With the focus now on authentic storytelling, docu films are gaining popularity: Bing Liu

Ramona S Diaz, a Filipino-American documentary filmmaker, and Bing Liu, a Chinese-American director and cinematographer, don't like to face the camera as much as they do love to handle it for their work. Bing is best known for directing his documentary, Minding the Gap, which was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature at the 91st Academy Awards. And Ramona is best known for 'character-driven documentaries', which screened at Sundance, the Berlinale, Tribecca, the Viennale, among several others. At Kolkata recently to hold workshops for aspiring docu makers from the city, the two filmmakers spoke to us on the sidelines of the event. Excerpts:
Global film awards have embraced non-fiction in a big way. What difference does it make to documentary makers in general?
Ramona: In the long span of my career, from mid 2000s, there has been a sea change obviously in terms of the kind of attention documentaries get now. Theatrical releases of documentaries and streamers coming on board made a lot of difference too. There is a lot more awareness now about documentaries and this is also partly because of the form it has taken. Now, there are a lot of character-driven documentaries being made. They say it's the golden age of documentaries, but I would say, it's the golden age for established documentary makers. Documentaries are now getting nominated for Best International Film category, like Honeyland and Collective, and that's good. So, there's a recognition of documentary as an art form. But streamers are both a blessing and a curse. Blessing because they make documentaries more mainstream, but they also define documentaries. And it's a very narrow definition.
Bing: It feels like an honour and suddenly the spotlight is on documentaries. But that doesn't necessarily translate into the same feeling when the filmmaker is making the film. If you are not established, it's not easy. The money is there but it often goes to the established filmmakers. There is a demand for True Crime documentary genre mow.

You have conducted workshops in India, especially Kolkata. What are the challenges you feel the Indian docu makers face here vis-a-vis the challenges you have overcome?
Ramona: I guess it's the exposure to the kind of contemporary work around the globe that is a challenge for many Indian docu makers. To make good documentaries, you need to watch many of them — that's the best form of education. Also, the challenge is to find the kind of documentaries that's available out there. The kind of stories that can be told in India. Films are expensive and getting the right resources is a challenge but it's not particular to India or Kolkata. There are unique voices that we came across in the workshop and only an Indian filmmaker can tell such stories with a distinctive point of view. Also, in the documentary world, there is an awareness of who gets to tell the story — representation, and that should be done correctly.
Bing: We talked about a lot of challenges, but they are universal. How do you get access to tell the story that you want to tell? How do you get the visuals in place? How do you tell a story and keep the people that are in the film safe, and their identities hidden, if they want that? Docu makers, even here in India, struggle with these a lot during the making before they get there.
Since you pick up subjects close to your interests/conscience, how big a role does community/pop culture play in the making of documentaries?
Bing: Knowing the pulse of the community we belong to helps in picking the subject. Now, more than ever, it feels like you have both the responsibility and the opportunity to tell the story about your community. Everybody has some sort of a personal connection to something. Making a documentary is hard work. Sometimes it takes years, at times decades. You need to have the energy.
Ramona: Yes, documentary filmmaking is a marathon and not a sprint. So, you must be very committed to your story. And you are drawn to the stories because of the characters. So, being passionate about their concerns is important.

What would be a few essentials to keep in mind to make a documentary visually appealing and focussed on the reality of the subject at the same time?
Bing: Marrying the visual with the auditory is hard to do in the film as a medium but that's important. In the present tines of fake news, the focus is on authenticity and that's where documentaries have gained popularity. It feeds the need that we require.
Ramona: The constant question we asked at the workshop was what are we going to see? Documentary film is a visual medium. Using all the tools of cinema to tell a real story is a challenge. When you are starting out, I think there is a common oversight because you are used to telling the backstory more. It's also using the tools of cinema for a story that's unfolding without you knowing where it's heading. So, it's a crazy way to make a film. But always know how you want your film to look and sound. The tonality of the film is important.
How important is it to have the PR machinery at work to make the global film awards cut?
Ramona: There are a lot of pressures on you when you deliver a film. You think you have done your job by making a film. After meeting the festival deadline, you must change into becoming this other person that pushes the film. And that's my least favourite part of the entire journey. I feel, I have made this film and now I must talk about it, which is tedious. But expectations on filmmakers these days make them constantly talk about their work.
Bing: When I was making Minding the Gap, a part of the grants I received for making the film, went in the marketing campaign. There were press releases about my film being made. So, by the time it got completed, people knew about it. A big part of getting your film there is about cutting through all the noise of other films being made. And of course, making an impact.