For American film-making the year 1939 stands out. Included in the vast roster of films made that year is the documentary on African American singer Marion Anderson. The Daughters of the American Revolution would not allow Ms.Anderson to perform a concert in Constitution Hall. However, on April 9, 1939 civil rights organizers arranged a special concert at the Lincoln Memorial. This event was filmed and used in a documentary film. The story of making that documentary is Read the rest of this entry »

Documentary film making probably began as the “newsreel.”

Early in the century, without television and limited radio news broadcast, the newsreel was the only source of visual news available to the public. With film crews set up all over the world, newsreel crews made documentaries about the wars, public officials, world leaders and celebrities.

Reporting facts and news quickly was the beginning of the documentary as we know it. As television and movies evolved, the documentary took on other roles. Documentaries began exploring famous people’s lives and history. They also began, at times, to take on roles of political Read the rest of this entry »

2010 saw a great variety of films. Film Festivals world-wide brought hordes of cinema enthusiast out for glimpses of theatrical history. Documentaries are always a favorite genre, so here we take a look at the winners from the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Restrepo – Grand Jury Prize. The film’s makers follow a group of soldiers as they are deployed into war-torn Afghanistan. Upon arrival they lose a friend and essentual team mate when their medic ‘Doc’ Restrepo Read the rest of this entry »

If seeking out documentary film festivals, the United States is definitely the place to be. These film festivals focus on the new and innovative, and work to recognized the brightest newcomers to the field. The Chicago International Documentary Film Festival is one such festival. This fest runs for over 10 days in the city of Chicago. This festival seeks out new filmmakers and their innovative ideas. Awards are granted to the winners in the form of up to 50,000 cash.

Another good film festival for the beginning film maker is the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival that take Read the rest of this entry »