The weekend was a flurry of activity, with market screenings of Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present and the market premiere of Jesse Vile's Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet - both in the Gray theatres. On Sunday Anna and Andy we busy at the newly created Doc Corner where they held court in a session with mainly producers on the art of documentary distribution. We were told by a reliable source that our session was the most subscribed. Anna then presented a presentation on our Pop Up strand whilst Andy rushed off to UK Film Centre to speak on a panel. Phew!

And then it poured with rain.  The heavens opened up and La Croisette was literally flooded. The BFI reception which was initially slated as dusk roof top event had to be hurriedly moved to a drier, indoor location. Here we heard new creative director Clare Stewart announce the plans for the 2012 London Film Festival and naturally pressed the flesh and mingled with the great and the good of the UK film industry, a glass of rose in hand. It was great to see the likes of Film London, Tom and Kahloon from Peccadillo, Tyrone from Genesis, Charles Rubenstein from the Rio and Dave Shear of Revolver amongst other legends...

Today was the Doc Brunch, an event in its 5th year where invited guests from the documentary fraternity - filmmakers, producers, distributors - will head tables where other professionals can talk and celebrate the documentary cinema, basically a forum to connect with other filmmakers, financiers, festivals, press etc. Andy was our man on a table and by all accounts it's an event we were proud to be a part of.

Cannes goes on for another 5 days, so stay tuned for more updates, and remember to let us know if you fancy that Dogwoof bag - it's hot property on the Cote D'Azur! Simply predict who wins the the 65th Cannes Palm D'or and tweet at us using #DogwoofCannes to enter

The screenplay of Even the Rain is now available from Route Publishing, and they have kindly allowed us to publish an extract from Paul's introduction here, where Paul outlines the genesis of the film and the involvement of Howard Zinn. Order your copy from Route, and make sure you sign up to the Dogwoof Newsletter as we will be giving away a couple of copies in a future edition.

Find out more about Even the Rain on the film's website and stay up to date via Facebook and Twitter

Around ten years ago the brilliant historian Howard Zinn got in contact with me after seeing a film called Bread and Roses, directed by Ken Loach and written by myself. He wondered whether I might be interested in writing a script inspired by the spirit of the first chapter of his iconic book A People’s History of the United States. I had a great passion for this book long before I met Howard and, in many ways, it was a dream come true to try and engage with a key moment in our history: the arrival of Columbus in the so-called New World. This is not the history of Columbus as the great discoverer, but instead it tells of what Columbus set in motion on his arrival among the Taino Indian population. The very first page of the book quotes from Columbus’s own log: ‘With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.’ This first chapter, and indeed the whole book, is a homage to the resistance of ordinary people fighting those who have tried to subjugate them in different ways throughout history.

Howard wrote in his introduction: ‘I don’t want to invent victories for people’s movements. But to think that history-writing must aim simply to recapitulate the failures that dominate the past is to make historians collaborators in an endless cycle of defeat. If history is to be creative, to anticipate a possible future without denying the past, it should, I believe, emphasize new possibilities by disclosing those hidden episodes of the past when, even in brief flashes, people showed their ability to resist, to join together, occasionally to win. I am supposing, or perhaps only hoping, that our future may be found in the past’s fugitive moments of compassion rather than in its solid centuries of warfare. That, being as blunt as I can, is my approach to the history of the United States. The reader may as well know that before going on.’

Getting this film made has been a ten-year obsession, but the spirit of the above is what kept the effort alive during some very treacherous moments. Howard helped enormously by sending me many of his own books for my research. It was a colossal effort to engage with the grand narrative and investigate what life was like five hundred years ago. To write a script, you don’t just need to know what happened but you have to smell it; you need to get under each character’s skin, and try to imagine what the world looked like from their point of view, whether it’s a Taino child who first saw a bald and exhausted sailor land from Spain, or a young Catholic priest facing a furious congregation of colonists as he preached in favour of Indian rights. Howard at last gave me one terrific piece of advice, ‘Stop reading. Start writing!’

