Tribeca Film Festival

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Today was the kick-off to the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) filmmaker retreat in partnership with the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) and CNN Films. The five-day Camden/TFI Retreat, presented by CNN Films, kicked off today in Camden and Rockport, Maine and will provide mentorship and guidance to five U.S filmmaking teams focused on creative, cinematic, character-driven documentaries.

The five projects selected for the retreat represent exciting new voices in documentary and embody the theme "American Stories." All of the projects feature character-driven portraits of America, drawing from a variety of different regions, issues, and perspectives. Together, the films form a diverse but intersecting body of work that maps the social, cultural, and economic shifts happening in America today.

The retreat, which includes a series of master classes, mentoring sessions, and workshops, will take place in an intimate and natural environment on the picturesque coast of Maine. It will be led by expert advisors including Director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters, Life Itself), Co-President of Submarine Entertainment Josh Braun, Producer Andrea Meditch (Grizzly Man, Man on Wire, Buck), Filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (Music by Prudence, God Loves Uganda), Editor Matt Hamachek (If a Tree Falls, Gideon’s Army, Cartel Land), Senior Director of CNN Films Courtney Sexton, and Vice President, Artist Programs, Tribeca Film Institute Ryan Harrington.

“We’re thrilled to partner with our friends at the Camden International Film Festival and CNN Films, bringing together this curated group of advisors and filmmakers,” said Ryan Harrington. “We are confident that during these five days, filmmakers will have the opportunity to meet with and learn from their peers and an outstanding group of mentors, and use this time to improve and enhance their own projects and careers.”

“This program is a big step forward in our commitment to creating opportunities for emerging documentary filmmakers to develop their work and grow as artists,” said CIFF’s Founder and Executive Director Ben Fowlie. “We see the Retreat as a direct extension of the programs we've developed through CIFF's Points North Documentary Forum over the past six years, and couldn't be more excited about convening such an incredibly talented group right here in our own backyard.”

“We deeply appreciate Tribeca Film Institute, Camden International Film Festival, and this extraordinary inaugural group of filmmakers for coming together to develop this unique opportunity to share their creativity, experience, and skills to inspire and guide newer artists,” said Executive Vice President, Talent and Content Development for CNN Worldwide, Amy Entelis.

The participants in the retreat are:

·         CORONER – Tommy C. Andres and Jacob Motz (Co-Directors); Ben Hethcoat (Producer)

CORONER follows Dr. Thomas Noguchi, one of the most important investigators in many of Hollywood’s most mysterious and controversial tragedies, earning him the nickname "Coroner to the Stars." He became a trailblazing figure in the world of forensics, revolutionizing the science and ushering it into popular culture before ultimately being forced from office in scandal.

·         COUNCILWOMAN –  Margo Guernsey (Director and Producer)

COUNCILWOMAN follows the first term of Rhode Island Councilwoman Carmen Castillo as she balances her day job as a hotel housekeeper with the demands of public office.

·         GREYWATER; – Jeff Unay (Director); Ariel Sultan (Producer); James Orara (Co-Producer)

GREYWATER is about Joe, a longtime amateur Mixed Martial Arts fighter, who sets his sights on Clayton, a young titleholder. Joe's pursuit comes to a head as his life outside the cage begins to unravel.

·         THE REAGAN YEARS –  Pacho Velez (Director); Sierra Pettengill (Producer)

THE REAGAN YEARS is about a prolific actor’s defining role: Leader of the Free World. It uses the Reagan administration's internal documentation to capture the spectacle of American might at its peak. 

·         ROLL RED ROLL – Nancy Schwartzman (Director); Jessica Devaney and Steven Lake (Co-Producers)

ROLL RED ROLL is an immersive documentary thriller investigating rape culture in small town America.

About Tribeca Film Institute (http://www.tribecafilminstitute.org)  

Tribeca Film Institute champions storytellers to be catalysts for change in their communities and around the world. Each year, we identify a diverse group of exceptional filmmakers and media artists and empower them with funding and resources to fully realize their stories and connect with audiences. Further, our education programs empower students through hands-on training and exposure to socially relevant films, offering young people the media skills necessary to be creative and productive global citizens. We are a year-round nonprofit organization founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in the wake of September 11, 2001.

About the Camden International Film Festival and Points North Documentary Forum

Founded in 2005 and recognized as one of the top 12 documentary film festivals in the world (indieWIRE), the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) brings the finest non-fiction cinema to the rugged coast of Maine, showcasing over 80 documentary feature and short films from around the globe each fall. CIFF's Points North Documentary Forum is dedicated to providing emerging documentarians with opportunities for professional development and creative inspiration, and an opportunity to discover  new voices in documentary media who are pushing the boundaries of the form and re-imagining the role of nonfiction storytelling in society. Programs include the year-round Points North Fellowship, masterclasses, workshops  and international short form pitch opportunities such as The New York Times' Op Docs Pitch (2013) and most recently, the  AJ+ Pitch (2014). Past industry participants in the Forum include HBO, A&E, BBC, Participant Media, Al Jazeera America, Discovery, PBS, Ford Foundation, Tribeca Film Institute, Sundance Institute, Vimeo and Kickstarter.

The 2015 Camden International Film Festival and Points North Documentary Forum will take place September 17 - 20 in Camden, Rockport and Rockland, Maine. The Camden International Film Festival is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Vimeo.

For more information visit our website at www.camdenfilmfest.org.

About CNN Films

CNN Films produces and acquires documentary feature and short films for theatrical exhibition and distribution across CNN’s multiple platforms.  Amy Entelis, svp of talent and content development, Vinnie Malhotra, svp of development and acquisitions, and Courtney Sexton, senior director of program development, oversee the strategy for CNN Films.  For more information about CNN Films, please visit www.cnn.com/CNNFilms and follow @CNNFilms via Twitter.