Interviews

Ryan White’s Good Night Oppy tells the story of the two Mars robot rovers, Opportunity [“Oppy’] and Spirit sent to the red planet in 2003 on what was intended to be a 90-day fact-finding tour. Over time, the NASA scientists formed an emotional attachment with the robots and the doc is somewhat of an unlikely tearjerker. “This was my [first] film about non-humans but it was the same - I treated it like any of my character-based films,” White tells BDE.

It is one of those songs that has entered the global consciousness, part holy/part horny (to paraphrase a key character in the film) and owned by everyone. It is both a virus and a modern prayer, soaring heavenward when sung by some, or rendered vulgar when used to gain popular acclaim (or indeed sell a Hollywood movie). Directors Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine discuss Leonard Cohen and his extraordinary song with BDE.

Director Lizzie Gottlieb talks to Business Doc Europe about her documentary which profiles one of US publishing’s great double acts, writer Robert Caro and his editor and friend Robert Gottlieb, Lizzie’s father. When asked what her initial inspiration was to make the film, Lizzie remembers a response Caro gave to a question about what he and Gottlieb would fight over. “We have very different feelings about the semi-colon,” he responded.

Director Reginald Hudlin tells the remarkable story of the late, great Sidney Poitier in his new feature doc, backed by Apple TV+ and produced by Oprah Winfrey together with Derik Murray. “Although [his] parents had practically no resources, they had the resources he needed the most. They gave him love. They gave him a moral compass. They gave him curiosity. They gave him a work discipline,” Hudlin tells BDE.

Matthew Heineman talks to BDE about his film that starts at the end, as the Taliban has seized back control of Afghanistan, as American forces are pulling out, after trillions of dollars have been spent and thousands of lives lost - and it’s all ending in utter chaos. “We all know how it ends, but we are going to give you a different view of these final moments,” explains Heineman.

For Polish director Paweł Łoziński, what started off as mere curiosity turned into an obsession. For two and half years he interviewed passers-by from his balcony, discussing their problems and inviting them to be a hero in his film. His resulting doc garnered top prizes at the likes of Locarno, Leipzig, It’s all True and Big Sky. “When you stop with your camera, as I did in one fixed place, then all the world will come into my frame,” he tells BDE.

Jason Loftus’ Eternal Spring (長春): The Heist of China’s Airwaves is vying for Academy Award nominations in three categories; Doc Feature, Animated Feature and International Feature (Canada). Since its world-premiere at the Thessaloniki Doc Fest in 2022 the film has picked up a hatful of awards, including the two top audience prizes at Hot Docs. Earlier in 2022, Loftus discussed his film with BDE.

US filmmakers Cynthia Wade and Sharon Liese go inside the country’s largest manufacturer of American flags to tell the story of some of the company’s employees, the majority of whom are refugees and immigrants. The resulting award-winning short launched on National Geographic December 8 and hits Disney Plus on Dec 21. What’s more, Wade and Liese tell BDE, the story has been optioned for Broadway musical treatment…

Swedish Magnus Gertten’s documentary Nelly & Nadine has now been selected for more than 100 film festivals and has received more than 20 international awards. It is also among the documentaries that have qualified for submission in the Best Documentary Feature category. The director spoke to Business Doc Europe before its world premiere at Berlinale 2022, where it won the Teddy Jury Award.

It has been a while but two years after its premiere in Venice, Luca Guadagnino’s feature documentary Salvatore: Shoemaker Of Dreams has finally been released in US cinemas by Sony Pictures Classics. The film, about the legendary Italian shoemaker Salvatore Ferragamo, is being tipped by some as a potential Oscar contender. Writer Dana Thomas and Ferragamo’s daughter Giovanna tell BDE about their involvement on the film.