I wrote the first versions as entirely period pieces, under the title Are These Men?, inspired by a question asked by a Dominican priest Padre Antonio Montesinos, who preached in March of 1511 in what was probably the first voice of conscience against the new Spanish empire. His denunciation of the mistreatment and murder of the indigenous population was passionate and brilliant: ‘Look into an Indian’s eyes. Are these not men? Do they not have rational souls? Are you not obliged to love them as yourselves?’ Such dangerous opinions probably cost Montesinos his life.
The next stage was one familiar to many writers: the day of the double emails. I opened them in order. The first was a delighted one from Howard saying the project had been approved, and if I remember correctly was budgeted at around eighteen million dollars with casting just about to begin. The sweet adrenalin rush lasted all of thirty seconds. The second email was a brief note from a subdued Howard. He didn’t understand the reasons, but the project had been cancelled.

Some characters don’t give up very easily, and I have to say that this is true of Padre Antonio Montesinos. He may have died five hundred years ago, but he never gave me any peace. There was such raw power in his sermon delivered from that simple straw church that it kept forcing itself to the surface over the next few years in between all the other projects I was developing with my friend Ken Loach. Despite the generosity of some readers I was never satisfied with the script Are These Men? and realised it needed a radical rethink, and not just a cosmetic rewrite. Ken too was a generous critic. We discussed the hazards of making a story set centuries ago come alive on the big screen. It is not like a novel where so much can be left to the imagination. In film, the devil is always in the detail, right in front of your eyes. Who would get their kit off to actually play the indigenous people of what became the Dominican Republic? Where would we shoot it? What language would they speak? What would they look like? Even for the Spaniards complex questions arose; how much has the Spanish language changed, and what would they sound like? There are significant barriers of credibility to jump, even before the daunting challenge of trying to penetrate the imaginary life of someone from the exterminated Taino population.

So I speculated on all sorts of weird and wonderful ways in which we might tell the historical story from a totally different perspective. One was actually set in the future and others used various framing devices – from day-dreaming, to teaching, to film- making and theatre – as a way of giving the story a present-day set of lenses. But I didn’t want to jump into the daunting task of re-engaging with so much history, throwing out an entire script, and starting from scratch again, merely on spec, given that the project was very far from commercial. My friend Juan Gordon, a founding producer of Morena Films based in Madrid, decided to join the adventure.

I had the very good fortune to cross paths with the director Alejandro González Iñárritu. Alejandro was intrigued by the historical material too and, quite independently of my own critique, when he had read the period script he felt it should be told from a modern point of view and had many ideas. I felt very at home with his gut instinct.

Open City Docs Fest is London’s biggest documentary festival, hosting a diverse programme of live cinema events and screenings of more than 120 films from around the world. The four-day Summer festival (June 21-24) celebrates the best of documentary film in central London and includes screenings, premieres, live events, music, filmmakers in discussion, special cinema tent and popup festival bar.

Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present will be the opening gala for the festival - screening on the 21st June. A mesmerizing portrait of the pioneering and controversial performance artist focusing on her MoMA show, we will be releasing the film in cinemas nationwide on the 6th July so grab your tickets to this special preview quick! Find out more about this doc on the film's website

Also getting a special preview as part of the festival will be Undefeated, this years Oscar winning documentary about an American high school football team and their inspirational coach. Undefeated is screening on the 22nd June, and will get a theatrical release on August 10th - find out more.

Festival attendees will also be able to get a sneak peek at Revenge of The Electric Car, a sequel to the popular documentary Who Killed the Electric Car, on the 24th June. More info can be found on the film here.

Last but not least, the festival will show the popular Dogwoof title Abendland on the 22 June. For details on all the films showing and to book tickets visit the Open City Docs Fest website.

We will be partnering with the production team to input their marketing, distribution and sales expertise right from the earliest stages. This means that F*ck For Forest will start with a clear, formal marketing and distribution strategy that will be carried and implemented through to its theatrical release and beyond. The main obvious benefit will be that there will be an over-arching, holistic platform to launch the film both domestically and internationally.

Dogwoof’s CEO, Anna Godas: “The key objectives of this role are to build audience awareness of the film globally, and to make the films as “sales-ready” as they can be. It is about working very closely with the filmmakers, and making the most of the production process to engage audiences, and potential buyers. This is a natural evolution within our company; marketing platforms keep evolving and so does Dogwoof.”

