About the Center The Institute for Documentary Filmmaking The Salmanowitz Program Film Projects

FILM PROJECTS The Documentary Center not only teaches reality film production, but also produces award-winning programs for national audiences. The Center's most recent production, completed in 2002, is The Ballad of Bering Strait, a feature-length documentary film following seven Russian teenagers in their quest to become country music stars. The film was shot in hi-definition in Russia and the United States. The film documents Bering Strait's arrival in Nashville upon signing a recording contract with Arista Records and follows the band on a two and a half year journey to the American stage. Ballad is a 98 minute cultural fusion film that explores what it really means to come of age in America. The Ballad of Bering Strait has been signed by Emerging Pictures and is represented by EP President, Ira Deutchman. Click here to go to the film website. Click here to go to Bering Strait's band website. A Paralyzing Fear: The Story of Polio in America, completed in 1998, was a four year effort made possible by grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals totalling $1.3 million. This 90 minute film narrated by Olympia Dukakis examines the impact of epidemic disease on society seen through the rise of the great polio epidemics of the 1940's and 1950's. The film was released theatrically at the prestigious Film Forum in New York City. A Paralyzing Fear's broadcast premiere on was accompanied by Conquering Fear: Epidemic Disease Today, a Documentary Center-produced studio program which examines the current efforts to combat epidemic disease around the world. "Conquering Fear" and "A Paralyzing Fear" aired as a two-hour time block on PBS on October 5, 1998. A Paralyzing Fear has been the recipient of numerous awards including: Emmy Award for Best Research in a News or Documentary Program, 1999 Emmy Nominations for Best Editing, Best Music, 1999 Erik Barnouw Prize for Best Historical Film of the Year, 1999 Gold Medal, International Cindy Competition, 2000 Axiem Award for Outstanding Achievement in Television Documentary, 1999 Golden Apple Award for Outstanding Achievement in Educational Filmmaking, 1998 Golden Hugo for Outstanding Achievement in History and Biography, 1998 International Monitor Award for Best Editing of a documentary film, 1998 More information about the film can be found on the Paralyzing Fear website. The Center was also the production entity for the Discovery Channel special The Battle of the Alamo. This one hour documentary explores the events of the 13 day seige and of the subsequent creation of the myth of the Alamo. The film marks the first time in the century-long history of the Alamo in which cameras were allowed to shoot within the walls of the Texas shrine. The film received critical acclaim for its innovation in dramatically depicting events from the pre-photographic era. The film was directed by Oscar winning filmmaker, Paul Wagner, and was produced and co-directed by Nina Gilden Seavey. Reuben Aaronson acted as the Director of Photography and Skip Sorrell completed the sound design, musical composition and mix. The film received the International Monitor Award for Best Sound Design. The film has been rerun many times on the Discovery Channel and is available on home video.