Wednesday, December 25, 2013


Happy Holidays from BDC!!!

 
BDC Member Benefits include hosted screenings, discounts to workshops, events and professional services (i.e., color correction, sound mixing, etc.) from our many partners, listing in the BDC Catalog & Directory, and more.
 


 
Wishing you a blessed and joyful holiday season!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

BDC Screenings
 

My Thiero Boys:
A Lifestyle Dealing with Autism
by Vana Thiero

**FREE**
THIS Wednesday, December 4th
7pm

RAW SPACE
2031 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Blvd., NYC
Btw 121st and 122nd Sts.

vthiero@aol.com


My Thiero Boys, a film by the mother of two boys diagnosed with autism, is a raw, candid and insightful documentary that presents the joy and humor within the painful and emotional battles parents face daily in the world of autism.
* * *


BDC Members

Midnight Media Capture to launch MMC Stage
Founders, Nicole Franklin and Giovanna Aguilar

And they want to hear from you!  
Please take the quick survey below!


BDC Member Nicole Franklin wants to hear from you!  Nicole and Giovanna Aguilar, as part of their company, Midnight Media Capture, are launching a new and exciting content monetizing platform: MMC Stage.  With MMC Stage filmmakers, artists, entrepreneurs can use our interactive platform to monetize content.  Discounted rates will be available to BDC Members!

Please fill out this brief survey:

You can see a description of the platform here:
* * *


BDC Support
 
The Harlem Cultural Council Needs You!
Support the Campaign!

Only 9 days left!
 click pix to watch video
A documentary film by Patricia DeArcy
Sponsored by Fractured Atlas
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-harlem-cultural-council--2

 The Harlem Cultural Council commemorates the legacy of jazz great Billy Taylor, along with vocalists Emory Taylor and Jeannie Faulkner who founded the "Harlem Cultural Council" and gave birth to NYC's most celebrated innovations - the Dance Mobile and the Jazz Mobile. You will hear from these trail blazers and other community greats about the exciting times of the 60's and the origin of these art institutions as well as many other art programs produced by the Harlem Cultural Council.

* * *

2 Weeks left to support the 


The Death Metal Angola Resilience Tour is a series of screenings, town-hall discussions, and concerts in communities throughout the United States that have been hit hard by economic and natural disasters. DMA will partner with local schools, community centers, community leaders, and many more to provide a platform for them to connect with each other and share thier stories of resilience, and strategies for renewal.


* * *


BDC Catalog & Directory is accepting submissions!

The BDC Catalog & Directory is a searchable database of BDC members' work and contact information available to production companies, networks, press, distributors, educators and others interested in purchasing, screening, distributing member films and hiring our members. This BDC-exclusive resource is an invaluable opportunity to reach audiences, increase visibility, promotional opportunities,as well as get work and generate revenue.

We have already received requests from CBS, The Documentary Channel, ASPiRE, Magic Johnson's new cable network, to name a few. But they can't reach you and we can't refer you if you're not in it, so please submit your information now!

Please send an email for further instructions to:


(Please do not send emails to Sabrina or Nicole's personal emails. Thanks!)

You MUST be a current BDC Member to be included.
Click below to join the BDC or renew your membership. 

BDC Members
 
 
DOCUMENTED Acquired by CNN FILMS
and in competition at IDFA!
 

by Jose Antonio Vargas
Co-Produced and Edited by Sabrina Schmidt Gordon

Read More: 



And if you're in Amsterdam, please join us at IDFA!

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
November 20 - December 1

  • In 2011, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas outed himself as an undocumented immigrant in the New York Times Magazine. "Documented" chronicles his journey to America from the Philippines as a child; his journey through America as an immigration reform activist/provocateur; and his journey inward as he re-connects with his mother, whom he hasn't seen in 20 years.
 
* * * 

Midnight Media Capture to launch MMC Stage
Founders, Nicole Franklin and Giovanna Aguilar

And they want to hear from you!  
Please take the quick survey below!


BDC Member Nicole Franklin wants to hear from you!  Nicole and Giovanna Aguilar, as part of their company, Midnight Media Capture, are launching a new and exciting content monetizing platform: MMC Stage.  With MMC Stage filmmakers, artists, entrepreneurs can use our interactive platform to monetize content.  Discounted rates will be available to BDC Members!

Please fill out this brief survey:

You can see a description of the platform here:
* * *


BDC Support
   
The Harlem Cultural Council Needs You!
Support the Campaign!

Only 14 days left!

 click pix to watch video
A documentary film by Patricia DeArcy
Sponsored by Fractured Atlas

 The Harlem Cultural Council commemorates the legacy of jazz great Billy Taylor, along with vocalists Emory Taylor and Jeannie Faulkner who founded the "Harlem Cultural Council" and gave birth to NYC's most celebrated innovations - the Dance Mobile and the Jazz Mobile. You will hear from these trail blazers and other community greats about the exciting times of the 60's and the origin of these art institutions as well as many other art programs produced by the Harlem Cultural Council.

