The “Steps for the Future” film collection about living with HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa are strong, unconventional stories told by the Africans themselves. Some are more focussed on the struggle against the disease than others, some are very personal stories. The diversity in approach, style and format and the love and respect for the depicted persons make watching these films a powerful experience.
The two “Reality” festivals, i.e. Cinéma du Réel in Paris and Visions du Réel in Nyon, featured two controversial films in their programs last spring.
A girl visits her mother in prison. That’s the story. The whole story. The girl sits on a bed in a room at her grandparents’ house. She says nothing. She is in a car, her grandfather drives. She says nothing. They take a break and have a bite to eat at a highway café. She says nothing. She enters the prison and sits with her mother. No words.
When the Internet started to skyrocket, many had the idea that it would democratize the media by giving everybody access to publicise their views, in contrast with the printed media, radio, television and film where control is centralized.
Arte has dedicated a theme evening to five short documentaries made by well-known directors from five different countries. They were all asked to tell about themselves and where they live. The filmmakers were asked to frame their neighbourhood, its atmosphere, buildings, people and history, and they were urged to be personal. TUE STEEN MÜLLER comments on this new collection of neighbourhood films.
When constructing a story for the small or big screen, you will benefit by rummaging through the screenwriter’s toolbox. Even though writing fiction is very different from scripting a documentary, some of the devices used in dramatic storytelling seem relevant for non-fiction stories.
In “Profils paysans: l’approche”, it is as if the camera is waiting for life to unfold within the frame. It is a documentary that spends time with the people it depicts. In Raimond Depardon’s insisting observational style, time is vital. It is the only way to capture the small dramas of rough farming life in the rural regions in central France. He spent several months just getting to know his protagonists and getting their permission to film them in their everyday life.
If you have forgotten what it’s like to be in love, watch Claire Simon’s new documentary “800 Kilometres’ Difference” to be reminded of those delightful moments of true teenage love filled with charming and naive innocence.