How Screenwriter Mark Monroe Used His Journalism Background To Make The Documentary “Jim Henson: Idea Man”
Mark Monroe, the writer behind the documentary Jim Henson: Idea Man, didn’t set out to become a documentary filmmaker. His path to the world of documentaries was circuitous, starting with a background in journalism inspired by his father, a newspaper man. After graduating from journalism school, Monroe initially pursued a career in television news. He […]
Here’s How Documentaries Differ From Traditional Films According To Justin Simien Who Made “Hollywood Black”
“The thing about a documentary is that there is a sense of voyeurism. You’re watching things unfold in ‘real time’ that normally you wouldn’t be able to see,” says filmmaker Justin Simien who produced a four-part docu-series Hollywood Black about Black cinema and artists. “In film structure, there’s an expectation that you read into everything, […]
“The Climb Was Always The Main Character” Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi On Academy Award Winning Documentary ‘Free Solo’
Documentary films have traditionally been confined to the realms of the classroom or nerd TV. Sometimes both. They have been designed to inform and educate, rather than entertain. Free Solo has transcended this barrier and brought documentaries into the mainstream. Free Solo brought spectacle to our screens, not through CGI, but through the majesty of […]
The Seven Reasons Why We’re in the Golden Age of Documentaries
When the Best Documentary Feature category at the 2019 Oscars is so chock full of worthy competitors that the heralded likes of Won’t You Be My Neighbor, Three Identical Strangers, Dark Money, and The Shirkers weren’t even nominated, you know documentaries have reached a golden age. Just look at the weekly releases on Netflix, HBO, […]
Deborah Oppenheimer & Mark Jonathan Harris Explore Trauma & Resilience of Foster Children in Their Documentary Film “Foster”
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” ― Nelson Mandela The Los Angeles County Department Of Children & Family Services manages the largest foster care system in the country. The sheer numbers of children in the foster care system combined with the audience’s […]
