INPUT 2005 Panels

CONTACT: Cara White, 843.881.1480, carapub@aol.com Mary Lugo, 770.623.8190, lugo@negia.net Randall Cole, ITVS, 415.356.8383, ext. 254, randall_cole@itvs.org 

More information and registration is available at www.input2005.org 

Press information and accreditation at www.input2005.org/press.html

(San Francisco) — From Bulgaria to South Africa to Qatar, from Al Jazeera to NHK to the BBC, world leaders of public television will be converging on San Francisco from May 1 through May 6 for INPUT—the International Public Television Festival and Summit—to discuss the common challenges they face as they seek to educate, inspire and inform an increasingly fractured yet ever-shrinking world. As the globe seems to divide into factions, tribes and ideological camps, how does public television reach diverse audiences? When news is increasingly delivered through television or web sites or personal news digests which reflect the viewer's own political or cultural viewpoints, how does fair and objective journalism breakthrough the clutter? In a critical time of uncertainty and misinformation, how does public television undertake the vitally important task of attracting audiences to international news to create a better-informed citizenry? 

INPUT, unique in all of television, seeks to draw the world's public media leaders around the warmth of a common fire: how do we reach the peoples of the world in order to learn more about each other? How can public media be used for the public good and to achieve common goals? 

Over the course of 7 days, 80 hours of screenings will take place, all with the filmmakers present, followed by discussions of content and the filmmakers' intent. In addition, panels of timely substance will take place to talk about the thorny issues that plague the media marketplace today. 

Below is a list of scheduled panels (all details are subject to change – updates will be posted on INPUT 2005 pressroom at www.input2005.org/press.html). Unless otherwise noted, all panels will take place at the main conference venue, the San Francisco Hilton. All panels listed are open to conference attendees and accredited members of the press. 

Monday, May 2 at 3:00 P.M. 

Meet International Public Television CEOs (wt) Hotel Nikko, Golden Gate Room 

CEOs of public television from all over the world will be attending INPUT 2005 for a summit meeting. Meet them and learn about the variety of public television systems worldwide. 

Hosts: Orville Schell, Dean, Graduate School of Journalism, UC Berkeley, and Thomas Goldstein, Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications and Director of Mass Communications Program, UC Berkeley 

Monday, May 2 at 7:00 P.M. 

Independent Filmmaking Red Room 

Independent producing faces many of the same challenges no matter where it's being carried out: Bulgaria, India or Qatar. Meet indies from around the world, and learn about independents in the digital future. 

Moderator: Claire Aguilar, Director of Programming, ITVS, US 

• Adela Peeva, Principle, Adela Media, Bulgaria • Deepa Chandra, Director, the National Channel Doordarshan, India • Gail Silva, President, Film Arts Foundation, US • Andrew Blau, Global Business Networks, US • Orlando Bagwell, Program Officer, Media, Arts and Culture, Ford Foundation, US • Hassan Ibrahim, Sr. Program Producer, Al Jazeera TV, Qatar 

Who Provokes Whom: Controversial Broadcast Decisions Green Room 

What do we as journalists and broadcasters dare to say? Is there a line we should not cross? Who gets hurt, and who benefits from our decisions? Join us to discuss provoking decisions broadcasters have made about provoking programs. 

Moderator: Susan Tesky, Producer, CBC, Canada 

• Francois Prevost, Director, What Remains of Us, National Film Board of Canada • Gijs van de Westelaken, Producer, Submission, Column Productions, Netherlands • Jacques Bensimmon, CEO, National Film Board of Canada 

Creative Audience Engagement in Public Service Media Production Blue Room 

International producers and commissioning editors talk about how they are meeting the challenge of generating new audiences for programming. Commissioning new kinds of programs, cultivating new voices, bridging the communication gaps wrought by war, and partnering with organizations that can mobilize new audiences are all discussed. 

Moderator: Pat Aufderheide, Professor and Director of Center for Social Media, American University 

• Jurrien Rood, Producer, Director, VideoLetters, Netherlands • Pat van Heerden, SABC Entertainment Head of Genre and Producer, South Africa • Bobbette Rose, Communications Manager, National Center for Outreach, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US • Dennis Palmieri, National Outreach Manager, ITVS, US • Mette Meyer, Commissioning Editor, TV2, Denmark, and Board member, Democracy Project 

Tuesday, May 3 12:00 – 2:00 P.M. 

Hotel Nikko, Golden Gate Room 

Independent producers who register for the conference are invited to lunch with international commissioning editors and discover their broadcast profiles, strands and programming priorities. One or two commissioning editors or executive producers will share their table with seven independent producers. Commissioning editors will present their strand and the particular profile of their series, channel or broadcast territory. Producers will be able to discuss their projects briefly during the lunch, and ask questions about the commissioning process. 

Participating commissioning editors: 

Jacoba Atlas, PBS Rudy Buttignol, TV Ontario David Davis, Oregon Public Broadcasting Nick Fraser, Storyville, BBC Takahiro Hamano, Japan Broadcasting Company, NHK Lorraine Hess, LinkTV Yves Jeanneau, France 2 Cara Mertes, POV Mette Hoffman Meyer, TV/2 Steve Olsson, LinkTV Leena Pasanen, YLE Finland Glenys Rowe, SBS Australia Richard Saiz, ITVS Mark Samels, American Experience Philippe Van Meerbeeck, VRT Belgium Pat Van Heerden, SABC South Africa Sylvia Vollenhoven, SABC South Africa Lois Vossen, Independent Lens 

Tuesday, May 3 at 7:00 P.M. 

