There is no shortage of documentaries on war. The subject fascinates us as history, as sociology, and as drama. Some documentaries chronicle history in great detail, some grapple with the issues and forces behind the conflicts, and some flat-out propagandize. But very few of those documentaries actually engage with the human experience, the sacrifices made, …
From Alice Guy-Blaché to Barbara Kopple: The Pioneering Women of Documentary Film
When we talk about the early years of cinema, there is no separating “the history of women in film” from “the history of film.” Women have been there from the beginning, and have shaped the medium in transformative ways. Early Women Pioneers in the Shadows of Men The idea that films could tell stories as opposed …
Human Rights Lawyer Philippe Sands Confronts Children of Nazis with Painful Past
While some might call Philippe Sands the on-screen host of My Nazi Legacy, the new film by David Evans that is based on Sands’ new book, he’s actually the probing, searching journalistic heart at the center of this powerful documentary. The book, East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, published …
Downton Abbey Director David Evans Talks About Nazi Legacy Doc
Award-winning English director David Evans helmed the feature film Fever Pitch (the original, superior British version about soccer, starring Colin Firth, for which Nick Hornby adapted his best-selling book of the same name), and is now established as a leading director of high-end TV drama in the UK, including Shameless, Downton Abbey, and Russell T. Davies’s …
Archival Treasures
From the lives of cats (and the weddings of dogs) to walking on the moon and surveying the Allied effort in WWII, there’s an amazing treasure trove of archival documentaries online. We’ve found a few of the very best resources for historical films, which could keep you preoccuped for ages.
Marwencol Director Reflects on a Man, His Dolls, and the Touch of Genius
Jeff Malmberg, director of Marwencol, took on much more than just a film project when he decided to shoot a documentary about Mark Hogancamp. Intrigued by a magazine article about Mark and his imaginary backyard universe, Jeff had to earn the trust of a man who had been misunderstood and brutalized by the outside world …