Coming to Brooklyn’s Made in NY Media Center via IFP’s Screen Forward program this Friday, February 20: APPROACHING THE ELEPHANT
Amanda Rose Wilder’s in-depth look at a year of alternative education made its debut at True/False last year. Other festival appearances included Nantucket, New Orleans, Sarasota, Maryland, BAMcinemaFest, Camden, CPH:DOX, RIDM, and Rotterdam.
I previously wrote about the doc for Nantucket’s program, saying:
Seeking an alternative to America’s troubled educational system, Alex, an idealistic young teacher, opens a small free school in Little Falls NJ where all classes are optional and determined by student interest, and the only rules that exist are democratically decided upon by both the teachers and the students. Director Amanda Rose Wilder immerses the viewer in this radical and fascinating experiment, chronicling the school’s tumultuous inaugural year. While wonderfully individuated children adapt to unprecedented freedom and must take responsibility for their own learning, Alex and his staff also must contend with the inevitable strong personalities that test the limits of their open community.
what (not) to doc 
Nice!