American Documentary Film Festival 2016
Palm Springs, March 31, the official opening of the Amdocs takes place tonight after a morning pitch session and a film programme that runs during the whole day. Actually the festival screenings already started yesterday as one day has been added by Teddy Grouya, the founder and director of American Documentary Film Festival and Film Fund, also called Amdocs as mentioned: 150 films, 81 premieres, 35 countries
I am here for the third time and will keep you posted on films and discussions and atmosphere at this ”unique and special Desert, this mecca for the sun, fun, arts and culture…” as Teddy Grouya formulates it. Here is a slightly shortened version of his introduction from the catalogue:
Much like a filmmaker working to make the best film possible under difficult circum- stances, AmDocs constantly pushes the boundaries of how a film festival is defined. Through our year-round activities, we continue to expand our education outreach throughout the community as well as increase our presence on the international stage with expanded programming opportunities.
With the ever changing landscape on this planet it becomes more
and more vital to embrace the arts and how they reflect on our sense of humanity. Documentary film is in a unique position to potentially affect change through the most important contribution of awareness and what can lead from that awareness.
This year’s festival possesses multiple themes related to our community, our environment, our political and social structure, our history, our family, and our sense of international understanding.
With our new alliance, The North South Doc Network (NSDN), we have added a dynamic element to the festival experience for both audience and filmmaker, affording both access to films and markets they may never have seen without this unique partnership.
As always we hope that you reach out to one another, audience and filmmaker, as we are one in this world and we each gain from sharing our experiences. Make our guests feel welcome, many of whom have never been to the United States, let alone to our unique and special Desert, this mecca for the sun, fun, arts and culture…