All these wonderful things

The Great Lost Opportunity of Current's 50 Docs List

Our long national nightmare is finally over.

Current TV, the still-finding-its-identity network co-founded by Al Gore and newish home to left wing commentator Keith Olbermann, concludes its 5-week documentary film countdown - "50 Docs to See Before You Die" - tonight with the naming of its top 10 choices.

Revealed yesterday by the NY Times' Mike Hale, the top choice of the show's expert panel is Steve James' 1994 classic HOOP DREAMS, with Errol Morris' THE THIN BLUE LINE and Michael Moore's ROGER & ME coming in 2nd and 3rd.  The latter two films had previously been identified by the show as the demarcation of the beginning of the current "golden age" of documentary filmmaking on which the "50 Docs" list would focus.

It's this take on the modern age of documentary that seems to have brought the list and the series the most criticism: the late '80s cutoff forms a handy but ultimately confusing way for the series to eliminate any of the classic films by the Maysles, Robert Drew, Fred Wiseman, early Pennebaker, KOYAANISQATSI, HEARTS AND MINDS, HARLAN COUNTY, SHERMAN'S MARCH and any number of other influential works from contention. 

Despite the fact that the Times' Hale notes the "modern documentary" angle and bemoans the focus on "a relentless preference for the story-based or issue-based films that people now seem to think define the documentary field", commenters on the story still wrestle with the series/list's artificial construct - where is WOODSTOCK? THE LAST WALTZ? 7 UP? THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK? SHOAH?  The fact that potential viewers are still confused or find the current (get it) focus impractical suggests a basic problem with the premise.

Still, these are lists and lists are supposed to be fun, right?  Get past the confusion and the Times' comment section is filled with people's righteous indigation that their modern favorites have been overlooked.  Or those who argue that something should be higher on the list or lower or not on the list at all.

So if it gets people talking about documentaries, then who's to quibble, right?

Allow us.

An Award Season (Finally) Ends as INSIDE JOB Wins; Ferguson and Marrs Defend Banksy, Enter Oscar History

In just a few minutes it was over.  A solid plug for documentaries and an outstanding year of films by presenter (and documentary doyenne-wannabe) Oprah Winfrey, a quick montage of the five nominated features, the opening of an envelope, a strong political statement from a newly-minted Oscar winning director and a thank you to the documentary community from a just-crowned Oscar winning producer. 

And then it was done.

After months of speculation and the presentation of countless peer, festival and critics awards, the Oscar went to Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs for INSIDE JOB.

Ferguson took his Oscar and seized his moment: "Forgive me, but I must start by pointing out that three years after a horrible financial crisis caused by massive fraud, not a single financial executive has gone to jail and that's wrong."

In her speech, Marrs spoke of the larger documentary community: "Having only made two films, I still feel that Charles and I are newcomers to this community, but from the beginning we've been made to feel incredibly welcome and supported for which I'm immensely grateful."

Backstage, the filmmakers were asked by questioner about their fellow nominee, Banksy, who inspired a great deal of speculation prior to the ceremony over what he might do if his film, EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP, won the Oscar.  Asked whether all the Banksy talk distracted from documentary, Marrs spoke out in the artist's defense:

"I would never question the integrity of another filmmaker, and I appreciate the fact that there was a film that was fun and funny, and I don't think documentarians should necessarily feel obligated to make films about these really heavy subjects. Although, in some ways, I guess making a film about art is, but I appreciated there was one like that in the mix because I think documentarians should be able to make films about whatever they want."

Ferguson added, "I thought the Banksy film was lovely.  A beautiful film."

Nomination Dispute on Oscar Doc Short POSTER GIRL Ignites Divisive Fight at the Academy

For most of the world, the press release sent out by the Academy one week ago today seemed simple and direct.  Headed "Oscar Credits Determined for Documentary Short Subjects", the release was only somewhat notable in that it announced the first Oscar nomination for Mitchell Block, a veteran player and somewhat controversial figure in the documentary world, for the short film POSTER GIRL, which was directed by Sara Nesson.

