Coming to theatres today, Wednesday, April 26:
OBIT.
Director:
Vanessa Gould
Premiere:
Tribeca 2016
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, AFI Docs, GlobeDocs, Philadelphia, Provincetown, New Zealand, Traverse City, Hot Springs Doc, Denver, Palm Springs
About:
An inside look at The New York Times obituaries department.
Gould profiles the small editorial department of the paper of record responsible for summarizing the lives and accomplishments of a select few of the just departed, often under punishing deadlines – no pun intended. Writers and editors determine who merits the limited space that they have available, set out to confirm that their subjects have actually died – not always the case in an era of false news and rumor, and delve into the essentials of their lives. While they have headstarts on some, having crafted advanced drafts for aged public figures, for example, other deaths come as a surprise, necessitating a quick turnaround to come up with their memorial. Gould benefits from a lively cast of subjects, and from the enthusiasm and respect they show for their unusual beat.
what (not) to doc 