Can Your Doc Really Change the World?

POV (US television’s longest-running showcase for independent non-fiction films on PBS) recently hosted IDA’s Doc U on the Road to examine the question “Can Your Doc Really Change the World?” with a panel of documentary heavyweights and the conversation continued afterwards with a Q&A and reception.

The panel included Academy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams (Music by Prudence), Rachel Libert (Semper Fi: Always Faithful, Boomtown), Diana Barrett, founder of the Fledgling Fund, and Cynthia López, Executive Vice President and Co-Executive Producer of POV. Read more…

Tags | HBO, Oscar, POV, Roger Ross Williams, Unicef, Zimbabwe

The Observer’s Best Water Cooler Moments

Oscar Kanye Gate has received quite some attention in the past year. The New York Observer presented a list of “Best Watercooler Moments of the Year”, and guess what’s on number 5?

5. “I’mona Let You Finish” at the Oscars

Short documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams humbly stepped onstage to accept his Oscar for “Music by Prudence” when out of no where the project’s estranged producer Elinor Burkett co-opted the mike for the sake of “the women.” Williams was later invited to Larry King to finish his speech, but was, ironically, rushed for time and once again couldn’t finish!

Find the full top 11 here.

Tags | acceptance speech, Elinor Burkett, New York Observer, Oscar, Roger Ross Williams

Zimbabwe Times: Hero’s Welcome for Oscar Award Winner

The Zimbabwe Times reports about the arrival of Prudence Mabhena, star of Music by Prudence, back in Zimbabwe:

BULAWAYO – Oscar winning disabled musician Prudence Mabhena brought Bulawayo to a standstill when she arrived from the United States on Monday afternoon.

Hundreds of residents, who included politicians from both the MDC and Zanu-PF and the Mayor Patrick Thaba-Moyo, thronged Bulawayo Airport to welcome Mabhena, who landed at 1pm aboard a South Africa Airways flight. Read more…

Tags | Liyana, Oscar, Prudence Mabhena, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Times

Roger & Oscar (video)

As we now all know, on March 7th 2010, Roger Ross Williams won an Oscar for his documentary short Music by Prudence. It became quite an event…

Tags | acceptance speech, Larry King Live, Oscar, Roger Ross Williams, video clip

New York Times: A Night Out with Roger Ross Williams

The New York Times reports on hanging out with the Oscar winner for best short documentary, Roger Ross Williams, as he makes the obligatory first stop for Oscar winners and nominees.

Read the full article online, or read the print version, appearing on March 14, 2010, on page ST4 of the New York edition.

Tags | A Night Out With..., interview, New York Times, Oscar, Roger Ross Williams

Thank you, Prudence!

The Oscar win last Sunday has been such a great gift. Not just for me, my crew, and HBO, for having made the film we wanted to make, but most of all for Prudence, her band Liyana, and the King George VI school for Children with Disabilities in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Prudence and her band members are disabled. She was abandoned and seen as a curse by the members of her family, and she has conquered so much and offers the world so much with her beautiful music.

When I started this project, I was very interested in making a film in Africa, yet I didn’t want to make a film about misery, war, or aids. I wanted to tell a story of hope. Read more…

Tags | KG6, King George VI, Liyana, Oscar, Prudence Mabhena, Roger Ross Williams

The Full Speech on Larry King Live!

Tonight, Monday March 8th, 9pm ET, director and producer Roger Ross Williams will be a guest on Larry King Live! He’ll be able to give the Oscar acceptance speech that was interrupted during the ceremony. Go Roger!
CNN – Larry King Live – 9pm ET | 6pm PT

Tags | interview, Larry King Live, Oscar, Roger Ross Williams

We won!!! We won!!! We won!!!

Music by Prudence just won the Oscar for Best Documentary short!!!!

Director and producer Roger Ross Williams couldn’t complete his acceptance speech on stage, but here is what he planned to say:

“Thank you, Academy. Thank you, Sheila Nevins, Sara Bernstein, my producer Elinor Burkett and my incredible crew.

I love you!!”

Tags | acceptance speech, Oscar, Prudence Mabhena, Roger Ross Williams

Nominated for an Oscar!

On February 2, 2010, my film, Music by Prudence, was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Documentary: Short Subject.

The responds so far has been overwhelming, and I like to thank everyone for their warm enthusiasm.

From the outset, this was a special project for me. Shooting in Zimbabwe was certainly one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.

With the Oscar ceremony ahead on March 7, 2010, the coming weeks will be hectic. But I promise to keep you posted on al things to come from these pages.

Cheers!
Roger Ross Williams

Tags | Oscar, Oscar Nomination, Prudence Mabhena, Roger Ross Williams