By Paula Bernstein | Indiewire

R.J. Cutler made a name for himself as a documentarian with films such as The Academy Award-nominated "The War Room," "A Perfect Candidate" and "The September Issue." Though he executive produced and directed "Nashville" on TV, "If I Stay" marks his narrative feature film debut. Indiewire recently spoke to the filmmaker about making the transition from nonfiction to narrative with the much-anticipated "If I Stay," which hits theaters August 22.

"If I Stay" is based on the best-selling novel by Gayle Forman. How did you get involved with the project?

I read the book and fell in love with it -- mostly because I found that it was profoundly moving, surprisingly moving. I remember writing in the margins of the book while I was reading it; that I thought that there might be something wrong with me because I was having such a deeply emotional response to the material. In reflecting on it, it's because it deals with such profoundly mythic themes -- the same kind of themes we see explored in things like the Grimms' fairy tales, where a child loses her parents and must wander in the woods finding the other people she will share the rest of her life with and define the rest of her life with, which is something that is a universal experience that defines the bridge from childhood to adulthood. Gayle's book, as specific as it is to the story of the girl and her family and the romance between the girl and the boy, is a universal story of what is involved in the transition from childhood to adulthood as we define our lives by the people we love.

This is your first narrative feature film, although you have directed narratives on TV. What would you say is the biggest difference between directing non-fiction and fiction?

There are many principles that are exactly the same: your exploration of theme, your construction of narrative. The post production process has many similarities in terms of how you're constructing story and the impact that structure has on narrative and the way you develop and illuminate character. Whether you're working in non-fiction or fiction those are the same. And, of course, there are elements of cinematography that are completely the same: the way you're using the camera to express narrative and character and other elements of your story.

But the process is very different since you're starting with a script as opposed to a collection of materials. In a way, documentary is cinema verite, which is what I mostly work in. It's Michaelangelo's block of clay, and you're collecting all the material that form that block of clay and then the post-production process and the editorial process is carving away at the clay to get to what the block of clay wants to be, and that's documentary.

In making narrative, you're working with a much larger pool of collaborative artists: actors, writers, designers. You're also working with a studio and producing partners when you're making a studio film like we were. Finally, there's the big thing, which impacts far more in narrative than it does in documentary, which is the management of resources. Time and money, budget and schedule, which are the things you're thinking about at every moment in the making of narrative, but you aren't really all that much a slave to in the making of a documentary.

How many times have you heard the story of a documentary that began as a two month shoot and ended up being a two year shoot? That's a story common to documentary but not to narrative. We knew going in we were shooting 35 days and we shot 35 days. In terms of making art and making narrative art, again there are many similar principles, but it's the process that's different. They're both awesome.

I'm producing a documentary now about the life and times and world view of Marlon Brando, which I'm really excited about and about which there will be more to say in the coming months. At the same time, I had this really rich and deeply satisfying experience making this film. I loved it. I loved working with designers and working with actors and Shauna and Gayle. I had a great time at every step of the way and find the filmmaking process really satisfying. I'm hoping to have other opportunities to do more features because I think it's a really powerful medium.

Can you think of any particular skills that you honed in your documentary work that served you well in this project?

I've been making documentaries for 20 years and probably every skill I had became relevant, from storytelling in the field to being able to identify themes and recognize the relationship between the theme and character and narrative and to being able to respond to a crisis in the moment and the leadership of a team and the communication of vision to that team.

But every project is brand new and every project puts the fear of God in you. No matter how much you've done before you wonder if there will be a light at the end of this particular tunnel. It's the nature of the beast and it's a part of what compels us. Every movie is a new lesson you learn making your way through it.

Do you have any advice for documentary filmmakers who might want to try their hands at narrative?

The storytelling principles are the same. Whatever storytelling muscles you've developed as a documentary filmmaker will be extremely helpful as a narrative filmmaker. You should trust your instincts in that. Also, one of the principles that was most useful to me was my conviction that the truth will out, and that honesty and real moments will be powerful and don't have to be manipulated. I like to quote David Mamet, “Always tell the truth, it's the easiest thing to remember," and to me the more truthful and more compelling the more powerful. And that's something documentary filmmakers share and it's extremely important at every step of the way and is something that you see in the feature film work of Bennett Miller and James Marsh and Michael Apted, all documentarians.

