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Breakthrough Filmmaker Award

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Breakthrough Filmmaker Award

I'm so honored and excited to be a recipient of Chicken & Eggs' inaugural "Breakthrough Filmmaker Award." Thanks to all of you who have supported me throughout my career. This award comes at a great time to help support my work moving forward through financing and mentorship.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT:

We are pleased and proud to announce the recipients of our inaugural Breakthrough Filmmaker Awards. The five chosen filmmakers are Kristi Jacobson (A Place at the Table) Julia Reichert (The Last Truck), Yoruba Richen (The New Black), Elaine McMillion Sheldon (Hollow), and Michèle Stephenson (American Promise). This award consists of a $50,000 unrestricted grant and a year-long mentorship program tailored to each filmmaker’s individual goals.
The Chicken & Egg Pictures Breakthrough Filmmaker Award responds to the reality that only a few women non-fiction directors in the U.S. are able to work full-time as independent storytellers. The program recognizes and elevates five mid-career women directors with unique voices who are poised to reach new heights and to continue to be strong filmmaker-advocates for urgent issues.
“Chicken & Egg Pictures continues to make bold investments in both women artists and gender equality to ensure that a greater diversity of voices are acknowledged for their participation in the storytelling that drives change,” said Jenni Wolfson, Executive Director of Chicken & Egg Pictures. “Our hope with this new award is to provide support and a platform for these artists to continue showcasing and elevating critical social justice, environmental, and human rights issues and stories while working to increase their visibility and ensure they receive the recognition they deserve.”
Recipients of the Chicken & Egg Pictures Breakthrough Filmmaker Award were chosen through a nation-wide confidential nomination process.

READ OUR BIOS on Chicken & Egg's website

PRESS:

 

 

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11/19/15 Update

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11/19/15 Update

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Panel Discussion on NOVEMBER 21 @ 3:30 PM at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University's 25th Anniversary celebration and national forum.

Description: The storytelling power of audio—with envisioned characters and imagined scenes—presents rich opportunities for innovative approaches to the digital terrain. From the podcasting boom to new forms of interactive documentary, the capacity of sound, voice, writing, and layered narratives to spark the imagination extends outside the box (radio, tablet, smartphone) to reach people where they are and to inspire engagement, and possibly changes of heart.

Panelists: ANAYANSI DIAZ-CORTES, AL LETSON, ELAINE SHELDON
Moderated by: JOHN BIEWEN

DECEMBER 2 @ 1PM: Kickstarter Creators Hangout

I'm answering all your questions about documentary filmmaking, podcasting, and production in this Kickstarter Creators Hangout. The discussion will be live-tweeted through @KickstarterTips

RSVP here

SHE DOES:

This week on She Does, we have the talented co-directors of the fantastic documentary, "Frame by Frame."

DESCRIPTION: Mo Scarpelli and Alexandria Bombach are documentary filmmakers and co-directors of award-winning film "Frame by Frame.” The documentary follows four Afghan photojournalists as they face the realities of building a free press in a country left to stand on its own after decades of war and rule under the oppressive Taliban regime. The film had its world premiere at SXSW 2015, has screened over 50 times, garnered several awards, was voted one of the Top 10 Audience Favorites at Hot Docs Film Festival, and is nominated for a Cinema Eye Honors Award for Spotlight Doc. Right now, Mo and Alexandria are knee-deep in an Academy Award campaign for the film. “Frame by Frame” is opening for a week-long run in New York on Nov 20 at the IFC Center.

Mo and Alexandria are extremely self-sufficient women and filmmakers-- both having worked alone on most of their film projects before this one. They both started their own film companies and both have carved out their own niches; Mo in the documentary and journalism world and Alexandria in the outdoor filmmaking world.

In this episode, we talk about how they came to the medium of film, reporting international stories, filming in Afghanistan, their dedication to stunning cinematography, earning the trust of your subjects, the responsibility and weight of releasing stories into the world, holding onto empathy, the perils of co-directing, how to reconnect with relationships after disconnecting to make a film, and how to maintain belonging and community when living out of a suitcase.

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The New Storytellers Conference

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The New Storytellers Conference

I'm super excited to be on a panel about The Future of Journalism and Documentary with Ingrid Kopp, Gabo Arora, and Sarah Wolozin. The New Storytellers conference is being held on September 23 in Montreal at the Phi Centre, in conjuction with the opening of the "Sensory Stories" exhibit. We will be talking about new ways to tell stories and how that influences form and function. 

Join us!

