This two-week program of 27 films and videos, which replaces the former presentation New Documentaries, reflects an expanding interest in the documentary form. It provides an intense examination of recent documentaries produced by independent film- and videomakers worldwide. Many of the directors and their subjects will be present for the screenings.
The filmmaking community was deeply moved by the recent events of September 11. In recognition of this tragedy, the series is bracketed by the work of three collaborative media groups—Third World Newsreel, Paper Tiger Television, and the Independent Media Center—whose videos provide a variety of individual perspectives of the events, from scholars to people on the street, as well as critiques of the media coverage during the event and its aftermath.
Other highlights include Lynne Sachs’s Investigation of a Flame, Charles Atlas’s Merce Cunningham: A Lifetime of Dance, and Karen Kramer’s Children of Shadows, among many others. While most of the films in Documentary Fortnight are serious efforts in keeping with the social documentary tradition, the series also includes innovative and sometimes humorous works that examine the world around us.
Organized by Sally Berger, Assistant Curator, and William Sloan, Librarian, Circulating Film and Video Library, Department of Film and Media.