The mixed part was that the business of documentary filmmaking is increasingly off kilter.  I looked around the table at the commissionning editors who were part of the Toronto Documentary Forum and it was startling to see how little energy there was, how little change there was in terms of new blood and how little opportunities there are for US filmmakers in that universe.  Why? Most of the attendees are from public broadcasters scattered throughout the world. The amount of money they can offer a foreign filmmaker is meager, their value is in their capacity to stimulate funds set up in each country for the citizens of that country.  So, perhaps they can put up 10 – 20% of the budget, well in their country that makes it possible but for an American pitching to them, it’s not much use.

I think the greatest creativity when if comes to social media is on-line. There are so many innovative, cutting edge things being launched that the old form (feature docs), while wonderful to watch and important for many reasons, lacks financial support.

It’s always a risk averse universe where people be on horses they’ve ridden before.  I know the world.  I can be part of the clique, but I don’t like cliques and I don’t like elites so it’s not comfortable for me.

More good things…

The pitch for Connected went well.  I was nervous most of the week trying to figure out how to be concise in the presentation, but still remain real.  Not an easy thing when your film is about information and Communication Technology … right?  I think we did a good job.  My partner Mara pushed and pushed and it was much needed and deeply appreciated.  Anyhow, you be there judge.  Click this link to read the transcript.

I believe in what we are doing and confident that the right ideas always surface. I believe this is our destiny and I know it will happen.  So keep following us… it’s going to be a fun ride!

THE FARM: 10 DOWN

Premieres on The National Geographic Channel Tuesday, June 16th
@ 8PM Eastern/ Pacific!

Please note the official television title of the film is :
A DECADE BEHIND BARS: RETURN TO THE FARM

Please check your local listings

I just wanted to let you know how pleased I am to have had the opportunity to work with Jonathan and Highest Common Denominator on this extraordinary film. 

In a medium where projects can sometimes be disposable, it was a pleasure to work on such a well crafted and thought-provoking project. 

Here’s hoping for great ratings and other great projects in the future. 

Best, 

Mike Welsh, Executive Producer, National Geographic Channel

THE FARM: 10 DOWN

Premieres on The National Geographic Channel Tuesday, June 16th

as “A DECADE BEHIND BARS: RETURN TO THE FARM” @ 8PM Eastern/Pacific

VIEW THE TEASER TRAILER FOR THE FARM: 10 DOWN

I met Elma Shaw a little over a year ago, when I was in Liberia making a film for Amnesty International about women after war. Amnesty International wanted to highlight the lack of reintegration support for women who had been child soldiers during the war. Elma had returned to work with an NGO after living in the Diaspora (in Washington DC). The Amnesty International Producer, Tania Bernath had met Elma at the Truth and Reconciliation Hearings. Tania and I were both immediately drawn to Elma’s spirit and intelligence. When I found out that she was about to finish her book, it struck me as an intriguing device to include readings from her book as narration for a film.

I wanted to make a film that had a different spirit than maybe the more typical documentary about war. Certainly it would include the fear, violence and tragedy that the war created, but it would also be gentle and hopeful, even loving, for there is something about the women we met and worked with – Elma, Florence Ballah, Jackie Redd and Mickey Kesseley – that struck me as both powerful and empathetic. Indeed, I accessed the footage from the one shoot to make both the Amnesty piece and THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION. The films are different though, Redemption Road is a bit more poetic and WOMEN OF LIBERIA: FIGHTING FOR PEACE for Amnesty International is a more utilitarian portrait.

I actually shot this film. Mostly a decision that was required under the circumstances (I was the only one who had any experience shooting) and in fact I loved it. It is very healing and satisfying to be the shooter and the director. I wonder now, could I shoot other films? Not feeling confident about my hand held capacity, the entire movie is shot from a tripod. At least no shaky shots… Clearly there are some films that require hand held, but this one worked very well with a more controlled aesthetic.

My recommendation to young documentary filmmakers is to learn all the skills for filmmaking (camera, sound, editing) so that they can, if there is no other choice, do it themselves as well as up the chances of being hired for other filmmakers work…If I could it over again, I’d have learned them all.

It’s been a wonderful few days at Mountain Film in Telluride, Colorado, a festival where THE FARM: TEN DOWN had its premiere. And while the festival focuses mostly on the environment with this year’s emphasis on ‘food’, there’s an open and mindful spirit here such that all ideas are embraced as part of a bigger look at global issues.

The film played beautifully, and the biggest treat was having Ashanti Witherspoon there (and his wife Susan). Not surprisingly, he’s the one everyone is hungry to hear from… and this is as it should be. Bottom line is Ashanti spent almost 30 years behind bars. I simply came to tell his story. When given the chance most people want to meet the person who has lived the story rather then the storyteller. Primary experience rules…..

Talula declared upon watching my film that it was the best one at the festival. This wasn’t surprising since we didn’t see any other films (a lot of time going up the gondola, visiting the water falls, hanging out in town, rock climbing). What was amazing is that she actually managed to watch it from start to finish and had good questions to boot. For example, she wanted to know if while in prison, a man can go from bad to good, and what was it that made them go from good to bad in the first place. No easy answers to that one.

I personally remain convinced that while the majority of people in prison have done bad things, relatively few are actually bad people. When immersed in a positive environment people will exhibit positive behavior and the reverse holds true as well. I remember a young man who was in a film I did many years ago, HARLEM DIARIES. Teenager Cass Calonzo (an immigrant from the Congo who was at Rikers when I met him) said to me that when he looked out his door there were junkies and drug dealers on every corner and that if he did nothing but hang out in front of his home he’d get in trouble. To do well he had to travel by subway. Simply put, it was a hell of a lot easier to do bad than do good. (Side note is that he was eventually deported back to Africa, where he had lived only until 5, but returned years later to Canada where had been living a successful life ever since).

A true confession is that while making THE FARM: TEN DOWN (and before I even started) I was anxious that it not be simply a ‘dvd’ but stand on its own as a valid film. No doubt, my nervousness was compounded by the success of the original film THE FARM which was an almost perfect project in all aspects. And let’s face it, sequels are troubling and challenging. They usually fail to satisfy. I don’t claim that this film works as well as the first one, but it is its own phenomenon. The ten year journey, including the release of Ashanti and the Bishop, is amazing content. In the end, if THE FARM’s central theme was ‘to err is human, to forgive Divine’ than this film provides an opportunity to witness the value of forgiveness over time.

No doubt that Ashanti and Bishop have much to offer all of us. Here in Telluride, that leg of the journey has begun.