How long does a documentary need to be? Frederick Wiseman frequently goes long, and Oscar-winning “Oj: Made in America” ran nearly eight hours. Lately, with “Bill Russell: Legend” and “Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker,” streamers have embraced the “two-part documentary” — a fancy term for what used to be called a miniseries. So, while there are no limits on how much longer docs can get, it’s refreshing to see a compelling subject covered in 40 minutes or less, and doubly rewarding to realize that four of the five packaged in ShortsTV’s “2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary” found audiences on their own merits, even without theatrical distribution.
The only one you can’t see for free is Jay Rosenblatt’s charming “How Do You Measure a Year?,” a 29-minute assembly of home-movie footage. Every year, Rosenblatt sat his daughter Ella down on her birthday and peppered her with questions,...
The only one you can’t see for free is Jay Rosenblatt’s charming “How Do You Measure a Year?,” a 29-minute assembly of home-movie footage. Every year, Rosenblatt sat his daughter Ella down on her birthday and peppered her with questions,...
- 3/11/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
While working on his documentary series about The Secret Life of Muslims, Director Joshua Seftel came across a local news story about marine Richard “Mac” McKinney which he immediately knew he had to tell. His Oscar nominated short Stranger at the Gate tells an initially perturbing yet ultimately, incredibly inspiring tale of love overpowering hate. Mac, suffering from Ptsd after years of overseas tours in the marines, knew of no way to escape the trauma and hate he felt towards Muslims and made a decision to bomb the mosque in his local community. Whilst this might come across as a horrific starting point for a documentary, the story which unfolds is one of unflinching kindness, acceptance and hope. Seftel is an established filmmaker who has honed an open and warm approach to his participants, a most effective foundation for a filmmaker drawn to telling stories of injustices with a sensitive and tailored approach.
- 3/3/2023
- by Sarah Smith
- Directors Notes
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