Santo Domingo, Nov 15, 2012
Dominican Global Film Festival Panel on Documentary Filmmaking

(Santo Domingo, Nov 15, 2012).- On Thursday, the Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), as part of the VI Dominican Global Film Festival panel and workshop series, hosted directors Rigoberto López and Ciro Capellari who gave a documentary filmmaking workshop. The focus of the workshop was documentary film as historical artifacts and repository of cultural memory, showing both personal and collective stories, exploring reality and introducing new social discourses. 

López, One of Cuba’s most outstanding filmmakers, said one of the most important characteristics of documentary making begins with approaching your idea and purpose then defining and synthesizing it. He said the lack of these elements constitute the main problem in Latin American documentary making.

Ciro Capellari, film director, screenwriter and director of photographer who is here with his film Francesco and the Pope, defined documentary film as a genre concerned with reality. He said documentary making has changed drastically recently with the new video cameras, computers and the Internet which have combined to make it more accessible to more people to make films and to view them.

He said documentary film does not have to be strictly reportage, like in the old days with talking heads. Today’s documentaries can be more creative, entertaining and open to infinite possibilities giving the filmmaker an opportunity to use this new and less traditional form of working while providing viewers with the opportunity to benefit from the films which can be both educational and entertaining.

Following the panel, held at the FUNGLODE auditorium, López and Capellari took questions and comments from the audience.