Cinema verité, or direct cinema, was a game-changing documentary movement created in large part by a handful of innovative young filmmakers in the late 1950s. In the US, this included Robert Drew and his circle—Richard Leacock and the Maysles brothers, among others. They were instrumental in developing hand-held, synch-sound technology. This allowed sound and moving image to be recorded simultaneously and unobtrusively. The smaller devices they used, in Leacock’s words, brought “the feeling of being there” to audiences.

This three-part series highlights a small sample of the pioneering direct cinema contributions from American filmmakers Robert Drew and Associates, the Maysles brothers, and Frederick Wiseman.

Programmed in conjunction with Treasures of American Cinema