Docs on the Spot

Hi there, 

We just wanted to say that our hearts go out to all of those who have lost vital work at this time. Having worked in the film festival industry for 6 years, it's difficult to see so many festivals shutting their doors. Although, I've been hearted to see many shifting over into the digital space so people audiences can continue to watch their programming. 

Currently, I'm managing the CineSpace Short Film Competition, an annual competition sponsored by NASA and the Houston Cinema Arts Society, with special guest judge Richard Linklater, with special guest judge Richard Linklater. This competition empowers filmmakers, animators, and editors from around the world to create short films using NASA's free digital archives.

Due to COVID-19, the CineSpace judges have announced a new Special Category for "Best Film Using Exclusively NASA archival footage" as we know many creators may be going this route due to current restrictions placed on physical production.  

Our goal is to encourage creators whose ideas for CineSpace have been impacted by COVID-19 to take this time to reimagine their approach and find new ways to create as well as virtually collaborate with others. We also curated a gallery of past CineSpace finalist and winning shorts that showcase exceptional storytelling and originality using novel approaches and techniques that can be achieved at home by editing pre-existing footage, using a variety of practical or VFX effects, relying on character-driven VO, leaning into the lo-fi aesthetic, and any number of other techniques.

Let us know if this is something that would be a good fit for your upcoming editorials. Hopefully, it's a bright spot for filmmakers looking for opportunities at this time and they can feel inspired (and less confined) as they explore NASA's vast digital archives.  

Maddie Mindling

Senior Platform and Community Manager, Tongal