The great artist Betye Saar would have hit the century mark today, but she transitioned to her majestic celestial studio four days ago. Her final major work, Drifting Towards Twilight, which she created at age 96, is a transformative dreamscape--and a serene coda to a brilliant career.

As we pay tribute to Glen Hansard, whose artistry was more than matched by his humanity, I share his hilarious and thoughtful reflection on meeting one of his heroes, Van Morrison. www.youtube.com/watch?v=29ab...

Glen Hansard meets Van Morrison

YouTube video by bannedfromchina

youtube.com

Back in March, I reached out to a cross section of the US documentary community to gauge the state of the ecosystem in these dark, desultory times. Although my article for Canada’s @povmagazine.bsky.social has been in print for a while, it’s online now. povmagazine.com/the-real-sta...

The Real State of the Union - POV Magazine

Surveying the state of U.S. documentary as producers, filmmakers, programmers, and broadcasters face a "new normal" in the age of Trump.

povmagazine.com

In my @filmquarterly.bsky.social debut, here’s my review of The Oxford Handbook of American Documentary, edited by Joshua Glick and Patricia Aufderheide, and The Intellect Handbook of Documentary, edited by Kate Nash and Deane Williams. online.ucpress.edu/fq/article/7...

Sonny Rollins, who left us yesterday, played with Miles Davis, whose centenary we celebrate today, in the early days of their remarkable careers. Here they are performing Rollins' composition "Aerigin." www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQxJ...

Miles Davis Quintet with Sonny Rollins - Airegin (1954)

YouTube video by Alberto Truffi

youtube.com

Get ready for a 5-part series of posts! I was in Toronto recently to cover the Hot Docs Industry Conference for POV Magazine. Thanks, as always, to Marc Glassman and Patrick Mullen. Here we go: Post 1, Day 1: povmagazine.com/hot-docs-ind...

Hot Docs Industry Report: Day 1 - Re-imagining Distribution and Independent Filmmaking - POV Magazine

2026 Hot Docs Industry Conference Report: Day One - panellists discuss alternatives to documentary distribution and imagine new funding approaches.

povmagazine.com

Frederick Wiseman was one of the greatest chroniclers of the human experience--its everyday tragedies & comedies, heartbreaks & joys, triumphs & failures. "Menus-Plaisirs--Les Trois Grois" was a wonderful valediction to an amazing canon. www.indiewire.com/news/obituar...

Frederick Wiseman Dies at 96: The Documentary Legend Was One of Cinema’s Greatest Masters

Wiseman's 50-plus year career started with a bang, "Titicut Follies," and only got better.

indiewire.com

I "attended" Sundance online, and saw 14 docs and 3 Beyond Film talks in 5 days. My top 7 faves: 1) American Doctor 2) Soul Patrol 3) The Oldest Person in the World 4) One in a Million 5) Birds of War 6) Closure 7) Everybody to Kenmure Street

For those of us who have toiled in the nonprofit arts sector for most of our careers, this is a hefty rejoinder to the takeover/run/pillage/plunder-crazed regime. emilkang.substack.com/p/an-open-le...

An Open Letter to Richard Grenell

The nonprofit arts were built to do what the market cannot. Confusing that with failure puts our cultural infrastructure at risk.

emilkang.substack.com

This most dispiriting of years called for a double dose of righteous resistance and furious joy. And I am grateful for the artists who proclaimed their presence loudly and proudly and delivered a multitude of reasons to believe. And so I offer my 3rd annual Lists of My Favorite Things from 2025.

JFK: "I look forward to an America which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft." Trump: “I’ve always felt that a lot of modern art is a con.” www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

Trump Dishonors the Kennedy Center

A memorial to John F. Kennedy and his respect for the freedom of the arts has been renamed for a man with authoritarian instincts.

newyorker.com

Rob Reiner: “Silence in the face of authoritarianism is complicity. Speaking out is a patriotic act. Democracy doesn’t defend itself. It requires participation, vigilance, and courage from ordinary people."

Kudos to the Gotham Film Awards nominees, and a special shout out to the docs: 2000 Meters to Andriivka; BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions; My Undesirable Friends; The Perfect Neighbor; Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk : deadline.com/2025/10/2025...

Gotham Awards Film Nominations: ‘One Battle After Another’ Leads Pack; Multiple Noms For ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’, ‘It Was Just An Accident’, ‘No Other Choice’

The 2025 Gotham Awards nominations have been announced.

deadline.com

A day late, I know, but kudos to all the @criticschoice.bsky.social doc nominees, including multiple honorees Orwell: 2+2=5 and The Perfect Neighbor, Pennebaker Award honorees Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady; and Impact Award honoree Ken Burns. www.criticschoice.com/2025/10/14/n...

Farewell, D'Angelo. Although "Sometimes It Snows in April" wasn't your song, you owned it here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeV7...

