In documentary film, drama is formed from reality in the moment versus multiple takes in which an actor can perfect their performance. Thus the mark of a gifted documentarian is not strictly in provocative subjective matter, but the eye to capture spontaneity and craft it into a cohesive narrative.
Gorham “Hap” Kindem, a filmmaker and a communications studies professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, showed his two most recent films and spoke to the public regarding the nature of documentary filmmaking Tuesday afternoon. A published film historian, Kindem has made more than 10 films on various subjects from Al Jazeera to racial integration in Chapel Hill in the 1950s.
In his selections, “More Than Meets the Eye” and “Winning Isn’t Everything,” Kindem highlighted the power of perseverance to build a holistic narrative and convey emotion in an audience in absence of the artifice that would drive other projects.
In introducing the films, cinema studies chair Chuck Maland stressed the message of optimism in Kindem’s work.
“Both of these films are about what is possible to achieve with an optimistic attitude,” Maland said.
The first film shown, “More than Meets the Eye,” documents the life of Danish biathlete and psychologist Anna-Mette Bredahl as she competes for Paralympic gold. A lifelong sufferer of congenital retinitus pigmentosa, Bredahl’s world champion career in cross-country skiing and shooting as juxtaposed with her pursuit of a doctorate in psychology represent two hurdles which no Dane had previously accomplished.
Through Kindem’s lens, the story of a person with a physical disability is neither portrayed in a position of pity nor with the sort of packaged jubilation from which many similar stories often suffer in telling. Instead Bredahl’s achievements as an athlete and a scholar who happens to be blind are represented in such a way as to focus on her as a regular person rather than a spectacle.
Kindem explained that Bredahl was not his original subject, but after a Paralympian he had followed was forced to drop out of the project Kindem met Bredahl and was able to build a film around her story. In between films Kindem also explained that “More than Meets the Eye” is being distributed to raise awareness and deflect stigma for those suffering from retinitus pigmentosa.
“Winning Isn’t Everything” follows the 2007 Women’s Soccer team at the University of North Carolina under coach Anson Dorrance as they compete for the NCAA Championship. Dorrance, whose dynasty has produced the likes of Mia Hamm and Cindy Parlow, has lead teams to 19 championships but stresses the importance of playing each game for each other.
While the 2007 team lost by a goal to rival Notre Dame in the championship Sweet Sixteen match, the film’s title comes from their ability to keep the reason for playing in perspective. While playing competitively is key to Dorrance and his players’ success, the idea of forming a family on the field is reinforced throughout and gives the film an emotional center.
Kindem said one of the hardest parts of making documentaries is “keeping your focus on whether or not you have a story,” but from his selections it was obvious that Kindem’s eye for story keeps his stories in focus and his viewers riveted.
