Points North Institute announces 2016 Forum program at Camden International Film Festival

August 25, 2016 [Camden, Maine] – The Points North Institute has unveiled unveiled the lineup for its eighth annual Points North Forum. The three-day conference program runs concurrently with the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) from September 16 – 18, 2016 at the historic Camden Opera House and Rockport Opera House in Camden and Rockport, Maine.

This year’s program will feature four masterclasses focused on directing, editing, producing and interactive media, panel discussions, case studies, networking events and the seventh annual Points North Pitch, part of the year-long Points North Fellowship for six filmmakers with feature documentaries in development. Industry delegates include representatives from many of the world’s leading documentary film organizations, including Discovery, POV, Sundance Institute, Tribeca Film Institute, Impact Partners, Cinereach, Catapult Film Fund, New York Times, Frontline, Field of Vision, Vimeo, Picture Motion, Dogwoof, Cinetic and Submarine, among others.

The strong lineup marks the continued growth of the Points North Forum since CIFF’s recent establishment of the Points North Institute, an expanded media arts organization dedicated to serving as a launching pad for the next generation of nonfiction storytellers.

Six projects have been selected to participate in the 2016 Points North Fellowship and Points North Pitch. These filmmaking teams will each receive a $2000 grant (thanks to support from Chicago Media Project) and will travel to Camden for two full days of pitch training and industry mentorship held at Maine Media Workshops. On September 17, the filmmakers will take the stage at the Camden Opera House and pitch their documentary works-in-progress before a live audience and receive critical feedback from a panel that includes representatives from Discovery, POV, Impact Partners, Tribeca Film Institute, Cinereach, Catapult Film Fund and others. One project will receive the Points North Pitch Award and Modulus Finishing Fund, which includes a $10,000 in-kind post-production package from Boston-based Modulus Studios. A full list of selected projects and filmmakers is included below.

Filmmakers, students and other Points North attendees will have numerous opportunities to connect with industry delegates throughout the festival weekend — formally during masterclasses and panels, and informally during CIFF parties and receptions. For filmmakers interested in strengthening their storytelling craft, Points North will feature four masterclasses with director Ezra Edelman (O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA), producer Julie Goldman, veteran editor Joe Bini, and interactive media pioneer Hugues Sweeney (National Film Board of Canada).

“We’re thrilled to continue to enhance and strengthen our Points North Forum program, which has grown into a vital launching pad for filmmakers with projects in development from across the world,” says Ben Fowlie, Executive Director of the Points North Institute

“It’s a privilege to bring together such a diverse, talented and inspiring group of participants in Camden for this year’s Forum,” says Points North Director Sean Flynn. “Whether you’re developing a feature, exploring interactive media, using media as a tool for social change, looking for funding and distribution, or interested in craft of documentary storytelling – there’s something here for everyone.”

Access to the full conference program is open to all CIFF passholders. Passes are now on sale on the Camden International Film Festival website. For more information, please visit: https://pointsnorthinstitute.org/ciff

The Points North Forum is made possible by the generous support of Showtime Documentary Films, National Endowment for the Arts, Chicago Media Project, Vimeo, LEF Foundation, Vermont College of Fine Arts, the School of Visual Arts, Maine Media Workshops, Documentary Educational Resources, Modulus Studios and Maine Arts Commission.

A full conference schedule and list of industry delegates is attached to this press release and available online at https://pointsnorthinstitute.org/artist-programs/points-north-forum/

2016 Points North Fellows

THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED
Directed by Assia Boundaoui
A filmmaker digs into tales of surveillance inside her Arab neighborhood in Chicago’s south suburbs and discovers that her hometown was the subject of the largest FBI terrorism investigation conducted before 9/11. The Feeling of Being Watched follows a filmmaker’s personal journey to discover the truth about why her community fell under blanket surveillance and asks: is it still happening today?

MIDNIGHT FAMILY
Directed by Luke Lorentzen
The Ochoa family operates a for-profit, independent ambulance in Mexico City. When they hear of an emergency over their illegal police radio, they rush to the scene with twin motives: saving lives and getting paid.

THE MOUNTAIN AND THE MAGIC CITY
Directed by Bridget Besaw and Ben Severance
In the shadow of a northern mountain, a place once known as The Magic City stands on the brink of collapse, abandoned by industry and torn apart by a national park that threatens to unite or divide it. This is the story of what happens when the American dream is lost and what one community will sacrifice to get it back. It’s an intimate look at the nature of change, and why compromise is often easier said than done.

