Bringing Truths to Life – at Sundance
Realscreen reports from the ongoing Sundance festival. And documentaries are shown and discussed. Last saturday a panel of three directors were talking about ”the blurring lines between journalism and non-fiction storytelling”.
Laura Poitras (Citizen Four etc.) (Photo): “It’s not a blurry line, it’s additive, It’s ‘Journalism Plus.’ It’s not just telling the facts. We don’t make films to break news. Hopefully we make lasting narratives, so that’s different.”
Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side etc.): “I consider myself a filmmaker, but with journalistic baggage. I do have a commitment to make something in the visual medium that stands the test the time.”
Mark Silver (3 ½ minutes)… To illustrate how different journalists and filmmakers are perceived in the U.S., the British-born Silver said that he applied to be part of a journalists union in the UK before directing 3½ Minutes, a very American crime story debuting at the festival. “I needed something to help me get through customs without having to explain myself,” he said. “Being a journalist union member did that. And to get access to the courtroom, we couldn’t have pushed that without being a journalist.”
Just a taster for the article by Michael Speier on a theme that comes up whenever the documentary genre is on the agenda.
