Documentary students and fans revel in stories about filmmakers conquering extraordinary challenges trying to bring their work to the screen.

This book brings vividly to life the sometimes humorous, sometimes excruciating—and always inspiring—stories behind the making of some of the greatest documentaries of our time. All of the filmmakers and films profiled are Oscar-nominated or Oscar-winning.

Documentary Case Studies

Walk readers through the fixes and missteps that today’s documentary leaders worked through at all stages to create their masterworks—from development, fundraising and pre-production, through production and then post. There are plenty of “how to” documentary filmmaking books in circulation, but this book will instead deploy a personal, intimate, and candid approach to unlocking the secrets of the craft and the business by meeting filmmakers who tackle production challenges in the most resourceful and unconventional ways.