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08/03/2006
Depth, humor all in onePanelists discuss how the genre has evolvedTRAVERSE CITY — Between the six Traverse City Film Festival panelists in the hot seat Wednesday, there were accounts of showdowns with government officials and taking personal risks, all for the sake of the documentary film. Malik Bader, director of "Street Thief," Jan Harlan, director of "O Lucky Malcolm," Josh Gilbert, director of "a/k/a Tommy Chong," Sabina Guzzanti, director of "Viva Zapatero!," Chris Bradley, director of "Pittsburgh" and Traverse City Film Festival founder Michael Moore gathered at the City Opera House for a discussion titled "Dangerous Docs." The panelists spent about two hours discussing the past, present and future of the fickle documentary film industry and the contributions their projects make to the effort. "Documentaries of the past were one-note; instructional, educational, objective and boring," Moore said. "I knew I had to make the anti-documentary or nobody, including me, would watch." Moore moderated the discussion, and each panelist was given time to discuss the challenges they faced filming and distributing their projects. Although each faced different obstacles on the road to getting their films into theaters, they were united about several aspects of the process. The use of humor in documentary films is becoming more prevalent. It's a tool that encourages viewers to confront social issues, Moore suggested. "When you laugh, first, you're not scared," said Italian director, actress and comedian Guzzanti. "If I make people laugh, I share the confidence that this will pass." Also, the panel maintained that it was better to film only one take to ensure the subject was genuine. "Once you put a camera on someone, they change," Bader said. In Chris Bradley's third directorial stab at a documentary, he ventured into a more comical hybrid approach with "Pittsburgh." Starring Jeff Goldblum, the film was shown on the film festival's opening night. "I love doing films that are more nuanced," he said. "(Documentaries) are always evolving with the new technology out there." Although Moore is working on his next project, a documentary about the medical industry called "Sicko," he said that he eventually wants to help other documentary filmmakers negotiate and succeed in the industry. "Documentary is no longer a dirty word to distributors and studios, but that doesn't make it any easier," Moore said. "People want to see a good movie whether it's fiction or nonfiction." Sandy Ramme, of Bloomfield Hills, attended the panel. She said she appreciated the range of topics. "It was very thought-provoking," she said. "I might come to more." Four free panels remain in the six-part series and take place at the City Opera House daily through Sunday at 10 a.m.
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