DER congratulates Daniel Cross on being named a TRAILBLAZER at MIPDOC 2008!
Daniel Cross, founding co-owner of EyeSteelFilm, is being honored by the documentary community, this week, in Cannes, France. Most recently, Daniel produced and distributed the Sundance- and IDFA-selected theatrical documentary Up The Yangtze. Cross’s previous award-winning theatrical documentaries include SPIT: Squeegee Punks In Traffic; The Street: A Film With The Homeless; and Chairman George: From Athens To Beijing. He is also an Assistant Professor in Film Production at Concordia University, Montreal.
TRAILBLAZERS:
Chosen for their innovative and pioneering work, the five MIPDOC Trailblazers of 2008 are: Rea Apostolides, producer (Greece); Bon Hwan Ku, director (South Korea); Yufuko Kuroda, director (Japan); Daniel Cross, director, producer and executive producer (Canada); and Karin Slater, director (South Africa).
They were selected by a global jury of reputed international documentary associations and festivals, including Documentary Organisation of Canada, European Documentary Network (EDN, Denmark), Encounters Documentary Festival (South Africa), EBS International Documentary Festival (EIDF, South Korea) and the association of All Japan TV Programs (ATP). The third MIPDOC International Trailblazers is also partners with the Sundance Channel, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and the Korean Broadcasting Institute (KBI). “MIPDOC’s vitality is driven by the creative and innovative professionals that network together from all across the documentary world. As the world’s largest screening event for the Documentary genre, MIPDOC gives these programmes and, indeed, all doc projects a chance to shine,” says Paul Johnson, television division director of Reed MIDEM.
Up the Yangtze A Luxury cruise boat travels to the world’s largest Dam, the Three Gorges Project. (2007; dir: Yung Chang; co-pro: NFB) Festivals: Sundance, IDFA
Punk the Vote! A street-punk decides to run for government in Canada’s richest riding. (2006; dir: Roach; prod: ESF) Festivals: Festival du Nouveau Cinema, Hot Docs
Chairman George- From Athens to Beijing A Greek-Canadian Ottawa statistician decides to reinvent himself as a troubadour in China, with a dream to ply the Olympic Games. (2006; dir: Daniel Cross, Mila Aung-Thwin) Festivals: Yorkton (special jury prize), SilverDOCS (jury prize), Big Sky, GZdoc (jury prize)
Bone Follows the creation of a modern dance creation/ tour between the Beijing Modern Dance Company and Canada. (2005; dir: Mila Aung-Thwin) Festivals: Dance on Screen (UK), Dance on Camera Festival (New York), Cinedans (Amsterdam).
Inuuvunga: I am Inuk, I am Alive 8 Inuit teenagers in arctic Canada learn filmmaking during their tumultuous final year of high school. (2004; dir: Daniel Cross, Mila Aung-Thwin, Brett Gaylor, Willia Ningeok, Sarah Idlout, Bobby Echalook, Linus Iqaluk, Laura Iqaluk, Rita Lucy Ohaituk, Dora Ohaituk, Caroline Ningiuk; Prod: NFB) Festivals: Yorkton Golden Sheaf Awards (special jury award), Taipei International Ethnographic.
RoachTrip A street-punk/activist/ filmmaker searches for freedom by hitchhiking to the West of Canada. (2003; dir: Roach) Festivals: Hotdocs, Russia Movie Eye Festival (Prize), Festival du Nouveau Cinema, Nemo (France).
SPIT: Squeegee Punks In Traffic The war on street kids in Canada, as captured through the eyes of a street-punk-turned-filmmaker (2002; dir: Daniel Cross/ associate dir: Eric “Roach” Denis; co-pro: Atopia). Festivals: Festival Nouveau Cinema, Göteborg (Sweden), Local Heroes, Trois Amériques, Nemo
Too Colourful For the League The unknown history of black hockey players (2000, dir: Daniel Cross, Mila Aung-Thwin; Prod: Diversus & Daniel Cross) Festivals: Gemini Nomination for Best Canadian Documentary, Banff International Television Festival
The Street: a film with the homeless Six years chronicling the lives of three homeless men in Montreal. (1996; dir: Daniel Cross; prod: Daniel Cross and Necessary Illusions) Festivals: Chicago, Columbus, Hotdocs (Jury prize).
