BRITDOC‘s Luke Moody has returned with his esteemed opinions on the January Film of the Month finalists. If you find Luke’s remarks insightful, you might want to check out the site he curates for BRITDOC, Something Real, in which he highlights documentary double bills and where to watch them. Luke will be also presenting a series of documentaries at the ICA soon, dubbed Frames of Representation, so keep an eye out for that too. Luke noted his pleasure in viewing the top voted…

Head of Documentaries at The Guardian, Charlie Phillips, has come on board to tell you about their new initiative to commission short documentaries for The Guardian online. Anyway, we’ll let Charlie tell you more… Documentaries have become very cool recently, have you noticed? A lot of people are writing a lot about this being the Golden Age of Documentaries, and whilst labelling moments like that feels unnecessary to me, it’s certainly true that more people are making brilliant documentaries at…

Investigative documentary filmmaking can impose real challenges and risks, especially if you’re taking on one of the biggest oil exploration companies in the world. Director of the Oscar-nominated documentary Virunga and long-time Shooter, Orlando von Einsiedel, opens up about making a film that really takes a stand. Touching on Netflix distribution, teaming up with Leonardo DiCaprio and his career in filmmaking. Orlando started off shooting snowboarding videos before delving into documentary filmmaking, tracking down incredibly varied stories across Africa, Asia, the Americas and the…

Fresh from portraying Martin Luther King Jr in Academy Award-winning Selma, acclaimed English actor David Oyelowo has come on board as April’s Film of the Month Patron. David is a graduate of prestigious LAMDA, and his past films range from indie darlings to blockbuster treats with roles in A Most Violent Year, The Butler, The Paperboy, Interstellar and Lincoln. . Now one of Hollywood’s most sought after acting talents, David will be able to provide fantastic insight on your films.…

The presence of Clerks creator Kevin Smith as March’s patron has stirred up some fiery and fierce competition in Film of the Month. SP’s social media has been going wild with filmmakers promoting their films on the leader board – which is exactly what it’s all about. Not only is there the opportunity to win stuff, but entrants can get that wonderful thing called ‘feedback’ from leading industry figures and other filmmakers. Helping with the improving and bettering work as creatives –…

As the sun sets on SXSW 2015 – we look back at some of the highlights. Here’s some more from Chris and Ben’s time in the deep south, their screening of Nina Forever and when they met the ruler of the roost…

Making your first feature film is no easy feat. Since there isn’t a direct route to take to come out on the other side unscathed and on top, taking on a feature can seem like quite a daunting prospect. Luckily for you, Shooting People members are willing to share their experiences to give you insights on the reality of filmmaking – from development to distribution. Charlie Lyne is a filmmaker and freelance journalist. He directed and edited his first feature, ‘Beyond Clueless’, which is…

Iconic writer, director, producer and podcaster Kevin Smith is gracing us with his presence and acerbic feedback this month as Film of the Month patron. Kevin made his iconic film debut at Sundance with ‘Clerks‘ (1994), filmed at the convenience store where he worked outside of working hours. Other films in the shared canon of the View Askewniverse include ‘Chasing Amy’, ‘Dogma’, ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back’ and most recently he has released the horror flicks ‘Red State’ and…

This month’s patron is American Screenwriter and Director, Desiree Akhavan. Best known for her web series ‘The Slope’ and more recently, her 2014 feature film debut ‘Appropriate Behaviour’. She won the Grand Jury Prize for Appropriate Behaviour at the San Diego Asian Film Festival. This month’s top 10 continue the comedy streak, with some quite notable short filmmakers in the running. Voting ends midnight on Saturday, so make sure you take a look because members would appreciate your feedback. 1.…