documentary review
“There was, there was not” is an Armenian idiom that plays as the opening to a fairy tale in much the same way that “once upon a time” might elsewhere. It’s a poetic and appropriate way to begin a story of Artsakh, an eastern-European enclave that now, as
documentary review
I have seen far too few films of Robert Kramer. “He invents cinema with each new shot”, according to Cahiers du Cinéma. Those that I have seen have left an impression upon me. Take for instance, the lo-fi paranoia of The Edge from 1968 and Ice two years later
documentary review
Jesus behind every door. A gun in every home. No land for indigenous people and no reparations. These are just some of the promises made by Jair Bolsonaro in his campaign for President in Brazil. Coupled with the blatantly violent rhetoric and threats against left-wing opponents and the disregard
documentary review
What happens when Ai Weiwei, one of the most prominent artist-activists of our time, decides to direct an Italian production of a Puccini opera? Of Turandot, no less, with its orientalism and famously tacked-on happy ending. Surprisingly, it all goes swimmingly! Well, except for the upcoming pandemic that
documentary review
Several years ago, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin directed a movie about the efforts to save the soccer team that was trapped from deep inside that cave in Thailand. It was called The Rescue. One of the oddities of their career is that several of their feature documentaries could
documentary review
It’s probably not coincidental that there are multiple documentaries releasing this year that deal with WWII propaganda. Andres Veiel’s Riefenstahl premiered a year ago at last year’s Venice Film Festival and Luuk Bouwman’s The Propagandist premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, also last year. Both
Wiseman Wednesday
Wiseman Wednesdays is a new (hopefully) semi-regular feature at reDocumented. Model screened at the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival. “’Cause he loves the modelss, and he hugs the models, goes to the lunch with models, ‘cause it’s all he’s got to say. And when he sleeps with
film festival review
Adapting books into documentaries comes with a unique set of issues. Especially so when you’re adapting what is essentially an a to z encyclopaedia of over one thousand women who have made an impact, large or small, on the horror genre. Like Xavier Burgin’s Horror Noire: A History
film festival review
When I was asked by a friend what my favourite film of this year's Melbourne International Film Festival was so far, I answered, "The 80-minute wordless documentary about trains." The response was, "That tracks." Bonus points for the accidental pun, but also, yes,
film festival review
Göran Olsson’s latest documentary, the expansive Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958–1989, does not directly reference the news of today. But it does sit in the shadow of it. It would be impossible not to. Names that are now so integral to the conversation on a daily basis
film festival review
The Librarians is one of those documentaries that’s kind of hard to assess. In a way, it’s like arguing with a baby. Sure, your points might be totally accurate and compelling and maybe you made those points with veracious integrity. But ultimately, you’re still arguing with a
documentary review
The request at the centre of Deaf President Now! is hardly a radical one. Even for 1988, long before “DEI” and “woke” were corporate bugaboos. That a school, Gallaudet University in Washington DC, for the deaf and hard-of-hearing should have a president who is deaf or hard-of-