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MillimeterSILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival Announces Slate
May 20, 2004 4:56 PM
Silver Spring, Md-––SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Film Festival announces its full slate of films and participants to date for the 2004 Festival. SILVERDOCS 2004 includes 75 films with 46 Washington, D.C., nine U.S. and seven world premieres, providing audiences the opportunity to see some of this year’s hottest documentaries before they are released theatrically.
Created through an alliance between the American Film Institute and the Discovery Channel, SILVERDOCS runs from June 15-20, 2004, at the state-of-the-art AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in downtown Silver Spring, MD, just minutes from downtown Washington, DC. In 2003, the Festival screened sold out shows with more than 10,000 participants viewing the best in documentary film, and 20,000 participating in the closing Community Day celebration. The Festival this year received over 1,200 submissions from 65 countries and will include films, filmmakers and special guests from over 40 countries.
“SILVERDOCS celebrates the creativity and passion of independent filmmakers and their power to make us think, alter our perspective and expand our world view,” says Patricia Finneran, Festival Director. “For 2004, the Festival leverages our base in the nation’s capital. We have added a three-day International Documentary Conference, providing filmmakers with access to more than 80 entertainment executives from the US and abroad.”
“The program line-up once again exemplifies AFI’s commitment to the art of the moving image as expressed through documentary film. This year, SILVERDOCS will continue to make its mark in the festival world, by combining artistry in filmmaking and probing content,” said Jean Picker Firstenberg, Director and CEO, AFI.
Judith A. McHale, President and Chief Operating Officer of Discovery Communications, Inc., noted, “For Discovery, honoring and showcasing the best traditions of storytelling in the documentary form is what we attempt to do every single day, in over 160 countries and 35 languages around the world. Our goal with SILVERDOCS is to go back to the roots of this wonderful art form, and honor and celebrate the independent filmmakers whose craft it is to produce these documentaries.”
Leading filmmakers presenting new work at SILVERDOCS include George Butler (TOUR OF DUTY), Rithy Panh (THE PEOPLE OF ANGKOR), Jonathan Stack (LIBERIA, AN UNCIVIL WAR) and Robert Stone (GUERRILLA: THE TAKING OF PATTY HEARST).
The Festival’s signature events include six days of Symposium Screenings, featuring both filmmakers and leading experts who use documentary to explore the hard-hitting issues of our time.
The 2nd Annual Charles Guggenheim Symposium, named for the late four-time Academy Award winner, will honor Barbara Kopple, a two-time Academy Award winner. The Guggenheim Symposium honors filmmakers who exhibit a passion for their subject, convey a profound respect for democratic values, and have mastered the power of the documentary to capture current events and frame history.
During the Festival, 11 films will compete for a $25,000 prize. The Festival Jury will be chaired by Richard Pena, Director of the New York Film Festival and Program Director for the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
SILVERDOCS 2004 SCHEDULE OF SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
OPENING NIGHT: The world premiere of SEEDS by Marjan Safinia and Joseph Boyle, an intimate portrait of the Seeds of Peace Summer Camp in Maine where kids from Israel, Palestine, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and America come together to build a brighter future in their countries. CNN’s Judy Woodruff will moderate a discussion with the filmmakers, teens from the film and Aaron David Miller, President of Seeds of Peace. Wednesday, June 16, 2004
FREE SPEECH AT WAR: The Washington, DC, premiere of CONTROL ROOM by Jehane Noujaim, an inside view of Al-Jazeera during the onset of the Iraq war. Former Pentagon spokesperson Victoria Clarke, Jehane Noujaim and Al Jazeera journalist Hassan Ibrahim are among the special guests discussing the film following the screening. Thursday, June 17, 2004
ON THE ROAD: DOCUMENTING THE CANDIDATE: A look at how documentary can transcend the daily news and help define our understanding of a candidate. The program includes a preview from George Butler’s new film on John Kerry, TOUR OF DUTY, clips from Paul Stekler’s LAST MAN STANDING, and Jesse Moss’ RIGHT WING HOLLYWOOD. Mark Halperin, ABC News Political Director, moderates the discussion, featuring Butler, Stekler, Moss and other special guests. Friday, June 18, 2004
“DRIVE-IN” MOVIE: The Washington, DC, premiere of LET’S ROCK AGAIN! by Dick Rude, a tribute film about former Clash front-man Joe Strummer’s come-back tour with The Mescaleros. The movie screens outdoors in ‘Downtown Silver Spring,’ followed by a live musical performance. Saturday, June 19, 2004
CHARLES GUGGENHEIM SYMPOSIUM: Honoring Barbara Kopple. Following a screening of HARLAN COUNTY USA, a 1976 film chronicling the struggle of 180 coal mining families during a yearlong labor strike, Kopple will be joined by her mentor Al Maysles and other special guests for a discussion of her film career. Sunday, June 20, 2004
DC KIDS: FROM STAGE TO SCREEN: The world premiere of CHILDREN WILL LISTEN, in which 100 Washington, DC, public school students stage and produce Stephen Sondheim’s INTO THE WOODS, JR. as part of the Kennedy Center’s 2002 Sondheim Celebration. From set and costume design to learning lines, the kids did it all. The complete film slate follows this release.
More About AFI
AFI is the preeminent organization dedicated to advancing and preserving the art of film, television and other forms of the moving image. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world-renowned Conservatory, provides film preservation leadership and explores new digital technologies in moviemaking. With AFI ON SCREEN, the institute is the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the US, with programs at AFI FEST, the Kennedy Center and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center. The Silver is a newly-restored 49,000 square-foot art deco complex with three theatres—one historic, and two new state-of-the-art stadium-style theatres in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. More information at www.afi.com or www.afi.com/silver.
More About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is the leading global real-world media and entertainment company. DCI has grown from its core property, the Discovery Channel, first launched in the United States in 1985, to current global operations in 160 countries and territories with one billion cumulative subscribers. DCI’s 60 networks of distinctive programming represent 19 entertainment brands including TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, Discovery Times Channel, The Science Channel, Discovery Wings Channel, Discovery Home Channel, Discovery en Español, Discovery HD Theater and FitTV. DCI’s other properties consist of Discovery.com and 120 Discovery Channel retail stores. DCI also distributes BBC America in the United States. DCI’s ownership consists of four shareholders: Liberty Media Corporation (NYSE: L), Cox Communications, Inc. (NYSE: COX), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, the Company’s Founder, Chairman and CEO.
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