The ITVS Indies Roundup
A curated list of indie news and recommendations from ITVS’s Rebecca Huval.
The director of the classic Some Like It Hot, Billy Wilder, gave Cameron Crowe some thoughtful filmmaking advice in the 1990s. Though Wilder was talking about screenwriting, his list applies to documentary filmmaking as well, including such gems as “Grab 'em by the throat and never let 'em go.” You probably know that recently released documentaries are being taught in classrooms today. But did you know that a free school essay for The Interrupters is already available online? (via Kartemquin)
This week, Realscreen published their picks for the top 100 nonfiction production companies worldwide. Can a hackathon help out storytellers? On April 28 in New York, the transmedia nonprofit StoryCode is hosting the first story-hack. Writers, filmmakers, designers, students, and coders are invited to participate in the weekend-long event.
Kickstarter was the source of some heat Thursday when Gizmodo said they were done with the crowd-funding platform. Their main complaint was not over film fundraising, but half-baked gadgets. If you’re feeling blocked creatively, don’t fret. Frustration and even surrender are important parts of the creative process, according to Jonah Lehrer’s latest book, Imagine: How Creativity Works. On a similar note, don’t be too ashamed of your failures. Photographers revealed their worst shots — and why they considered them to be rubbish — in The Guardian.
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From our blog
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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…