About the Conference

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SILVERDOCS 2009 INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY CONFERENCE

June 16 – 20

STORYTELLING IN AN ALWAYS ON WORLD

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Tom Bernard, co-President and co-founder of Sony Pictures Classics. Sony Pictures Classics distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from the United States and around the world.

CONFERENCE SNAP SHOT

An unprecedented gathering of filmmakers, leaders in the documentary community, private and public media, distributors, commissioning editors, new media innovators, and the philanthropic community.

Five Days of inspiring discussions, strategic market intelligence and trend-setting professional development
Over 60 panels and workshops
One-on-one access to key industry decision makers
Access to the full SILVERDOCS Festival Program
SILVER SESSIONS: Conference registrants may sign up on a first-come, first-served basis for small group meetings with international media executives.

To download a PDF file of the Conference Agenda click here.

DOCUMENTARY IMPACT: THE NEW WAVE OF ACTIVE MEDIA ALLIANCES

Starting with The Good Pitch at SILVERDOCS, a series of pitch sessions, discussions and provocative panel presentations examining the potential for strategic collaboration between documentary storytellers, philanthropists, nonprofits and advocacy groups. Join executives from the Sundance Documentary Fund, Brit Doc Foundation, WITNESS, Tribeca Institute/Gucci Finishing Fund, Ford Foundation, GrantMakers in Film and Electronic Media, Amnesty International, Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, Cinereach, Katahdin Foundation, MoveOn.org, Center for Social Media, Impact Partners, Fledgling Fund.

PUBLIC MEDIA IN ACTION AND IN THE FUTURE

Join executives from PBS, Center for Social Media, CPB, ITVS, LinkTV, NPR, First Coast Audio Festival, PRX National Black Programming Consortia, commissioning editors from WIDE ANGLE, American Documentary ?P.O.V., INDEPENDENT LENS, NOVA-WGBH, and other major producing stations.

DISTRIBUTION and DIALOGUE: THEATRICAL, BROADCAST, DVD AND THE DIGITAL BEYOND

Strategic counsel from leaders in the field including representatives from HBO, A&E Indie Films, Cinetic, b-side, Indie Pix, Argus Entertainment, New Video/Docurama, AFI Digital Content Lab, Bay Area Video Coalition, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Planet Green, Sundance Channel, RoadSide Attractions, Cactus Three, WE:Women’s Entertainment, Smithsonian Channel and A&E Television Network.

AESTHETICS, CRAFT AND EXCELLENCE IN DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING

A series of master classes with award-winning directors, cinematographers, editors, composers, and representatives from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards and the George Foster Peabody Awards Program.

SCHOOL DOCS: THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN THE 21ST CENTURY CLASSROOM

AFI SILVER Screen Education presents a strand of hands-on workshops, panel discussions and screenings directed to the needs of the 21st Century educators and their students. Topics include “New creativity in Humanities,” “Ethics in Documentaries,” “Creating Multimedia Lessons,” and “Filmmaking in the Classroom.” The voices of today’s youth filmmakers from all over the world will also be represented.

PLUS

Daily Doc Talks with award-winning filmmakers and journalists - open to the public.
Humane Society of the United States ACE Pitch for $25,000
Tips, techniques and Training in telling the Story Behind Your Film
Innovations in the digital space: African American archives with award winning filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris.