PRINTED CIRCUIT
Directed by Sofie Benoot, Isabelle Tollenaere and Liesbeth De Ceulaer
Not far from Los Angeles, lies the unfinished California City. In this grid of thousands of crumbling streets, former LA gang members try to reinvent themselves, while being constantly haunted by their turbulent past.

RESCUE BREATH
Directed by Elaine Sheldon
After his son holds up a bank while high on heroin, Kevin Blankenship, a successful doctor who reinvented the urgent care system, is forced out of retirement to battle the opioid epidemic that has swept through his home state of West Virginia. In his six-month, farming-based recovery center, addicts attempt to let go of painful pasts as they live in the present, and dream of a future where they can break the cycle of generational addiction.

A TASTE OF SKY
Directed by Michael Lei
In the dizzying heights of Bolivia’s capital of La Paz a gastronomical revolution is offering the possibility of hope to the country’s impoverished youth. We follow the trials and tribulations of GUSTU, the innovative cooking school and world-class restaurant of South America’s poorest country.

Points North Forum Program
September 16 – 18, 2016

Camden Opera House | Camden, ME
Rockport Opera House | Rockport, ME

Friday, September 16

12:00pm – 1:30pm (Tucker Room)
Creative Producing – A Conversation with Julie Goldman
Presented by SVA – MFA Social Documentary Film
Julie Goldman has become one of the most sought-after producers and executive producers in the business, helping propel the success of countless recent documentary hits, including LIFE ANIMATED, WEINER, BEST OF ENEMIES and many more. In this moderated discussion, she’ll explore how she approaches her work as a producer, which ranges from creatively developing projects to securing financing to navigating the festival circuit and working with sales agents and distributors to maximize the position of a film in the market.

  • Julie Goldman (Motto Pictures)
  • Amy Hobby (Tribeca Film Institute)

12:00pm – 1:30pm (Washington St. Conference Room)
The Language of Virtual Reality
With the launch of a new generation of VR headsets and 360-degree camera rigs, virtual reality is going mainstream. For documentary filmmakers and journalists, these technologies offer the potential of giving audiences a more visceral and immersive sense of “being there” than ever before. In this panel, four pioneers in nonfiction VR discuss their early experiments, the development of new creative techniques, and the possibilities for a storytelling language that will make VR distinct from film.

  • Ben C. Solomon (New York Times)
  • Carla Borras (Frontline)
  • Matthew Niederhauser (Sensorium Works)
  • Kel O’Neil (THE ARK)

2:00pm – 3:30pm (Tucker Room)
Branded Documentary Case Studies
Branded documentaries are on the rise with companies as varied as Starbucks, Marriott, LVMH, Patagonia and Red Bull now launching both short and feature films. These partnerships have the potential to increase the impact and reach of documentary films while helping filmmakers develop a sustainable career. Led by veteran producer and distribution consultant Brian Newman, this presentation will cover the current state of branded content, covering case studies of recent campaigns, the pros and cons of working with brands, best practices and tips and tools for pitching your films ideas to brands.

  • Brian Newman (Sub-Genre)

2:00pm – 3:30pm (Washington St. Conference Room)
The Poetics of Documentary – Editing Masterclass with Joe Bini
Presented by Vermont College of Fine Arts
Veteran documentary and fiction editor Joe Bini (GRIZZLY MAN, AMERICAN HONEY, ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED) invites you to an open-ended discussion exploring the elusive moments that allow a film to rise beyond the ordinary. Drawing on observations and clips from a 20-year collaboration with Werner Herzog, as well as recent films with Lynne Ramsay, Andrea Arnold, Nick Broomfield and others, Bini will focus on the primacy of using image and metaphor over words.

  • Joe Bini

4:00pm – 5:30pm (Tucker Room)
Investigating the System: Stories of Criminal Justice and National Security
In this tumultuous election season, criminal justice and national security issues have taken the center stage. This panel brings together three directors to discuss how they use artful documentary storytelling to help audiences better understand both the inner workings and the consequences of complex, secretive systems meant to keep us safe and secure.

