doc it out

Feature Article #1

LAFF: Loot

I loved Loot by Darius Marder, the documentary competition winner at this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival. Marder was in the Spotlight on Documentary program the year I managed it (2006), so as you’ve read here before, I enjoy catching up with them and seeing how things have come together.

Agnes Varnum | July 3rd, 2008 | Continued

Feature Article #2

2-Year Anniversary: A New Sort of Meme

We bloggers tend to get a little pensive as the years roll by; in such an ephemeral medium, it surprises even us that we somehow manage to continue. My blog anniversary coincides with SXSW. I started writing/self-publishing after becoming inspired at the festival a little over two years ago. So, my 2-year post comes a bit late, as I was waiting for the spirit to send inspiration, and funny, it came in the form of the Indigo Girls. Interesting that the Girls also inspired my very first blog post.

Agnes Varnum | June 18th, 2008 | Continued

Feature Article #3

Cine Las Americas: Septiembres

Carles Bosch, Oscar nominated director of Balseros, takes the stage after the Austin premiere of Septiembres. To audience members who wonder where else the film might be seen, Bosch responds, there is no US distributor and he is not optimistic.

Agnes Varnum | April 17th, 2008 | Continued

Feature Article #4

SXSW 08: In a Dream

I’m not sure I’ve ever had a day at a festival like I had yesterday. Truly amazing. I watched Margaret Brown’s excellent work, then In a Dream by Jeremiah Zagar, a beautiful new film that took home the Emerging Visions Audience Award here at SXSW.

Agnes Varnum | March 14th, 2008 | Continued

Feature Article #5

SXSW 08: The Order of Myths

Margaret Brown’s The Order of Myths, is one of those rare docs that churned up my thoughts and emotions, really getting me thinking about all kinds of issues relating to race and the American cultural landscape. Besides the great cinematography and lavish soundtrack, the film never belies complexity and is all the better for its confusion.

Agnes Varnum | March 13th, 2008 | Continued

About this Site

doc it out began as the personal/professional blog of Agnes Varnum, a freelance writer and film programmer. The primary focus is documentary films, distribution of documentary and independent film and the intersection between new media tools and indie filmmaking, but also includes anything else that Agnes finds worthy of mention.

If you are interested in a review of your film or DVD, want to suggest an article or wish to contribute to or advertise on this blog, please send pertinent information using the Contact page. All submissions become property of doc it out, and there will be no promise of inclusion on the site.

“Agnes Varnum provides a lighthearted yet highly informed approach to covering the documentary scene on her blog, and offers plenty of links and resources for filmmakers to boot - from tips on getting distribution to making money online with your movies.”--Jonny Leahan, indieWIRE.com

More about Agnes:

The last few years have seen me working on a variety of projects, but the through-line is a passion for independent film, technology and finding ways to connect audiences with great work.

My latest incarnation is as the communications manager for the Austin Film Society in Austin, TX. AFS is a membership organization that produces series and premiere screenings, and provides youth media education and artists’ services for Texas filmmakers, and my role is to get the word out about our great programs. I also contribute to a variety of publications including Renew Media’s Resources blog, indieWIRE and Documentary. Past positions include marketing and publicity associate for First Run/Icarus Films and associate director for the Center for Social Media at American University.

Other related projects include programming and managing Spotlight on Documentaries at the IFP Market (2006); outreach coordinator for the Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use, a project of AU’s Center for Social Media and the Program on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest (2005-2006); coordinating panels for the Newport International Film Festival (2006) as well as sitting on the programming committee in 2006 and 2007; keepin’ it real as an AFI Fest theater manager (2006); SILVERDOCS programming committee (2004, 2005).

This blog has taken up a lot of time but has resulted in a number of fabulous new friends which I wouldn’t have made otherwise, as well as giving me a reason to stay on top of things in this crazy field of work. I continue to do a variety of freelance writing and film programming jobs, which I will post about as they come up.

If I have spare time, I enjoy scuba diving, reading and travel. I have a few ‘fabric arts’ projects in various stages of completion - keep an eye out for pics of completed work, hopefully soon.

I want to know God’s thoughts, the rest are details.
A. Einstein

I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.
Fully Alive by
Dawna Markova