Dan Birman, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Dan Birman, director of the new Netflix feature documentary ‘Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story,’ discusses his filmmaking process and the importance of the case.
From Greta Garbo to Gwyneth Paltrow, the screen cough is reliably fatal. But this film and television favourite walks a fine line between suspense and comedy.
If you have ever watched a film’s closing credits and wondered what a “best boy” does, asking a gaffer is a good place to start.
A still from Dennis O'Rourke’s 1988 documentary Cannibal Tours. O'Rourke was part of a surge in Australian documentary making during the 1980s and 90s.
Institute of Papua New Guinea Studios
At a time when formulaic factual ‘content’ reigns on our TV screens, a new essay on Australian documentary making is a rallying call for those who believe the genre can effect social change.
Ivor Montagu during the 1980s.
People's History Museum
Russell Campbell, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Ivor Montagu’s childhood was privileged, but he rebelled against his wealthy upbringing to become a pioneer of film culture, an activist documentary maker and an ardent supporter of Soviet communism.
The gap between the idea for a film and it reaching its final audience has never been so small.
In a new study, various creators described the process of obtaining copyright permission as ‘incredibly stressful’, ‘terrifying’ and ‘a total legal nightmare’.
Their critiques may be more gentle, their attacks more circumspect – but they are resonant nonetheless. And when filmmakers like Farhadi confront Trump, they’re on familiar turf: They’ve seen his type back home.
This year has already seen the first selfie movie, the first series to air on Instagram – mobile phones are increasingly playing a major role in the film world.
A cameraman films a scene for the Nollywood movie October 1, a police thriller directed by Kunle Afolayan, at a rural location in Ilaramokin village, southwest Nigeria.
Reuters/Akintunde Akinleye
Award winning film The Wolfpack tells the story of five brothers who’ve spent most of their lives confined to a New York apartment. It raises questions about the ethics of documentary filmmaking.
Horror director Wes Craven was perhaps best known for his Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream series.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
His tombstone may say Craven, but the director carved a bold and memorable niche in the horror genre.
A still from the 2015 film ‘Necktie Youth’. Film in South Africa needs to undergo radical change if it is to shed the shackles of the past.
Urucu Media/Hanro Havenga
The journey of South African film has been a tumultuous one, with a disjointed history and an uncertain future.
A scene from the film ‘The Vow’, which is being shown at the Africa World Documentary Film Festival that aims to depict African stories through documentary.
Photo supplied
Cape Town’s screening of the Africa World Documentary Film Festival provides a platform for debate, and shows how documentary films clarify and complicate the answers.