Documentary shorts are a fascinating sub-genre of documentary filmmaking. Frequently snubbed, ignored, and forgotten in favour of full-length documentaries, they’re witnessing a surprising resurgence. Showing the light, unsurprisingly, is Netflix. Adding to its burgeoning list of excellent documentary features and series, the popular streaming service announced last month that it would release four docu shorts in 2018.
Dose of history
Even the most avid cinema-goer might be surprised to discover that documentary shorts have been around far longer than one suspects. The Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) has been around since 1941. Awarded to features shorter than 40 minutes, some of the initial few awards went to propaganda films during the Second World War. Consider some of the early winners: National Film Board of Canada (Churchill’s Island, 1941); United States Navy (December 7th, 1943); United States Marine Corps (With the Marines at Tarawa, 1944), United States Department of War (Seeds of Destiny, 1946), United States Army (Toward Independence, 1948).
In the ’50s, a couple of Walt Disney produced docu shorts won Oscars. And from then on the category gently ambled on, arguably without a sense of place or purpose. However, the last year or two have witnessed an uptick in interest in the format. Much credit goes to The White Helmets , last year’s Oscar-winning documentary short about the Syrian Civil Defence, a volunteer group of rescue workers who made a name trying to rescue people amid the ceaseless violence of the Syrian Civil War. Available on Netflix, it is a harrowing study of the wreckage of war.
Originally planned as a full-length feature, the makers reportedly abandoned the plans in favour of a short documentary. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the makers said, “In the end, we decided to make a short film, specifically, because of the urgency of the situation. We wanted to get this film out as quickly as possible and to make a feature takes two, maybe three years.”
This makes sense in a media-addled world. Documentary shorts cater to shorter attention-spans. In a breaking news dominated world, they also bring a sense of urgency to the story being told, thanks to a shorter production time. It also helps that they cost far less than a full feature with its bells and trinkets.
Netflix’s slate of docu shorts for this year offers an intriguing variety. Ram Dass, Going Home examines the life of Ram Dass, an important cultural figure from the 1960s and 70s. A psychedelic pioneer, author of Be Here Now , beloved spiritual teacher, and outspoken advocate for death-and-dying awareness, Ram Dass is now himself approaching the end of life. Directed by Derek Peck, the docu short arrives on April 6.
Ladies First tells the inspirational story of Deepika Kumari. Born on the roadside in extreme poverty, the docu short follows her life in rural India. How she struggled to find food, stumbled upon archery, and became the number one archer in the World in four years. Directed by Uraaz Bahl, it releases on March 9.
The Trader (Sovdagari), winner of the Best Short Documentary Award at Hot Docs, will launch on February 9. Directed by Tamta Gabrichidze, it’s the story of Gela, a second-hand clothes and household goods seller. He conducts his business from the back of his minibus as he travels Georgia, in search of spuds. Money has no meaning in this market and potatoes are like gold. It’s fascinating to watch people from the European country light up as they see modern-day products like sponges and lint brushes.
End Game has its world première at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Academy Award winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, it is an intimate vérité style documentary that follows visionary medical practitioners who are working on the cutting edge of life and death — and is dedicated to changing our thinking about both. It releases on May 4.
From India
In the past few years, there have been some striking docu shorts produced in India as well. For instance, Hemant Gaba’s Japan in Nagaland (2015), delved into the animé craze that has taken over Nagaland and also covers the annual costume festival in the state capital Kohima. In stark contrast, What The Fields Remember (2015) by Subasri Krishnan recounts the horrors of the killings of more than 1900 Bengali Muslims in Nellie and surrounding villages of Assam in 1983.
However, such examples are far too few and difficult to find. Netflix’s foray into documentary shorts might just encourage Indian filmmakers, too, to uncover and chronicle the many untold stories — hopeful, harrowing, or happy — of our vast country.