LOOK WHO'S COMING IN 2009: Nancy Abraham, HBO; Jennifer Adams, PBS; Joaquín Alvarado, Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Jody Arlington, PR Collaborative; Ben Arnon, Blue Slate Digital; Pat Aufderheide, Center for Social Media, American University School of Communication; Orlando Bagwell, The Ford Foundation; John Barth, PRX ; Bristol Baughan, GOOD; Joe Berlinger, director, CRUDE; Tom Bernard, Sony Pictures Classics; Jon Blair, director, DANCING WITH THE DEVIL IN THE CITY OF GOD; Steven Bognar, photographer, CONVENTION; John Boland, PBS; Robert Bole, CPB; Liz Brach, Discovery Channel; Chuck Braverman, Braverman Productions, Inc; Yoni Brook, director, BRONX PRINCESS; Jim Browne, Argot Pictures; John Califra, composer ; Joseph Campbell, PBS; Brendan Canty, composer, musician, music producer and filmmaker; Andy Carvin, NPR; Steve Cheskin, WE: Women's Entertainment TV; Dan Cogan, Impact Partners; Tom Cole, NPR Arts Information Unit; Neal Conan, TALK OF THE NATION/NPR; Rob Cooper, GHC Media; Philippe Cousteau, EarthEcho International; Doug Craig, Discovery Communications; Marshall Curry, director, RACING DREAMS; R.J. Cutler, director, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE; Eric d'Arbeloff, Road Side Attractions; Paco de Onís, Skylight Pictures; Nick DeMartino, AFI; Matt Dentler, Cinetic Rights Management; Kelly DeVine, Reframe/ Tribeca Film Institute; Amy Dotson, IFP: Independent Film Project; Sandi DuBowski, Films That Change The World; David Edelstein, New York Magazine/NPR's FRESH AIR; Larry Engel, School of Communication, American University; Udy Epstein, 7th Arts Releasing; John F. Wilson, PBS; Phil Fairclough, Creative Differences; Patricia Finneran, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program (DFP); Ion Furjanic, DJ and composer; Laura Gabbert, co-director, NO IMPACT MAN; Ted Garcia, Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Jannat Gargi, Alpha Cine; Stephanie Garibaldi, SpeakeasyDC; Jean Garner, Al-Jazeera; Leon Gast, director, WHEN WE WERE KINGS ; Aron Gaudet, director, THE WAY WE GET BY; Julie Goldman, Cactus Three; Sue Goodwin, TALK OF THE NATION/NPR; Wendy Grant, KenJo Communications; Donald H. Thoms, ThomsMediaGroup (TMG) and CINE ; Peter Hamilton, Peter Hamilton Consultants; Ross Hammer, The Humane Society of the United States' Animal Content in Entertainment Program; Pamela Harris, Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media; Thomas Allen Harris, Chimpanzee Productions, Inc.; Sara Helman, Animal Planet; Roger Henry, The Science Channel; Jalyn Henton, PBS; Cameron Hickey, Pattern Films; Whit Higgins, National Geographic Channel; Carrie Johnson, PBS ; Jacquie Jones, National Black Programming Consortium; Laine Kaplowitz, Landmark Theaters; Valentine Kass, National Science Foundation; Peter Kaufman, Intelligent Television, Inc.; Philip Kennicott, Washington Post; Simon Kilmurry, American Documentary|P.O.V.; Amy King, U.S. Green Building Council; Scott Kirsner, CinemaTech; L.M. Kit Carson, Carson Cattle Company; Barbara Kopple, director/producer; Kyra Kristof, EarthEcho International; Jane Latman, Investigation Discovery and Military Channel; Alison Leigh, World Congress of Science Producers; Amy Letourneau, PBS Distribution; Joanne Levine, Al Jazeera; Wendy Levy, BAY AREA VIDEO COALITION (BAVC); Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, director, SOUL POWER; Cara Liebenson, PBS; Rob Lippincott, PBS; Kathryn Lo, PBS; Cynthia López, American Documentary/P.O.V.; Cynthia López, American DocumentaryIP.O.V.; Michael Lumpkin, Independent Documentary Association; Ari Mark, Sundance Channel; Michael Markarian, Humane Society of the United States; Gena McCarthy, Discovery Channel; Andrea Meditch, Michigan State University; Sumner Menchero, PBS; Kathy Merritt, CPB; Cara Mertes, Documentary Film Program/Sundance Institute ; Laura Michalchyshyn, Planet Green; Alyce Myatt, Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media; Horace Newcomb, The Peabody Awards; Lesley Norman, NOW with David Brancaccio and JumpStart Productions; Liz Ogilvie, B-Side; Clarence Page, The Chicago Tribune ; Geralyn Pezanoski, director, MINE; Anne Pick, Reel to Reel Productions; Laura Poitras, photographer, CONVENTION; Sam Pollard, Editor; Dawn Porter, A&E Television Network; Thom Powers, Toronto Film Festival/Stranger Than Fiction Documentary Film Screenings; Louie Psihoyos, director, THE COVE ; Gita Pullapilly, producer, THE WAY WE GET BY ; Julia Reichert, photographer, CONVENTION; Marita Rivera, WGBH; David Royle, Smithsonian Networks; George Rush, Law Offices of George M. Rush; Andy Russell, PBS Ventures; Dan Russell, Planet Green; Amy Saidman, SpeakEasyDC; Steve Savage, New Video/Docurama; Justin Schein, co-director, NO IMPACT MAN; AJ Schnack, director/producer, CONVENTION; Ken Schwab, Discovery Channel; Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly; Jess Search, Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation; Jason Seiken, PBS; Frank Sesno, George Washington University; Julie Shapiro, Third Coast International Audio Festival; Elizabeth Sheldon, Lorber HT Digital; Mary Smith, National Endowment for the Arts; Michael Sorensen, The Science Channel; Suzanne Stefanac, AFI Digital Content Lab; Cynthia Swartz, 42West ; Amy Taubin, British Sight & Sound/American Film Comment; Mitchell Teplitsky, director/producer, SOY ANDINA; Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, WITNESS; Molly Thompson, A&E IndieFilms; Maury Tobin, Tobin Communications, Inc.; Nathan Truesdell, photographer, CONVENTION; Jeff Ubois, Berkeley, CA; Nonso Christian Ugbode, National Black Programming Consortium; Christine Umali, WITNESS; Jose Antonio Vargas, The Washington Post; Lois Vossen, ITVS/ INDEPENDENT LENS; Melanie Wallace, NOVA; David Weinstein, National Endowment for the Humanities; Bridget Whalen, National Geographic Channel; Scott Willis, C. Scott Films LLC; David Wilson, photographer, CONVENTION; Abi Wright, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University; Debra Zimmerman, Women Make Movies; Doug Zwick, Pop Twist Entertainment