“Docs to Watch” panelists speak on the challenges of the pandem…

“We are living in the Golden Age of documentary.” – Scott Feinberg

Lucas Theater hosted ten phenomenal documentary filmmakers, all with high hopes for the Oscars. The panel kicked off with much excitement as SCAD unveiled a brand new award, The Daring Documentarian Award, and its first honeree, Evgeny Afineevsky of “Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.” Afineevsky made a surprise appearance making him the eleventh director to take the Savannah stage.

Scott Feinberg, of the Hollywood Reporter, moderated the ninth annual Docs to Watch Round Table and introduced the following directors on stage (Right to Left): Matthew Heineman of “Retrograde”, Ondi Timoner of “Last Flight Home”, Shaunak Sen of “All that Breathes”, Sara Dosa of “Fire of Love”, Ryan White of “Good Night Oppy”, David Siev of “Bad Axe”, Kathlyn Horan of “The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile”, Daniel Roher of “Navalny”, Margaret Brown of “Descendant” and Brett Morgen of “Moonage Daydream”.

Feinberg began the panel by addressing the setbacks and drastic narrative changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Heineman beautifully stated, “If you end up with the story you started with, you weren’t listening.” This means a lot coming from the director who dodged a Taliban sniper bullet after President Biden recalled the Afghan troops amidst his documentary.

Morgen also faced a near-death experience during his production, as he suffered from a heart attack and briefly flatlined. This medical emergency resulted in him editing the entire film alone during the pandemic. Roher added on, he was forced to sneak across European borders amongst the various strict lockdowns. Brown too questioned, “Do I even keep going?”

The panelist did however recognize that the pandemic ultimately shaped and inspired them as filmmakers. Siev created “Bad Axe,” documenting the struggle his family business faced during lockdown.

Timoner stated, “My five-minute memorial video quickly spiraled into thirty-two [because my] dad was still alive in Avid.” Dosa and Morgen harnessed the power of archival footage due to the inability to film in person. White wrote his first screenplay. Seiv juggled humans and animals behind the lens. Additionally, two friends reunited, Horan and Carlile, to bring a music legend back to life.