While Documentary is to be lauded for giving attention to the fair use revolution, Cynthia Close's review of Reclaiming Fair Use by Pat Aufderheide
Legal
On January 24, by unanimous vote, documentary filmmakers got a big boost from Congress. The House of Representatives passed the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act (aka the PRESS Act). It’s a journalist-protection bill that could easily have been called the Protect All Documentarians Act. Although the PRESS Act makes no specific mention of documentary filmmakers, federal courts uniformly include documentary filmmakers in their definitions of journalists. In fact, documentarians stand to be one of the bill’s biggest beneficiaries.
SECTION 1: Julian When I began the lengthy process of reporting and directing my feature documentary, The Holly (2022), there were plenty of
Roadrunner, Oscar-winner Morgan Neville’s documentary film about chef and cultural icon Anthony Bourdain, sparked a heated debate last summer when the
BY Steven C. Beer & Neil J. Rosini
When may a documentary producer record a telephone call or conversation? On January 2, 2021, former President Trump and his counsel called Georgia
Criminal prosecutions and civil litigation can make compelling subjects for documentarians. Indeed, documentary films that have used legal cases as a
Liability Claims in the COVID Era; Legal Protections for Journalists; Precautions against Defamation
By Julie Angell, Steven C. Beer & Neil J. Rosini
By Sheila Curran Bernard and Kenn Rabin Editor’s Note: This article is adapted from the second edition of Bernard and Rabin’s Archival Storytelling: A
Vetting—the process of reviewing scripts and footage to address legal concerns prior to a documentary film’s release—generally occurs at (or toward)