For the past decade, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival has been a must-attend event for both documentary filmmakers and enthusiasts. This year, the 26th edition of the festival took place from October 21 through October 28, attracting filmmakers from around the world. One of the highlights of the festival was the Docs to Watch panel, presented by The Hollywood Reporter and hosted by a correspondent.
The Docs to Watch panel has become renowned for featuring the directors of some of the year’s most outstanding documentary features. Over the past nine years, 45 films that were nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar were first highlighted as Docs to Watch. In seven out of those nine years, one of the films from the panel went on to win the prestigious award. These winning documentaries include “Amy” in 2015, “O.J.: Made in America” in 2016, “Icarus” in 2017, “Free Solo” in 2018, “American Factory” in 2019, “Summer of Soul” in 2021, and “Navalny” in 2022. It is worth noting that two other winners, “Citizenfour” in 2014 and “My Octopus Teacher” in 2020, were not part of the Docs to Watch selection.
This year, the panel featured nine talented filmmakers who shared their experiences with the audience. Each director discussed the origins of their projects, the challenges they faced during production, and the impact that making and releasing the film had on them and their subjects. The films and their respective directors on the panel were:
1. Mstyslav Chernov, representing PBS’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” a film that follows Ukrainian journalists covering the Russian invasion of their country.
2. Matthew Heineman, representing Netflix’s “American Symphony,” a documentary about musician Jon Batiste’s professional success and his wife’s personal challenges.
3. Madeleine Gavin, representing Roadside’s “Beyond Utopia,” a film about a South Korean pastor helping people escape from North Korea.
4. Laura McGann, representing Netflix’s “The Deepest Breath,” a documentary centered around deep-sea free divers.
5. Maite Alberdi, representing MTV’s “The Eternal Memory,” a film about a Chilean couple dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.
6. D. Smith, representing Magnolia’s “Kokomo City,” a film that delves into the lives of four Black transgender women.
7. Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, representing Nat Geo’s “The Mission,” a film about a missionary’s efforts to connect with an isolated Indigenous community.
8. Raoul Peck, representing Amazon’s “Silver Dollar Road,” a documentary about a Black family fighting to reclaim their ancestral land.
9. Davis Guggenheim, representing Apple’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” a film about the life and struggles of actor Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease.
Unfortunately, Roger Ross Williams, the director of Netflix’s “Stamped from the Beginning,” had to cancel his appearance due to illness. The film explores the history of anti-Black racism in America and was chosen as one of this year’s Docs to Watch.
Before the panel, the festival presented its inaugural Rising Documentarian Award to Travon Free and his directing partner Martin Desmond Roe, with the latter unable to attend. The filmmaking team gained recognition for their Oscar-winning short film “Two Distant Strangers” in 2020. They continued their success by releasing two acclaimed documentaries in the last two years: the 2022 doc short “38 at the Garden” about basketball star Jeremy Lin and anti-Asian hate in America, and the 2023 doc feature “BS High” about a con artist who leads a fictional football team.
The SCAD Savannah Film Festival’s Docs to Watch panel has solidified its status as a platform for exceptional documentary filmmaking. With a track record of highlighting future Oscar winners, the panel provides an invaluable opportunity for emerging and established directors to showcase their work and connect with a passionate audience. As the festival continues to thrive, it will undoubtedly unearth more inspiring stories and foster the growth of this powerful storytelling medium.
