In the early 1960's a revolution in documentary filmmaking took root, inspired by both cultural uprisings and new audio-visual technologies. The movement known as Direct Cinema rejected authorial voiceovers and other narrative devices, opting instead for immediacy, ambiguity, and intimacy.
Two of the pioneers of Direct Cinema are D.A. Pennebaker (Don't Look Back, Monterey Pop) and Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter). In the mid-1970's, Pennebaker joined forces with Chris Hegedus (Startup.com, The War Room) to form Pennebaker Hegedus Films, which continues producing documentaries in the 21st century with the assistance of their children and other collaborators.
Pennebaker and Hegedus sat down with S.W. Conser in July of 2016 to discuss the changing nature of documentary filmmaking over the course of the past half-century. Albert Maysles talked with KBOO's Kate Welch in January of 2014 during the filming of what would be his final film, In Transit. Maysles died a year later at the age of 88.
We're honored to bring you these very special interviews, and look forward to airing Part Two of our Direct Cinema series, featuring Frederick Wiseman and Gina Leibrecht.
- KBOO