Despite growing up in Germany, I only discovered Werner Herzog relatively late. While I was aware of his work from early on, Lessons of Darkness was really the first Herzog film I ever watched. Now, having seen many of his other films, Lessons of Darkness--while not necessarily my all-time favorite Herzog film--still sticks in my mind as it so vividly introduced me to his particular brand of storytelling and approach to truth and fiction. Herzog directed Lessons of Darkness in 1991. Working in collaboration with the British cinematographer and co-producer Paul Berriff, he traveled to Kuwait to
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Any filmmaker who sets out to make a documentary faces multiple challenges, not the least of which is a set of ethical issues inherent in the process. How to portray the subjects of the film? What to shoot and what not to shoot? How to edit so that the film is true to its topic and subjects, yet also works as a compelling story for the audiences? If a filmmaker is working in a foreign country or culture (or subculture), how to represent people with dignity and sensitivity to that place, time and experience? Most people not involved in filmmaking are not entirely aware of the power of the
Ribbon of Sand premiered in March at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History
Daniel Gold and Judith Helfand's 'Everything's Cool'
The making of 'The Girl Next Door'
Films Transit International, the respected documentary international sales company, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The company has made a name for itself marketing and releasing high-profile theatrical and television documentaries that focus on arts, culture, societal issues and politics. Timely and distinct, their titles include, among others, Cowboy del Amour; Manufacturing Dissent; My Country, My Country; China Blue; The Corporation; American Hardcore; Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, Crumb and The Celluloid Closet. Documentary chatted with Films Transit founder Jan Rofekamp by
Over the next week, we at IDA will be introducing--and in some cases, re-introducing--our community to the filmmakers whose work has been nominated for an Academy Award for either Best Documentary Feature or Best Documentary Short Subject. As we did in conjunction with the DocuWeek Theatrical Documentary Showcase that we presented last summer, we have asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films--the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far, and the impact of an Academy Award nomination. So, to continue this
Surviving Distribution Bankruptcies, Birthing Babies and My Debut on 'Celebrity Justice'
From Mark Kitchell's Berkeley in the Sixties. Courtesy of California Newsreel In 1968, as international socio-political movements thrived, the San Francisco Bay Area characterized the epitome of countercultural revolutions. Berkeley was rife with Civil Rights sit-ins, the Free Speech movement and anti-war protests. The Black Panther Party, founded in Oakland by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, struggled to promote civil rights and self-defense as it fed, clothed and educated underprivileged children. Across the Bay, a lengthy student strike erupted at San Francisco State, led by the Third World