Wednesdays

7:00 - 8:30 pm

Online

5/26, 6/2, 6/9, 6/16, 6/23 & 6/30

Six Sessions 

This course is offered online via the easy-to-use Zoom program.

A documentary filmmaker has the responsibility to be truthful to his/her vision of the world - approaching film making with full journalistic integrity. Whether observational, expositional, poetic, reflexive or a combination of modes, the role of entertainment in documentary film is to create a sense of urgency in the audience hopefully making them ask themselves: What can I do? 

Join us for weekly screening and discussions with a variety of documentary filmmakers with connections to the Berkshires, including:

Museum Town (2020), directed by Jennifer Trainer

In 1999, MASS MoCA became the largest museum for contemporary art in the world—but just three decades before, its vast brick buildings were the abandoned relics of a massive shuttered factory. How did such a wildly improbable transformation come to be? A testament to tenacity and imagination, MUSEUM TOWN traces the remarkable story of how a rural Massachusetts town went from economic collapse to art mecca.

Jennifer Trainer (Director) was one of a handful of people who developed and built MASS MoCA, working at the museum for 28 years as the first Director of Development. An award-winning journalist and the author of 20 books including Beyond Einstein: The Cosmic Quest for the Theory of the Universe, Nuclear Power: Both Sides, Trail of Flame, and Jump Up and Kiss Me, she wrote the first story about MASS MoCA for The New York Times. She is currently Director of Hancock Shaker Village, a living history museum and performance venue comprised of 20 historic buildings on 750 acres in Western Massachusetts. This is her first film.

Respect for All, directed by John Pritchard

Respect for All (2019) An in-depth discussion about how to make a documentary film. The 2019 documentary film Respect for All will be used to discuss pre-production, production, and post-production. The film is free to watch at http://respectallmovie.com.

John Pritchard's Australian Aboriginal film, One Heart-One Spirit, won Best Indigenous Documentary at the 2017 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. In 2016, he founded his non-profit educational film company, One Heart Movies. John focuses on producing educational films that celebrate the positive side of humanity. His professional goals are to promote respect for all people and to help create a kinder world. As a creative director and multimedia publisher, John has worked with companies such as Apple, Time-Warner, Sony, American Express, and McGraw-Hill.

Save the Earth, Save Ourselves, directed by Alice Booker

Deforestation, Climate Change, Habitat Loss, Sharing the Water, Pesticides, Sharing the Water, Fishing Practices… this documentary explores these subjects from the next generation's point of view.

Alice Booker (Director) is a sixth grader at Cascades Academy of Central Oregon.  This is her first documentary.

And more to be announced!

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