Ninth Floor director Mina Shum: In Canada, “We’re racist but we like to apologize about our racism.” Shum discusses Canadian racism and her new documentary.
Creative Non-Fiction
Creative Non-Fiction is often a more appropriate word for describing innovative forms in documentary filmmaking, which go beyond mere information dump. Here you'll find reviews of films that are pushing the form and interviews with non-fiction filmmakers about making non-fiction works of art.
Director Hubert Sauper talks We Come As Friends
Hubert Sauper discusses making his film We Come as Friends, creative nonfiction cinema, and the geography of colonialism. This is an excerpt from the ebook In Their Own Words: Documentary Masters Vol. 1.
Deafening silence: Phoenix and The Look of Silence
Christian Petzold’s film Phoenix and Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence are both about the need to face and make peace with the painful past that would seemingly be easier to ignore. Earlier this year, the Art Gallery of Ontario held an exhibit of Henryk Ross’s photos from the Lodz Ghetto. It was hidden in […]
What Happened, Miss Simone? is all about the passion
Liz Garbus’ new documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone?, consists mainly of rousing historical footage of Simone’s concerts and interviews, while paying tribute to Simone’s achievements and illuminating the struggles in her life. Nina Simone wanted to become the first black female classical pianist to perform at Carnegie Hall. She had to settle for becoming a […]
Seymour: An Introduction: A moving portrait of the artist as a humble teacher
In Seymour: An Introduction, Ethan Hawke follows his friend. former concert pianist Seymour Bernstein, for an intimate, inside look at the process of making art, its rewards and struggles, and an ode to a great teacher.
Frederick Wiseman on his new film National Gallery
His latest film, “National Gallery,” which premiered in the Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival in May, takes a look at the inner-workings of London’s renowned art museum. The film is a fascinating look at one of the greatest art museums in the world, its role in the community, and how the paintings it houses continue to speak to us.