SXSW Panel: Makers of Geek documentaries
February 4th, 2011 | Published in Featured Screenings, Festivals, News | 1 Comment
Saturday 12 March, 12.30pm
DIRECTOR: Jeanie Finlay on the panel
VENUE: Austin Convention Center, Room 15, 500 E Cesar Chavez St
Nerd subcultures are becoming a popular subject for documentaries: they’re filled with fascinating characters, surprising behaviors and worlds that make the mundane seem exotic. And yet we all have that inner geek that can relate on some level. Documentary filmmakers tend to choose subjects because they’re fond of them. Sometimes though, in an attempt to make the films more accessible to a general audience, there’s a temptation to mock that which is unfamiliar and strange. What is the filmmaker’s responsibility to the people who have consented to allow us to explore and expose every aspect of their life, work, or play? And do they also have a responsibility not to make their films a “love letter” to the subjects?
A panel of filmmakers who have focused their work on geeky subcultures will discuss the challenges and rewards of making documentaries about the untold triumphs of geekdom. They’ll discuss how they approached the material, the people, and the choices they made. And maybe we’ll even have a special guest or two.
February 13th, 2011at 8:38 pm(#)
I need to see this film to get back ta ma roots – northern mining – preferably the ‘big screen’- hint – hint!
All the best with it
Dan