But what seemed simple on the outside masked an fierce dispute within the Academy's Documentary Branch.  Two different committees had ruled that Block had not done enough work on the film to qualify for an Oscar nod, but those decisions were overturned by a four-person review committee that represented the Academy's Board of Governors.  How and why the decision went to the four-person committee is at the crux of the conflict.

Perhaps none of this would be known outside of the Academy if Freida Lee Mock, the Oscar winning filmmaker and former Doc Branch Governor, had not emailed some of the details to Roger Ebert, who last Friday wrote about the dispute and then quickly deleted the blog post, reportedly after hearing from Movie City News' David Poland.  By late Friday afternoon, all that remained was Poland's own post, which was sympathetic to Block and critical of Mock, but which remained somewhat vague as to what actually happened.

While Poland suggested that the situation was a smear job against Block, conversations with a number of Academy members over the weekend reveal a much more complicated - and a far more divisive - battle than has been publicly made known.  And while the heart of the dispute rests with the Academy's real desire to limit inappropriate producer credits, it's set against a backdrop of a series of personal grudges that date back to the late 1980s.

Banksy (Yes, Banksy) on Thierry, EXIT Skepticism & Documentary Filmmaking as Punk

Note - The second in a series of interviews with the directors of some of our favorite nonfiction features of 2010...

Whenever the subject of EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP has come up in casual or not-so-casual conversation over the past year, a vigorous discussion has followed.  I've seen master filmmakers, newcomers, film critics and non-pros all engage in excited, lengthy dissections of the film - sometimes about what's real, what they suspect is not - often about the film's profound take on art and commerce.  In the end, no matter what point of view the individual holds, the conclusion seems to always be that it's a major work in the nonfiction canon.

One would be forgiven for not expecting all this when Sundance announced EXIT as a late addition to the 2010 festival.  The debut film by Banksy - the anonymous British artist who gained notoriety and fame for his often-politically charged work that would turn up in some very unusual places (inside museum galleries, on the West Bank wall that separates Israelis and Palestinians) - EXIT would leave the festival spurring numerous distribution offers and go out on its own, working with sales agent John Sloss and distributor Richard Abramowitz to bring the film to theatres in the spring.  And after a somewhat surprising (relief was more like it) inclusion on the Academy's Documentary Feature shortlist, the film finds itself smack in the middle of Best-of-the-Year conversations.  It's nominated for the Documentary prize at the Film Independent Spirit Awards and it's up for 6 awards at next months Cinema Eye Honors, including Outstanding Feature and Outstanding Debut, not to mention the numerous film critics prizes its been garnering (yesterday, it was announced as the Best Documentary and Best First Feature on indieWIRE's annual critics poll).

Over the past month, we've had the opportunity to spend some time with the team behind EXIT - producer Jaimie D'Cruz and editor Chris King - including hosting the duo at a screening here in Los Angeles at Cinefamily earlier this month.  In their presence, I witnessed numerous others trying to find out what Banksy thinks of this or that. 

I had my own questions and Banksy and team were kind enough to get me his answers (via email, of course)...

All these wonderful things: One thing I've heard repeatedly from members of your team was that, early on, you were alone in your conviction that Thierry could and should be the narrative focus of the film - long before his show in LA that concludes the movie.  What drew you to Thierry as a film character and, aside from the fact that he had a lot of archival material about street art at his fingertips, why did you think that he could sustain the film's narrative arc?
 
Banksy: Thierry’s entertainment potential wasn’t difficult to spot - he actually walks into doors and falls down stairs. It was like hanging out with Groucho Marx but with funnier facial hair. Thierry arrived at a point when my world was becoming infested with hipsters and heavy irony, so his exuberant man-child innocence was fun to be around. Maybe I convinced myself Thierry was a good subject just because I liked him. I’d be lying if I told you the first time I met him I thought ‘this man’s life will deliver a good narrative arc’.
 
From the outset there are problems with any movie about graffiti because all the good artists refuse to show their face on camera. I needed the film to be fronted by a personality the audience could engage with. The producer Robert Evans said that ‘vulnerability’ is the most important quality in a movie star and that’s a hard thing to portray if all your interviewees have masks over their faces.
 
