Directed by Joyce Chopra and Richard Leacock • 1963 • United States
September 23, 1963, was a happy mother’s day for Mary Ann Fischer when she gave birth to quintuplets in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Only the third such delivery, five babies all at once, medical history in America’s heartland—what better ingredients for a great story? Filmmakers Richard Leacock and Joyce Chopra head to Aberdeen to document, with vérité immediacy, the impact of the birth on a small town and on a newly expanded family thrust, whether they like it or not, into the media spotlight.
Up Next in Cinema Verité Shorts
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Lambert & Co.
Directed by D. A. Pennebaker and Richard Leacock • 1964 • United States
Starring Dave Lambert, Mary Vonnie, Sarah BoatnerA longtime fan of American jazz vocalist Dave Lambert, D. A. Pennebaker jumped at the chance to film him auditioning a new group of singers at RCA in 1964. The resulting film...
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Uncle Yanco
Directed by Agnès Varda • 1968 • France
In her effervescent first California film, Agnès Varda delves into her own family history. The short documentary UNCLE YANCO features Varda tracking down a Greek emigrant relative she’s never met, discovering an artist and kindred soul leading a bohemian l...
