AWFJ @ Salem Film Fest 2015 Filmmaker Forum – “The Obligations and Limitations of Engagement”

At the heart of a good documentary is the heartbeat of the film’s lead characters, and they’re often people who’ve experienced traumatic, life changing events or situations. The documentarians on our panel have witnessed their subjects’ troubles in a most intimate way. We ask them to describe their relationships with their subjects, to tell us how they balance the requisite empathy and objectivity to tell the story, and how they know when it’s time to disengage and complete their films. Core questions that reveal the challenges and solutions facing filmmakers telling the stories of people experiencing difficult life situations. Participants: Erinnisse and Patryk Rebisz (co-dir.) Shoulder the Lion; Morgan Schmidt-Feng (dir.) Om Her Own; Jonathan Howells (dir.) Alfred & Jakobine; Marie-Lou Gingras (editor) Once Upon A Crime: The Borrelli – Davis Conspiracy. Moderated by Jennifer Merin. View the photo gallery.