The Documentary

The writer, prducer, and performer talks about his revelatory experiences watching Happiness and Trainspotting for the first time, shares why he finds The Last Waltz to be such an emotional and unique documentary, and praises performances by Robert De Niro...

Markus Nornes is professor of Asian cinema at the University of Michigan, where he specializes in Japanese film, documentary, and translation theory. He is also a filmmaker and film-festival programmer. His most recent book, the open-access Brushed in Light, is...

Dec 13, 2023 — As twenty-five films are added, the Academy Museum spotlights the Registry’s thirty-five-year history.

Oct 20, 2021 — The late director of Canoa: A Shameful Memory aimed “to show people the real Mexico.”

Oct 1, 2018 — Three documentaries at the NYFF explore routes to our current moment.

Jun 15, 2018 — Fordlandia will tell the true story Henry Ford’s failed attempt at recreating an American town in Brazil.

May 1, 2018 — Cairo is “the city that made me what I am,” says Tamer El Said.

Apr 17, 2026 — So many Hamlets! Plus Radley Metzger, Marco Bellocchio, and Tilda Swinton and Orbital.

Dec 23, 2025 — Head into the holidays with roundtables to watch, articles to read, and podcasts to listen to.

Jul 18, 2025 — The week brings fresh writing on David Cronenberg, Stan Douglas, and Agnès Varda as well as a conversations between Jeff Wall and Pedro Costa.