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William Cheng

Headshot of adult of East Asian descent with medium-light skin; short hair; dark blue polo shirt; in front of grassy field

William Cheng is a writer, pianist, and gamer. He is a professor of music at Dartmouth College and a founding co-editor of the Music & Social Justice Series with the University of Michigan Press.

Articles

Silhouette of a man driving, with a woman seated on his right. A yellow NYC taxi drives past, visible through the windshield.
Window Dressing: ‘The United States of America’ at 50
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A large stag sits, foregrounded in verdant grass. Behind it is a forest of birch and oak trees.
Exclusive: Trailer From Dmytro Hreshko’s Karlovy Vary-Premiering ‘Divia’
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In a bright green room, three figures are pictured: A woman in a red sweater resting her hand on a man playing a violin's shoulder, as next to them a boy in a plaid shirt plays guitar.
“The Racism Was So Thick, You Could Cut It With a Pair of Scissors”: Alanis Obomsawin on Her Life Works and Purpose
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An elderly couple stands on a beach, gazing lovingly, with their hands on each other's faces.
Exclusive: Trailer from Garry Keane’s Doc Edge-Premiering ‘A Quiet Love’
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Two presenters stand at the podium, giving a talk during Getting Real '24. The slide behind them reads "Core Questions."
How to Best Describe Your GenAI Materials in Documentary Proposals: Four Approaches, From a Grant Reviewer
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Visitors, framed in an orange glow, put their hands up to a wall-panel as part of the "In Search of Us" exhibit.
Tribeca Immersive 2025: Better Off Together
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Mierle Ukeles stands, in a bright orange t-shirt, teal pants, and sanitation vest, in front of a garbage truck covered in graffiti speaking with its driver, who is wearing a uniform.
“Mierle Does Not Fit Neatly Into Any Box”: Toby Perl Freilich Discusses Her Tribeca-Premiering ‘Maintenance Artist’ Starring Mierle Laderman Ukeles
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Notes From the Reel World, Summer 2025
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Davide Abbatescianni stands on a stage giving a talk. Behind him is a slide in blue captioned "Collaboration is key."
How To Get Your Doc in the Spotlight: A Press Strategy Talk at Iceland’s Skjaldborg Festival
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In black and white, Andrea Nevins stands on a balcony with the ocean behind her, smiling brightly..
Remembering Andrea Nevins
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Letter From the Editor, Summer 2025
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A close-up of a girl in bright glittery orange, red, and black facepaint. The focus is on her face, and the background is a vibrant purple.
Exclusive: Clip from Vickie Curtis and Doug Anderson’s Sheffield-Premiering ‘Comparsa’
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In a yellow room, a man in a beige trench coat talks to a man who is shaving.
Cannes 2025: Nonfiction, By the Numbers
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Image of a white peacock, dog, and two women in space suites in front of a volcanic painted landscape.
Exclusive: Clip from Beth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle’s ‘Playing With Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency’
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A Black man talking to a group of white people, while standing in the middle of a forested area.
“An Exploration of Whiteness and the Flattering Illusions of History”: Suzannah Herbert on her Tribeca-Winning Natchez
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A photograph of a young man has scratches and line drawings on top.
“Sometimes the Past Is a Snake”: Tatiana Fuentes Sadowski on the Legacy of the Rubber Trade in ‘The Memory of Butterflies’
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Underneath a lush, green canopy, two figures stand closely with talking.
“Fear Can Also Be Powerful for Creation, Not Just for Destruction”: Déni Oumar Pitsaev on his Cannes Prize-Winner ‘Imago’
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Core App 3.1 Artificial Intelligence Addendum cover image with a camera icon in the middle of a blue circle
An Update to the NonFiction Core Application 3.1: Adding Optional GenAI Questions and Field Resources
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On a brown carpet, items from Ng's bag are laid out artfully in roughly a grid formation.
What’s in My Bag: Iris Ng
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A man in a raincoat poises an arrow to be shot.
Exclusive: Clip from Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene, and Rob Grobman’s ‘We Are Guardians’
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A figure sits on a concrete slab in an arid landscape.
The Synthesis: ‘Deepfaking Sam Altman’ Director Adam Bhala Lough Says Documentarians Should Get Good Lawyers
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Against a gorgeous sunset, two figures stand silhouetted.
The World’s a Stage: An Introduction to ‘Grand Theft Hamlet’ and Other Documentaries Made in Video Games
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A purple-tinted photograph of a stage with "Hot Docs" projected on screen.
Hot Docs 2025: Life Support
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A young couple sits on the back of a pickup trick, with a portrait of Jesus wearing red.
