WGA Nominees for Best Documentary Screenplay

A new year, a new award season and to start things off, the Writers Guild of America announced their nominees for 2010 film season. Surprisingly, the WGA has a category titled "Documentary Screen Play" so naturally we jumped at the chance to cover the announcement.

Now, because it is the Writers Guild, there are certain regulations that prevent non-union documentaries from being considered, so don't fret if your favorite documentary didn't get the nod. Alright, enough babbling here are the nominees:

1) Enemies of the People, Written, Directed, Filmed and Produced by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath; International Film Circuit

2) Freedom Riders, Written, Produced and Directed by Stanley Nelson; International Film Circuit

3) Gasland, Written and Directed by Josh Fox; HBO Documentary Films and International WOW Company

4) Inside Job, Produced, Written and Directed by Charles Ferguson; Co-written by Chad Beck, Adam Bolt; Sony Pictures Classics

5) The Two Escobars, Written by Michael Zimbalist, Jeff Zimbalist; ESPN Films

6) Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)?, Written and Directed by John Scheinfeld; Lorber Films

So there's the list? What are your thoughts? Are you as surprised as we are about Enemies of the People receiving such praise (check are review out to understand our thoughts).

Documentaries rock!... but nobody cares?

The New York Times wrote an interesting, but semi-depressing article over the weekend discussing the current state of documentaries. Indeed, it's clear that after several years of 'blockbuster' hits and rising ticket sales, the documentary genre took a hit this year, receiving little to no attention from theater audiences.

If you've been able to see the Oscar Nominee's shortlist, you'll know there are some excellent films out this year, so clearly the product isn't suffering. So why the low attendance? Well, I'm no New York Times writer so you'll have to check it out for yourself but my personal thoughts- despite growing interest from distribution companies in picking up the rights to films, there isn't the same marketing push previous successful doc's enjoyed, nor are there major theatrical runs outside of the usual art house options.

But tell us your thoughts?

Michael Jackson Special Postponed

New Years is about starting over and getting a fresh start and The Discovery Channel is trying to do just that. Last week, the network decided to "postpone indefinitely" their re-enactment of the 2009 Michael Jackson autopsy. Apparently friends and family of the late pop-music star didn't appreciate a network displaying the (fake) dead body of Jackson and mustered up enough complaints to force the network to reconsider.

“Michael Jackson’s Autopsy: What Really Killed Michael Jackson” was scheduled to air on on Jan. 13 in several countries around Europe (sorry Americans, the U.S. was not in the original release plans).

Ken Burns returns to baseball

Did you see Ken Burn's 1994 documentary series Baseball and think, "I feel like I need more?" Well if you did, you're a freak who needs a social life (19 hours and you want more?!?) . But, while your social life may be lacking your need for more baseball can now be quenched!

Burns returns to baseball to fill in the gaps between 1994 and today in a four hour (2- 2 hour segments) examination of America's past time- appropriately titled The 10th Inning (because Lord knows this history lesson is well into extra innings). The film premieres September 28th and 29th at 8pm (EST) on PBS.

Head on over to PBS' website to learn more about the film and catch a trailer for what will undoubtedly be yet another award winning piece from Burns.

Silverdocs - Saturday recap

The final day for Silverdocs (Sunday has films, but none will be seen by this writer) turned out to be short but sweet. Two excellent documentaries finished up the festival and they are certainly worth the price of admission:

Into Eternity - as artful a film as you could imagine in this investigation of a permanent solution to dealing with nuclear waste. Though it might come off as pretentious at times, it does an excellent job helping audiences fully comprehend just how long 100,000 years actually is (that's the amount of time it takes for the waste to no longer be harmful to humans).

The Tillman Story - why would a story about one soldier's death be so interesting? Well it's a story of government cover ups and lies in order to generate war propaganda. It's a great documentary from an established filmmaker and is worth watching whether you know the story or not.

Stay tuned for a full festival wrap up in the coming days!

Silverdocs - Friday recap

Friday at Silverdocs will now be known as 'European Day', as it turned into a day of four films from the continent. Not surprisingly, each and everyone was very well made. Let's dissect:

Living Room of a Nation - a documentary with no real message or theme, but to show the lives of the people they record. Perhaps that sounds boring, but this ode to daily life is as simple and charming as its characters.