International Co-Production: Case Studies with Commissioning Editors Red Room 

Commissioning editors will reveal case studies in international co-production, pre-sales and acquisitions, and discuss ways in which broadcasters and producers work together around the world. What are the economic, technological and creative challenges faced by international broadcasters today? Which programs are being co-produced internationally and which genres, themes and television storytelling techniques have international interest and appeal? 

Moderator: Claire Aguilar, Director of Programming, ITVS, US 

• Rudy Buttignol, Creative Head, Network Programming at TVOntario • Nick Fraser, Commissioning Editor, Storyville BBC • Takahiro Hamano, Producer/Director Satellite & Hi-Vision Broadcasting Department, NHK • Yves Jeanneau, Director of Documentary Unit, France 2 

Racial and Ethnic Diversity on PTV Green Room 

The struggle to ensure media access to those who have been excluded or marginalized in society, and to enable those communities and individuals to articulate their own identity is taking place in countries across the globe. How does public media address issues of diversity, particularly with respect to race and ethnicity? How does diversity look, both in a black/white paradigm, and where culture–not race–is the “difference”? What does the future hold for filmmakers and others who are trying to create a new politics of resistance and identity? 

Moderator: Rhea Combs, Film Festival Director, National Black Programming Consortium, US 

• Sylvia Vollenhoven, Producer at Morning Live, South Africa Broadcast Company, SABC • June Giovanni, BBC 

Special Screening Session 

Blue Room 

Special screening of Shadows of Silence, directed by Martina Dase, produced by Enrico Demurray. Germany, Documentary. Shadows of Silence tells the story of Ken Kipperman, 58, an American Jew, who discovers pieces of tattooed human skin from Buchenwald – in Washington. Preserved as evidence for Nazi war-crimes trials in US archives, they had long been forgotten and are only brought back into public light by Ken's obsessive search—a search that finally casts new light on a dark family secret. 

Thursday, May 5 at 7:00 P.M. 

Indigenous Media: Journalism or Identity Politics? Red Room 

In various parts of the world indigenous peoples are producing their own versions of the news. Is this legitimate journalism or identity politics? Do we accept the notion that news is more or less legitimate depending on who is reporting it? 

Moderator: Anne Wuolab, reporter, NRK Sami Radio, Sweden 

• Madeleine Bondy, producer and videofilm-teacher, Mexico • Tawini Rangihau, news editor, Maori Television, New Zealand • Francis Blythe, Director, Native American Telecommunication Commission • Jan Rune Måsø, journalist, NRK Sami Radio, Norway 

Current Affairs in a Changing World Green Room 

An informed populace is fundamental to any open society. Most people get their news from television, yet the airtime and budgets allocated for news and current affairs are decreasing while infotainment and “reality TV” abound. What are the implications for the corporate consolidation of media on how we understand the world? Are new technologies like satellite, mobile devices and the Internet taking up the slack? How can public broadcasters serve the public interest? 

Moderator: Kim Spencer, President, Link TV, US 

• Claire Duignan Director of Programmes Television, RTÉ, Ireland • Patrice Barrat, Director, Article Z, France • Mohammed Bourini, Producer, Presenter and Reporter, Al Jazeera, Qatar 

Are We Getting the International News We Need? Blue Room 

Experienced journalists explore the geo-politics of international news gathering. Hosted by UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism 

Moderator: TBA 

Panelists: TBA 

About INPUT 

INPUT, founded in 1978, is the acronym derived from “INternational PUblic Television.” It exists to encourage the highest quality television programming worldwide, to support television as a service to the public, to promote discussion and debate about the television craft, and to serve as a global meeting point for those who make television. It recognizes television's potential to promote better understanding among the world's different cultures. INPUT is a volunteer organization, supported by conference registration fees, public television organizations, individuals and various institutions, agencies and foundations. 

At INPUT, the lights go down in three big screening rooms in that year's host city. Three different programs roll. When the lights come up again, an INPUT moderator introduces the program maker, and the debate ensues. While many valuable professional contacts have been made at INPUT, and many co-productions, joint ventures and sales have been conceived at INPUT gatherings, INPUT is far more than a professional television market. For many television professionals, the annual INPUT conference is an oasis where they refresh their ideals and renew their determination to truly make television in the public interest. 

In addition to the annual conference, INPUT organizes many other activities throughout the year to promote high quality television and provide television program makers with professional development opportunities. PREPUT takes place three days prior to the conference and mini-INPUTs take place throughout the year. 

INPUT is much more than a television festival. It is a volunteer organization governed and administered by men and women working with public television, public television organizations, individuals and interested institutions, agencies and foundations. 

About ITVS 

Independent Television Service (ITVS) funds and presents award-winning documentaries and dramas on public television, innovative new media projects on the Web and the Emmy® Award-winning weekly series Independent Lens on Tuesday nights at 10 P.M. on PBS. ITVS is a miracle of public policy created by media activists, citizens and politicians seeking to foster plurality and diversity in public television. ITVS was established by a historic mandate of Congress to champion independently produced programs that take creative risks, spark public dialogue and serve underserved audiences. Since its inception in 1991, ITVS programs have revitalized the relationship between the public and public television, bringing TV audiences face-to-face with the lives and concerns of their fellow Americans. More information about ITVS can be obtained by visiting itvs.org. ITVS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American People.