Docalogue is an online space for scholars and filmmakers to engage in conversation about contemporary documentaries. Live tweeting is encouraged!
Each month, one documentary will be featured and the conversation will be initiated by two writers who have been asked to write a few words about that film. Once these initial posts are up, the blog will be open for comments and discussion from the larger community. Each month we will also organize a virtual, live-viewing event when the community can gather to watch the film together. This site gr
ew out of our desire for more regular conversations about documentary, outside of the once or twice a year we run into each other at conferences or festivals. But, our hope is that this format will also lead to a productive dialogue about the possibilities – and perhaps problems – of the documentary form in the current moment. This “docalogue” will be curated by documentary scholars Jaimie Baron and Kristen Fuhs, who will choose each month’s films and writers. However, participants should feel free to suggest films and contributors for future consideration.
With Covid spikes, global IT failures, and (if I'm being honest) a total preoccupation with the Paris Olympics, we've decided to just let July's Docalogue ride for another month. But, that's ok, because I realize I forgot to hype it last month! So, if you haven't already done so, head on over to https://docalogue.com/four-daughters/ and check out some great pieces on Four Daughters from Nora Stone and Florence Martin!
June's Docalogue is about Samsara (2023), Lois Patiño’s latest film, an immersive experiment of traversing into the bardos – the transitional states between the moments of death and rebirth described in the Tibetan Buddhist text, Bardo Thödol. Check out what Mandy Rose and Anup Grewal have to say about the film at https://docalogue.com/samsara/ - then tell us what you think!
This month's Docalogue is about this year's Oscar winner for Best Documentary, 20 Days in Mariupol (Mstyslav Chernov, 2023), a devastating portrait of the Ukranian city as it is besieged by Russian forces. Head on over to https://docalogue.com/20-days-in-mariupol/ and check out what Anastasia Kostina and Anne Eakin Moss have to say about the film. Then tell us what you think!
“Cinema Forms Memories” Anastasia Kostina (Yale University) On March 10, 2024, Ukraine received its first Oscar in history for the documentary film 20 Days in Mariupol, the story of the…
This month's Docalogue is about A German Party (Simon Brückner, 2022), which brings us inside AfD, the right-wing political party Alternative for Deutschland. Head on over to https://docalogue.com/a-german-party/ and check out what Marcy Goldberg and Jens Eder have to say about the film. Then tell us what you think!
This month’s Docalogue is about While We Watched, an urgent look at the state of contemporary news media in India. Check out what Ritika Kaushik and Anuja Jain have to say about the film at https://docalogue.com/while-we-watched/. Then stick around and tell us what you think!
“Suniye, Dekhiye, Samajhiye! (Listen closely, Watch carefully, Understand!)” Ritika Kaushik (Goethe University Frankfort) When we first meet the Indian journalist and broadcaster Ravish…
We are so pleased to announce the publication of the 5th(!) book in our Docalogue book series, "Summer of Soul: A Docalogue" featuring amazing chapters by Catherine Russell, Lauren McLeod Cramer, Landon Palmer, Anthony Kinik, and Michele Prettyman! Check it out - we'd love to hear your thoughts! https://www.routledge.com/Summer-of-Soul--Or-When-the-Revolution-Could-Not-Be-Televised-A-Docalogue/Baron-Fuhs/p/book/9781032502533
This month's Docalogue is about The Pigeon Tunnel, Erroll Morris' tête-à-tête with David Cornwell, aka John Le Carré. Check out what David Resha and Charles Musser have to say about the film at https://docalogue.com/the-pigeon-tunnel/ - then stick around and tell us what you think!
“Dupes and String Pullers” David Resha (Oxford College of Emory University) About an hour into Errol Morris’s The Pigeon Tunnel, author David Cornwell tells a story about a boyhood visi…
We're ringing in the new year with a new docalogue about Telemarketers (2023), a docuseries about two unlikely heroes that take on the call center industry. Check out what Stephen Charbonneau and Benedict Stork have to say about the series at https://docalogue.com/telemarketers/ - then stick around and tell us what you think!
“From Telemarketers to Uncouth Comrades” Stephen Charbonneau (Florida Atlantic University) The third episode of Telemarketers features a key scene in which our muckraking protagonists –…
We're rocking out this month with a new Docalogue on David Bowie and Moonage Daydream. Come check out what Lisa Perrott and Sean Redmond have to say about Brett Morgen's latest at https://docalogue.com/moonage-daydream/. Then stick around and tell us what you think!
