Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'documentaries'

In China, Lesbians Try To Win Favor With Roses

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EDT

In China, homosexuality was regarded as a crime not so long ago. Now, lesbians are reaching out to Chinese society. Some are distributing roses at shopping malls. Others are making documentaries. They are making progress, but it's not an easy process, activists say.

Reporter Helen Thomas Gets An HBO 'Thank You'

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:18:00 EDT

Documentarian Rory Kennedy, who's won acclaim and awards for her documentaries American Hollow and The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, turns her lens on legendary White House correspondent Helen Thomas. David Bianculli has a review.

Disney Launches New Nature-Film Division

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The Walt Disney Co. announced the launch of a new film division Monday Disneynature specifically created to produce nature documentaries in wide theatrical release. Nature films have enjoyed limited success among niche audiences over the years, but Disney executives are betting on finding a wider market.

College Trains Young Iraqi Filmmakers

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Maysoon Pachachi, daughter of Adnan Pachachi and founder of the Independent Film & Television College in Baghdad, talks with NPR's Susan Stamberg about some of the documentaries her students have put together about life in that besieged city.

Johnson & Johnson Heir Makes Film on Income Gap

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:29:00 EDT

Jamie Johnson, whose family founded Johnson & Johnson, came from a world with an inviolable rule: Don't talk about money. But he's using his background to make documentaries about the rich, including The One Percent.

Remembering Journalist Ray Farkas

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:00:00 EST

Ray Farkas, a pioneering radio and TV producer, died over the weekend after a long battle with Parkinson's disease and colon cancer. He had an eclectic and influential career, first for NBC's Huntley Brinkley Report and later making documentaries. Alex Chadwick remembers his friend.

Michael Moore Trains Eye on Health Care

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:00:00 EDT

Michael Moore is known for causing corporations and public officials some discomfort in documentaries such as Roger and Me and Fahrenheit 9/11. In his latest picture, Sicko, he casts a critical look at the U.S. health care system.

Folkstreams Documents America, An Hour At a Time

Sat, 26 May 2007 06:00:00 EDT

Virginia filmmaker Tom Davenport is best known for his movie adaptations of Brothers Grimm fairy tales -- set in Appalachia. Now he spends much of his time making sure people see the work of other filmmakers. His Folkstreams.net is an online archive for documentaries on a range of folk culture, virtually all of them impossible to find anywhere else.

Oscar Rules for Documentary Films to Change

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:38:00 EST

From blockbusters like Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth to smaller films like Deliver Us From Evil, documentaries are drawing large audiences. But some worry that the Academy's new rules could hamper that trend.

Revived Documentaries 'Plow' into the Present

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 12:17:00 EST

Two farming documentaries produced in the 1930s are exceptional for the cinematography and musical scores by the great American composer Virgil Thomson. Both films have been restored with new orchestral scores and released on DVD.

'Miss Sunshine' Directors Recommend Serious DVDs

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:01:00 EST

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are the directing partners behind the Oscar-nominated dark comedy Little Miss Sunshine. But their favorite DVDs tend to be documentaries, including one about pet cemeteries.

Documentaries View the Iraq War from Two Sides

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 09:59:00 EDT

Two new documentaries are out about the Iraq war: The Ground Truth and My Country, My Country. My Country shows what the war has been like for Iraqis, while Ground Truth concentrates on the personal traumas U.S. soldiers have to deal with when they return home. Both movies offer compelling views of the costs of war.

Israeli Director Deconstructs a House

Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:00:00 EDT

The new documentary by Israel's best-known film director tells the story of a Jerusalem house built by Palestinians and now owned by Israelis. Amos Gitai's documentaries and dramas are controversial -- especially in his home country -- because they challenge Israel's governmental policies and the role of religion in daily life.

Kathy McAnally, a Reporter's Reporter

Sat, 01 Apr 2006 11:44:57 EST

Radio reporter Kathy McAnally died last week of cancer at the age of 55. She was a pioneering sports reporter, and she contributed to a style of radio journalism and documentaries that gave NPR its distinctive sound.

The Anxiety, and Disaster, of Influence

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 14:39:32 EST

Two new documentaries probe the effects of outside influences on third-world countries. In Our Brand is Crisis, the arrival of U.S. campaign consultants threatens the outcome of a Bolivian presidential election. And Darwin's Nightmare is about the devastation of Lake Victoria in Tanzania.

Koppel Moving to Discovery Channel

Wed, 04 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST

Speculation about where newsman Ted Koppel would land once he left ABC's Nightline ended with the announcement that he has joined the Discovery Channel. Koppel was named managing editor of Discovery, and he will produce documentaries for the cable channel.

Penguins and Grizzlies on DVD

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 00:00:00 EST

Two documentaries about nature's pristine complexity are out now on DVD The March of the Penguins and Grizzly Man.

Documentaries Offer Two Views of Wal-Mart

Sun, 13 Nov 2005 00:00:00 EST

This week, two documentaries about Wal-Mart are being released on DVD. One is harshly critical of the giant retailer, while the other finds much that is positive in the company. The films come out as Wal-Mart itself is doing more to respond to criticism.

Visiting the Wonderful 'Wizard of Oz' on DVD

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Critic Bob Mondello reviews the newly released special-edition DVD for The Wizard of Oz. The three-disc set includes documentaries, outtakes and other special features. He says watching the classic film brought back many memories.

One World Flight

Sat, 13 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Radio dramatist Norman Corwin and producer Mary Beth Kirchner review his 1946 around the world trip which resulted in a series of 13 documentaries for CBS.

Free Range: A Small Town's Big Screen Dreams

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EDT

The town of Wrenshall, Minn., population 308, hosts the second-annual Free Range Film Festival. Held in a barn, it offers short films, features and documentaries from largely Midwestern amateur filmmakers.

Crossing East

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Day to Day previews Crossing East -- eight one-hour documentaries on the history of Asian-American immigration from the nation's beginnings up to the post-Sept. 11 era. Crossing East is the first comprehensive series on Asian-American history, and will be heard beginning May 2006 on most NPR stations.

Diversity Key to L.A. Film Festival

Mon, 20 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EDT

The Los Angeles Film Festival showcases an eclectic mix of documentaries and narratives -- diverse fare for film lovers, but works that need some "buzz" to really break out to a larger audience. Inspired by the festival's host city, filmmakers of color are sharing their stories, and the limelight.

A History Day That Veers Across Centuries

Tue, 14 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EDT

At the University of Maryland this week, National History Day 2005 is taking place. Students from across the country have gathered to present their papers, exhibits, documentaries, and performances. We hear from Emma Bennett, who performs as folk singer Molly Jackson; from Zoe Ackerman, who models herself after a Quaker who teaches freed slaves to read and write; and from Mackenzie Van Engelenhoven, whose project is about the news boys strike of 1899.

'The Shield' Season 3

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EDT

'The Shield' Season 3 April 8, 2005 · NPR's Mike Pesca reviews the DVD box set of the third season of the FX cop drama The Shield. Not only are the characters and action compelling, but the behind-the-scenes mini-documentaries and commentary tracks -- often just tacked-on to pad other DVDs -- actually add to a greater appreciation of the show.