Flaherty, Cinema Vérité and “Truth”: Documentary Traditions and Authenticity

Vérité documentaries, such as this year’s Competition films Asylum and Brother’s Keeper, conform to generally accepted beliefs about what a documentary film should do. These films attempt to record life “as it happens” before the camera with as little direction imposed by the filmmakers as possible. In his new film, My Crasy Life, J.O. Gorin challenges vérité filmmaking’s accepted monopoly on authenticity with his type of documentary, which openly records its subjects under scripted, composed and controlled conditions and refuses to offer strict social analysis. This panel will offer a stimulating discussion on the implication of traditional documentary filmmaking and the potential of the potential pf the documentary to reflect and interpret reality in a variety of ways. My Crasy Life’s J.P. Gorin will be joined by Joan Churchill, the director of Asylum; and Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, who filmed Brother’s Keeper. Here are four filmmakers who will challenge our assumptions and open our eyes about the principles of documentary filming.