“Extracting Wine from a Grape: The Ferment of Found Footage Documentary” Lisa Perrott (The University of Waikato) Firing up fans and confounding critics, Moonage Daydream has been descr…
This month, Docalogue features Still: A Michael J. Fox movie. A few production hiccups meant that we only have one contributor piece this month, but it's a good one. So, head to https://docalogue.com/still/ to see what Cathy Lee Crane has to say about the film. We'd love to hear your thoughts, too - so engage with Cathy's piece and drop a comment!
“Recycling Time in the Hybrid” Cathy Lee Crane (Ithaca College) You do not need to be a fan of the films and television projects starring Michael J. Fox to be taken in by Still, the doc…
When Docalogue asked Jia Tan to recommend her favorite recent Chinese documentary, she told us we should do a month on We Were Smart (Li Yifan, 2019). So, we did! See what Jia and Kristoff Van den Troost have to say about the film at https://docalogue.com/we-were-smart/. Then tell us what you think!
“Chinese Working-class Youth Culture and Mobile Phone Aesthetics” Jia Tan (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) When considering youth subcultures in general, few would contemplate them…
Docalogue was traveling in Italy last week, so we're a bit slow on the uptake. Belatedly, let us draw your attention to this month's film, Herbaria (Leandro Listorti, 2022) and two wonderful pieces about the film by Oliver Gaycken and Rick Prelinger. Check out what they have to say at https://docalogue.com/herbaria/ then tell us what you think!
“Can Plant Preservation Illuminate Moving Image Archival Practice?” Rick Prelinger (UC, Santa Cruz) What we make of archives mostly tells us about ourselves. Archives are much more than…
This month's docalogue looks at Kristy Guevara-Flanagan's provocative new documentary Body Parts, which traces the evolution of "s*x" on screen from a woman's perspective. Head on over to https://docalogue.com/body-parts/ to read what Jennifer Moorman and Eleni Palis have to say about the film. Then stick around and tell us what you think!
“Shooting from the Mussy” Jennifer Moorman (Fordham University) As its logline asserts, “Body Parts traces the evolution of ‘s*x’ on-screen, from a woman’s perspective.” The project was…
This month, Docalogue looks at Theo Anthony's documentary ALL LIGHT EVERYWHERE (2022). Come check out what Sasha Crawford-Holland and Alex Hack have to say about the film at https://docalogue.com/all-light-everywhere/ then stick around and tell us what you think!
” Documentary and/as Surveillance” Sasha Crawford-Holland (University of Chicago) Brightly clad picnickers look up through cameras, cellphones, and cardboard glasses to view a solar ecl…
This month's Docalogue is about All That Breathes (2022), the gorgeous and thought-provoking doc from Shaunak Sen about two brothers who run a bird hospital in New Delhi dedicated to rescuing injured black kites. Come check out what Bishnu Ghosh and Irinia Leimbacher have to say about the film at https://docalogue.com/all-that-breathes/ - then tell us what you think!
“A Community of Air” Bishnupriya Ghosh (University of California, Santa Barbara) Shaunak Sen’s visceral documentary All That Breathes (2022) burst onto the international scene with a sl…
If you’re going to be at SCMS this week, join us on Friday at the Celebration of Authors event as we raise a glass to all of our Docalogue authors!
This month's Docalogue is about All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022), the brilliant new doc from Laura Poitras about Nan Goldin and the downfall of Sackler family. Come check out what Roger Hallas and Maria San Filippo have to say about the film at https://docalogue.com/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed/ then tell us what you think!
“The Damage Done” Maria San Filippo (Emerson College) I first became aware of Nan Goldin through Lisa Cholodenko’s 1997 film High Art, loosely based on the photographer and inspired by …
This month's docalogue is about Bill Morrison's newest discovery-related doc, The Village Detective: a Song Cycle (2021). Head on over to https://docalogue.com/the-village-detective-a-song-cycle/ to see what Erica Levin and Scott MacDonald have to say about the film. Then stick around and tell us what you think!
“Surface Tension” Erica Levin (The Ohio State University) Bill Morrison’s The Village Detective: A Song Cycle revolves around the story of Mikhail Zharov (1899-1981), a beloved but near…
This month, Docalogue looks at Reginald Hudlin's documentary about one of the all-time Hollywood greats, SIDNEY (2022). Come check out what Paula Massood and Cole Nelson have to say about the film at https://docalogue.com/sidney/ then stick around and tell us what you think!