F*ck For Forest is a tongue-in- cheek documentary following Berlin’s F*ck For Forest, an NGO that raises money for their environmental cause by selling home-made erotic films on the internet. 

F*ck For Forest’s director Michal Marczak and producer Mikolaj Pokromski are enthusiastic about Dogwoof’s early engagement with the film and the new credit:
“Dogwoof are a very 'hands on' team with a personalised approach to the projects they choose, and the right tools and attitude to create the appropriate platform for the film.  We were looking for innovative and creative marketing and distribution for F*ck For Forest and Dogwoof fit the project in every aspect.”

Find out more about F*ck For Forest and Dogwoof Global here

Obsessive idealist Sebastián has sworn to direct a film about one of the world’s most iconic figures, Christopher Columbus. He is determined to overturn the myth of the arrival of Western Civilization in the Americas as a force for good. His film will show what Columbus set in motion: the obsession with gold, the taking of slaves, and the terrible violence visited on those Indians who fought back. The brilliant actor playing Columbus constantly challenges the director, accusing him of hypocrisy and cheap manipulation. Costa, Sebastián’s friend and producer, doesn’t give a damn. All that matters is that the film comes in on time and within budget. Costa decided they will shoot in Bolivia, the cheapest, most “Indian” of Latin American countries. While the shoot progresses in and around the city of Cochabamba, civil and political unrest simmer, as the entire water supply of the city is privatized and sold to a British/American multinational. Violence increases daily until the entire city explodes in the now infamous Bolivian Water War - a war which actually took place in April 2000. 500 years after Columbus, sticks and stones once again confront the high-tech weaponry of a modern army. David against Goliath. Only this time the fight is not over gold, but the simplest of life-giving elements - water.

The film has opened to rave reviews including 4 Stars from Time Out London and The Guardian among others.

Book your tickets now on the website, and find out more on the film's Twitter and Facebook pages

MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ THE ARTIST IS PRESENT, follows the iconic performance artist as she prepares for possibly the greatest show of her career - a landmark retrospective at New York’s MoMA. To be given a retrospective at one of the world's premier museums is the most exhilarating sort of milestone. For Marina, it is far more: it is the chance to finally silence the question she has been hearing over and over again for four decades: “But why is this art?”

Ana Vicente of Dogwoof Global who brokered the deals, is enthusiastic about the sales: “We are so pleased to be working with distributors who have proven success in handling artists films. We know Marina will be in expert hands”

Christoph Ott, NFP (Germany): We are delighted to announce that we are bringing the winner of this year’s Audience Award in the section Panorama of the 62nd Berlin Film Festival MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ THE ARTIST IS PRESENT to German audiences. We have had very successful theatrical releases with other documentary films like Pina in the past and are very happy to keep moving in that direction.”

Aranka Matits , Pretty Pictures (France):  When I saw the film I was immediately taken by it, Matthew Aker's documentation of Marina Abramović's 700-hour-long solo performance at The Museum of Modern Art is utterly captivating. The artist's presence on screen is mesmerising and leaves viewers deeply moved. We can't wait to bring the portrait of this seminal performance artist and inspiring woman to audiences in France."

Hans Koenig, Polyfilm (Austria): I look forward to the collaboration with Dogwoof and  bringing this extraordinary film to the cinemas in Austria.”

Bea Cuttat, Look Now (Switzerland): We are very excited to be working with Dogwoof in the release of this film in Switzerland. From the moment we saw the film we knew it was for us. We adore the work of Marina Abramović since years and we are convinced, that the Marina Abramović  film fits in with our growing catalogue of films about artist we’ve released during the last years” 

MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ THE ARTIST IS PRESENT will open in the UK on 6 July - visit the film's website and keep up to date via Facebook and Twitter

The script of EVEN THE RAIN has come a long way over several years. Paul began with a story set entirely in the age of Christopher Columbus, recounting his voyages and his first years in the “New World”, and continuing with Bartolomé de las Casas. It was a very focussed and exciting story, but Paul decided to go further, to bring it into the present day, and to relate both the exploitation and indigenous resistance enacted and  encountered by the Spanish in the 16th century to the contemporary situation in Latin America. The Water War, which took place in Cochabamba in 2000, furnished a perfect example of civil resistance to the privatization of a commodity more valuable than gold: water. Paul’s script manages to unite past and present in a story of the filming of a period movie in Bolivia that is disrupted when the water conflict breaks out.

