August is for Adventure (in Film)
All the September Grant and Program Deadlines; A Litany of Streaming Premieres; One Cinematographer Does Battle with a Lamp
Happy Thursday, friends.
We’ve seen your summer snapshots from the beach/mountain/city park. Luckily, there’s plenty of new work to match your summer style. Our round up below, complete with the latest reviews — even if the TikTokers told us this week that “critics are old news.”
Let’s dive in!
— Jean Ellen & Kasia
Co-Founders, Portrait
Roll of Honor
Premieres, Press, Awards, and Standout Member Work This Week
New Work Alert: What to Watch this Weekend
Option One: Get Off the Grid
If “vacation” means boots and skipping showers for a week…
“Secrets of the Elephants." Check out the NatGeo docu-series following families of elephants and their unique cultural behaviors — and listen to Shana Hogan’s ASC interview about the show with Emmy-nominated cinematographers Toby Strong, Bob Poole, and James Boon. National Geographic.
“Happiness for Beginners.” Watch Ellie Kemper work out her post-divorce life on the trail — and Portrait member and “cinematographer Daniel Vecchione’s postcard-pretty scenery of New England fall colors,” per the recent RogerEbert.com review. Netflix.
Option Two: Trail-Blaze the Concrete Jungle
If “time off” means time for your other creative endeavors….
Women in Hip Hop. “Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop” is a “a joyous, painstaking attempt to set the record straight,” per the Guardian’s review. Stephen Bailey, Cinematographer. Netflix.
Women in Skateboarding. “Skate Dreams,” the first feature about the rise of women’s skateboarding, is now streaming, with a nice feature from skateboarding mag Thrasher. Jessica Edwards, Director/Producer; Jenni Morello, Cinematographer; Maya Tippett, Editor; Erin Owens, Producer. Available to rent or buy; multiple platforms.
Option Three: Explore Some Cultural Legacies
If no trip is complete without a trip to the museum…
“Liquor Store Dreams.” Director So Yun Um discussed her beautiful film, profiling her father and the Korean American experience, on CBS this week. Check out her post on Portrait. POV/PBS.
“761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers.” The Morgan Freeman doc about the first Black tank unit to serve in WWII combat premieres this Sunday. Justin Ervin, Cinematographer. History Channel.
Accolades Round Up: North Star Fellows Announced
Congratulations to filmmakers and projects chosen for the 2023 Artists Programs from Points North Institute. More on the Institute’s 2023 Camden Film Festival rundown in the weeks to come!
“Sol Y Mar,” produced by Robert Colom
“Letters From Home,” produced by Nicole Tsien
“UNLESS SOMETHING GOES TERRIBLY WRONG (working title),” Alexander Lewis, Director; Justin Levy, Producer
Congrats to Gabriella Garcia-Pardo, Jameka Autry, Michèle Stephenson, and Nevo Shinaar for being chosen to attend the ITVS Indie Summit this year.
Window of Opportunity
Weekly Jobs, Grants, Labs, Intensives, Screenings, Workshops, and More
Coming Soon: This Week’s Screenings
Queens, This Saturday: ”Cannibalizing the Conductor:” A Night that Moves includes a premiere, Q&A, and DJ dance party. Check out Derek Howard’s post on Portrait for more.
Brooklyn: This Saturday. “Kite Zo A: Leave the Bones.” Part of the Rooftop Films series. Kaveh Nabatian, Director/Cinematographer/Editor/Co-producer.
DC: August 18-30th. ”Finding Us.” Part of the DC Black Film Festival. From Kathryn Carlson, Director; and Deanna Del Ciello, Screenwriter, and SideXSide Studios.
Melbourne: Friday. ”You Can Call Me Bill.” Written & Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, who will be in attendance tomorrow night, Kerry Deignan Roy, Producer; Robert Muratore, DP & Co-Producer.
Closing Soon: August/September Deadlines
It’s the last week to vote on SXSW’s panel picker! Vote for “Queerness and Music in Media” from Arbel Bedak and “Healing from Burnout in the Film/TV Industry” from Hillary Pierce. Have a panel submission? Share it on Portrait.
Fall Docs IDA initiative: IDA will provide ten filmmakers with an in-kind awards campaign package valued at $15,000 each.
The Gotham: Owning It Personal Brand Accountability Challenge (8/18 deadline)
Southern Doc Fund Production Grant (8/18 deadline)
Film Independent Screenwriting Lab (non-member: 8/28; member: 9/11)
Sundance Graton Fellowship (8/28 deadline)
Unlock Her Potential Mentorship (8/31 deadline)
The Gotham and HBO Documentary Films: The Documentary Development Initiative (8/31 deadline)
Bloomberg Green Docs (9/1 deadline)
Berlinale Talents Summit (9/4 deadline)
Mountainfilm Commitment Grants (9/5 deadline)
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles: NewNarratives (9/6 deadline)
MacDowell Fellowships (9/10 deadline)
Tasveer Film Fund (9/10 late deadline)
Nostos Screenwriting Retreat (9/15 deadline)
Stowe Story Labs: Feature Campus (9/15 deadline)
The Athena List (9/15 deadline)
AFI Conservatory: Directing Workshop for Women (DWW+) (9/15 deadline)
Black Public Media Open Call (9/25 deadline)
Graton Fellowship for Artists from California-Based Tribes (9/29 deadline)
Jobs/Gigs Roundup
Location requests — DM them on Portrait!
Nick Kraus is looking for locations for a therapist office and a prison cell
Isaac Ravishankar is looking for space for a passion project
Senior Producer, DC Bureau, CNN, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Executive Producer, Audio, Politico.
Sr. Broadcast Producer, This Week (ABC News), The Walt Disney Company.
Post-Production Supervisor (Animation), The Walt Disney Company.
Freelance Associate Producer (Olympic Games), NBCUniversal.
Senior Producer, CNN, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Associate Director, Media Strategy & Planning, Brainlabs.
Graphics/Multimedia Editor, The Upshot, The New York Times.
End Credits: Posts of the Week
We loved all your posts from Paul Yee’s conversation with Christine Ng. If you haven’t read about Paul’s battle with the lamp, read his Filmmaker Mag conversation.
Until next week, friends. See you on the app.