDUSTRY DELEGATES
● Christopher Allen, Artistic Director, UnionDocs
● Sara Archambault, Program Manager, LEF Foundation
● Susan Bedusa, VP Development, 4th Row Films
● Sara Bernstein, Vice President, HBO Documentary Films
● Caitlin Boyle, Founder, Film Sprout
● Daniel Chalfen, Co-Founder/Producer, Naked Edge Films
● Cynthia Close, Executive Director, Documentary Educational Resources
● Danfung Dennis, Director, Hell and Back Again / Founder, Condition ONE
● Natalie Difford, Senior Program Officer, Chicken & Egg Pictures
● Ken Eisen, President - Shadow Distribution, Maine International Film Festival
● Yance Ford, Series Producer, POV
● Aron Gaudet, Director, The Way We Get By
● Reva Goldberg, Communications and Fellowships Manager, Cinereach
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