Skirball Documentary Film Discussion Series (Online)

Documentary as Social Record
Four-session live discussion series
October–November 2022

This four-part documentary discussion series explored nonfiction cinema as a tool for understanding work, power, institutions, and culture. Structured as a “book club for films,” participants watched selected documentaries independently, then gathered for moderated Zoom discussions focused on form, ethics, authorship, and historical context.

Each session was organized around a thematic lens, allowing films from different eras and styles to speak to one another—observational, essayistic, archival, investigative, and participatory documentaries alike.

Session Themes

• Work — labor, industry, and class (Harlan County, USA; American Factory)

• Politics & Government — leadership, war, and democratic power (The Fog of War; Primary; The War Room)

• Corporations, Economics, Money — finance, fraud, and institutional failure (Inside Job; Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room; The Inventor)

• Music, Culture & Entertainment — performance, fame, and counterculture (Gimme Shelter; Don’t Look Back; The Decline of Western Civilization)

The series also situated contemporary documentaries alongside foundational works—including Shoah, Man with a Movie Camera, and Grey Gardens—to examine how documentary language and ethical assumptions have evolved. Films such as They Shall Not Grow Old were used to spark discussion about technology, restoration, and historical mediation.

Developed and facilitated for the Skirball Cultural Center, the program emphasized close viewing, critical conversation, and cross-film comparison rather than lectures or panels.

Format

• Four live, 90-minute Zoom discussions

• Independent film viewing in advance

• Curated prompts and contextual framing

• Discussion-driven, participatory structure