For all the artistry that goes into making a documentary, successful productions always rest on a sound technical foundation. “We talk so much about aesthetics and cinematography, but we don't talk about how we make these things for real, and it's like, ‘How do you mix your paint?’” observes producer/editor Doug Blush. “That'd be like, ‘Picasso's great but he hasn't figured out how to mix his paint,’ right?” To better understand how to mix the paint—that is, what to consider, especially when approaching the editing and post-production process for a nonfiction film— Documentary went back to
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Screen Time is your curated weekly guide to excellent documentaries and nonfiction programs that you can watch at home. Hillary, a four-part series from Nanette Burstein, premieres March 6 on Hulu. The series profiles former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, interweaving never-before-seen 2016 campaign footage with key chapters from her five-decade career as a public servant, as well as interviews with her, Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and a selection of friends and journalists to round out a portrait of one of the most admired and vilified women in the world. Now available on TubiTV
Dear Documentary Community, In early December 2019, we gathered for the 35th annual IDA Documentary Awards. It was an evening to celebrate the very best documentary storytelling of the past year—to celebrate the bravery and the artistry and the persistence and the vision of documentary makers, and to thank those whose stories have been told for their generosity and courage. We honored some singular voices whose work inspires us: Freida Lee Mock and her unparalleled and ongoing legacy of telling stories that matter; Waad al-Kateab, who lived through and documented the Syrian War, resulting in
Essential Doc Reads is our curated selection of recent features and important news items about the documentary form and its processes, from around the internet, as well as from the Documentary magazine archive. We hope you enjoy! Cineuropa's Kaleem Aftab interviews filmmaker Rihty Panh about his latest film, Irradiated, which won the Berlinale Documentary Award. In Cambodia, cinema is a little bit better now than it was a few years ago because, since the fall of the Khmer Rouge, 45 years have passed, and a new generation has emerged during this time, who have started to tell their stories
Dear Readers, Welcome to our Tech Issue! Over much of 2019, we reached out to the documentary community to gauge your tools of the trade: What are your favorite brands and models of production gear and post-production software programs? Why? What do you look for when considering your primary camera? Why do you prefer prime lenses to zoom lenses—and vice versa? Do you buy, rent or share your gear? What is your budget for equipment acquisition over the next year? And we asked questions about you—demographic information, the stage in your career, your artistic role in documentary making. The
Screen Time is your curated weekly guide to excellent documentaries and nonfiction programs that you can watch at home. Premiering February 24 on Independent Lens, Jacqueline Olive's Always in Season, an IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund grantee, follows the tragedy of African-American teenager Lennon Lacy, who in August 2014 was found hanging from a swing set in Bladenboro, North Carolina. His suspicious death was ruled a suicide by law enforcement, But Lennon's mother, Claudia, his family and many others believe he was lynched. Always in Season chronicles Claudia's quest to learn the truth and
Essential Doc Reads is our curated selection of recent features and important news items about the documentary form and its processes, from around the internet, as well as from the Documentary magazine archive. We hope you enjoy! Cineuropa's Vladan Petkovic interviews Brigid O’Shea, founder of Documentary Association of Europe, on the eve of its launch at Berlinale. Like all independent and arthouse practitioners in Europe and abroad, many professionals and companies find themselves at a crossroads due to frequent restructuring and budget cuts, particularly in documentary's natural partner
For our February Member Memo, I had the unique opportunity to interview two of our IDA Members who were both nominated for the 2020 Academy Awards. While their films and journeys were vastly different, gratitude and growth are part of both their experiences. Marshall Curry won Best Narrative Short for his film, The Neighbors' Window. This was Marshall’s fourth nomination. He was previously nominated for A Night At The Garden, If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, & Street Fight. How have your experiences as a documentary filmmaker helped with crafting an Academy-Award winning
86% of Funded Projects Directed or Produced by Women IDA Announces. IDA also announced the inaugural class of Documentary Magazine Editorial Fellows.
Screen Time is your curated weekly guide to excellent documentaries and nonfiction programs that you can watch at home. We Are the Dream, from director Amy Schatz, focuses on the Oakland Unified School District’s MLK Oratorical Festival, an annual public speaking competition in which hundreds of children from pre-K through 12th grade perform poetry and speeches, both published and original, inspired by the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The film, premiering February 18 on HBO, then streaming on HBO GO and HBO Now, covers the months leading up to the 40th annual festival, as