The ITVS Indie Roundup
A curated list of indie news and recommendations from ITVS’s Rebecca Huval.
The director of concert documentary Andrew Bird: Fever Year has found an even more intimate subject to cover for her next nonfiction film. Xan Aranda will explore the Mormon film industry and her own disillusionment from the faith. She dished out the details to Chicago WBEZ’s The Morning Shift. (via Kartemquin Films) D’oh! Here are five simple blunders documentary filmmakers make, including filming without a vision in mind. How do you capture the feel of dancing on camera? The rush, dizziness, and gravity-defying lightness? Who better to answer that question than dancer-photographer, Mikhail Baryshnikov, who talked to the New York Times Lens blog about his techniques in dance and photography. Check out this rediscovered Dutch TV documentary, The Making of The Empire Strikes Back. In an interview, Star Wars director Irvin Kershner says, “Some people call it science fiction. I don’t even consider it science fiction. I consider it a fairy tale.”
Almost 25 years later, Robert Zemeckis wants to make a Who Framed Roger Rabbit? sequel. Will it fizzle or take off? The master of the macabre, Johnny Depp, is starting his own publishing imprint called Infinitum Nihil, the same name of his production company (translation: “nothing is infinite”). The first two books will be The Unraveled Tales of Bob Dylan by Doug Brinkley and House of Earth, an unpublished novel by folk legend Woody Guthrie. Stumped by your latest script? Here are a handful of screenwriting tips for the novice.
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ITVS Responds to Rescission Vote
July 18, 2025[July 18, 2025] Carrie Lozano, President and CEO of the Independent Television Service (ITVS), issued the following statement in response to Congress' vote clawing back congressional approved funding for public media.Congress’ decision to pass the rescission package that removes the $1.1B of previously approved federal funds for the Corporation of…
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Protecting Our Future and Charting the Course Ahead
June 4, 2025We are sharing the sad and difficult news that ITVS is reducing its staff by 13 individuals across the organization. For a staff so committed to our mission and to each other, this 20% staff reduction is a painful moment. Our dedicated staff have made important contributions that are part of ITVS' legacy and success story. In the past few months, ITVS has…
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ITVS Documentary "Greener Pastures" Honored by the Television Academy
May 1, 2025The Television Academy announced that the ITVS-supported, Independent Lens documentary Greener Pastures will be celebrated at the 18th Television Academy Honors. Established in 2008, the Television Academy Honors Award recognizes “Television with a Conscience” and seeks to celebrate programs that inspire, motivate, and harness the power of…