The past few years have featured such blockbusters as "Super-Size Me," "Fahrenheit 9/11," "Sicko," "March of the PenguinS," and "An Inconvenient Truth." And as news articles proclaim a new era in the history of documentary films, more and more new directors are making their first film a nonfiction one. But in addition to posing all of the usual challenges inherent to more standard filmmaking, documentaries also present unique problems that need to be understood from the outset. Where does the idea come from? How do you raise the money? How "much" money do you need? What visual style is best suited to the story? What are the legal issues involved? And how can a film reach that all-important milestone and find a willing distributor? Epstein, Friedman, and Wood tackle all of these important questions with examples and anecdotes from their own careers. The result is an informative and entertaining guide for those just starting out, and an enlightening read for anyone interested in a behind-the-scenes look at this newly reinvigorated field of film.

Award-winning documentary focusing on the life and times of San Francisco's first openly gay politician. After having run unsuccessfully for office on three occasions, Harvey Milk was finally elected a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, when the growing political and economic power of the city's gay community heralded sweeping social changes. After serving eleven months in office, Milk, along with Mayor George Moscone, was assassinated by Dan White, a disgruntled former supervisor, desperate to be reinstated. The film traces Milk's rise to prominence and election, his assassination, and the aftermath, when a miscarriage of justice allowed White to receive a unjustly short jail term, provoking widespread condemnation and rioting.

Award-winning documentary, narrated by Dustin Hoffman, that tells the stories of five of the 47,000 people whose lives are commemorated in the AIDS quilt. Constructed in 1989, the quilt, made as a memorial to and celebration of the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes, has become the largest piece of community art work in the world, covering 14 acres, and weighing over 50 tons.