ATWT: It's clear in the film that you rely on a team of people to create your artwork.  What, if anything, was different about the filmmaking process, and the work you did with that team - Jaimie and Chris and others?  And how did you know when you'd found the right collaborators?
 
B: I paint my own pictures but I get a lot of help building stuff and installing it. I have a great little team, but I tell you what - they all hate this fucking film. They don’t care if its effective, they feel very strongly that Mr Brainwash is undeserving of all the attention. Most street artists feel the same. This film has made me extremely unpopular in my community.

JACKASS 3D Becomes 2nd Nonfiction Feature to Cross $100M at Box Office

Over the weekend, Jeff Tremaine’s JACKASS 3D became the second nonfiction film to surpass the blockbuster $100M mark at the North American theatrical box office.  In just 17 days of release, the film has grossed $101,657,558 and still has an outside chance to top Michael Moore’s FAHRENHEIT 9/11 to become the highest grossing nonfiction film in history.

By comparison, FAHRENHEIT took 32 days to get to $100M, but was still making more per day on its 17th day in theaters, suggesting that the anti-Bush film had a longer theatrical tail than JACKASS 3D is currently. 

Further, if it’s not obvious, there’s no question that FAHRENHEIT will have sold more tickets by the end of its run – the 3D surcharge and higher ticket prices is certainly boosting JACKASS’ bottom line.  That doesn’t necessarily make FAHRENHEIT the king of ticket sales – it’s unclear just how much money (and how many tickets) WOODSTOCK made when it was released in 1970, but that film’s numerous re-issues and box office success at the time suggest that it might have attracted more eyeballs.

Gail Dolgin, Oscar-Nominated Director of DAUGHTER FROM DANANG, Has Died

Gail Dolgin, who along with co-director Vincente Franco, was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 2003 for DAUGHTER FROM DANANG, has died from cancer at 65.

Although Dolgin passed away on October 7, word is just now reaching some in the documentary and independent film community, following obituaries yesterday in Variety and the LA Times.  ITVS' Beyond the Box Blog featured a tribute by Senior Programming Manager Richard Saiz one week ago:

"Personally, it was always a pleasure to work with Gail.  She was a complete professional who not only created powerful documentaries, but also contributed to ITVS as a skillful and insightful panelist and reader for Open Call.

Beneath the cool intellect and measured demeanor, was the fervent spirit of a woman motivated by a desire to examine America’s history through the documentary. Gail believed in the power of  television to enlighten and educate American audiences about our character as a nation."

DAUGHTER FROM DANANG won the Grand Jury prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival prior to its Oscar nomination in what ended up being a turning-point year for documentaries and the Academy.  Dolgin, along with her fellow nominees, joined Oscar winner Michael Moore onstage as he attacked the Bush administration in the early days of the Iraq war. 

Balcony Releasing co-founder Connie White wrote us today of her experience working with Dolgin on DANANG:

"I guess I could simply say that Gail was so special to me. DAUGHTER FROM DANANG was the first film Balcony Releasing distributed - in fact the company was created in order to distribute her film - and we both learned as we went along. She actually revelled in that situation, seemed to enjoy being our first project and encouraged me to pursue other distribution projects after DFD was finished in theaters. She was so energetic and engaged in her work and her friendships. What a loss for all of us!"

JACKASS Keeps Rolling but FAHRENHEIT Keeps the Monday Record

After a record-smashing weekend, Jeff Tremaine's JACKASS 3D continued its box office success on Monday, taking in another $4,448, 427 to extend its total to $54M.  But for those who are wondering if JACKASS can ultimately top Michael Moore's FAHRENHEIT 9/11 as the top nonfiction grosser of all time, it's interesting to note that JACKASS' Monday total comes shy of FAHRENHEIT's Monday gross - $5,745,082.

A couple caveats: that Monday gross came on July 5, 2004, arguably part of a long holiday weekend.  However, that Monday was also FAHRENHEIT's 11th day of wide release and was an indication that the Moore film had long box office legs.  Will JACKASS have the same staying power?