“Frozen in Time” Paula J. Massood (Brooklyn College, CUNY) Sidney Poitier’s legacy as a leading man—strong, intelligent, handsome, and unapologetically Black—is widely recognized. Regin…
Nea Ehrlich posted a brilliant comment on this month's film, WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY, that I wanted to draw everyone's attention to. Don't miss out - check out all 3 great takes on this film before we turn the site over to February's film in a few days!
“Virtual Reality’s Digital Physicality” Michael LaRocco (Bellarmine University) Despite the fact that it is shot entirely within VR, We Met in Virtual Reality (WMIVR) is an interesting …
Ringing in the new year with a new docalogue! Head on over to https://docalogue.com/we-met-in-virtual-reality/ to see what Michael LaRocco and Da Ye Kim have to say about We Met in Virtual Reality (Joe Hunting, 2022). Then, stick around and tell us what you think!
“Virtual Reality’s Digital Physicality” Michael LaRocco (Bellarmine University) Despite the fact that it is shot entirely within VR, We Met in Virtual Reality (WMIVR) is an interesting …
This month's Docalogue is about Hannah Jayanti's speculative documentary Truth or Consequences (2020). Come check out what Greg Cohen and Xiaolu Wang have to say about the film at https://docalogue.com/truth-or-consequences/, then stick around and tell us what you think!
This month's Docalogue is about We Need to Talk About Cosby (2022), W. Kamau Bell's deep dive into Bill Cosby's descent into ignominy. Come check out what Brandy Monk-Payton and Amber Hardiman have to say about the film at https://docalogue.com/we-need-to-talk-about-cosby/ then stick around and tell us what you think!
Maybe it's because I have prison on the mind, what with all of the recent revelations about top-secret files in desks at Mar-a-Lago, but we're so pleased to announce the publication of this month's Docalogue on Attica (2021). Head on over to https://docalogue.com/attica/ to read what Beth Capper and Alex Johnston have to say about the film. Then stick around and tell us what you think!
This month's Docalogue is about Faya Dayi (2021), Jessica Beshir's meditative documentary exploring the rituals of khat. Come check out what Merve Ünsal Genç and S. Topiary Landberg have to say about the film at https://docalogue.com/faya-dayi/, then stick around and tell us what you think!
“Elusive Temporalities” Merve Ünsal Genç (University of California, Santa Cruz) Faya Dayi is a film of yearning, often missing or asynchronously revealing the objects of that yearning. …
This month's Docalogue is about Writing with Fire (2021), Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas' powerful documentary about Khabar Lahariya, India's only newspaper run by Dalit women. Come check out what Anirban Baishya and Rahul Mukherjee have to say about the film at https://docalogue.com/writing-with-fire/ then stick around and tell us what you think!
A new docalogue is here! Head on over to https://docalogue.com/procession/ to see what Kathryn Lofton and Suzanne Little have to say about Robert Greene's newest performative documentary, Procession (2021). Then, stick around and tell us what you think!
“Seen But Not Heard” Kathryn Lofton (Yale University) Procession begins with footage from a 2018 press conference in which three white male survivors speak frankly about their experienc…
As the war continues to surge, Docalogue turns its attention to Ukraine this month - and to Babylon'13, a filmmaking collective committed to documenting the Russian invasion. Head on over to https://docalogue.com/babylon13/ to see what Dale Hudson & Patricia R. Zimmermann and Masha Shpolberg have to say about the importance of short-form documentary to Ukraine right now. Then stick around and tell us what you think!
REMINDER: The abstract deadline for Summer of Soul: a Docalogue is May 1!
We are inviting proposals for 5,000-word essays about Summer of Soul (Or… When the Revolution Could Not be Televised) (Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, 2021) for the next volume in the Docalogue book series. Each Docalogue book brings together five essays by different scholars, each writing from a distinct perspective, about a single documentary film. If you would be interested in writing about this film, please send abstracts of approximately 500 words and a 200 word bio to [email protected] by May 1, 2022. If your abstract is accepted, drafts will be due in December. Inquiries are welcome, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact us. And please share with others who you think might be interested in this call!
It may have been robbed at the Oscars, but this month Docalogue is turning its spotlight on the poignant and powerful FLEE. Head on over to https://docalogue.com/flee/ to see what Bella Honess Roe and Darshana Sreedhar Mini have to say about the animated documentary. Then stick around and tell us what you think!
” Humanizing Anonymity” Bella Honess Roe (University of Surrey) Flee might be the first feature-length film to be nominated in both the feature animation and documentary categories at t…
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