Documentary brings you capsule reviews of some highly anticipated films.
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Documentary is happy to debut an exclusive clip from Holly Hardman’s As Prescribed . This feature documentary exposes the personal and social consequences of U.S. overprescription of benzodiazepine medication like Xanax. After the film’s world premiere at Sheffield DocFest in 2022, the film’s VOD release is organized by the filmmakers and is now available through Apple , Google , Tubi , and more. Regarding the clip, the director Hardman writes: “Writer Matt Samet, introduced here, is one of As Prescribed 's benzodiazepine survivors. Matt earned a reputation as a world-class rock climber who
In a world rent asunder, conference speakers thrust documentary ethics into reality.
Now, while there may be greater attention to filmmakers’ proximity to their subjects and a push for more diverse directors, co-directors, producers, and crew members, there’s also a rise in what some call “cover-your-ass” hires over meaningful collaborations. If the U.S. industry, then, has accepted that documentary projects benefit from having creatives from similar races, genders, sexualities, or nationalities as their subjects, they might be included—but are they actual partners?
IDA’s tips for navigating your first Cine Gear Expo—IDA staff Zaf and Janki give advice on making the most of a large commercial event.
In these first couple of months as IDA’s executive director, a few lines by the cultural thinker Paul Gilroy have been on my mind. They indicate, for me, something of the purpose of documentary filmmaking.
Discover the transformative power of images and documentary films in Documentary's latest issue. From the vibrant summer of global conferences, conventions, and the Paris Olympics to the resurgence of interest in avant-garde filmmakers like Bill Morrison and Narcisa Hirsch, explore how events are captured and reinterpreted. Delve into Kirsten Johnson’s insights on the enduring relationships between creators and viewers, the making of the docuseries “God Save Texas,” and the innovative practices of the NoCut Film Collective. Plus, learn about new legislation protecting documentary filmmakers and get capsule reviews of upcoming releases.
A film forged through traumatic reckoning, Sugarcane investigates the discovery of 50 unmarked graves on the property of St. Joseph’s, a now-defunct residential school in British Columbia located near the titular Sugarcane Reservation of Williams Lake. The bodies unceremoniously buried here are Native children that were forced to attend this institution, one of 139 in Canada that were predominantly affiliated with the Catholic Church, in an attempt to assimilate them to Western cultural values by way of rejecting their Indigenous roots. Abused at the hands of clergy and staff—with accounts of
Though veteran director-producer Amy Nicholson has crafted feature-length films (2012’s Zipper: Coney Island’s Last Wild Ride , 2005’s Muskrat Lovely ), she first appeared on my radar in 2016 with her memorable short Pickle , which was nominated for an IDA Documentary Award and the Cinema Eye Honors, and went on to be featured in the New York Times ’ Op-Docs as well as on the Criterion Channel (alongside Errol Morris’ Gates of Heaven no less). And while Nicholson’s latest work of cinematic nonfiction does include her trademark approach of “chuckling along with” (never at) her sometimes offbeat
“I don’t think of myself as a documentary filmmaker”: Documentary spoke with Kienitz Wilkins to discuss his methodology, his thoughts on documentary’s relationship to his work, and the festival landscape at large.