Congrats to Former Documentary Students
As we wrap up 2016, some congratulations are in order. (One of the benefits of having taught at a top-notch documentary program is seeing your students kick butt.)
Here are a few films to see and directors to inspire you.
I’m very impressed with alum Alexis Bloom, whose documentary “Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds”, will air on HBO in 2017. This intimate portrait of family and fame debuted earlier this year at Cannes.
My former student and colleague Dan Krauss won Best Documentary Short at the Tribeca Film Festival for “Extremis”. This Netflix release is a fascinating look at end-of-life care.
It’s Dan’s third film to win the Tribeca grand jury award. Dan, along with alum Daphne Matziaraki, are contenders for the 89th Academy Awards. Woo hoo!
Congratulations also to alum Jason Spingarn-Koff, former curator of Op-Docs at The New York Times, who was named Director of Original Documentary Programming at Netflix this year. He’s a great guy and a snappy dresser!
Finally, my former teaching colleague Professor Michael Pollan was nominated for an International Documentary Association (IDA) award for Best Limited Series for “Cooked,” produced for Netflix with Alex Gibney.
Go Bears!