Directing Paul’s script presented an enormous and exciting challenge: to make three movies in one. Firstly, a period drama, secondly the near-contemporary story of the water conflict and finally, a film connecting the shoot itself to the personal journeys of the main characters, Sebastián and Costa, and the decisions they are forced to make. Maintaining the tension and drama within and between each of these three stories and leading the audience from one to the other was the greatest challenge. But in truth this complexity was a gift – a director is rarely given such an original story, with such compelling and multilayered characters, and one that resonates so richly with one of the most crucial conflicts of this century.

Given the complexity of the script, it was a priority to highlight Costa’s personal journey, his evolution and his relationship with Daniel, played by the Bolivian Juan Carlos Aduviri, the character who most directly affects him. During the shoot and the editing, I always tried to find those moments that showed this evolution - sometimes nothing more than a look, a moment of loneliness, a silence. I felt very clearly from the outset that the movie’s emotional heart (and power) would arise from the conflict of these two prominent characters and from Costa’s developing perception of Daniel’s reality: a reality much harsher, much harder than his own.

Although I had already worked with non-professional actors, the challenge here was one of scale. Not two or three non-professionals, but 20 or 30, with some cast as protagonists not extras. For me, the effort was fully rewarded: when the casting is good, the performances possess a great truth, they turn out to be very touching and truly authentic. And when you add generous professionals like Gael, Luis and Karra, the results are very convincing. I have to say the Bolivian extras were impressive. They performed wonderfully and as many times as necessary, with an unflagging enthusiasm without which the film wouldn’t have half the life it has.

All in all, EVEN THE RAIN is by far the most complicated movie I have made. It has been an adventure and a great challenge for everyone involved, but very exciting. How do you eat an elephant? Bite by bite, as the saying goes. How do you shoot a movie with so many extras, characters, and so much action? Shot by shot. That’s how I faced it, planning every scene meticulously, casting and directing all the extras individually, working phrase by phrase with actors who had never acted before, and relying on a remarkable cast and crew, Spanish as well as Bolivian.

Even the Rain is in cinemas now - visit the film's website for more info and stay up to date via Facebook and Twitter

But of course when on the Croisette one must make time for some rose and mingling, so far we've managed to talk football (Terry) with Dan Demessie the producer of Town of Runners, people watch from the balcony of the Polish drinks, join the Brit-brigade at the Petit Majestic and watch an amazing fireworks display at the opening night party on the beach (shakes out sand from shoes).

As you can see we are slaves to our work, and here's Anna Sissons, outreach extraordinaire at the Polish drinks reception on La Croisette. Struggling through the heat and the sun and representing with the new, improved Dogwoof bag.  Now don't be jealous, you too could look this good our bags are for sale at our online shop. So even if you're not on the Cote D'Azur you can rock the 'woof with this smart sophisticated tote.

Our highlight of the fest so far would be the take over of the Carlton hotel by that dastardly Dictator Sasha Baron Cohen and visiting the brand spanking new Doc Corner. Stay tuned for more updates from the south of France, where us humble Dogs will endeavour to sniff out the very best doc for your viewing pleasure.

Want to win a Dogwoof Bag? Predict who wins the the 65th Cannes Palm D'or and tweet at us using #DogwoofCannes to enter

Long distance running is a way of life in the Arsi region of Ethiopia. In a country long associated with poverty, famine and war, world-record-beating athletes are the source of pride. Many of the world’s greatest runners hail from Bekoji, a remote town in the southern Highlands. In the Beijing Olympics, runners from the Bekoji won all four gold medals in the long distance track events - more medals than most industrial countries. TOWN OF RUNNERS is a feature documentary by an award-winning director Jerry Rothwell (Donor Unknown, Heavy Load) about the young athletes born and raised in Bekoji, who hope to emulate their local heroes and compete on the world’s stage. Filmed over four years, the film follows their fortunes as they move from school track to national competition and from childhood to adulthood.

