Sure, Coronation Street's popular and EastEnders too, not to mention all the other soaps that fill our screens daily, but sometimes there's nothing like a decent, carefully crafted, thought-provoking documentary to stimulate the ol' grey matter.
Those who prefer a slice of real life to a serving of fictional flotsam will be delighted to learn that the
London International Documentary Festival is coming to town this month.
Running from the 13th of May until the 28th, the festival is the biggest of its kind in the UK. It takes place at 13 venues, with work by more than 130 directors from over 44 countries.
The festival aims to examine the cultural, social and political issues of the day, while at the same time engaging with those who bring the films to the screen - see the
listings page to find out whether a panel discussion follows a screening.
One of the highlights of the festival is the "A Portrait of..." feature. These are a series of films that take a look at some prominent 20th Century figures, combining documentary and cinematic film-making techniques.
The "A Portrait of..." programme includes:
Martin Scorsese's
A Letter to Elia, a highly personal documentary about the life of the late movie director Elia Kazan, and how his work affected that of Scorsese.
Brigitte Berman's
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel, which takes a look at the gregarious founder of the Playboy empire.
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And Everything Is Going Fine, a tribute to the late Spalding Gray that brings together 25 years of rare footage of Gray. Made by Steven Soderbergh, this film is a must-see for any fans of the popular American performance artist.
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Senna, a film about the Brazilian racing driver Ayton Senna's achievements on and off the track, and his endless quest for perfection. The documentary follows his life from his first season as an F1 driver up until his tragic death in 1994.
For a comprehensive list of all the films being shown at the festival, click
here.
The festival also offers a fantastic opportunity to get involved by way of a number of workshops. Starting on the 14th of May,
Visions, for example, gives budding documentary makers the chance to learn more about the craft of documentary film-making with the
Abingdon Film Unit.
The workshop culminates in a unique opportunity to pitch ideas to producers. Three ideas will be chosen and directors will receive help over the course of the following year in bringing their idea to the big screen. The workshops are an excellent chance to network and share ideas with those of a like mind.
The London International Documentary Festival, besides giving wannabe film-makers the chance to get involved, also enables movie lovers to catch the kind of films usually squeezed out of cinemas by mainstream blockbusters - so make the most of it and support the festival by going along to a screening or two.
