This decade has given us some of the boldest, most informative and timeliest documentaries in film history, and with it coming to an end, many of us here in the IDA staff are looking back on the films that had a special or significant impact on us, not just as documentary professionals, but as documentary lovers. Check out these IDA staff picks and find links to watch some of the best nonfiction storytelling on major streaming platforms, all the way from 2011 to the current moment. And make sure you use a legitimate streaming service to directly support the filmmakers and filmmaking team
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Screen Time is your curated weekly guide to excellent documentaries and nonfiction programs that you can watch at home. Premiering December 16 on HBO and HBO Max, The Art of Political Murder tells the story of the 1998 murder of Guatemalan human rights activist Bishop Juan Gerardi and how it stunned a country ravaged by decades of political violence. Just two days after presenting a damning report blaming the atrocities of the civil war on the Guatemalan military, Bishop Gerardi was found dead in his home. The documentary highlights the team of young investigators who take on the case 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! IndieWire’s Eric Kohn brought together filmmakers Brett Morgen and Alex Winter for a conversation about their respective films, Montage of Heck and Zappa, two archive-heavy docs about musical icons Kurt Cobain and Frank Zappa. There’s this misconception that doing an archival film is easy. If you do an interview-based documentary, you have dailies. If you have an
This month, we’re featuring Maya Zinshtein, one of our international members in our Fiscal Sponsorship Program for her project, ‘Til Kingdom Come. Maya began her work in the documentary filmmaking world first as an investigative journalist and documentary producer, then most recently as a director. IDA: What is the inspiration behind creating ‘Til Kingdom Come? MAYA ZINSHTEIN: ‘Til Kingdom Come follows the untold story of the unholy alliance between Christian Evangelicals in the United States and the State of Israel. This bond was celebrated during Trump’s presidency and shaped the lives of
Before the coronavirus crisis, the “essential worker”—flexible shorthand for the anonymous, hardworking, underpaid populace that allow our country (and all countries) to function—was hidden in plain sight. But with this sudden awareness that not just healthcare professionals, but also everyone from factory workers to grocery store employees are putting their lives on the line for little acknowledgment and even less financial renumeration should come some collective soul-searching. Fortunately, there’s Loira Limbal’s Through the Night to spur us on. In her Tribeca-premiering (and IDA Enterprise
The recently concluded International Documentary Film Festival at Amsterdam, the largest documentary film festival in the world, managed to host some live events, while most of the activity was virtual. Even so, almost as many film professionals attended as in previous years, and the socially distanced live events were nearly sold out. The recurring theme of this year’s festival—one that has been building ever since Orwa Nyrabia took over the festival from its founder, Ally Derks—is that of decolonizing the documentary. That was as evident in the films as in the many panels, post-film
Screen Time is your curated weekly guide to excellent documentaries and nonfiction programs that you can watch at home. Premiering December 8 on HBO, 40 Years a Prisoner, from Tommy Oliver, chronicles one of the most controversial shootouts in American history: the 1978 police raid on the radical, back-to-nature group MOVE by the Philadelphia Police Department. Using eyewitness accounts and archival footage of the confrontation, the film illuminates the story of a city grappling with racial tension and police brutality with alarming topicality and modern-day relevance. Mike Africa Jr., the son
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! The New York Times’ Elisabeth Vincentelli talks to HBO’s executive vice presidents of documentary and family programming, Lisa Heller and Nancy Abraham, about how the cabler has fared in the post-Sheila Nevins era, amid heightened competition from the streaming giants. It’s a question of being open to where the story takes you, and alert to the cues and the
Screen Time is your curated weekly guide to excellent documentaries and nonfiction programs that you can watch at home. Streaming in virtual theaters through Film Movement starting December 2, David Osit’s Mayor, an IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund grantee, follows Musa Hadid, the Christian mayor of Ramallah, during his second term in office. His immediate goals: repave the sidewalks, attract more tourism, and plan the city's Christmas celebrations. His ultimate mission: to end the occupation of Palestine. Rich with detailed observation and a surprising amount of humor, Mayor offers a portrait
If there’s a silver lining to festivals that went virtual during the pandemic, it’s this: A whole nation of viewers could potentially participate. The question was how to let everyone know. That challenge was on the mind of organizers when planning the eleventh edition of DOC NYC. Artistic Director Thom Powers knew one thing for sure: “It was very important to us to not shrink the festival. A lot of film festivals this year had either cancelled or reduced in size because the shift to an online environment was daunting enough. I understand that decision. But for me, what that reduction means is