Pure Nonfiction: Letter to the Editor

Pure Nonfiction podcast host Thom Powers curates this special collection of documentaries exclusively for The Clairidge with each screening followed by a live Q&A.

July 9

For 40 years, filmmaker Alan Berliner (NOBODY’S BUSINESS; WIDE AWAKE) has clipped out from the pages of The New York Times photos that caught his eye, keeping them meticulously filed and cross-indexed as a self-appointed archivist and librarian. Driven by his obsession, Berliner has completed the work of nearly a lifetime, transforming and reinterpreting his collection of images into a statement about the nature of humankind Letter to the Editor is a filmic essay with multiple themes and a stunning array of thousands of photographs from Berliner’s collection. The span of his archive, starting in the late-’70s, chronicles the small and large changes that the world has undergone. Every picture tells a story and Berliner weaves them into a humorous and profound tapestry. At a time when it seems inevitable for the daily print newspaper to go extinct, this documentary “letter” is a clarion call to recognize what’s at stake.

Q&A with director Alan Berliner, moderated by Thom Powers.

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