FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Seanna Hore, Ginsberg/Libby
seanna.hore@ginsberglibby.com

Gladys Santos, Ginsberg/Libby
gladys.santos@ginsberglibby.com
 

LOS ANGELES (September 21, 2022) — Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, announced today the 10 projects and 21 participants selected for its third annual Docuseries Intensive.

The 2022 Film Independent Docuseries Intensive is supported by Founding Sponsor CNN Original Series, the brand behind the Peabody and 13-time Emmy® Award-winning Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, two-time Emmy® Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, This is Life with Lisa Ling, the forthcoming The Murdochs: Empire of Influence, and the Emmy® nominated Decades series.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering again with CNN Original Series to provide opportunities to filmmakers telling compelling true stories.” said Daniel Cardone, Manager of Nonfiction Programs for Film Independent. “This year’s Fellows are creating episodic documentary content that encompasses a huge range of topics and styles, exploring physical, emotional and political landscapes. We’re excited to be able to elevate both the projects and the people who are making them.”

“CNN Original Series is proud to partner with Film Independent on this enduring initiative to showcase and support emerging voices in the nonfiction community,” said Amy Entelis, Executive Vice President, Talent & Content Development, CNN Worldwide. “We are impressed by the projects helmed by these diverse voices and look forward to helping them bring their creative visions to life.”

The Docuseries Intensive is a three-day remote workshop, taking place September 21-23, that will give filmmakers the tools and access needed to develop and present their nonfiction series to potential collaborators working in the series space. Through executive and peer mentorship, workshopping and fostering industry connections, Fellows will walk away with a deeper understanding of how the business works, as well as having tangible next steps to move their projects forward. The program will elaborate on a range of topics, from funding and development to marketing and distribution. Networking and pitch events will offer Fellows the opportunity to introduce themselves and their work to studio and network executives. Courtesy of CNN Original Series, each filmmaker or filmmaking team will receive a $3,500 stipend to utilize as they see fit for their docuseries project.

The 2022 Docuseries Intensive creative advisors and guest speakers include: Andie Beckerman (House of NonFiction), Nick Cammilleri and Zackary Drucker (The Lady and the Dale), Nancy Glass (Glass Entertainment Group), Jodi Gomes (Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson), Sarah Hoberman (Trilogy Films), Domini Hofmann (Watergate: Blueprint for a Scandal), John Marks (Fiasco), Liz Massie (Discovery), Tyler Measom (Murder Among the Mormons), Eric Neuhaus (Glass Entertainment), Ted Passon (Philly DA), Maureen Ryan (Columbia University), Courtney Whitaker (SpringHill Company), Steve Yaccino (Left/Right), and Fay Yu (Part2 Pictures).

The 2022 Docuseries Intensive participants and their projects are:

Title: EJ Lee: All American
Director: Jason Rhee
Producer: Razi Jafri
Producer: Cindy Martin
Logline: Before Jeremy Lin and Yao Ming, there was Eun Jung Lee. EJ Lee: All-American is a documentary that follows the “Korean Magic Johnson” and her quest to become a great collegiate head coach.

Title: Fruitbowl: An Oral History Of Queer Sex
Director: Dave Quantic
Editor: Bayley Boecker
Editor: Danny Tayara
Logline: Fruitbowl is an interview-driven docuseries that explores the many ways queer people discover their sexual preferences and identities.

Title: The Long Rescue
Director: Jennifer Huang
Producer: Jethro Patalinghug
Logline: The Long Rescue follows Filipina teen sex trafficking survivors for six years in an intimate journey of recovery. Can they overcome a callous society – and their embodied trauma– to thrive?

Title: Lust On Earth: The Global Cultures Of Infidelity
Director: Michael LaPointe
Producer: Dara Diaz
Logline: In this stunningly candid exploration of infidelity, adulterers and victims of unfaithfulness in 40 countries break their silence to compare norms, laws, and taboos while also revealing their own personal escapades.

Title: Never Too Late
Director: Nancye Ferguson
Logline: Never Too Late is a compelling, heartwarming, and humorous 5-part docu series that follows single seniors as they explore and navigate the unpredictable world of love, dating and relationships at this late time of their lives.

Title: No Handicap
Director: Derek Dabkoski
Producer: Ian McClellan
Producer: Paige Draney
Logline: Disabled players and their allies are finding ways using advocacy and technology to fight stigmas and enact change to make electronic gaming accessible to a community neglected by game developers.

Title: Proxy: The Cold War We Weren’t Taught In School
Creator/Executive Producer: Melinda Pinecone
Executive Producer: Marc Smolowitz
Logline: Proxy chronicles eight of America’s covert regime change operations of the Cold War. Animated recreations, archival footage, and narration from world-class writers bring stories of covert warfare to life.

Title: Uvalde
Writer/Director/Producer: Marissa Díaz
Logline: Uvalde becomes the site of nation-wide interest when a teenage gunman opens fire inside Robb Elementary School, killing 19 students and two teachers, while 376 law enforcement officers wait outside.

Title: VS Goliath
Director/Co-Creator: Nate Birnbaum
Producer: Marielle Olentine
Producer: Pulkit Datta
Logline: A retired schoolteacher, a former oil refinery worker, a veteran, and a group of indigenous students make up a diverse coalition of activists from across the country fighting to protect their homelands from further destruction by the powerful fossil fuel industry. Together, rooted in their faith, deep commitment, and service to their communities, they stand firm in the shadow of Goliath, refusing to back down.

Title: You Don’t Know My Name
Director: Tommy Franklin
Logline: After being separated from his incarcerated mother at birth, the filmmaker searches for her while coming to grips with his own identity as a parent and Black man in America.

Film Independent Artist Development programs promote unique, independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work through Project Involve; Filmmaker Labs (Directing, Documentary, Episodic, Producing and Screenwriting); Fast Track finance market and Fiscal Sponsorship, as well as through Grants and Awards, which provide over one million dollars annually to visual storytellers.

For more information on the Labs or projects that have been developed in them, please contact Angela Lee, Director of Artist Development, at alee@filmindependent.org.
 

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

For over 40 years, Film Independent has helped filmmakers get their projects made and seen. The nonprofit organization’s core mission is to champion creative independence in visual storytelling and support a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision.

In addition to producing the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the organization supports creative professionals with Artist Development programs, grants and labs. Signature mentorship program Project Involve fosters the careers of talented filmmakers from underrepresented communities. Weekly Education events and workshops equip filmmakers of all ages and experience levels with tools and resources. Global Media Makers, a cultural exchange program produced in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, provides career-building opportunities for international film professionals. And year-round screening series Film Independent Presents delivers monthly, unique cinematic experiences to Members in Los Angeles and beyond.

For more information or to become a Member, visit filmindependent.org.