Audiences have been loving Town of Runners since it hit UK cinemas last month. Coach Eshetu even came to London for a visit! You can check out his video-diary here

Catch the film on the big screen and be part of the audience discussion with the director at one of the special Dogwoof Docs screeenings:

Gate Picturehouse, Notting Hill
12:00 Sunday 20-May followed by audience Q&A with director Jerry Rothwell
Click for tickets

Stratford East Picturehouse
20:30 Thursday 24-May followed by audience Q&A with director Jerry Rothwell
Click for tickets

Town of Runners is the third film in Dogwoof’s May season: Dogwoof Docs. Next up is Revenge of the Electric Car.

The Dogwoof Canvas bag can be used to show off your love of documentaries wherever you like - use it a film festival to show off your distribution street cred, store all your lovely Dogwoof DVD's in it or use it as a gym bag, whatever you like!

The design is slightly updated - head over to the Dogwoof shop to take a look and blag your bag here  - yours for just a tenner

Make sure you sign up to the Dogwoof Newsletter to stay updated on all the news from the kennel

The full list of titles is below, all of varying guidance ratings, the children will be able to watch and learn about the struggle for democracy and freedom of press in Burma VJ; how reformed convicts are intervening in urban violence in The Interrupters; where and how coffee is sourced in Black Gold; and learn how even in a sprawling metropolis like London someone can die and go undiscovered for three years in Carol Morley’s moving Dreams of a Life.

1. Dreams of a Life
2. Girl Model
3. Afghan Star
4. Black Gold
5. Town of Runners
6. Bill Cunningham New York
7. Burma VJ
8. The Interrupters
9. Son of Babylon
10. The First Movie

CEO of Film Club Mark Higham:”Film Club is delighted to be working in partnership with Dogwoof. Film is a uniquely powerful medium that can open up the world to young people and change the ways they see themselves, their peers and community. Dogwoof's commitment to quality documentaries that inspire creativity, thought and change means their films are a very valuable addition to our curated catalogue. Through its website and engaged network of 7000 schools, Film Club encourages young people to discover films they might not otherwise have the chance to see. Together we look forward to developing new audiences for documentary film.

Check out the Dogwoof Page and more about Film Club on filmclub.org

Dogwoof are proud to announce that we will be bringing more titles than ever before to Sheffield Doc/Fest 2012 - with 11 of our documentary films screening. Here are all the films:

Marina Abramović The Artist is Present - Following the famous artist as she prepares for a MoMA retrospective of her work, this title has already picked up the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Berlinale and we will be releasing it theatrically on the 6th July. In partnership with the festival BFI are also screening a number of films, and director Matthew Akers will do a special Q&A at the BFI on the 18th June.This film is also one of our Dogwoof Global Sales titles - watch the trailer and find out more on the film's website.

Undefeated - This doc on an American football team the Tigers won the Academy Award® winner for Best Documentary Feature this year, and will be arriving in cinemas on the 10th August. Find out more here. This will be the European Premiere of the film

Big Boys Gone Bananas!* - A sequel to BANANAS!*, Fredrik Gertten films all the corporate bullying and media spin reactions to the film that looked at the lawsuit against the fruit giant Dole Food Company. A Dogwoof cinema release is scheduled for September for this title.

Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet - An extraordinary tale of guitar legend Jason Becker, who was diagnosed with ALS at 19 and told he only had a few years left to live. The film has been picking up awards like a magnet at festivals including the Special Jury Prize and Audience Awards at Cinequest. Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet is another of our Global Sales titles.

Planet of Snail - An absorbing Korean film, Young-Chan has been deaf and blind since early childhood, and has learnt a new language with his wife and guide Soon-Ho, also physically hampered by a spinal disability. This title will be in cinemas on June 22nd - find out more here.

Chasing Ice - A new acquisition for us from Hot Docs, this film displays stunning timelapse photography recorded by National Geographic photographer James Balog showing the melting of glaciers around the world. The film won the audience award at Hot Docs and was a hit at Sundance.

Call Me Kuchu - Another Hot Docs acquisition, Call Me Kuchu has been wowing festival audiences wherever it plays. It follows David Kato, and the issues he faces being an openly gay man in Uganda as a new anti-homosexuality bill proposing death for HIV-positive gay men is introduced.

