Documentary Filmmaker Quotes

I don't have a problem with Werner Herzog.

Penelope Spheeris is a wonderful lady.

Henry Louis Gates is such a wealth of knowledge in himself.

Anybody doesn't like these pitchers don't like potry, see? Anybody don't like potry go home see television shots of big hatted cowboys being tolerated by kind horses. Robert Frank, Swiss, unobtrusive, nice, with that little camera that he raises and snaps with one hand he sucked a sad poem right out of America onto film, taking rank among the poets of the world. To Robert Frank I now give this message: You got eyes.

I only met Joan Rivers once. But when she passed away, it felt like a part of me went away, too.

… slobby Michael Moore

I have major credibility as a hip, out-there documentary filmmaker, and I'm not going to say, 'I'm only a drama filmmaker' anymore.

Jose Padilha is a wonderful director.

In a way, I feel obliged to respect Jean Rouch because I am told he is very important.

Michael Moore simultaneously represents everything I detest in a human being and everything I feel obligated to defend in an American. Quite simply, it is that stupid moron's right to be that utterly, completely wrong.

Michael Moore became an industry hero and the most visible symbol of the Hollywood left.

[Michael] Moore doesn't really use his sense of humor that much.

I've produced two docs for Cameron Crowe, and I've always loved him as a filmmaker.

I like Michael Moore, but I think of him more as a rabble-rouser.

I mean, "The Jinx" is an amazing piece of cinema and amazing television moment, it's rare documentarians can feel the direct impact of their work.

Bill Moyers is everything I never aspire to be: Calm, Thoughtful, and Informative.

For a documentary filmmaker, I do very well.

Rebecca Eaton has made an enormous contribution to the cultural life of America, and, more than that, she is one of the most fun people I know.

I did documentaries for maybe 10 years before I turned to fiction films.

Three of the top six documentaries of all time, grossing, are made by me.

I think Michael Moore is a hero.

You kind of form a bond with your subjects, in a way. You're in it together. To a degree that people don't realize, documentary films - or at least the kind of documentary films I'm interested in - are a collaborative undertaking with the subjects.

I have wondered if I might be placed on a watch list of some sort by the government, though. I know that the documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, who is a friend and who has made documentaries about controversial Middle Eastern terrorists has had trouble at customs when she travels internationally - but nothing like that has happened to me.

Michael Moore, whether you like him or hate him, has done something very important.

I work very closely with Steve Bannon. Frankly, people should look at the full resume. He's got a Harvard Business degree, a naval officer. He has success in entertainment. I don't know if you're aware of that. And he certainly was a Goldman Sachs manager and partner. Brilliant tactician.