“There are not many filmmakers for whom you could create a six-day, round-the-clock marathon,” said Brendan Nagle, who’s one-half of the avant-garde screening duo Spectrum Between. “The sheer volume of Frederick Wiseman’s body of work really sets him apart.”
An upcoming marathon from April 29 to May 4 at Belmont’s Sunnyside Community Center will screen 44 films from the late documentarian’s expansive filmography, demonstrating just how prolific Wiseman was. It’s not only indicative of his dedication to the medium, but his impact. Collaboratively organized by Nagle and Shannon Neale’s Spectrum Between, the nonprofit NW Documentary, and the Nyback Archive, the screening series represents the enduring passion of some of the city’s most film-savvy people.
NW Documentary and the Nyback Archive are headquartered in Sunnyside Community Center, where the former supports documentary filmmaking through workshops and equipment rentals, and the latter archives the reel collection of the legendary Pacific Northwest film collector Dennis Nyback. Wiseman screenings will rotate between the organization’s spaces and an upstairs “sanctuary” area in the community center; volunteers will work the event 24 hours a day for the event’s six straight days.
Wiseman passed away in February at 96 years old. He directed documentaries for nearly 60 years—starting with Titicut Follies in 1967, which depicted the occupants of Massachusetts’ Bridgewater State Hospital, and ending his career with 2023’s Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros, set within a Michelin-starred French restaurant. In between, his films documented a public housing development in Chicago, a juvenile court in Memphis, and a primate research center in Atlanta, among dozens of other places and scenes tied to American socioeconomics and moral quandaries.
Across the decades, Wiseman’s output expanded and complicated his observational style through anti-elitism, patience, and what he called a “dramatic structure.” Although the films communicate subtle narratives, a lack of voiceovers or explicit commentary invites viewers to come to their own conclusions.
In the years just before his death, Wiseman’s company Zipporah Films restored 33 of his documentaries to 4K, prompting retrospective screenings in New York and Los Angeles. Disappointed by the lack of Wiseman events in town, Spectrum Between screened a 16mm print of his 1991 film Aspen at 5th Avenue Cinema in January. It sold out the 100-seat theater, and planted the seed for a more expansive screening series.
“This kind of marathon represents, on a practical basis, what we are able to do,” said Nagle. “We have this community space, and we have access to the films, and we have volunteer power. I think the novelty of the event is really cool and unique.”
Even if you’re familiar with Wiseman, you’ve probably only watched a small selection of his filmography. “If you’ve seen Titicut Follies or High School, that’s three hours of hundreds of hours of film,” says Nagle. You can’t go wrong with any of the 44 documentaries this marathon has planned.
“I think the best approach is just to look at your schedule, and whenever you can go, go,” said Nagle. He has a special fondness for the director’s Blind and Deaf series, though. The quartet of films, shot at the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind in the mid-’80s, documents a “multifaceted institute… Wiseman went there to make one film, and pretty quickly realized he needed to make multiple. I think they’re really under-appreciated.” The films—Blind, Deaf, Adjustment & Work, and Multi-Handicapped—will screen on May 1 and 2.
Regardless of which film(s) you choose to see, you’d be wise to take the time. “There are no plans to do this again in the future,” Nagle said. “It might be possible, but would take a lot of work to make it sustainable in a recurring way. I would consider this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Frederick Wiseman: 44 films in 6 days will screen at Sunnyside Community Center, 3520 SE Yamhill, from April 29-May 4, FREE/by donation, nwdoc.org.
