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  • "An Afternoon with Aasif Mandvi"

    Aasif Mandvi, writer and star of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival’s opening night film, Today’s Special, charmed the audience during an interview with Festival Director Chi-Hui Yang.

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Great and Greatest: Sam Cooke, subject of a Bay Area-made documentary, produces a record with help from his friend Muhammed Ali in 1963. (Photo by Getty Images, courtesy filmmaker)

In Production

Antonelli’s "Crossing Over" salutes Cooke’s soulful genius

The first interviews John Antonelli recorded for his documentary about the late singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, back in 1998, were with music-industry heavyweights Herb Alpert and Lou Adler. Needless to say, a whole lot more people found themselves in front of Antonelli’s camera in the ensuing years. The patient, persistent Marin County filmmaker is finally ready to share the fruits of his labor, and the timing is pretty sweet. The new year gets off to a smooth, soulful start when PBS’ “American Masters” airs Sam Cooke: Crossing Over on January 11, 2010. Not coincidentally, it’s also four days before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday.

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The Edit Room

Documentary story structures that funders love

We all know an editor who needs to get out of the edit room more often. (I just have to look in the mirror.) I recently had the delightful and heady experience of being on the other side of the fundraising table, giving the thumbs up or down to a slew of documentary directors seeking money for their works-in-progress.

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Horse sense: Filmmaker Caroline Kraus looks for answers in a cross-country journey that takes her into the world of a horsewoman in her 40s.

In Production

On the road, in search of a film

Every film necessitates a leap—of faith, of self-confidence, of finances. Caroline Kraus’ nascent undertaking might be viewed as a full-feathered flight of fancy. For it is the exceptionally brave (or foolhardy) first-time filmmaker who’s willing to embark on a road trip in the face of a deepening recession with a rough outline, a firm destination, little money and no ending. "The unifying theme of the project is underdogs," says Kraus, "and our notions of success, failure and disappointment." With a bit of luck, Kraus will be able to explore the latter without having to experience too much of it.

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