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Creatives in Appalachia

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Creatives in Appalachia

Do you make media and/or art? Do you live in Appalachia? 

If you answered yes to those questions, you should get on a new database of makers in the region. I'm creating a list of those of us who make media in the region, in hopes that we can start collaborating and make better work! If you want your name to be featured on the list get in touch below.

For the sake of keeping things less complicated, I'm looking for folks who do: video, film, editing, writing, animation, design, illustration, photography, interactive media, technology, audio, journalism, music, exhibitions, installation art, etc.

IMPORTANT: You have to make work from or about Appalachia. You must be interested in collaboration and not just self-promotion.

Not sure if your city/town is in Appalachia? Check out this map courtesy of Looking at Appalachia.

 

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She Does Joins Panoply Podcast Network

Sarah and I are very excited to announce that She Does podcast is officially part of Panoply Network. Panoply is a podcast network that features programs from The New York Times Magazine, Inc. Magazine, New York Magazine, Real Simple, The Huffington Post, WBUR, FX, Slate, and many more leading media brands and thought leaders. We're so honored to be among these talented voices.

Screen Shot 2015-06-17 at 1.16.29 PM
Screen Shot 2015-06-17 at 1.16.29 PM

You will now be able to hear us on Panoply's SoundCloud.

Congrats to our team for all their hard work: Illustrator, Christine Cover. Sound designer, Billy Wirasnik. Production Accomplice, Alijah Case.

You can also find Panoply on iTunes, Facebook & Twitter.

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Kentucky Hemp

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Kentucky Hemp

I'm currently in-production on a new documentary project focusing on the farmers, researchers, politicians and business men and women that are reintroducing hemp back into Kentucky's (post-coal and tobacco) economy. It's a super exciting story to follow and watch the industry unfold. Kentucky's history with hemp is deep-rooted, but our nation's relationship is complicated. I will have more to share in late June, but follow me on Instagram for occasional field updates.

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Shot Featured In Commercial

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Shot Featured In Commercial

I'm honored to have shot featured in the FreeFly Systems commercial, not only because it's a special moment as a filmmaker, but also because I LOVE FreeFly's MōVI M5. An upcoming video I am releasing with The Bitter Southerner was shot using the MōVI. Watch for that to drop soon and keep your eye our the little girl waving around fire sparklers in the commercial...that's me! You can license that content too on Story & Heart.  

[vimeo 124556378 w=500 h=281]

Stay Curious from Freefly on Vimeo.

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Find Inspiration: Interactive Storytelling

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Find Inspiration: Interactive Storytelling

A friend wrote me asking for resources to find/discover/learn about interactive storytelling. I compiled my list of go-to links and sent her an email, but decided that it may be helpful for all of you too! So below, I have listed out the sites that I like to go to for updates in interactive storytelling. There are certainly many more (add the ones you love in the comments section) but these are my favorites, and have a bit of a non-fiction slant to them.

RESOURCES
DISCOVER PROJECTS THROUGH PLACES THAT AWARD & EXHIBIT INTERACTIVE MEDIA:
Share your resources below!

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50 People Who Are Changing the South

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I'm so incredibly honored to be put on this Southern Living magazine list of the 50 People Who are Changing the South in 2015. You gotta check out the lineup...they're some seriously awesome people on the list.

Being from West Virginia--weird Appalachian middle ground between the South and North--I've never really considered myself Southern. Nevertheless, I am very happy to rep the Mountain State!

Thanks to Southern Living for including me and for taking the time to get to know HOLLOW.

Photo by: Elle Effect

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These roots run deep: my family tree

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These roots run deep: my family tree

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My mom sent me this treasure the other via a text message. I was going about my day, but this made me stop. Wow...I thought. What an amazing document to just be texted into your life. It's your blood line. Your family tree. Your roots. The people that made you...well you. I continue to be fascinated by my family's roots in Appalachia. Kudos to my Great Uncle Roy who created this beauty. I think I might update it soon...more to come.

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Just Launched: Disaster Resilience Journal

In collaboration with Helios Design Labs and the Red Cross EU, we bring you The DISASTER RESILIENCE JOURNAL. Over the next 42 days, we will bring you stories from people all across the world. Stories of the natural disasters people face and the steps they are taking to overcome them. Some of these stories are photos and text, while others are video-driven. Micro-games allow you to simulate preparing for a disaster and interviews with experts provide insight into resilience.  We just launched the journal today, but the fun begins tomorrow as new stories and games appear daily. Make sure to check out the site everyday to watch the stories unfold (some of my favorite stories and game wont appear until 20 days in!) To learn more about the project and see "my favorites" list click here.  To read about our process check out Mike Robbin's post on the Helios blog.

