Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro’s Murderball, a bracingly unsentimental look at the culture of quadriplegic rugby, is not only mainstream documentary filmmaking of a high order, but also undoubtedly the best
Keep ReadingAs the lights went up in the small Berkeley auditorium, there was a stunned moment of silence, then several hands rose in the air: “Will this be on PBS?” It was a
Keep Reading“In a real tragedy, it is not the hero who perishes; it is the chorus.” — Joseph Brodsky On May 29, 1985, in the final of the annual tournament to decide Europe’s best football
Keep Reading“In my dreams I harvest my realities into film dreams.” Phil Hoffman never said those words to me, but here’s why I dreamt he could have. Hoffman Harvests a Film Culture Late June
Keep ReadingMany filmmakers make documentaries but there are few countries where they have the freedom and opportunity to so consistently shine a light on all the foibles, injustices and controversies of their society
Keep ReadingSince their splashy beginning fifteen years ago with the “non-fiction movie” The Falls, Primitive has beena major force in documentary production. They’ve built their enviable reputation for integrity and innovation with such important
Keep ReadingWhat has happened to the fabulous festival bag? And I don’t mean the aged blonde puffing away on the terrace, martini in one hand, cellphone in the other. Long gone are the
Keep ReadingHigh Def and Standard Def The existing North American system for broadcasting is called NTSC. This is now known as “Standard Definition”. “High Definition” is a totally new standard requiring different cameras,
Keep ReadingMedia activists Stephen Marshall and Anthony Lappé’s first book, True Lies, packs enough journalistic punch and insight to shake to the core even those who have been paying close attention to the
Keep ReadingJorgen Leth: Translucent Being The Five Obstructions, a movie made with (and despite) Lars Von Trier, has pushed Jorgen Leth further into visibility on the global stage but there are long lines
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