Doug Block | |
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| Born | |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Occupations | Director, Cinematographer, Writer and Producer |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Parents |
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Doug Block (born 1953 in Port Washington, New York) is an American documentary filmmaker. [1] [2] He is best known for his documentaries 112 Weddings, 51 Birch Street , Home Page, and The Kids Grow Up. [3] [4] [5] He is also founder of the online community for documentary filmmakers, The D-word, which has been active since 1999. [6]
Doug was born in Port Washington, New York and graduated from Cornell University.
Doug's debut documentary film The Heck With Hollywood! , starring Gerry Cook and Jennifer Fox, It screened at American Film Institute and more festivals. [7] [8] I
In August 1999 he founded (and is currently a co-host of) The D-Word, an online community for documentary professionals worldwide. In 2015, Block told IndieWire that "The goal from day one has been to be a warm, inclusive and supportive online discussion forum and community for documentary professionals throughout the world, and that’s never changed. While we have many industry figures, it’s primarily a place for doc filmmakers to share their wit and hard-earned wisdom, and support each other through the long and often difficult slog of making their films and getting them out into the world." [6]
His second documentary film, Home Page, nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. [9] [10] In 2005, his documentary, 51 Birch Street, a personal story about his parent's relationship, was named one of the 10 Best Films of the Year by The New York Times. [11] In 2010, his documentary, The Kids Grow Up, about watching his daughter Lucy grow up through his camera lens, received Special Jury Mention at the Silverdocs festival. [12]
In 2014, he spoke about why he opted to premiere 112 Weddings, his documentary about the couples he filmed as a wedding videographer, on HBO rather than having traditional theatrical distribution. "Festivals were our theatrical run. And for a documentary, you’re never going to get better audiences than at festivals. For us, the idea was let’s parlay a strong and impactful and compressed festival run and then move on to where people can see it," Block told IndieWire . [13]
Since 2019, Block has been working on a new documentary, Betty & Henri, which is based on a love letter tucked into the guidebook he'd taken along on an anniversary trip to Paris. [14] [15]
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