Just saw that the short list for the 2010 Oscar for Best Documentary has just been announced. Very excited for Mai Iskander and her film Garbage Dreams– got to meet her at the ITVS Producer’s Conference last year. Also stoked for Every Little Step, a film I was not prepared to like so much (and a fellow musical-themed documentary). Noms are below– more info is blogged here at Rope of Silicon. Congratulations, everyone!

• The Beaches of Agnes, Agnès Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris)
• Burma VJ, Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films)
• The Cove, Louis Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society)
• Every Little Step, James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame)
• Facing Ali, Pete McCormack, director (Network Films Inc.)
• Food, Inc., Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films)
• Garbage Dreams, Mai Iskander, director (Iskander Films, Inc.)
• Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders, Mark N. Hopkins, director (Red Floor Pictures LLC)
• The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, directors (Kovno Communications)
• Mugabe and the White African, Andrew Thompson and Lucy Bailey, directors (Arturi Films Limited)
• Sergio, Greg Barker, director (Passion Pictures and Silverbridge Productions)
• Soundtrack for a Revolution, Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, directors (Freedom Song Productions)
• Under Our Skin, Andy Abrahams Wilson, director (Open Eye Pictures)
• Valentino The Last Emperor, Matt Tyrnauer, director (Acolyte Films)
• Which Way Home, Rebecca Cammisa, director (Mr. Mudd)

Late in posting this… still not completely able to admit to myself that I am blogging.

GIRLS ON THE WALL was awarded a Special Mention jury prize at the Chicago Int’l Film Festival. We were flattered and excited to be honored among an amazing collection of films. Our whole crew had a blast at CIFF– it was really great to premiere this film in the city where it got its start.

Hot Springs Documentary festival was also a blast… fun to meet fellow filmmakers such as Bill Daniel, whose rail-riding graffiti film WHO IS BOZO TEXINO? was both atmospheric and incredibly engaging, and Bayou Bennett, whose film ME, MY FATHER AND THE HURRICANE was the talk of the town. CMJ was great too, but by then I lacked the energy to take any more pictures.