Join us for a screening of short documentaries by past Reach Film Fellows with a special discussion to follow.

Cinereach’s Reach Film Fellowship is a unique annual granting and mentorship program for emerging filmmakers making socially conscious short films. About to enter its fourth year, the program results in the production of meaningful new works by fresh voices in filmmaking. It celebrates the spirit of mentorship and the always-instructive value of the production process. Two documentaries produced by Fellowship alum have been licensed for Broadcast by P.O.V. on PBS.

The discussion will touch on the making of the films, an inside look at the fellowship, and insight into how short documentaries are licensed for broadcast. Cinereach will also answer questions about it’s funding priorities and programs.

Jayden, a two year old just diagnosed with autism, goes through his first months of school in the Bronx.

A young mother from the Bronx waits to learn the verdict of her incarcerated boyfriend’s case, while she keeps his spirits high via late-night shout-outs on a popular NYC radio show.

A moving portrait of teenagers displaced by Hurricane Katrina who are grappling with a new concept of home.

Reva Goldberg is Communications & Fellowships Manager at Cinereach, a NYC not-for-profit film foundation and production company that champions vital stories, artfully told. She has an extensive background in film and TV production and audience building. Before joining Cinereach, she was a producer at Pureland Pictures where she produced the documentary All of Us, which aired on Showtime. Goldberg also co-produced Pureland’s Toe to Toe, a narrative feature that premiered at Sundance ‘09. In 2004, Goldberg was Associate Producer of an Emmy-nominated History Channel documentary on the 9/11 Commission (produced by CBS). She has worked with TLC, UPN, Discovery, The Travel Channel, Washington Square Films/Arts, Cronkite Productions and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Goldberg is a graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.

During the day, Yance Ford works as Series Producer of POV, PBS’ icon series of independent documentary films. She is responsible for coordinating all aspects POV’s annual call for entries and oversees POV’s annual programming advisory board. As a core member of the POV programming team, Yance screens all films submitted to POV and has input on the final schedule. Yance frequently represents American Documentary| POV at conferences, festivals and markets procuring work from filmmakers both nationally and internationally. Privately, Yance is a Programming Consultant and Pre Screener for film festivals around the country. She has served on juries at Full Frame, Silverdocs and ITVS, appeared on panels at Sunny Side of the Doc and DocuClub and serves on the IFP Advisory Committee. A graduate of Hamilton College and the production workshop at Third World Newsreel, Yance is a former Production Stage Manager for the Girls Choir of Harlem and has worked as a Production Manager on numerous productions for the Discovery Health and History channels and on several independent films. A trained visual artist and sculptural metalworker, she is in production on her first documentary film.

Anthony Hayden Morrison is the product of two clinical psychologists. Raised in North Carolina, he attended NYU in undergraduate film. In 2006 he co-directed Body Soldiers, a documentary about the role of protest music in fighting HIV in post-apartheid South Africa, winner of a production grant from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Most recently, he worked as a researcher for This Is Not A Robbery, for Andrew Lauren Productions, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2008. Morrison recently completed a short documentary, Bye, while participating in Cinereach’s Reach Film Fellowship program. His film received the Reach Out 2010 Award for excellence in artful, vital storytelling and a broadcast premiere for the film will be announced soon.

Nadia Hallgren is a director and cinematographer from the Bronx, NY. Her camera credits include the Academy Award nominated and 2008 Sundance Grand Jury prize winner Trouble the Water and projects for directors Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock. She has traveled over five continents making films and working with prominent figures such as Dan Rather, Desmond Tutu, Britney Spears and Cameron Diaz. Her first short film, Sanza Hanza, screened last year at Slamdance and SilverDocs. She recently directed a second documentary short, Love Lockdown, while participating in Cinereach’s Reach Film Fellowship program.

A New York-based filmmaker, Annie P. Waldman graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in Film & Television. Waldman worked under several documentary filmmakers in the New York area before becoming a Cinereach Reach Film Fellow and directing and producing a short documentary, So the Wind Won’t Blow It All Away. The film focused on homeless high school students growing up on their own in New Orleans. Celebrated as possessing a “lyrical, expressive mise-en-scene” by NY Magazine, the piece has been showcased at numerous festivals, including Sundance and CMJ. A screening of the film was also held at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, and in September, it had its national broadcast premiere on PBS’s P.O.V. documentary series. She is currently in production on her first documentary feature, Phantom Cowboys(with support from a Cinereach grant), a portrait of three industry towns in America on the brink of decline. She is also a recent recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to Israel.

Mad Hot Ballroom, Marilyn Agrelo’s directorial debut was the surprise hit of summer 2005. It enjoyed a theatrical run of over 24 weeks and is among the top 10 highest grossing documentary films of all time. Marilyn’s narrative feature film debut, An Invisible Sign, based on the highly acclaimed novel and starring Jessica Alba, is currently in post-production. Born in Cuba, Marilyn came to the US with her parents and three siblings at the age of 3. She is currently at work on a personal documentary entitled Us and Them, inspired by her family life. It is being filmed in both the US and Cuba. Marilyn has worked in film for over 15 years and has directed commercials, dramatic shorts, and interactive museum installations.