Woman with 5 Elephants - a film about a woman who translates Russian literature into German may sound dull, but what it lacks in entertainment it makes up for in intimacy and sincerity.

Men Who Swim - easily the most enjoyable documentary of the festival. Men's synchronized swimming sounds like the perfect subject to ridicule but watching characters as bizarre and enjoyable as the sport, it's hard not to ponder joining your own team as well.

Steam of Life - saunas and men pouring out their souls, that is the premise of this documentary and it works perfectly. Equal parts touching and humorous, it's hard not to appreciate this honest reflection of Finish society.

Silverdocs - Thursday recap

Thursday will now be called 'roller coaster day', for that was the film experience of Silver Docs yesterday. I'm talking specifically about the films. And the great thing about roller coasters is how they leave you wanting more:

The Kids Grow Up - a surprisingly touching documentary that will surely have more impact and meaning on the parents of recent graduates. It isn't a perfectly made film, but neither was Father of the Bride - and I loved Father of the Bride.

Barbershop Punk - what is neither a barber, nor a punk? Better question, what is neither entertaining nor insightful? It's an overly harsh criticism of the film, but this documentary was the low point of the festival so far.

Budrus - The best film of the festival (so far) is not about Boutros Boutros-Ghalli (admit it, you thought it was for a second). No, this touching and empowering documentary follows one Palestinian village as it uses nonviolence to stop the Israeli wall from destroying their land.

Silverdocs - Wednesday recap

Wednesday didn't quite live up to the pleasant surprises of Tuesday, but it was certainly a day full of interesting and provocative films. It also featured a misstep that forced me to miss Davis Guggenheim's newest film Waiting for Superman. Yes, miscommunication resulted in missing one of the major films of the festival, but not to worry the error lead me to a surprising little world premier! That's what's great about festivals, even when someone screws up, you still win!

But enough rambling about schedules, a brief highlight of the Wednesday films:

Goodbye, How Are you? - a totally unique and clever attempt at highlighting a satirical aphorism movement in Serbia. It's not your usual documentary and it'll definitely divide audiences into those that love it and those that don't.

South of the Border - Oliver Stone brings his pro-Hugo Chavez rhetoric to the forefront in this film praising the Venezuelan President and other like minded (i.e. U.S. bashing) leaders. It's a film that tries to erase the negative caricatures of these leaders with overly positive ones, but there are plenty who will appreciate Stone's work.

My So Called Enemy - A world premier that still needs some polishing (the director claims editing ended at 2 am the day of the event), but certainly worth seeing. It appeals to idealists who want peace throughout the world and to realists who believe everyday life makes idealism a complicated and unattainable goal.

Silverdocs - Tuesday recap

The opening night festivities behind me, it was time to get into the meat of the Silverdocs festival and let me tell you, it was a surprise. Of all the days, the first day was (in my opinion) considered the weakest (or most likely to produce a bad film or two), but I must say each and every film turned out to be a real gem. So here's a quick recap:

La Isla (Archives of Tragedy) - The film has a few missteps and odd choices, but if you come into it with some background on the history of Guatemala, you'll find a very good documentary.

War Don Don - Does 'justice' truly help a society recently marred in civil war? That is the question brilliantly dissected in this case study that asks audiences to reexamine the legitimacy and helpfulness of the UN special courts.

Holy Wars - A bold and enlightened film that desperately tries not to judge its fundamentalist characters. Though it's possible to interpret the filmmakers taking a side in the debate, it's hard to deny this is based more on the characters then the direction - which includes narration to mitigate those feelings.


Odd factoid of the day - two of the three films ended with a rap song about the subject matter. I don't know why, but I found that odd.

Silverdocs kicks off in Washington D.C.

The week long documentary smorgasbord known as Silverdocs kicked off with a bang last night with the world premier of Freakonomics and DocFilm Online is here to bring you daily coverage of the event, plus reviews of all the films we are able to see.

If you are in the D.C. area you should definitely check out the event (hosted at the AFI theater in Silver Spring, Maryland). If you aren't within reasonable driving vicinity (and I'll leave that judgement call to you), then check out our daily recaps!