It is with mixed emotions that I write to inform you, my dear documentary festival lovers, that Amy King (pictured right with Sky Sitney), that bright, friendly face of Silverdocs who I so look forward to seeing each June and on the festival circuit scouting projects during the year, is taking a hiatus from the film world. If you recall those fabulous reusable shopping bags our swag came in this year or that Silverdocs was the first doc fest to go carbon neutral here in the U.S. AND if I tell you that Ms. King spearheaded those efforts, you might not be surprised to hear that she has taken a position with an environmental company at Dupont Circle, Ground Zero of Washington lobbyists. She will use her mighty marketing skills in service of an issue she is passionate about, which is a wonderful way to transition from one project to another, so I wish her much luck in her efforts and am crossing my fingers for her success.

Amy promises that she will still find her way in and around film circles, and dropped hints about a possible new film project on the horizon. Stay tuned for updates at her indieWIRE blog!

Think deeper. Silverdocs, the AFI/Discovery Documentary Festival, held from June 12-17, invited guests to ponder faith, music, democracy and war, in their program of 100 films from 42 countries, in addition to explorations in documentary craft and the future of the business of documentary through their special events and conference panels. It’s a lofty goal to ask film goers to “think deeper” but this years’ fest did indeed provoke lively conversations and set a high bar for intellectually engaging festival attendees. Read the entire article>>

Silverdocs, the AFI/Discovery Doc Fest begins this week in Silver Spring, Maryland - my old stomping ground. I was on the programming committee for the festival in 2004 and 2005, and I’ll be going back this year, which I’m excited about. They have a newly launched website complete with schedule, podcasts from previous events, film trailers and photos, along with the whole International Documentary Conference line-up. The doc extravaganza kicks off on Tuesday night with Pete Seeger: The Power of Song by Jim Brown.

In the line-up are fest favorites such as The Monastary by Pernille Rose Grønkjae, We Are Together by Paul Taylor, Esther Robinson’s A Walk Into the Sea, AJ Schnack’s Kurt Cobain About a Son and the recent Tribeca winner, Taxi to the Dark Side by Alex Gibney, among many others.

Some films that haven’t made as big of a splash but definitely worth checking out: Enemies of Happiness by Anja Al-Erhaye, Heddy Honigmann’s Forever, The Devil Came on Horseback by  Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, and Buddha’s Lost Children by  Mark Verkerk.

On my must-see list are Almudena Carracedo’s Made in LA, Lake of Fire by Tony Kaye, Audience of One by  Michael Jacobs and Souvenirs by Shahar Cohen and Halil Efrat.

If you will be there, give me a shout-out on the contact page or find me at the Cinema Louge. Vive DC!