Producing The Independent Documentary-Multi Program Seminar Series

As a special adjunct to the main United States film Festival, this multi-program seminar is designed to offer an extensive overview of the contemporary documentary financing, production, and distribution. Held in cooperation with the Festival and sponsored by Film Arts Foundation, it is intended for students of documentary filmmaking and may be taken for credit.

There will be ten special seminars organized exclusively for students of this course. Faculty-led discussions will feature the documentary filmmakers of the U.S. Film Festival’s official Documentary Competition as guest speakers and will focus on the specific case histories created by the making and marketing of their films. Further seminar-schedule information will be provided once the Festival’s documentary program is set.

Seminar Faculty
Mitchell Block and Ben Shedd have been teaching together since 1979 at the University of Southern California's School of Cinema- Television, and the Arts. Their courses have included film and video production and writing, and production of non theatrical films and videos. Individual or together, they have offered versions of their producing workshop at more than fifty colleges and universities around the country. Mr. Block is president of Direct Cinema Limited, a leading independent distribution company. Ben Shedd is a producer, director and writer of documentary films and videos whose "The Flight of the Gossamer Condor" won an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject in 1978.

Credits

Mitchell Block
Panelist
Ben Shedd
Panelist
As you use our Online Archives, please understand that the information presented from Festivals, Labs, and other activities is taken directly from official publications from each year. While this information is limited and doesn't necessarily represent the full list of participants (e.g. actors and crew), it is the list given to us by the main film/play/project contact at the time, based on the space restrictions of our publications. Each entry in the Online Archives is meant as a historical record of a particular film, play, or project at the time of its involvement with Sundance Institute. For this reason, we can only amend an entry if a name is misspelled, or if the entry does not correctly reflect the original publication. If you have questions or comments, please email [email protected]