* * *



The Death Metal Angola Resilience Tour is a series of screenings, town-hall discussions, and concerts in communities throughout the United States that have been hit hard by economic and natural disasters. DMA will partner with local schools, community centers, community leaders, and many more to provide a platform for them to connect with each other and share thier stories of resilience, and strategies for renewal.

* * *


BDC Screenings
   

My Thiero Boys:
A Lifestyle Dealing with Autism
by Vana Thiero

Wednesday, December 4th
7pm

RAW SPACE
2031 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Blvd., NYC
Btw 121st and 122nd Sts.

vthiero@aol.com

My Thiero Boys, a film by the mother of two boys diagnosed with autism, is a raw, candid and insightful documentary that presents the joy and humor within the painful and emotional battles parents face daily in the world of autism.
* * *


BDC Catalog & Directory is accepting submissions!

The BDC Catalog & Directory is a searchable database of BDC members' work and contact information available to production companies,
networks, press, distributors, educators and others interested in
purchasing, screening, distributing member films and hiring our members.

This BDC-exclusive resource is an invaluable opportunity to
reach audiences, increase visibility, promotional opportunities,
as well as get work and generate revenue.

We have already received requests from CBS, The Documentary Channel, ASPiRE, Magic Johnson's new cable network, to name a few.
But they can't reach you and we can't refer you if you're not in it,
so please submit your information now!

Please send an email for further instructions to:


(Please do not send emails to Sabrina or Nicole's personal emails. Thanks!)

You MUST be a current BDC Member to be included.
Click below to join the BDC or renew your membership. 

Sunday, November 10, 2013

BDC Festivals


DOC NYC begins this Thursday!

November 14-21
IFC Center and SVA Theatre

Started by Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen, DOC NYC is the
largest documentary film festival in the United States,
with over 130 films and events.

click on pix for festival lineup

BDC is very proud to present an impressive selection  
of films at the festival:
  
The Stuart Hall Project

by John Akomfrah

**NYC Premiere**
  
Mon, Nov 18th, 7:15pm
IFC Center


Acclaimed at the Sundance Film Festival, John Akomfrah's new film is an emotionally charged portrait of cultural theorist Stuart Hall.  A complex and deeply insightful thinker about subjects as diverse as feminism, Marxist methodology, migration and American hippies, the 82 year-old, Jamaican-born Hall is one of the most inspiring voices of the post-war Left.  Accompanied by a Miles Davis soundtrack, The Stuart Hall Project is an exhilarating journey though the second half of the 20th century.
  

God Loves Uganda
by Roger Ross Williams
(expected to attend)

Tues, Nov 19th, 4:45 pm
IFC Center
  • In 2010, Roger Ross Williams won the Academy Award for his documentary short, Music by Prudence, becoming the first African-American director ever to receive an Oscar.  In God Loves Uganda, he follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting the "sexual immorality" of homosexuality, and missionaries trying to convince Ugandans to follow Biblical law.  An impassioned and provocative call for change, God Loves Uganda "is strong, head-shaking stuff" (Variety).  Courtesy of Variance Films.
      
      
    Gideon's Army
    by Dawn Porter
    (expected to attend)
      
    Wed, Nov 13th, 9:30 pm
    IFC Center
    • Gideon's Army follows Travis Williams, Brandy Alexander and June Hardwick, three young public defenders who are part of a small group of idealistic lawyers in the Deep South, challenging the assumptions that drive a criminal justice system strained to the breaking point.  Can these courageous lawyers revolutionize the way America thinks about indigent defense and make "justice for all" a reality?  Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films.

    We also want to give a shout out to some films made by our BDC Friends. 
    Please check them out!  
  • Lucky 
    by Laura Checkoway
    Sun Nov 17 9:15 & Thu Nov 21 4:30p
    *NYC Premiere*
      
     Lucky Torres hides a lifetime of abuse and abandonment behind an angry, tattooed exterior.  But despite being homeless, unemployed and a single mother, the compelling Lucky still dreams of true love and success.
    Death Metal Angola 
    by Jeremy Xido
    Sat, Nov 16th, 9:45 pm
    *NYC Premiere*  
      
    Sonia runs the Okutiuka orphanage in Huambo, Angola's second largest city, nearly decimated by decades of civil war.  Her boyfriend, Wilker, is a death metal guitarist.  To raise awareness and funds for the orphanage, the industrious couple organizes the country's first ever national rock concert, tapping into the unexpected healing power of hardcore music.

* * *


BDC Catalog & Directory is accepting submissions!

The BDC Catalog & Directory is a searchable database of BDC members' work and contact information available to production companies, networks, press, distributors, educators and others interested in purchasing, screening, distributing member films and hiring our members.

This BDC-exclusive resource is an invaluable opportunity to reach audiences, increase visibility, promotional opportunities, as well as get work and generate revenue.

We have already received requests from CBS, The Documentary Channel, ASPiRE, Magic Johnson's new cable network, to name a few.  But they can't reach you and we can't refer you if you're not in it, so please submit your information now!

Please send an email for further instructions to:


(Please do not send emails to Sabrina or Nicole's personal emails. Thanks!)

