film essay
Capturing the Moment: Inauguration Day, the Women’s March and Why We Must See Trump’s Presidency as an Opportunity
Iva Radivojevic shares her experiences over two contrasting days in Washington, D.C., and looks ahead to what is next for the resistance.
How Kids Changed My Life
Sean Brosnan reveals the profound impact that Larry Clark and Harmony Korine's movie had on his angry, rebellious teenage years.
Films to Watch When Everything is Shit
The award-winning director of Virunga and The White Helmets on the movies, both fiction and doc, that can restore hope in all of us.
Groupies, Drugs and Boredom: On the Insanity of Directing 200 Motels with Frank Zappa
Tony Palmer details the favors, lies and innovations necessary to make Zappa's 1971 madcap cult classic on a shoestring in just 10 days.
What We Learned Following a Trump-Supporting West Virginia Miner and an Immigrant Community Organizer on Election Day
Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Martha Shane share their experiences filming subjects on Election Day for the documentary 11/8/16.
The Incredible True Story of How My Leonard Cohen Movie Was Destroyed – and Then Resurrected Almost 40 Years Later
Director Tony Palmer discusses the dramatic history behind the making, unmaking and restoring of his film Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire.
How I Hit Rock Bottom in Reality TV and Found Myself as a Feminist Filmmaker
Dana Michelle Cook explains how an incident at a girls beauty pageant sparked the decision to transform her life and the work she was making.
Fear of the Female Planet, or Why I Love The Love Witch
Allison Anders counts the ways in which she's head over heels about Anna Biller's sumptuous supernatural melodrama.
Doors Opening: Making Reality with David Bowie
On the first anniversary of Bowie's death, Steve Lippman opens up his 2003 diaries to recall an indelible creative collaboration with the singer.
Why My Favorite Movies are the Ones Everyone Else Walks Out Of
Matthew Wilder explains why his favorite cinematic genre — difficult movies — are both so gratifying and so hugely misunderstood.
How to Empower Yourself and Make Your Movie Your Way
Blair Witch Project director Daniel Myrick, currently crowdfunding his next movie, on harnessing technology to win your creative freedom.
Moving the Cultural Dial When Your “Issue” Has Been Hijacked
Eric Juhola, director of Growing Up Coy, on the need to focus on the human story behind the headlines in social issue documentaries.











