Filmmaker Summit at DCTV

“It’s Time for Docs to Rock,” began an email from Michael Moore to a group of independent documentarians. “we are here to commit ourselves to making compelling, thrilling exciting and provocative feature films that tell stories that keep audiences in awe.” After meeting at this year’s Traverse City Film Festival, Moore, DCTV’s Jon Alpert and a score of other filmmakers decided that something must be done to ensure a future for independent documentaries. A discussion at the festival led to a group commitment to meet again and pursue solutions to the waning presence of the documentary in theaters. Yesterday, a group filmmakers met at DCTV, some in person and more videoconferencing or phoning in, some from as far as Russia. Moore led the discussion, in which he laid out concrete proposals for action.

Dedicated to the primacy of the theatrical experience, Moore’s proposals would lead to the growth and sustainability of theatrical distribution of documentaries. He began by reaffirming the group’s dedication to making films that will draw an audience to the theaters, to make movies that are, “[entertaining], hilarious, romantic, thought-provoking, tragic– but most of all, movies that transport the audience to places they haven't been before, […] with the same intentions of any enlightened Hollywood movie, big or small, that has a deep respect for the audience's intelligence. The only difference is that our stories are nonfiction and they are best experienced on [the big screen].” He suggested that too many documentaries submitted for theatrical distribution are made in a TV format, over-saturating the market with pieces that could just as easily be seen at home or online. By distributing cinema-oriented films, Moore theorized, documentarians would create an audience attuned to and excited for this unique genre.

Over the course of the two-hour conversation, the filmmakers discussed the current opportunities for distribution, as well as potential alternatives. A cooperative of independent filmmakers could assist in the traditional mode, such as getting a film noticed by distributors, or by providing grassroots support for filmmakers who choose to self-distribute. Possibly the most interesting and captivating suggestion was one of Moore’s, which was to institute “Mike’s Movie Night,” a weekly screening of a selected independent documentary simultaneously at theaters nationwide. The film would be a hand-picked quality documentary, introduced by Moore and immediately followed by an interactive Q & A with the people behind the movie. The filmmakers would be compensated far more than by traditional methods, and a screening at “Mike’s Movie Night” could lead to an extended run nationally or locally and potential release through a distributor. The discussion centered around the logistics of the movie night and discussing first steps in its inception.

The group has made plans to meet again in the near future and will be moving forward with the project. Moore and DCTV were very excited to host the event, are enthusiastic about the co-operative’s future and intend to give it their full support.