Miep Gies was a hero that, up until recently, wasnβt well known. Her fearlessness led her to step up and help the Frank Family during WWII. Now, Nat Geo is telling Miepβs story.
What happens when a never ending war ends?
Director Matthew Heineman captures the final months of the 20 year long war in Afghanistan in his new documentary βRetrograde.β Heineman is known for his Oscar-nominated doc βCartel Landβ and his narrative feature βA Private War.β His films are gonzo in the most dangerous and intimate of moments. His unfettered access lets you feel like youβre there β often in places you feel like you shouldnβt be.
βFly on the wallβ comes to mind when describing his films, but Heineman says he hates the term. βNo offense to flies, but they donβt have a lot of agency,β he said. He, as a filmmaker, does, however. And he gained access to those βfly on the wallβ shots by building trust with his subjects and pounding at bureaucratic hurdles and logistical setbacks.
After a Monday screening of βRetrogradeβ, the director sat down for a Q&A to discuss how the film came together.
βThe goal is to become part of the fabric of the daily lives of our subjects so they can be comfortable,β said Heineman of his style of filmmaking. βYou can have those surprising human moments you would never ever get if you just helicoptered in and tried to film.β
Heinman put himself in some life threatening situations. βA lot of people think Iβm this adrenaline junkie and love getting shot at, which I donβt βfor the record. I donβt do this for the thrill of it,β he said. βIf youβre risking your life for something it has to be for some form of a greater purpose or story I really believe in.β
He recounted the filming of a scene where heβs backseat in a helicopter in a particularly dangerous area. The Taliban began firing. He said, βWhen youβre in the helicopter and rockets are being shot at you there is no object button. There is no I want to go home. You are there. Youβre in it.β
He continued, βIn those situations the only thing I have agency over is my camera. And that is what I choose to focus on. I focus on framing and exposure. Iβm mixing sound when Iβm filming. Those are things I can control. If Iβm going to risk my life to get a scene Iβm going to get it right.β
βRetrogradeβ is produced by National Geographic and available for streaming on Disney +.
On October 30th, we were invited for a special screening of two national geographic documentaries: βLost and Foundβ and βSea of Shadowsβ.
On Wednesday, National Geographic held an exclusive early screening at the Lincoln Center in New York City for their new upcoming 10-Part series “One Strange Rock.”
Director Crystal Moselle on the making of her new documentary, “Our Dream of Water.”