Autobiographical Documentary

From journalism to documentary filmmaking, there is a rich tradition of storytellers who make the decision to insert themselves into their own work.

There is good reason for this—making yourself into a character in your own story can be a powerful tool.

But also raises difficult questions and carries meaningful risks.

Why should you make yourself into a character in the narrative? When and how should you do so? And most critically, what can go wrong? The course asks how the deeply personal can offer a portal to universal themes—family, identity, love, memory, and the political forces that shape our lives.

To explore these questions, this course draws on a range of autobiographical films such as Kirsten Johnson's Cameraperson , Caveh Zahedi's The Show About the Show , Ross McElwee's Sherman's March , and Sarah Polley's Stories We Tell , and podcasts such as Sharon Mashihi's Man Choubam , Jonathan Goldstein's Heavyweight , and Kaitlin Prest's The Heart .

Drawing on critical readings from Transom.org and authors such as Bill Nichols, Michael Renov, and Stella Bruzzi, students sharpen their thinking about the powers and pitfalls of autobiographical narrative.

All of our discussions support students as they plan, prepare and execute their own 5-10 minute autobiographical documentary.