SUNNY SIDE OF THE DOC 2008: Causing Trouble
While investigative documentaries are usually flagship programmes, making them has become increasingly difficult
THOUGHT MADE VISIBLE: The movie auteurs
The late Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni wanted to do something very new with cinema:to use pictures to make people think about the nature of thought. And to reconnect them with the reality of life
VIDEO-ON-DEMAND 2006
The VoD market took off in the first quarter of 2006. Feature films are the main offerings, yet a couple of services have decided to focus on documentaries.
A portrait of controversial lawyer Jacques Vergès
Jacques Vergès is a French lawyer famous for defending the indefensible
A film about American health care industry
Even if Michael Moore’s new film didn’t win a prize at Cannes this year (it was not shown in competition), the screening caused quite a stir
Fiction film based on the writings of a man who killed his entire family
The new film by Nicolas Philibert is completely different in form from everything he has done before
Absurd film which provoked lots of laughter
By looking at his country Bulgaria through a little town, Andrey Paounov manages to give us a general look at the downfall of a Soviet era that has disappeared nowadays
FESTIVAL REVIEWS 2007: Hot Picks from Hot Docs
With 129 documentaries in 10 days, Toronto’s Hot Docs is North America’s well-established answer to IDFA. DOX’s reporter checked out two of the winners.
FREDERIC WISEMAN: Filmmaking Keeps Me off the Street
Frederick Wiseman is still captivating his audience with his long observations of institutions and the people within them
WEIJUN CHENG: Lessons in Chinese Democracy
The long-awaited “Why Democracy” films will be broadcast worldwide this autumn. One is the Chinese Please Vote for Me. DOX met director Weijun Chen in Adelaide, Australia, earlier this year.
FOURDOCS: Side Door to the Industry
There are several online portals for displaying your short doc, like YouTube which contains all sorts of user-generated content. But if you are interested in a more targeted portal, Channel 4’s FourDocs site is the place to go.
DOCS IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Adding the Emotional Aspect
Quite a few documentaries are shown in the European Parliament. It is not a bad place to get exposure for a certain case, as screenings are often attended by politicians, journalists and sundry lobby groups, providing an opportunity for direct contact with those in power.