In the Wilderness of a Troubled Genre

Directed by John M. Bishop

In The Wilderness Of A Troubled Genre is a conversation over time and space with ethnographic and actuality filmmakers recorded 2000-2012. The film considers the ethos, practicalities, practices, and ethics of making films about real people across cultures. It includes pioneers in the field like Robert Gardner, John Marshall, David MacDougall, and Richard Leacock; established filmmaker anthropologists such as Paul Henley, Sarah Elder, Rolf Husmann, Metje Postma, and Michael Yorke; as well as emerging filmmakers. Shot and edited by John Bishop, this is a spirited engagement with a film-making practice that continues evolving and challenging filmmakers today.