In documentary filmmaking, like all other art forms, many of the conventions are things we take for granted—but maybe shouldn't. These assumptions range from the three-act character-driven story arc and the privileging of voiceovers and narration in sound mixes to the dominance of the feature-length runtime. Others are broader, such as assumptions about who makes decisions in the creation of projects and what subjects and approaches work best for a documentary film, as opposed to an essay, a piece of music, or a poem. By carrying these assumptions with us, are we limiting the possibilities of what stories we can tell? In this conversation, these cross-disciplinary speakers will dig deep into what truly can guide documentary storytelling.
Moderator: Dominic Asmall Willsdon (IDA)
Panelists: Zeyba Rahman (Doris Duke Foundation), Kamau Bilal (Baby Brother), and Roya Rastegar
Biographies (submitted by the speakers):
Kamau Bilal is an Black American filmmaker based in Central Missouri. He was named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2018 by Filmmaker Magazine. His short film Baby Brother held it’s World Premiere at Sundance in 2018 and was supported by the Points North Institute. His work has been featured in the The NYTimes, Filmmaker Magazine, Hammer To Nail & No Film School, among others. His previous short film, Crown Candy co-directed with David Wilson premiered at DOC NYC and won the grand jury prize at the St. Louis International Film Festival. In non-directing capacities he photographed the HBO commissioned and Emmy nominated documentary Stories Women Tell & the ESPN 30 for 30 film “Long Gone Summer”. As an editor, he cut the NYTimes Critics pick A Stray. Currently he is a fellow in the Disney x Sundance Muslim Artist Fellowship, where he’s working on his first feature film.
In documentary filmmaking, like all other art forms, many of the conventions are things we take for granted—but maybe shouldn't. These assumptions range from the three-act character-driven story arc and the privileging of voiceovers and narration in sound mixes to the dominance of the feature-length runtime. Others are broader, such as assumptions about who makes decisions in the creation of projects and what subjects and approaches work best for a documentary film, as opposed to an essay, a piece of music, or a poem. By carrying these assumptions with us, are we limiting the possibilities of what stories we can tell? In this conversation, these cross-disciplinary speakers will dig deep into what truly can guide documentary storytelling.
Moderator: Dominic Asmall Willsdon (IDA)
Panelists: Zeyba Rahman (Doris Duke Foundation), Kamau Bilal (Baby Brother), and Roya Rastegar
Biographies (submitted by the speakers):
Kamau Bilal is an Black American filmmaker based in Central Missouri. He was named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2018 by Filmmaker Magazine. His short film Baby Brother held it’s World Premiere at Sundance in 2018 and was supported by the Points North Institute. His work has been featured in the The NYTimes, Filmmaker Magazine, Hammer To Nail & No Film School, among others. His previous short film, Crown Candy co-directed with David Wilson premiered at DOC NYC and won the grand jury prize at the St. Louis International Film Festival. In non-directing capacities he photographed the HBO commissioned and Emmy nominated documentary Stories Women Tell & the ESPN 30 for 30 film “Long Gone Summer”. As an editor, he cut the NYTimes Critics pick A Stray. Currently he is a fellow in the Disney x Sundance Muslim Artist Fellowship, where he’s working on his first feature film.