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Posts tagged ‘documentary filmmaking’
January 21, 2014  |  An Auteurist History of Film
The New Social Documentary and Television

These notes accompany screenings of a program celebrating the New Social Documentary and Television on January 22, 23, and 24 in Theater 3.

Documentary films had been there at the very beginning of cinema. Even before it occurred to filmmakers that they might create their own images, the example of still photography had paved the way for capturing the real world.

December 24, 2013  |  An Auteurist History of Film
Frederick Wiseman’s Titicut Follies
November 26, 2013  |  An Auteurist History of Film
Emile de Antonio’s Point of Order
March 5, 2010  |  Film, Viewpoints
Cubicle Critic: Oscar-Nominated Documentary Shorts

The prized Academy Award® statuette. Image courtesy Oscar.com

“The Oscars are my Super Bowl”—it’s something of a cliché in our media-obsessed world, especially among twenty-something women such as myself, but there you have it anyway. I’m not a football fan, and to me March madness refers to the stir-craziness that inevitably accompanies the last weeks before spring. But a celebration of the silver screen, of stars established and emerging, of glamorous dresses and fashion flops—that I can get behind.

So it’s with particular relish that I see the annual screening of Academy Award–nominated short documentaries at MoMA each year. Apart from being an invaluable research tool for my local, all-in-good-fun Oscar Pool, seeing the nominees in some of the smaller categories is a great way to add some interest to the ever-lengthening Oscars telecast (not to mention the serious cinematic cred it garners you among your friends).

February 17, 2010  |  Film
Documentary Fortnight: MoMA’s International Festival of Nonfiction Film

Appalshop's Appalachian Media Institute youth intern

Starting tonight and running through March 3, this year’s Documentary Fortnight continues in its mission to reveal a wide range of approaches in nonfiction filmmaking while highlighting the art of documentary storytelling. The series reflects on the creative act of documentary filmmaking and celebrates the ingenuity, dedication, and persistence of documentary filmmakers. It is our hope that you can attend any one or more of the screenings and come away entertained, enlightened, and enthralled with the new directions in nonfiction film. Most of the documentaries are U.S. or New York premieres and are presented by the directors and/or participants, offering filmgoers an intimate look at the risks filmmakers take in getting these stories told. Perhaps you’ll even be inspired to make your own documentary film!

To help you make your choices, this year’s Documentary Fortnight festival includes several thematic programs as well as an international selection of films.