documentary

A doc film that gently unspools surprises

A doc film that gently unspools surprises

Filmmaker Eloisa Diez follows a trans man's journey to create a family of his own ~ and confronts her own storytelling stereotypes
How a documentary filmmaker captures "lived experience"

How a documentary filmmaker captures “lived experience”

By Kristen ChinA self-described “perennial schoolboy” at heart, Omar Mullick is both romantic daydreamer and pragmatic journalist. It’s in the first few moments speaking with him that I can tell…
Print beat reporting vs documentary film drama: Pros and cons

Print beat reporting vs documentary film drama: Pros and cons

The Pulitzer-winning aerospace reporter for the Seattle Times became both source and star of a doc film about the Boeing 737 MAX
A documentary film breaks rules and wins an Oscar

A documentary film breaks rules and wins an Oscar

EDITOR’S NOTE: All time codes in this post correspond to the YouTube version of “The Queen of Basketball.” It’s also available, with an introduction by filmmaker Ben Proudfoot, on The…
The Joan Didion documentary: a nephew's loving portrait of "a cool customer"

The Joan Didion documentary: a nephew’s loving portrait of “a cool customer”

The Netflix film is touching but not sentimental, revealing her ability to be a seemingly dispassionate observer -- as a reporter and also a grieving widow
Documentary film as "home movie": Going beyond a public face to reveal a private one

Documentary film as “home movie”: Going beyond a public face to reveal a private one

Two films at the Camden International Film Festival in midcoast Maine explore universal truths through the intimacy of family -- with love, and with shame
The poetics of documentary at the Camden International Film Festival

The poetics of documentary at the Camden International Film Festival

It’s hard to beat a sunny September afternoon like this: You take a back road past trees whose leaves are showing the first colors of fall. You drive by a…
Ezra Edelman: "The job of an interviewer is to prompt people to go to a place they didn't even realize they were prepared to go to"

Ezra Edelman: “The job of an interviewer is to prompt people to go to a place they didn’t even realize they were prepared to go to”

Forty-six minutes into Episode 4 of Ezra Edelman’s epic documentary “O.J. Simpson: Made in America,” the director squares off with Barry Scheck, the defense attorney who discredited–or, at the very…
Turning a Narrative Story into a Documentary

Turning a Narrative Story into a Documentary

More than a few journalists have dreamed of turning their stories into films. Chicago Tribune features writer Kevin Pang actually did, producing a 90-minute documentary about a troubled chef’s attempt…
A champion of nonlinear narratives: An interview with documentary filmmaker Florian Thalhofer

A champion of nonlinear narratives: An interview with documentary filmmaker Florian Thalhofer

When Florian Thalhofer shows one of his interactive documentaries in theaters, he arms the audience with laser pointers. Whenever there is a choice of which clip to watch next, the…