ITVS International is a division of the Independent Television Service that promotes an international exchange of documentary films made by independent producers, bringing international voices to U.S. audiences and American stories to audiences abroad. The goal: to bring new international points-of-view to U.S. television and new U.S. points-of-view to international television.
This exchange, known as the Global Perspectives Project, consists of two components:
• The International Media Development Fund (IMDF), which funds, promotes and broadcasts programs made by international independent producers for U.S. television
• True Stories: Life in the U.S.A., a series created for public television partners in other countries that brings independently-produced U.S. documentaries to international audiences.
Through television broadcasts, community outreach and online initiatives, ITVS International aims to connect citizens to citizens, helping people in the United States and other countries see each other, hear each other, and better understand each other. The Global Perspectives Project is supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the U.S. Department of State.
Background
Many believe that the United States, as a nation, is failing to hear voices from abroad—and that other nations are less inclined to hear American voices. Since 2001, diverse organizations began to search for new strategies to bridge this global divide. Together, they recognized that the documentary work of independent filmmakers, in the U.S. and abroad, continues to win audiences with personal images, in-depth storytelling and grassroots insight into people, places and points-of-view seldom seen on television.
To promote an international television exchange of this unique programming, ITVS International launched the Global Perspective Project in 2005, uniting private foundations, government leadership, the international independent filmmaker community and public media partners in the U.S. and around the world.
ITVS International Films and Filmmakers
More than 60 documentaries have been funded since 2005 from over 50 countries, including from Africa, the Middle East, South Central Asia, East Asia/Pacific, South America, Europe, and Russia and former USSR, among others.
View the list of funded films >>
Read filmmaker bios >>
U.S. broadcast partners include public and cable television, online and mobile distribution. Public broadcasting partners include PBS’s Wide Angle; FRONTLINE/World; Independent Lens; P.O.V.; the Secrets of the Dead series, and
Global Voices for the PBS Digital WORLD Channel. Cable outlet partners include Sundance Channel; The Documentary Channel; National Geographic, HBO and IFC; and satellite channels LinkTV and Gallery HD. Working with AOL, Jaman, Caachi and iThentic, ITVS International goes beyond television broadcast, making programming available 24/7, any place and anytime.
Learn about our broadcast partners >>
Go beyond broadcast with online partners >>
For international television, two 16-episode series of True Stories have been produced, with host introductions by Benecio Del Toro (Season One) and Danny Glover (Season Two). Broadcast partners include public television networks in Peru, Malawi, Indonesia, and other countries around the world.
Find out more about True Stories >>