  • Craig Atkinson (DO NOT RESIST)
  • Sonia Kennebeck (NATIONAL BIRD)
  • Brett Story (PRISON IN TWELVE LANDSCAPES)
  • Moderator: Jeff Seelbach

4:00pm – 5:30pm (Washington St. Conference Room)
The Documentary Marketplace
Four of the documentary industry’s most experienced sales agents discuss the current state of the marketplace, covering topics like financing, pre-sales, split right deals, new buyers, and how filmmakers can most effectively find and collaborate with agents to connect their films with audiences.

  • Linzee Troubh (Cinetic)
  • Abby Davis (Preferred Content)
  • Vesna Cudic (Dogwoof)
  • Josh Braun (Submarine)
  • Moderator: Elizabeth Radshaw (Hot Docs)

5:30pm – 7:00pm (High Mountain Hall)
LEF Foundation Reception
After a busy day of panels, masterclasses and screenings, join the LEF Foundation for drinks, light fare and conversation with new friends at this annual gathering of the documentary film community. Open to All Access passholders only.

Saturday, September 17

10:30am – 12:30pm (Camden Opera House Auditorium)
Points North Pitch
Whether you’re a film professional or not, the Points North Pitch is an invaluable chance to learn about the process of developing a documentary film and see first-hand how leading decision-makers evaluate projects. Six teams of filmmakers selected for CIFF’s Points North Fellowship will pitch their works-in-progress to a distinguished panel of funders, broadcasters, distributors and producers. Each pitch lasts exactly 7 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of critical feedback. Filmmakers will have an opportunity to win the Points North Pitch Prize and Modulus Finishing Fund, which includes a $10,000 in-kind post-production package from Modulus Studios and three consultations from Tribeca Film Institute. The winner will be announced at 5:30pm at the Dowling Walsh Reception in Rockland.

  • Ryan Harrington (Discovery)
  • Chris White (POV)
  • Amy Hobby (Tribeca Film Institute)
  • Lisa Kleiner Chanoff (Catapult Film Fund)
  • Daniel Chalfen (Naked Edge)
  • Kristin Feeley (Sundance)
  • Jenny Raskin (Impact Partners)
  • Leah Giblin (Cinereach)
  • Lyda Kuth (LEF Foundation)
  • Jenni Wolfson (Chicken & Egg)
  • Vesna Cudic (Dogwoof)
  • Greg Rhem (HBO)
  • Moderator: Brian Newman

1:30pm – 3:00pm (Tucker Room)
Storytelling and Immersion – Masterclass with Hugues Sweeney
As leader of the National Film Board of Canada’s Interactive Studio in Montreal, Hugues Sweeney has been a trailblazer in the field of immersive storytelling, helping produce innovative projects like A JOURNAL OF INSOMNIA, FORT MCMONEY and DO NOT TRACK. In this masterclass, Hugues shares his creative approaches to shaping a story and connecting with audiences in a world of interactive, digital platforms — from the web to mobile devices to virtual and augmented reality.

  • Hugues Sweeney (National Film Board of Canada)

1:30pm – 3:00pm (Washington St. Conference Room)
Behind the Camera – Masterclass with Kirsten Johnson
Presented by Maine Media Workshops
Kirsten Johnson has worked as a cinematographer on some of the most iconic documentaries of our time, including FAHRENHEIT 9/11, THE INVISIBLE WAR, and the Oscar-winning CITIZENFOUR. In this engaging, interactive discussion, Kirsten reflects on what she’s learned about the aesthetics and ethics of shooting documentaries after 25 years behind the camera, sharing clips from her directorial debut and cinematic memoir CAMERAPERSON.

  • Kirsten Johnson (CAMERAPERSON)

3:30pm – 5:00pm (Washington St. Conference Room)
Building Movements with Media: NEWTOWN Case Study
Filmmakers and funders often use the word “impact” to describe the positive change that an issue-driven documentary can bring about, but often these films help build upon existing social movements that have been years or even decades in the making. This panel brings together a filmmaker, a funder, an impact strategist and movement organizers to explore how a single film can be used to move the needle on a divisive issue: gun control.

  • Kim Snyder (NEWTOWN)
  • Heidi Nel (Picture Motion)

Sunday, September 18

12:00pm – 1:30pm (Rockport Opera House)
Directing the Episodic Documentary – A Conversation with Ezra Edelman
ESPN’s 7-hour documentary series O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA was one of the breakout hits of the year. In this conversation moderated by Eric Hynes, director Ezra Edelman shares stories from the making of this epic American tale and discusses the unique creative challenges of directing an episodic film that is too big for a single sitting.

  • Ezra Edelman (O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA)
  • Eric Hynes

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