Two articles that came out right after the Uvalde Massacre in May 2022 questioning whether graphic images of the mutilated children would change gun policy left me thinking about the role of photographic images. The fundamental question succinctly stated in the New York Times article: “Would dismantling graphic images of the results of gun violence jolt the nation's gridlocked leadership into action?” Days after another mass shooting of school children, we may wish for the answer to be “Yes!”, as it would give us hope that such an atrocity would never happen again. Why is this question so
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In 2003 I was enrolled in a class taught by Vanalyne Green called “The Personal Essay Film.” I had recently fallen in love with Vanalyne—like you do when you’re an angry teenager having your entire worldview destabilized—after watching her essay film about how she got herpes from a hot cowboy that looked like the Marlboro Man. The day’s viewing was Sink or Swim by Su Friedrich. I didn’t have the words then to articulate the splendor, the darkness, the gentle wisdom of this film. But now I do.
Last year, after a string of short-term contracts at a screen institute, short film festivals, and a national public broadcaster, I began a concentrated search for stable employment. Over the course of several months, I met with friends and colleagues who recounted their experiences at cultural institutions in Toronto and beyond, searching for job opportunities at organizations that provided at minimum a living wage, a work-life balance, and emotional fulfillment. Instead, I encountered stories about poor management, few opportunities for growth, long hours with low pay, and practices that were questionable at best. Certain organizations offered better benefits, working groups, or prestige, but it soon became evident that every workplace was plagued with the same baseline issues.
Stacie McClam is a filmmaker and former 10-year educator who has taught across the United States and abroad. Stacie is the Founder of School Dismissed, a film production company focused on exposing K-12 public education issues through film. Her goal is to use art as advocacy by bridging education, film, and law. Currently, she and her team are in production for a documentary about a mother who was jailed for using her parents' address to enroll her daughters into a different school district. She is also a producer for an upcoming documentary entitled Bar Daddy: The Al Jenkins Story premiering
A hallmark of documentary films is the use of preexisting material incorporated by filmmakers to tell their story. For instance, Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 uses video clips and images of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that were captured by media companies and others. Under normal circumstances, such preexisting material is often copyrighted and requires a license to use; without one, the copyright owner may sue for infringement. Securing a license could be costly, or the owner could refuse to issue a license for personal reasons. So how
This keynote talk was delivered at Getting Real '22 and was published as part of Documentary's Winter 2023 issue. To view the video recording, click here. I wanted to share with you some stories of my journey of being a documentary filmmaker—particularly the mistakes, the struggles and the failures. Coming to America Before I even began my career, when I came to the US in 2011, I had no idea what a documentary was or what my future would be. I was 26 years old, and all I knew was that I wanted to become a journalist so I could report on the injustice I had witnessed in China. I went to Ohio
This keynote talk was delivered at Getting Real '22 and was published as part of Documentary's Winter 2023 issue. To view the video recording, which includes a brief Q&A between Erika Dilday and IDA's Director of Artist Programs, Abby Sun, click here. Anyone who wants to make change does not have the luxury of being comfortable. Documentary filmmakers know this better than anyone. Filmmakers go to difficult places, ask difficult questions and even put their lives on the line to deliver to audiences the truths that inform us, enlighten us, and hopefully lead us toward real change. But what else
To celebrate IDA’s 41st birthday, and in gratitude to the generous community who has championed our important work for so many years, IDA membership at all levels will be discounted by 20% between February 4-11, 2023. Please join us!
Editor’s Note: Anand Patwardhan, renowned as one of India’s greatest filmmakers, has amassed a considerable body of work over the course of his 50-year career, interrogating the sociopolitical systems that have convulsed India for decades. Patwardhan is the very model of an independent artist—principled about his funding sources, streamlined in his budgeting, focused on the communities he documents. Rather than a keynote address at Getting Real 2022, the programming team devised a keynote conversation with filmmaker/writer Blair McClendon, who generated a stimulating discourse about
International Documentary Association (IDA) announced the recipients of the 2022 Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund. Three projects were selected out of 19 applicants to receive a total of $75,000 in production and post-production grants, and two projects were given special mentions. Made possible by the New York Community Trust, the Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund supports feature-length documentary films that reflect the spirit and nature of Pare Lorentz's work, exhibiting objective research, artful storytelling, strong visual style, high production values, artistic writing, and outstanding music