The other thing that is incredibly useful is that we know our way through the edit process. We've braved those storms and it's a lot more harrowing to edit a documentary than to edit a narrative. If there's a message to be conveyed, if one is a documentary filmmaker and is eager to venture into narrative, I say go with confidence because you'll do just fine.

"If I Stay" hits theaters August 22.

Check this out at Indiewire.

                                                                                                                                                                       Photo via New York Times

BY Vanessa Erazo

Back in 2013, on the biggest night of year for Hollywood — the Academy Awards ceremony — a young undocumented Latina, Inocente Izucar, was thrust into the spotlight. When it was announced that the film Inocente won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short the directors, Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine, went up on stage to accept their award and took Inocente with them. In his acceptance speech Sean Fine thanked Inocente, “Most of all, we want to thank this young lady who was homeless just a year ago and now she’s standing in front of all of you.”

The circumstances of her life, chronicled in the short documentary film Inocente, are heartbreaking. She suffered physical abuse, chronic homelessness, and the constant fear of deportation since she and her family arrived in the U.S. more than a decade ago. But, through intimate interviews with Inocente, her calm voice narrating the details of her experiences, it becomes apparent that her optimism is unbreakable. She turns to art, to painting, to soothe her pain.

Just a few days ago, in a video posted on her Facebook page, she announced that she had some very big news. She explains, holding back tears, that a year ago a reporter at Univision introduced her to an immigration lawyer, Jessica Dominguez, who took on her family’s case pro bono. Dominguez helped Inocente and her family navigate the process of applying for Permanent Residency. With a huge smile on her face, Inocente announces that the paperwork has finally gone through and flashes her new Green Card to the camera. Smiling and crying all at the same time, she talks about finally being able to return to Mexico, after 15 years of not seeing her family there. Inocente’s mom hasn’t been able to see her own father in all that time.

Inocente, the documentary is available for download on iTunes and for free on MTV.com. For more info visit inocentedoc.com. Follow @InocenteDoc on Twitter and Facebook.

Check this out on Remezcla.

By Paula Bernstein | Indiewire

Got a script you'd like to see made into an indie feature? Then you must read this article.

                      "About Alex"

It's unusual for a producer to act in the movies he produces, but then again the transition of Adam Saunders from actor and theater company founder to producer isn't typical either.

As the CEO of Footprint Features, Saunders produced and acted in the company's first two feature films: "Family Weekend," starring Kristen Chenoweth and Matthew Modine, and "About Alex" with Aubrey Plaza, Max Greenfield and Jason Ritter, which opens on Friday. 

Saunders certainly has the acting cred. After receiving a MFA from the Yale School of Drama and a certificate from the UCLA School of Film and Television, he served as co-founder and Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed theater company Footprint on the Sun, which served as the foundation for Footprint Features. But while he continues to act, producing is really his main focus. "I think in a perfect world I could play a little small parts in the movies that we produce, but it's certainly not the focus and I do really get great fulfillment and love producing in its own right," Saunders recently told Indiewire.

Now at Footprint Features, Saunders and his team are actively searching for new talent for medium-budgeted (under $10 million) indie films. Indiewire recently spoke to Saunders about being an indie film producer and what sort of projects he's looking for.

¿Qué Pasión?  Is a bilingual entertainment TV web show hosted and produced by Dawn Page that features interviews with artists, entertainment industry professionals, athletes and public figures who share their news and inspirational stories.

Dawn Page attended NALIP Media Summit 2014 and pitched her entertainment show to MiTú Network’s team at the Media Makers Lounge.  It was accepted to be part of MiTú Network, YouTube’s largest Latino Network.  Recently she entered the MiTú Fama competition for the chance to win $5,000 cash, a premium-produced pilot, and a chance to star in a MiTú Original.

Let’s show our support and vote for Dawn Page by clicking the pink button below her video. You can vote 5 times per day, every day! Voting ends Sept. 20 at 12 pm PT.