When I talked with Leila Conners Petersen on August 8, 2007, the thing I most wanted to discuss was how her film, THE 11TH HOUR, >wasn’t< a rehashing of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. Both deal with humankind’s effect on the environment, but Petersen and her filmmaking partners, Nadia Conners and Leonardo DiCaprio, wanted to do more… Read More »
Luc Jacquet Follows the MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
There is something completely irresistible about penguins, and I can’t think of any filmmaker who has done a better job of capturing that than Luc Jacquet. His documentary about their breeding season at the bottom of the world is engaging, enlightening, and unexpectedly moving. The man himself is just as engaging when I interviewed him on… Read More »
Mike Wranovics is UP FOR GRABS
There are two stories involved in Mike Wranovics smart and wry debut film, UP FOR GRABS. The first is, of course, the one involving the battle royale over Barry Bonds’ 73rd home run ball, claimed by two people who were nothing if not tenacious in their willingness to hang on to that piece of sports… Read More »
Morgan Spurlock Says SUPER SIZE ME!
Few people would have gone as far to make a point as Morgan Spurlock did to make SUPER SIZE ME. His documentary quest to find out what would happen to a healthy human being after eating only McDonald’s fare for thirty days has become the stuff of legend, not to mention striking a chord with the… Read More »
Andrew Jarecki on CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS
For a debut film, Andrew Jarecki couldn’t have picked a more controversial or attention-grabbing subject that child sexual abuse. Yet his film dealing with the emotional impact on the family of the accused father and son transcends sensationalism and becomes a consideration on the nature of truth and universality of family life. When I spoke to… Read More »
Jacques Perrin Follows A WINGED MIGRATION
Few have had as varied and rich a career as Jacques Perrin, whose resume includes appearing in and co-producing the classic political thriller Z for Costa-Gavras, making an extended cameo in the French potboiler THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF, and making fascinating films in homage to the natural world. His MICROCOSMOS took the world by storm… Read More »
Peter Nicks in THE WAITING ROOM
Though the issue of health care is a hot-button political one these days, Peter Nicks had another reason for making THE WAITING ROOM, a film that is already getting awards recognition. The inspiration,though, was not politics, but rather a remarkable African musician. It was Nicks’ wife, a speech pathologist, who told him about the effect that… Read More »
Mark Lewis Warns Us About CANE TOADS: THE CONQUEST
This is Mark Lewis’ second documentary about the eponymous amphibian. His previous one, CANE TOADS: AN UNNATURAL HISTORY was his tribute to the triumph of nature over the folly of humankind, in this case, importing cane toads from South America to Australia where they failed to eradicate a crop-eating beetle. Instead, they multiplied and migrated… Read More »
Rodriguez & Malik Bendjalloul — SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN
The story behind SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN is a textbook definition of truth being stranger that fiction. A Mexican-American singer/songwriter with a social conscious and a unique definition of success inspires a generation of South Africans to rebel against Apartheid with his music. The twist, he has no idea he’s famous there, and his fans… Read More »
Jessica Yu Announces the LAST CALL AT THE OASIS
Jessica Yu sees no reason why a documentary can’t be informative, terrifying, and beautiful all at the same time. LAST CALL AT THE OASIS is certainly proof that she can realize her vision. When I spoke with her on May 1, 2012, the first thing I wanted to know was why she would want to… Read More »
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