Putin’s Kiss - Hot on the heels of Putin's recent inauguration for another 6 years of power, Putin's Kiss examines the Nashi youth movement through the eyes of Masha Drokova, an 18-year-old girl who loves Putin, and everything he stands for.

Being Elmo - Currently on its UK and Irish cinema tour Being Elmo tells the tale of the famous puppet and his puppeteer Kevin Clash. Watch the trailer and find out more over on the film's website. The Sheffield Doc/Fest screening will be an outdoor event.

Town of Runners - The rural town of Bekoji, Ethiopia, produces some of the world's best long distance runners; Town of Runners delves into the story of this town and the coach who trains these athletes by following the town's young hopeful runners. Currently doing well in cinemas, you can find out more about the film and the runners themselves here

The Island President - The story of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, and his struggle to save The Maldives from rising sea levels. After Nasheed was ousted in a recent military coup, the importance of his work cannot be stressed enough. This is another title currently screening across the UK - discover more on the docs website.

Get your pass and find out more about the festival on the Doc/Fest Website, and we'll see you there! Dogwoof's Anna Sissons will also be taking part in a panel on distribution and lots of our directors will be coming over so stay tuned for more details - make sure you sign up to the Dogwoof Newsletter for all the gossip.

What about those of you who can't get to Sheffield we hear you say? Fear not, you can always organise your own screening of one of these films through Popup Cinema - head over to our special Doc/Fest page

While riot police swarmed on protesters, making hundreds of arrests, another group of young people were in jubilation, thrilled to see Putin return to the top job. Members of the Nashi youth movement celebrated in the streets, expressing their deep loyalty to Putin.

As we read the headlines and watch footage of these significant events on the news, documentary filmmakers patiently work to provide deeper, probing explorations of the social and political world we live in. Such was the aim of Danish director Lise Birk Pedersen whose new feature ‘Putin’s Kiss’ was recently picked up by Dogwoof for UK distribution. Pedersen explains:

I went to Moscow to research and get closer to ’The New Russia.’ There I met Masha Drokova, an 18-year-old girl who loved Putin, and everything he stands for. With great passion, she told me about Nashi, a youth organisation that she [represented]. According to Masha, Nashi would ensure a Russian rule of the world in the 21st Century.

Filmed over four years, ‘Putin’s Kiss’ explores the complexity that pervades modern Russia, exemplified in the story of a young girl who, as the film progresses, grows up and learns to stand on her own two feet.

"In her first feature, Danish filmmaker Lise Birk Pedersen offers a chilling view of modern Russia, its fragile — perhaps illusory — democracy, and Nashi's alarmingly fascist tendencies (mass rallies, book burnings, "patriotic education," and vilification of opponents). But, distinguished by an artful, cinematic aesthetic and astonishing intimacy, the film's emotional weight lies in the evolution of Masha's political consciousness. Putin's Kiss reminds us that all politics are deeply personal."

(John Nein, Sundance Film Festival)

Don’t miss this incredibly timely documentary, the second film in our May season of Dogwoof Docs.

Showing:

Sunday 13-May
The Gate Picturehouse, Notting Hill
Click for tickets

Thursday 17-May
Stratford East Picturehouse
Click for tickets

Click here to check out the other awesome docs that we’re showing this month.

To keep in the loop about all things documentary, be sure to sign up to our newsletter.

Putin's Kiss Trailer

The award for Best International Feature was presented to Call Me Kuchu. The Jury said “Call Me Kuchu explains a great injustice with life-and-death consequences and accomplishes the rare achievement of showing both the human tragedies and the triumphs of the struggle. Combining directorial intent with the prescience and persistence that enables a documentary’s crew to be in an important place at an important time, we the Jury recognize Call Me Kuchu for its wrenching yet inspiring depiction of people trying to succeed as humans and as activists in the face of hatred.”

Chasing Ice won the Hot Docs 2012 People’s Choice Award winner, voted for by the audience itself. In the spirit of documentary filmmaking the prize itself was crowd-funded from audiences through Hot Docs’ Doc Ignite platform. The top 10 films voted for by the audience also included Call Me Kuchu, and two other Dogwoof titles Big Boys Gone Bananas!** and Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet.

