Episode 561: In The Seats With....Michael del Monte and the 'Art of Documentary' Film Festival

It's time to embrace something new....and learn about the nuts and bolts of making cinema....On this episode we are diving into a unique film event taking place tomorrow in our fair city.  It's time for the "Art of Documentary" film festival.The inaugural Art of Documentary Film Festival which takes place Saturday July 15, from 11am - 9pm, at Innis Town Hall Theatre.Featuring finalists’ films from the One Day Doc Contest (a 24-hour challenge to make a film by current students) alongside AOD Funded films, and films from past and present students, instructors, and the wider documentary community.One of the seven selected films will be chosen as the winner, and will receive an AOD Film Distribution Deal including a film premiere on AOD Films YouTube Channel, festival submission and funding advice, promotional funding, and more. The One Day Doc Contest winner will be announced during the festival on July 15.AOD Films, a new initiative launched this year, is funded by the Academy’s AOD Film Fund which helps members bring films to life through funding, producing, and licensing original films from AOD’s current and past students. AOD will also be hosting Q&A sessions with award-winning filmmakers, Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson from Compy Films, (Scarborough, Take Light, Frame 394, Love Letters from Everest) discussing the changing landscape of documentary film, as well as with Oscar-winning short filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi and her film, Period. End of Sentence, who will talk about the creative process behind their films. This is a vital and educational event for all levels of film lovers, and we had the unique pleasure of sitting down with co-founder of AOD Films and a filmmaker in his own right Michael del Monte.  We talked about the origins of the school which evolved into a festival and the state of the business as successful filmmakers actually make an effort to pay it forward and keep the art of documentary filmmaking going.