This week JACKASS will do battle with another sequel, one with potentially the same audience (and coming from the same studio) - PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2.

 

A $50M Weekend for JACKASS 3D? Best Nonfiction Debut Ever, #6 All Time. Can It Top FAHRENHEIT?

WIth a mammoth opening weekend estimated at $50M dollars, Jeff Tremaine's JACKASS 3D sent a ballistic missile to the crotch of all previous nonfiction film box office records, easily and decisively becoming the most successful launch of a nonfiction feature in history.

The $50M take - and what's one or two million, give or take - will top the previous record holder, JACKASS: NUMBER TWO, by $20M.  For perspective, that $20M difference alone is a greater haul at the box office than all but ten nonfiction features in history.

Already, JACKASS 3D stands as the 6th highest grossing nonfiction film in history (see our all time chart here), where it joins both previous JACKASS films, making the series the most successful nonfiction film trilogy ever. 

Two questions now - will JACKASS 3D become the second nonfiction feature to surpass $100M at the box office and will the film eventually top Michael Moore's FAHRENHEIT 9/11?  Each of the previous JACKASS films was able to triple its opening weekend box office.  If JACKASS 3D could do the same, it would easily surpass FAHRENHEIT.

JACKASS 3D Scores Biggest Nonfiction Box Office Day Ever, Nearly Doubling Previous Record

JACKASS 3D, the third film in a series featuring outrageous and dangerous stunts, broke huge at the box office on Friday, taking in an estimated $21M+ in a single day.  It is, by a wide margin, the single day record for nonfiction films at the theatrical box office, nearly doubling the previous record holder - JACKASS: NUMBER TWO, which took in $11.2M in its opening day. 

The number makes it a near certainty that JACKASS 3D will destroy the previous records for highest nonfiction weekend and will become the first nonfiction film to gross more than $30M in its opening weekend.  The weekend record is currently held by JACKASS NUMBER TWO, which grossed $29M in its first three days back in 2006. 

Michael Moore's FAHRENHEIT 9/11 (2004) grossed $23.92 in its opening weekend and last year's MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT took in $23.24M last year.  The first JACKASS: THE MOVIE had an opening weekend of $22.76M in 2002.

 

Artists, Activists and The Enigma: Seven of 2010's Essential Nonfiction Features

No one is going to argue that this has been an extraordinary year for nonfiction film.

Film blogger Scott Feinberg has even gone so far as to declare 2010 "The Year of the Documentary" - "the strongest - or, at the very least, the deepest - year yet in the history of documentary filmmaking".

The other week I had a conversation with someone who I frequently discuss the various politics and maneauverings of the Oscar race for Best Documentary and we agreed that this year it was entirely possible to come up with three completely different lists of five nominees - and that each list would be not just acceptable but pretty sterling.

But let's take Oscar (and Cinema Eye and IDA and Spirits and Gothams and critics prizes) out of the equation for a little while...

I actually meant to write this post back in June, when I'd already seen so many tremendous films - by newcomers and veterans alike.  But I put it off because I had so many other films that I hadn't seen yet - and I still have not seen a number of the year's most talked about films (INSIDE JOB, CATFISH, TILLMAN STORY, CLIENT 9, LAST TRAIN HOME and ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE).

But - as evidenced by this intro - talking about these films as we go into October changes the conversation from the stuff I loved in early 2010 to the stuff that should be considered going into awards season.  There's little to do about that other than to plunge forward.

A final caveat - just picking these seven films from the list of great and near-great stuff I saw in 2010 was a challenge in itself.  I could easily include RESTREPO, BUDRUS, MY PERESTROIKA, SPACE TOURISTS and a handful of others.

But thus far, these are the films that have settled in with me for the long haul and these are the films that have made my documentary viewing in 2010 so exceptional:

Perhaps my favorite film of 2010 thus far is Banksy’s EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP – a skillful, note-perfect dissection of art world hype and the often thorny creative process.