By Jonathan Monovich. Chronicling both the hits and lesser known entries in the Merchant/Ivory catalogue, Soucy’s film thrives due to its expansive presence of recurring cast and crew collaborators.” The glam/art rock icon, Bryan Ferry, famously said “other bands wanted to wreck hotel rooms; Roxy Music wanted to redecorate them.”1 […]
Ultimate Equity: Hoag Kepner’s Torched
By Phoebe Hart. Like Ultimate Frisbee in its grassroots approach. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, the makers have done well to put together a cohesive piece that will thrill both fans of Ultimate and folks interested in equity.” Torched is a new film directed by Hoag Kepner about Austin’s professional […]
Highlights and Tributes: The 26th Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
By M. Sellers Johnson. One of the American South’s premiere film festivals showcases documentary stories from across the globe….” After a year-long hiatus, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival resumes energized this year in downtown Durham, North Carolina. Fully in-person screenings date back to pre-pandemic, so the festival is also […]
Self-Taught Genius – Tim Mackenzie-Smith’s Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande
By Phoebe Hart. This documentary on the neglected 70s funk band consisting of West Indian Londoners is beautifully shot and edited, with an infectious energy….” Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande charts the comeback of influential funksters, Cymande. The band were a seminal influence on generations of musical artists […]
Docu-mania: The Introduction to Crafting Contemporary Documentaries and Docuseries for Global Screens
By Phoebe Hart. Crafting Contemporary Documentaries and Docuseries for Global Screens delves into the processes by which the study participants, all creative practitioners, learn skills and acquire inspiration and mastery, and specific rituals and habits of practice.” Since its inception, the documentary film has steadily grown in form and reception, […]
Be Kind, Rewind: Kim’s Video
By Jonathan Monovich. More than anything, Kim’s Video proves that physical media for many is much more than nostalgic, it is a way of life.” Since their inception, video stores have been places of sacred proportions for film fanatics. Lance Lawson’s legendary Manhattan Beach video store, Video Archives, famously helped […]
On an “Interior” Documentary: Filmmaker Rachel Elizabeth Seed on A Photographic Memory
By M. Sellers Johnson. I loved the idea that I could convey the interior of my imagination in my documentary and that it could be anything, like a narrative film, because no one can argue with your imagination. And yet, it’s really my story, and these are real people.” Documentarian […]
Strength in Representation: Filmmaker Jen Rainin on the Queer Doc Ahead of the Curve
By Brad Windhauser. My producing partner, Rivkah Beth Medow, and I kept talking about how frustrated we were with the lack of nuanced, well-told stories that represented strong queer women. We just weren’t seeing very many of them….” Jen Rainin’s excellent documentary Ahead of the Curve (2023), which debuted on […]
Mad Props – For the Movie Collector Nerds Amongst Us
By Elias Savada. Humankind’s appetite for many things nostalgic is at play here, and it is a satisfying meal.” Most folks who do genealogy, like myself, cherish old photos of their great-great grandparents, a family bible with birth, death, and marriage records handwritten in the back, or assorted documents and […]
Youth (Spring): Wang Bing on Youth Labor
By Yun-hua Chen. The first installment of Wang Bing’s documentary triptych explores the textile industry in rural China and its young workers, aged 16 to 22, engrossed in intricate maneuvers for extended hours….” Having premiered in Cannes and subsequently showcased at major film festivals including Viennale and IDFA, Youth (Spring) […]