Set against the backdrop of a high school football season, Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin’s documentary Undefeated, the Academy Award® winner for Best Documentary Feature, is an intimate chronicle of three underprivileged student-athletes from inner-city Memphis and the volunteer coach trying to help them beat the odds on and off the field. Founded in 1899, Manassas High School in North Memphis has never seen its football team, the Tigers, win a playoff game. In recent decades, the last-place Tigers had gone so far as to sell its regular season games to rival schools looking to chalk up an easy win. That began to change in 2004, when Bill Courtney, former high school football coach turned businessman, volunteered to lend a hand. When Courtney arrived, the Tigers were accustomed to timeworn equipment and a sorry patch of lawn as a practice field. Focusing on nurturing emotional as well as physical strength, Courtney has helped the Tigers find their footing and their confidence.

Stay updated on Undefeated by following on Facebook and Twitter

Dogwoof has been busy at this year’s Toronto HotDocs so far closing two UK distribution deals for festival favourites: CHASING ICE, which premiered at Sundance, and Berlin winner CALL ME KUCHU. Although different in subject and style both documentaries are welcome additions to Dogwoof’s formidable documentary catalogue and will benefit from the company’s innovative marketing and distribution.

Head of Distribution Oli Harbottle brokered the deal for CHASING ICE with David Koh of Submarine. Both are enthusiastic about another partnership:

Oli Harbottle: “CHASING ICE is a stunning piece of filmmaking and the film's recent acclaim at Sundance London convinced us of the film's potential in the UK - it is great to be working with Submarine again and Jeff Orlowski is a hugely talented filmmaker who we predict will be a real name to watch.”

David Kho: “We are happy to collaborate on this great film with Dogwoof and the filmmakers for a successful UK release.”

CHASING ICE is the incredible story of National Geographic photographer James Balog who was dispatched to the Arctic in 2005 to document Earth’s changing climate. Skeptical at first, what Balog saw was too compelling to dispute. Duty-bound to act, Balog created Extreme Ice Survey, a time-lapse photography project to document dramatic changes to numerous glaciers around the world. CHASING ICE is Balog’s incredible journey to provide irrefutable proof that our planet is in crisis.

The CALL ME KUCHU deal was brokered between Oli Harbottle and Cat Le Clef of Cat&Docs. An audience favourite at Berlin this is a compelling documentary that provokes discussion wherever it plays.

Oli Harbottle: “We are proud to be taking on this deeply powerful and affecting film for the UK - CALL ME KUCHU has been wowing festival audiences wherever it plays, and it is great to continue our working relationship with Cat&Docs”.

Cat Le Clef: “It is a pleasure to see CALL ME KUCHU in such safe hands in the UK - there is no better home for such urgent documentaries as Dogwoof, who know the marketplace so well and always display interesting and alternative ways to get films out to audiences.”

David Kato is an openly gay man - or “kuchu” as the gay and transgendered citizens are referred to - in Uganda, where over 40 per cent of the population are Roman Catholic. He’s campaigning to repeal his country’s homophobic laws with his mission intensifying as a new anti-homosexuality bill proposing death for HIV-positive gay men is introduced. CALL ME KUCHU is the powerful story of Kato and his courageous team to fight against stacked odds and win rights and recognition for himself and his fellow Kuchus.

Filmed under nightfall in 21 locations across 10 nations, Abendland is a film about Europe in the early 21st century. Acclaimed Austrian director Nikolaus Geyrhalter shows us a nocturnal world, unknown to many of us. It is a world of non-stop economic activity, security and surveillance, work, play, birth and death. Geyerhalter’s scenes, masterfully edited by Wolfgang Widerhofer, produce an elegant rumination on the continent and the principle of ‘the West’. Absent of talking heads, voiceover narration (and even a soundtrack!), Abendland is a distinctive achievement in contemporary documentary film. Those familiar with Geyerhalter’s other works (Our Daily Bread, Pripytat) will recall the stunning cinematography and patient directing that prompts deep reflection on the way we live. Beginning our May-season of docs, Dogwoof are thrilled to bring you Abendland on the big screen.

Showing at:

The Gate Picturehouse, Notting Hill
Sunday 06 May, 1200
Click for tickets

Stratford East Picturehouse
Thursday 10 May, 2030
Click for tickets

Click here to check out the other awesome docs that we’re showing this month.