You MUST be a current BDC Member to be included.
Click below to join the BDC or renew your membership. 



Saturday, July 6, 2013

Support DIFRET - an inspiring testament to the courage of women and girls





DIFRET 
by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari

Based on a true story, DIFRET is a testament to women's courage in the face of staggering injustice.


Fundraising Campaign
Ends Tuesday Jul 23, 3:27pm EDT
**Help DIFRET reach its STRETCH goal of $40,000**
*Donation of any amount is greatly appreciated*

*Only 17 days and counting*

1996. Ethiopia. 14-year-old Hirut Assefa is abducted while walking home from school by a 29-year-old farmer who intends to marry her. Hirut shoots and kills her abductor with his own rifle, in an attempt to get back to her parents.

Hirut is charged with murder and is facing the death penalty.  Inspired by this young girl's courage, Meaza, a young lawyer, embarks on a long tenacious battle to save Hirut's life.

Funds raised during this campaign will be used for post-production costs and submission to the Toronto Film Festival.  Please help this gripping film get to Toronto!



Friday, June 28, 2013

BDC Filmmakers Make 3 of Indiewire's Top 5 Films of the AFI DOCS Film Festival!




 

5 New Films To Watch Out For From AFI DOCS 
includes BDC Member Films "Documented" and "The New Black"

DOCUMENTED
Directed by Jose Antonio Vargas, Edited by Sabrina Schmidt Gordon
(CENTERPIECE GALA Special Screening)
In 2011, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas outed himself as an undocumented immigrant in the New York Times Magazine.  DOCUMENTED chronicles his journey to America from the Philippines as a child; his journey through America as an immigration reform activist/provocateur; and his journey inward as he re-connects with his mother, whom he hasn't seen in 20 years.

* * *

The New Black   

Directed by Yoruba Richen, Produced by Angela Tucker, Yvonne Welbon
(In Competition, Audience Award Winner)
The New Black explores how African-American voters have become bitterly divided on the issue of gay marriage because of homphobia rampant in one of the pillars of the African-American community-- the black church.  In the process, the film uncovers the complicated and often combative histories of the African-American and LGBT civil rights movements.


If you missed AFI, check out The New Black at 
Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco 






* * * 



BDC Support


DIFRET 
by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari
(a feature film based on a true story)

Fundraising Campaign
Ends Tuesday Jul 23, 3:27pm EDT 

1996. Ethiopia. 14-year-old Hirut Assefa is abducted while walking home from school by a 29-year-old farmer who intends to marry her. Hirut shoots and kills her abductor with his own rifle, in an attempt to get back to her parents.

Hirut is charged with murder and is facing the death penalty.  Inspired by this young girl's courage, Meaza, a young lawyer, embarks on a long tenacious battle to save Hirut's life.

Based on a true story, DIFRET is a testament to women's courage in the face of staggering injustice. 

Funds raised during this campaign will be used for post-production costs and submission to the Toronto Film Festival.  Please help this gripping film get to Toronto!

Friday, June 14, 2013

BDC at LA Film Fest, AFI Docs and More!

BDC Festivals

The New Black 
by Yoruba Richen  
 Co-Prod by Angela Tucker and Yvonne Welbon

World Premiere at LA Film Festival  **TONIGHT** 
June 14th 7:30 pm  & June 16th 6:50 pm
Also screening at AFI Docs in D. C. and the  
Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York 

An explosive new documentary which explores how
African-American voters have become bitterly divided
on the issue of gay marriage because of homophobia
rampant in one of the pillars of the African-American
community-- the church.

In the process, the film uncovers the complicated and
often combative histories of the African-American and
LGBT civil rights movements.

*  *  *

 
by Jose Antonio Vargas
Edited by Sabrina Schmidt Gordon

  
CENTERPIECE GALA Screening
Friday, June 21, 8pm 
Smithsonian Institution -
National Portrait Gallery 

In 2011, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas outed himself as an undocumented immigrant in the New York Times Magazine.  DOCUMENTED chronicles his journey to America from the Philippines as a child; his journey through America as an immigration reform activist/provocateur; and his journey inward as he re-connects with his mother, whom he hasn't seen in 20 years.

* * * 



BDC Screenings

Soul Food Junkies 
by Byron Hurt 
Special Performance by Dead Prez
Imagenation @Von King Park, Brooklyn 
Sunday, June 16th, 7pm


Baffled by his dad's unwillingness to change his traditional soul food diet in the face of a health crisis, Hurt sets out to learn more about this rich culinary tradition and its relevance to black cultural identity. He discovers that the love affair that his dad and his community have with soul food is deep-rooted, complex, and in some tragic cases, deadly.

* * *
Homegoings by Christine Turner 
@The Apollo Theatre, NYC
Friday, June 21, 7:30p
Special Performance by violinist Daniel Roumain

(click below for details) 
Homegoings is about renowned Harlem funeral director Isaiah Owens and African-American funeral traditions.  The event will feature a performance by film composer and violinist Daniel Roumain with members of the Harlem Chamber Players, and a discussion with director Christine Turner and Isaiah Owens.

* * *