Oh what a year it has been and I’m coming in for a soft landing as I reflect on the last year at American Documentary. Despite the challenges we’re facing in public media, I continue to find inspiration in the work, from my colleagues on staff, the filmmakers we champion, and the network of stations and organizations who are our partners and unwavering supporters in our shared mission to bring bold, visionary nonfiction films to audiences around the country. Collaborations are the lifeblood of this work and with new seasons on the horizon, I’m energized by all the possibilities to raise the bar even higher and find more ways to bring people together around POV films. Throughout my time at AmDoc, I’ve come to better understand the PBS ecosystem, how and why we program POV films, and how we help film teams get through the process of getting their films to broadcast and beyond. These are critical and important conversations that are nurturing to the core. Just as vital and informative is being able to get to know the PBS station staff around the country who support our films, help us reach audiences, and partner with us in meaningful ways.
I’m also an independent film curator and my work has been presented at museums, galleries, community art spaces, independent movie houses, micro-cinemas, and even at a furniture showroom. The north star and roadmap of my personal approach to curating has been to connect to the pulse of the present but avoid the trend, look to the past and oftentimes, away from the center, find a compelling through line and, perhaps most importantly, look at who is behind the camera just as much as whose in front of it. In the programming at POV I see an affinity, a parallel approach where I learn from and lean into. Any space has the potential to be charged, charmed or otherwise transformed into a powerful platform for dialogue and conversation and I’m always impressed by ways in which my colleagues on POV Engage work with partners to respond to community needs and create communal experiences in an intentional and impactful way. Working collaboratively with filmmakers, artists and any venue or organization means that shaping or rethinking the space to accommodate the work can pave the way for new ideas to take hold, where one can embrace the dark unknown corners and contours deserving of light. And listening to film teams, to being open to what may be the deeper message of the film, to not being afraid of complexities, nuances and discomfort. This underscores the power of Art and Film, of what it can and should do!
Speaking of listening... I'm looking forward to sharing my latest curatorial endeavor Sky Hopinka: Sonic Transmissions which opens on January 10 at Slash Art in San Francisco, where I’m based. Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians) was the first person that came to mind when I was invited to curate a show at Slash Art. I am mesmerized by his experimental approach to the moving image, to history, to place and the beautiful abstractions of imagery, his textured soundscapes and personal narrations that compress and expand time and space. He explores, rather he counters, Native American representation and the ‘colonized gaze’ to center contemporary Indigenous experience through nonfiction films, experimental video, photography and poetry. The conceptual point of this show began with Sky’s quote “I make work for an Indigenous audience. You can watch if you’re not part of these communities. But just know that I’m not going to be doing a lot of explaining. And I don’t think it’s a lot to ask a non-Indigenous audience to try and keep up a little bit, or to try and ask questions later on, or to just stop and listen.” Sonic Transmissions is a conversation with ghosts, passengers, viewers, passersby, the unsuspecting, and for tribal communities. Stop and listen. Sky’s recent documentary Powwow People is on the festival circuit now so don’t miss out on a chance to see it.
Thanks for reading, for sticking with American Documentary and trusting us with our programming. If our work inspires you as it has for me, please consider supporting us with a gift so that artful, thought-provoking documentaries continue to be free for all and that we can continue to be a home and platform for filmmakers and the stories they tell.
Wishing you all a safe, healthy and happy holiday season, and a very Happy New Year!
— Gina Basso
Communications & Station Relations Manager, American Documentary | POV
