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MillimeterSilverdocs: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival Announces Slate
May 20, 2005 3:57 PM
Silver Spring, Md.--Silverdocs: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival announces its full slate of films and participants for the 2005 festival. Silverdocs 2005 includes 89 provocative films representing 43 countries selected from a record-breaking 1,300 entries. With 12 world, nine North American, four U.S., 19 East Coast, and 45 Washington, D.C., premieres—and a three-day International Documentary Conference—Silverdocs provides D.C.-area audiences an opportunity to view some of the hottest documentaries anywhere in the world.
Created through an alliance between the American Film Institute and Discovery Channel, Silverdocs runs from June 14 to 19, 2005, at the state-of-the-art AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, just minutes from downtown Washington, D.C. In 2004, the festival screened sold-out shows to more than 12,000 participants who viewed the best in documentary film and experienced free outdoor screenings, panel discussions, and many special events.
“Silverdocs embraces the diversity of the documentary form; from hard-hitting films that address big ideas—the nature of freedom, the state of democracy in the world—to films that celebrate creative expression with our salute to music and comedy,” says Festival Director Patricia Finneran. “The festival is also a destination event for independent filmmakers and executives seeking to connect and develop the creative documentaries of the future,” she says.
“AFI’s commitment to the art of the moving image as expressed through documentary film is exemplified by Silverdocs, which again makes its mark in the festival world, by combining artistry in filmmaking and probing content,” says Jean Picker Firstenberg, director and CEO, AFI.
Judith A. McHale, president and chief executive officer of Discovery Communications notes, “For Discovery, honoring and showcasing the best of the documentary form supports our company’s mission to bring the best in real-world entertainment to audiences around the world. Our goal with Silverdocs, especially as it coincides with our 20th anniversary, is to go back to the roots of this art form and celebrate the vision and craft of documentary filmmakers.”
Outstanding filmmakers in attendance this year include the renowned Werner Herzog ("Grizzly Man"); Stanley Nelson ("Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice"); Kate Davis ("Pucker Up: The Fine Art of Whistling"); Stuart Samuels (Midnight Movies: From the Margins to the Mainstream"); and Paul Provenza ("The Aristocrats").
During the Festival, 10 films will compete for the Sterling Award, which includes $25,000 combined cash and in-kind prizes. Ally Derks, director of the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) and the Jan Vrijman Fund, which supports international filmmakers from developing countries, will chair the festival jury. Penelope Spheeris ("Wayn's World" and "Decline of Western Civilization", an upcoming bio-pic on Janis Joplin starring Pink and music video pioneer) will chair a special best music doc jury.
Continue the discussion on Crosstalk the Millimeter Forum.