“Haunts the Present”: Kinga Michalska on Connecting the Holocaust With Poland’s Migrant Crisis in ‘Bedrock’
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two people standing in light brown dirt with a blue sky and light brown landscape. A train yard and a train are in the distance.
Pare Lorentz Fund 2025: Migration in and to the Americas
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Critical Voices Under Attack in Hungary. Statement on the state of Hungarian Documentary Film and Filmmakers by Hungarian Documentary Association.
Threats to Freedom of Speech in Hungary
Advocacy
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A filmmaker accepts an award from a clapping jury.
“At the Core, It’s About Supporting Filmmakers”: Galya Stepanova on Doc Alliance’s Evolving Mission
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Red PBS logo with a black X over the mouth.
“C” is for Censorship: PBS Cuts ‘Art Spiegelman’ Doc and Other Dubious Acts at Embattled Broadcaster
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middle aged, caucasian man smiling with a gray goatee and blue eyes wearing a black baseball cap and a black hoodie with a gray sport coat
IDA Member Spotlight: Erik Thureson
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A hand reaches up to rest on the window of a train with the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
“How War Becomes Part of the Human”: Alina Gorlova, Yelizaveta Smith, and Simon Mozgovyi on their Cannes-Premiering ‘Militantropos’
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In an overgrown field, a young boy squats while holding a pair of binoculars.
“Capturing the Poetic Essence of Childhood Innocence”: Deming Chen and Hansen Lin on Their CPH:DOX and Jeonju Winner ‘Always’
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Film still showing a line of police walking down a public street.
Death by Landscape: Masao Adachi’s ‘A.K.A. Serial Killer’
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With blurry votive candles in the foreground, an image of a photograph of a young man.
“Acutis Was Extremely Close to the Heart of Pope Francis”: Tim Moriarty Discusses ‘Carlos Acutis: Roadmap to Reality’
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Three white men look at a camera monitor.
“The Toll That Takes on Your Life”: Chris Smith Rejects Sports Documentary Label for Hit Surfing Docuseries ‘100 Foot Wave’
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A crowded room full of filmmakers meeting.
Qumra’s Quiet Strength: Championing Documentaries from the MENA Region and Beyond
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An AI-generated image of a blue flag.
The Synthesis: We Must Protect Human Creativity from Being Flattened by AI
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Headshots of four smiling Asian American impact producers
Exclusive: A-Doc Announces Four 2025 AAPI Futures Impact Producer Fellows
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A figure wearing a dark puffy jacket looks at the lit-up Eiffel Tower in the background.
Dark Night of the Body: Sylvain George’s Obscure Night Trilogy Uncovers Immigration Experiences
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Video still of a living room with a TV and a large sign that reads "The Best of ME."
“He’s Kind of the Original Vlogger”: In ‘The Best of Me,’ Heather Landsman Traces Ricardo López’s Violent Obsession with Björk 
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A colorful red and green graphic labeled "Wyncote Fellows 2025," the Wyncote Foundation logo, and featuring the headshots of 12 smiling directors.
Exclusive: AmDoc Announces Twelve 2025 Wyncote Fellows, Nominated by PBS Indies
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The Everglades under a crisp blue sky with a smattering of clouds.
Exclusive: Clip From Sasha Wortzel’s ‘River of Grass’
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Defend Public Media in the United States
Advocacy
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Photographs are scattered throughout the grass. There is a building with a cross in the background.
“Literally and Knowingly Poisoned”: Zhanana Kurmasheva Discusses ‘We Live Here’
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A black woman writes on a piece of large paper taped to a wall. On it is written: "Who Decides?"
Rebranding at 20, Commitments to Collective Filmmaking, and the Release of ‘Emergent City’: Making a Production Updates From Meerkat Media
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Three female police officers in uniform in a crowded office.
“The Police Are Just A Bandaid”: Shashwati Talukdar And Cheryl Hess on Hot Docs-Premiering ‘Marriage Cops’
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From below, a young Japanese woman wearing a beanie and a blue winter coat standards with arms outstretched.
Berwick 2025: Round Here
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Graphic with a blue background and the headshots of six filmmakers.
BAVC Media Announces Six 2025 MediaMaker Fellows
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Five people sit on stage.
Could Policy Be the Answer?
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Headshot collage of Blake Knecht, Gríma Eir Geirs Irmudóttir, and Shawn Antoine II.
Member Spotlight: Blake Knecht, Gríma Eir Geirs Irmudóttir, and Shawn Antoine II
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In a room with shelves lined with tapes, a group of people gather around a table with film materials.
What Filmmakers Should Know About Privacy and Copyright From BAVC Media’s Upcoming Landmark Study on Magnetic Media
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