Join us for this 42-day journey!

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Screenings, Updates and T-Shirts

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Screenings, Updates and T-Shirts

We sold out of the first 100 t-shirts and have ordered more! If you place your order now, expect your t-shirt to arrive in 3-4 weeks.

The Revivalist gives their thoughts on the [app-uh-latch-uh] tees

Luckily, there’s no need to correct anyone’s pronunciation anymore. Just slip into this instructional t-shirt the next time you’ll be around folks who insist on saying Appalachia that other way, and they’ll get the picture pretty darned fast.

MEDIUM: Inside the World Press Photo Multimedia Jury

Including some great tips for storytelling and a mention of HOLLOW

The Hillville writes about [app-uh-latch-uh] t-shirts

For many citizens and natives of Central and Southern Appalachia, watching the meteorologists on the Weather Channel pronounce the name of our mountain range is a cringe-worthy experience: “There’s a storm system making it’s way across the midwest and will hit the Appa-LAY-shun mountains of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.”

HOLLOW will be exhibited at the American Museum of Natural History

The project will be in the Grand Gallery from October 23-26 for the Margaret Mead Film Festival.

HOLLOW is a finalist in the Online Journalism Awards

Winners will be announced in Chicago on September 27.

We moved to Miami!

Just a personal update, Kerrin and I moved to Miami Beach last week. We will be based here through January working on our next documentary and interactive project. More to come! Follow my Instagram for daily snaps.

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Story & Heart has launched!

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Story & Heart has launched!

Two months ago I stumbled onto Story & Heart on Twitter. It was marketed (very quietly) as a story-driven stock footage site. As a filmmaker and journalist, who is constantly documenting life, I was thrilled. The idea that I could potentially make money off of work that may never see the light of day was intriguing.  I quickly applied and was accepted. Yesterday, Story & Heart went live. Now anyone can license my footage for their project.

I'm excited to see how S&H grows, but mostly I am thankful for the people behind it who have been so personal and generous during the process of building this filmmaking community. Holding weekly online meet-ups and putting together beautifully crafted and informational PDFs with guest filmmakers are just some of the reasons I feel lucky to be part of this community. The first time I received a phone call from S&H, I was shocked. Wait...they actually care about how I am progressing with creating my profile and uploading stories? It was pretty awesome to have such personal connection in a world full of generic contact forms and unanswered emails.

Also, now as a member of S&H I think about how to spend my downtime a little differently. Why waste time in front of my computer when there is a great, big world out there just full of stories waiting to be captured? The biggest drawback for me is talent releases. I have shot well over 15 TB of great footage that would be fantastic on the platform but because this is a licensing platform, I must have releases for all individuals who appear in the footage. For most of my footage, this is nearly impossible. So far, I have only uploaded five stories so far but plan to kick it in high-gear over the next few months!

Thanks Story & Heart for being so cool.

Also, check out my niece (with sparklers) in S&H's launch video: [vimeo 103090147 w=759 h=427]

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New Short Film and Photos: The Marijuana Divide

 I traveled to Gunnison County, Colo., to make this video about two towns that had taken different paths since medicinal marijuana was legalized in 2000 and recreational marijuana sales began this year. One, Crested Butte, has embraced the sale of retail and medicinal marijuana; the other, Gunnison, has so far rejected it. (While anyone in the state over 21 is free to use the drug on private property, it’s up to local governments to decide whether it can be sold.)

I spoke with a wide cross section of people – including politicians, educators, store owners, police officers and two guys who hope to strike it rich in the legal marijuana trade. Yet I found it surprisingly challenging to find someone to speak for the oppositional side. Many told me this was because marijuana was not a new recreational drug to the state; Colorado and weed have a long history, they said. Others said, “It’s just not that big of a deal.” I called an individual who was deep-rooted in the ranching community who said that finding ranchers to talk about it would be nearly impossible. They were “not in favor” of the new laws but weren’t comfortable talking about this to journalists.

Yet I did find a sense of caution: concerns about access for youth, proper labeling and fair taxation. And one thing everybody agrees on is that this new legislation is a huge experiment.

LINKS:

 

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Hollow nominated for an Emmy

What?!? This is crazy and exciting. CONGRATS to our whole team and the residents of McDowell County on this HUGE honor.

We are Emmy nominated in the category of New Approaches: Documentaries.

Press Release

Also, don't forget about our screening next week at the US Capitol. Information here.

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