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Watch the trailer below:

Beloved by millions of children around the world, Elmo is an international icon. However, few people know the soft-spoken man behind the furry red monster: Kevin Clash. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, Being Elmo follows Clash’s remarkable career, while also offering a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop. As a teenager growing up in Baltimore in the 1970s, Clash had very different aspirations from his classmates—he wanted to be a part of Henson’s team, the creative force responsible for delivering the magic of Sesame Street on a daily basis. With a supportive family behind him, Kevin made his dreams come true. Featuring interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and Clash himself, filmmaker Constance Marks’ insightful and personal documentary tells the story of one of the world’s most adored and recognizable characters and the visionary behind the icon.

Watch the film's trailer, find your nearest screening and book tickets for Being Elmo by visiting the film's website. If there is no screening near you then why not host your own via Popup Cinema?

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Better this World is now available to own on DVD, and to watch online via Dogwoof TV.

Boyhood friends from Midland, Texas are arrested on terrorism charges at the 2008 Republican National Convention. Better This World follows the journey of David McKay (22) and Bradley Crowder (23) from political neophytes to accused domestic terrorists with a particular focus on the relationship they develop with a radical activist mentor in the six months leading up to the convention. A dramatic story of idealism, loyalty, crime and betrayal, BETTER THIS WORLD goes to the heart of the War on Terror and its impact on civil liberties and political dissent in post-9/11 America.

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Oddly, I never really decided to make BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY. Nine years ago, my husband James Miller, who is a DP, was shooting at Sesame Street. Our daughter Sophia was about two years old and James brought a brag book to the set. When he returned that evening, he handed me a VHS tape and to my amazement Kevin Clash had agreed to make a tape for Sophia in which Elmo and James were looking at the pictures and addressing Sophia through the camera. Who was this man, I wondered, who took considerable time to make a tape for complete strangers? I had seen the furry red one on Sesame Street and always found him plucky and very appealing. I noticed the way the puppet was manipulated, this character was conveying a wide range of behaviors with tremendous subtlety. I was intrigued.

Years later, James called me from the set. He said "I'm at Sesame today and Kevin Clash is here." Impulsively, I blurted out: "You tell that man that your wife has a crush on him and wants to make a documentary about him.” That night James came home with Kevin's assistant’s phone number. That was it. No heavy deliberations or soul searching -- just an opportunity that I grabbed and thought: if he says yes, I'll figure out a way to make it work.

In an interview, Frank Oz explains that when anyone puts a puppet on their arm, they say things through the puppet they would not ordinarily say. This is true for Kevin, too. We were screening footage of Elmo and Tyra Banks—who were co-presenters at the Daytime Emmy Awards—and Tyra was wearing a very revealing dress. Elmo proclaimed "NICE DRESS... HUBBA HUBBA!!!" as his face scrunched up in excitement. It's hard to imagine Kevin saying that, but Elmo, no problem. As Kevin's mother says in the film, "Kevin comes alive through Elmo."

GETTING STARTED IN FILMS

When I was 13, I had a friend whose father was a filmmaker. They introduced me to the world of filmmaking. I always connected to images and music more easily than the written word. My father bought me a tiny splicer, some super-8 film for the family camera, and a tiny reel-to-reel viewer. I worked and played with those tools for hours on end. From a young age, I knew I wanted to find a way to work at this craft as a career.

The biggest break I got was when the legendary filmmaking team David and Albert Maysles hired me. I was first a production assistant and then became an assistant editor. Working with them was where I learned what skillful filmmaking looked like. Being surrounded by lots of films that were being cut in their many rental cutting rooms was an education.

When the Steenbeck was our editing means, I was syncing dailies for the Maysles. I was very young and inexperienced, so when a call came from Albert Maysles asking to speak to the assistant editor, I was astonished. He wants to talk to me? Why? Albert explained that I was the first one to see the footage and because they were far away, he needed feedback. He asked me which characters were most compelling; if the lighting was adequate; and if the story seemed interesting. I was learning from the best. This was an invaluable experience and opportunity that taught me the essentials of filmmaking.

Being Elmo is in cinemas now - find out more on the film's website