News & Events
March 2009
DI Students Meet with Holocaust Survivor
Experiencing important historical events, such as the Holocaust, through the lens of documentary filmmakers is a compelling and thought-provoking component of any documentary history course. But for documentary students the experience was made even more vivid and powerful recently when they heard a first-hand account of history from Holocaust survivor Lisl Schick.
February 2009
Angel of Ahlem to Screen at Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival
Angel of Ahlem, a film produced by the faculty of the Documentary Institute, has been selected to appear at the Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival. The film follows World War II veteran Vernon Tott as he searches for the survivors he photographed in 1945 at a slave labor camp outside Hanover, Germany. The Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival is dedicated to using film for its contemporary, popular value to reflect the diversity of the Jewish experience. The festival runs March 5-15.
Standard Deviation Earns Emmy Nomination
Standard Deviation is a Student Emmy nominee. The film, directed by 2008 DI graduates Chris Brannan and Dave Randag, is one of three finalists in the 2009 Academy of Television Arts and Sciences College Television Awards in the documentary division. The winner will be announced in a televised ceremony in Los Angeles on March 21.
This is the third consecutive year that a Documentary Institute student film has received such recognition.
DI to Host Screening by UF Alum
The Documentary Institute will host a screening of Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. in Weimer Hall, Room 3032. UF Alum Kristy Andersen, who will attend the screening, wrote and produced the feature-length documentary, which PBS aired last year as part of its American Masters series.
Kristy Andersen began researching Zora Neale Hurston’s life in 1991 after receiving a grant from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs. She broadened her research to eight other states after receiving grants from Humanities Councils from New York to Alabama. Andersen’s work with the Library of Congress led to the discovery of a cache of film footage that Hurston shot in South Carolina, hidden away in boxes since 1940.
In addition to Hurston’s original anthropological recordings, Jump at the Sun includes rare archival film footage of the rural South, and interviews with Alice Walker, Dorothy West, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Maya Angelou, and individuals who knew Hurston personally.
The screening is being hosted in partnership with the Bellamy Road Foundation.
January 2009
Florida Film Commission Supports DI
The Governor’s Office of Film and Entertainment has awarded the Documentary Institute $6,500 to cover the costs of a visiting filmmaker, student participation in the SilverDocs Film Festival, and the annual screening of student documentaries. Visit the Florida Film Commission website to learn more about its support of the film industry in Florida.
Other DI News
2007 graduate and co-anchor of the Voice of America program Beyond the Headlines Sarah Zaman was recently featured on the VOA website.
Yue Wang and daughter.
2000 graduate Yue Wang sends greetings from China. He is currently in charge of producing the television documentary program PEOPLE. The program features 30-minute biographical profiles and is broadcast five days a week on CCTV.
Featured Alum: Kory Krinsky
Name: Kory Krinsky
DI Class: 2007
Thesis Film: Life with Sirens
Current Position: Researcher/Freelance Editor & Producer, National Geographic Television and Film (Digital Studios)
What are the responsibilities in your current position?
In my research position, I am responsible for locating footage for clients and then editing together a demo reel for their viewing. My clients consist of both internal (National Geographic) and external (Warner Brothers, NBC, Sony, etc.) companies. In my freelance Producer/Editor job I am responsible for researching, writing, and editing together 3 to 4 minute shorts on varying subjects for the Web and/or DVD.
What projects have you been working on?
I do quite a few research requests in one day but most recently, I worked on a National Geographic game for the Playstation 3 console. In my freelance Producer/Editor job I have been working on a series of destination videos, as well as a series about the future of the human race and its relationship with the planet.
In what ways did your experience at the Documentary Institute help prepare you for your professional career?
I would have to say one of the most important lessons I learned from the Documentary Institute was not to take things too personally. Films/projects can be hit or miss, sometimes when you have done everything right and it still just doesn’t work out. Film is a form of expression not a mathematic formula, it is an art, and the best films always prove that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In the professional world you are likely going to work on many projects in a given year or even month and statistically they won’t all be great, so don’t beat yourself up over it too much. This works for criticism as well, because when your senior producer is telling you to fix something it is to make it better and not to hurt your feelings.
Describe the experience of working on your thesis film. In what ways has this experience helped you, both personally and professionally?
My thesis film taught me so much but I learned most from the things I did wrong. I would much rather get things wrong and learn while in graduate school rather than the professional world (where I am bound to still get so much wrong).
What were the most helpful aspects of your time at the Documentary Institute?
Learning how to work creatively with others, this is so huge. If you can’t do this then you might as well stop or never consider being a filmmaker.
What are your plans for the future?
At this time I plan to continue what I am doing but I would eventually like to do more producing and less researching and editing.
November 2008
Filmmaker Shares HBO Experience with DI Students
Filmmaker Hilla Medalia (fourth from right) with second-year DI students.
Over the years, DI students have benefitted from the expertise of many award-winning visiting filmmakers, but Hilla Medalia’s recent visit provided students with the unique opportunity to hear about the process of taking a film from student creative thesis project to HBO broadcast.
The film, To Die in Jerusalem, looks at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the eyes of two mothers who lost their daughters in one deadly act of violence. The documentary follows the efforts of the mother of Rachel Levy, a 17-year-old Israeli student killed in a Jerusalem market bombing, to speak with the mother of Rachel’s killer, 18-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber Ayat al-Akhras. The Emmy-nominated film aired on HBO in 2007. Medalia shared with students the four-year process of shooting and editing this film and the experience of negotiating broadcast and distribution rights with HBO.
Jessie's Dad Named IDA Finalist
Jessie’s Dad produced by 2008 graduates Boaz Divr and Rebecca Goldman, is a finalist for the IDA/David L. Wolper Student Documentary Achievement Award. One of the most prestigious student awards, this $1,000 cash prize is presented annually to recognize exceptional achievement in non-fiction film and video production at the university level. This is the third year in a row that a DI film has been considered for the Wolper award. IDA will announce the winner at an awards ceremony in L.A. on December 5th.
October 2008
Standard Deviation Wins Audience Award
Standard Deviation, produced by 2008 graduates Chris Brannan and David Randag, recently took home the Audience Award in the Documentary Shorts category at the Daytona Beach Film Festival.
The film also made its West Coast debut as an official selection of the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival.
Apply Early to Reserve Slot at DI
If you are interested in learning how to craft powerful documentaries, the Institute is currently accepting applications for Fall 2009. The application process is open until June 1st. However, it is advisable to apply early, as the program admits a very limited number of students each year. Once you click on the link below, the graduate application can be found by following the How to Apply links. The program of study is Mass Communication.
Apply for Fall 2009
Emmy-Nominated Filmmaker to Visit DI
National and international award-winning filmmaker Hilla Medalia will visit the Documentary Institute on Monday, November 10 to screen and discuss her first feature documentary, To Die in Jerusalem. The film, which aired on HBO in 2007, looks at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the eyes of two mothers who lost their daughters in one deadly act of violence. The documentary recounts the heart-wrenching story of two teenage girls, 17-year-old Israeli student Rachel Levy, and her killer, 18-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber Ayat al-Akhras – who died together in a Jerusalem market in 2002.
In addition to receiving an Emmy nomination for best documentary, To Die in Jerusalem won a 2007 Peabody Award, a 2008 Fipa Special Jury Award, and a Jury Award at the 2008 Human Rights Film Festival in Paris
Medalia also served as senior producer of the award-winning documentary 39 Pounds Of Love. The film won the 2005 Ofir Award (“Israeli Oscar”) for best documentary and made it onto the Academy Award short list for best documentary film.