D'Angelo ft. Princess Sometimes It Snows in April

YouTube video by samuel

youtube.com

Congratulations to Garrett Bradley, Tommy Orange and the rest of the awesome crew of 2025 @macfound.org "Genius" Fellows. Amidst all the dispiritng dystopia, you have inspired us to stand, stomp, and stir up good trouble! Thank you for your gifts! www.macfound.org/programs/awa...

We are deeply saddened by the loss of our founder and friend Robert Redford.

A tough week for LA: Trump's performative provocation...losing Sly Stone...and now Brian Wilson is gone. What woke me up to his genius was this deconstruction of "Good Vibrations," part of NPR's 100 Songs series from 2000. "I don't know where, but she sends me there" www.npr.org/2000/06/19/1...

The Story Of The Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations'

The Beach Boys classic, released in 1966, is the product of a revolutionary approach to songwriting.

npr.org

Amidst this ongoing American tragedy, we just lost one of the great geniuses of the past 60 years. Thank you for letting us be ourselves again, Sly. Thanks for taking us higher. We will stand in your honor. P.s. Much love to our friend in frequency, Novena Carmel. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/09/a...

Sly Stone, Maestro of a Multifaceted, Hitmaking Band, Dies at 82

nytimes.com

Here's my report on the @hotdocs.bsky.social Industry Conference for @povmagazine.bsky.social. Thanks to @marcglassman.bsky.social and @patmullen.bsky.social for their editorial guidance. povmagazine.com/hot-docs-ind...

Hot Docs Industry Conference: Truth and Bias in the Age of Trump, Influencers, and AI - POV Magazine

Highlights from the Hot Docs Industry Conference included conversations about navigating truth and bias in the Trump era, and artificial intelligence.

povmagazine.com

In my "Current" debut, I spoke to some of the key drivers behind ITVS’ groundbreaking study, The Filmmaker-Participant Relationship Unpacked. Thanks to Mike Janssen and Karen Everhart for their editorial rigor. current.org/2025/05/itvs...

ITVS study explores the complex relationships at the heart of documentaries - Current

The ITVS team was most surprised to learn that 89% of documentary participants indicated that they would participate in a documentary again.

current.org

Kudos to the @peabodyawards.bsky.social nominees! peabodyawards.com/stories/nomi...

Nominees in Docs, News, Public Service, Podcast Announced - The Peabody Awards

The Peabody Awards and Center for Media & Social Impact Launch We Disrupt This Broadcast, New Podcast Featuring Interviews with Quinta Brunson, Damon Lindelof, Ramy Youssef, Pamela Adlon, Charlie Broo...

peabodyawards.com

This is democracy in action. Senator Cory Booker has been on fire against fascism for 19 hours. This is what it takes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSHV...

Watch Live: Cory Booker delivers marathon speech on Senate floor | CBS News

YouTube video by CBS News

youtube.com

Rob Manfred pledged to keep MLB's values on diversity “unchanged" back in February. But now, MLB's careers home page has no reference to “diversity," with a league spokesman telling The Athletic they're "evaluating" the programs. More: www.nytimes.com/athletic/622...

Between its world premiere at @sundancefilm.bsky.social #sundancefest & its international premiere at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, I spoke with Jesse Short Bull & David France about their film "Free Leonard Peltier." Thanks to @deadline.com & Matt Carey. deadline.com/2025/03/free...

‘Free Leonard Peltier’ Follows A 50-Year Trail To Justice For Native American Icon – Thessaloniki Int’l Documentary Festival

'Free Leonard Peltier' directors David France and Jesse Short Bull on Native American icon's 50 year trail to freedom.

deadline.com

‘No Other Land,’ a film about Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community, won the documentary feature film Oscar, and its directors appealed to the world to help end the conflict and accused the United States of blocking a solution reut.rs/41oltqZ #Oscars2025

Israeli-Palestinian film wins Oscar, directors assail US, global political stances

"No Other Land," a film about Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community, won the documentary feature film Oscar on Sunday, and its directors appealed to the world to help end the conflict and accused the United States of blocking a solution.

reut.rs

Kudos to the winners in the doc categories at Sundance 25! realscreen.com/2025/01/31/%...

“Seeds,” “Cutting Through Rocks” among Sundance Grand Jury Prize winners

The winners of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Awards were revealed at a ceremony in Park City, Utah on Friday (January 31), with Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. documentary ...

realscreen.com

Congrats to all the Oscar nominees in the doc categories! Onward! realscreen.com/2025/01/23/b...

“Black Box Diaries,” “Death by Numbers” among Oscar doc nominees

The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards have been announced, with the awards-season favorites No Other Land, Sugarcane and Black Box Diaries (pictured) among the nominees in the documentary featur...

realscreen.com

deadline.com/2025/01/docu...

Documentary Community Reckons With Devastating Loss From L.A. Wildfires: “This Whole Place Just Got Decimated” – Doc Talk Podcast

Deadline's Doc Talk Podcast discusses the wildfires that have impacted many in the documentary community for whom Southern California is home.

deadline.com

I’m taking a break from my liminal, reflect-and-refract retreat in the desert to bring to you My Favorite Things from 2024.