Documenting as a Witness w/ Berman Fenelus

On the latest episode of "Authenticated," Kate hosts NY Emmy-winning storyteller, director, cinematographer, and photographer Berman Fenelus (Have a nICE day, Kojo, Privilege, Lana, PSA Spell It Out) to ask for his thoughts on bearing witness through a lens, and what it costs to tell a story you're drawn to entirely on your own terms. NOTE: At the time of the recording, Berman was fresh off shooting Have a nICE day, a one-take short film about an ICE raid that he wrote within two days of seeing a news story and shot the same weekend New York's first ICE protests broke out, all while starting a self-funded web series with his production company, All Area Crew. Berman and Kate measure backwards from his path in music and mini DV tapes to two decades of documenting Brooklyn and the ways New York disappears and rebuilds itself anew at a pace we cannot always catch the cadence of in real time. Kate's hunch on why Berman is so drawn to single take shots, illuminates his desire to witness as a storyteller and give his audience same un-curated opportunity to their own witnessing. Berman's investment in creating quick and in depth stories born from topical reactions, serves his case for self-funding your own work instead of waiting on festivals or financiers to say yes. This episode is an opportunity to reflect on what we choose to document and why. It is a striking example of witnessing in filmmaking, in community, and in the moments you decide are worth giving more permanency for future witnesses. Show Notes:Berman Fenelus Instagram: @bermanfenelusBerman Fenelus WebsiteKate McLeod WebsiteAuthenticated All Access