DI Production Awarded Yavitz Foundation Grant
When Col. Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut, climbed aboard the ill-fated Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, he carried a moonscape drawing by Petr Ginz, an artist and writer who perished as a teenager at Auschwitz.
To help the Documentary Institute produce a film about Ginz, whose diary surfaced after the Columbia explosion, the Miami-based Jerome A. Yavitz Charitable Foundation has pledged $200,000.
“We hope the story of Petr Ginz will inspire children around the world,” said Sandra Dickson, co-director of the Institute. “In the midst of the Holocaust, Petr showed how the human spirit can prevail. His writings and drawings are his legacy and his gift to the world.”
Foundation trustee Stephen Cypen, a 1965 UF graduate, will become executive producer of The Last Flight of Petr Ginz, which the institute plans to complete in two years.
“Steve Cypen is a great friend of UF,” said Churchill Roberts, co-director of the institute. “He’s given to the Jewish Studies program, to the restoration of Newell Hall, to Hillel of Gainesville. We couldn’t ask for a better fit.”
DI Co-Directors Churchill Roberts and Sandra Dickson with Stephen Cypen.
DI Named Top Ten Program
Noting its “outstanding reputation” and its award-winning student films, The Independent recently included the Documentary Institute in its review of the best programs for documentary filmmakers,
The Academics of Documentary: The Top Ten
Filmmaker Shares HBO Experience with DI Students
Filmmaker Hilla Medalia (fourth from right) with second-year DI students.
Over the years, DI students have benefitted from the expertise of many award-winning visiting filmmakers, but Hilla Medalia’s recent visit provided students with the unique opportunity to hear about the process of taking a film from student creative thesis project to HBO broadcast.
The film, To Die in Jerusalem, looks at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the eyes of two mothers who lost their daughters in one deadly act of violence. The documentary follows the efforts of the mother of Rachel Levy, a 17-year-old Israeli student killed in a Jerusalem market bombing, to speak with the mother of Rachel’s killer, 18-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber Ayat al-Akhras. The Emmy-nominated film aired on HBO in 2007. Medalia shared with students the four-year process of shooting and editing this film and the experience of negotiating broadcast and distribution rights with HBO.
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Jessie's Dad Named IDA Finalist
Jessie’s Dad produced by 2008 graduates Boaz Divr and Rebecca Goldman, is a finalist for the IDA/David L. Wolper Student Documentary Achievement Award. One of the most prestigious student awards, this $1,000 cash prize is presented annually to recognize exceptional achievement in non-fiction film and video production at the university level. This is the third year in a row that a DI film has been considered for the Wolper award. IDA will announce the winner at an awards ceremony in L.A. on December 5th.
Standard Deviation Wins Audience Award
Standard Deviation, produced by 2008 graduates Chris Brannan and David Randag, recently took home the Audience Award in the Documentary Shorts category at the Daytona Beach Film Festival.
The film also made its West Coast debut as an official selection of the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival.
Apply Early to Reserve Slot at DI
If you are interested in learning how to craft powerful documentaries, the Institute is currently accepting applications for Fall 2009. The application process is open until June 1st. However, it is advisable to apply early, as the program admits a very limited number of students each year. Once you click on the link below, the graduate application can be found by following the How to Apply links. The program of study is Mass Communication.
