Welcome to FilmStories
by Reuben Aaronson
A selection of films, photographs, and stories from the field.
Reflections from a lifetime of documentary filmmaking.
About Me
I’ve spent much of my life documenting stories around the world, watching moments unfold and trying to shape them into something others might feel, not just understand.
Through the camera, I’ve witnessed grief, resilience, ritual, justice and injustice, beauty and grace, and tried to capture it one frame at a time.
I’ve filmed presidents and entertainers, yoga masters and tribal elders. I’ve followed anthropologists unearthing tombs in Sudan, and a biologist tracing the spiny shrub believed to have been used for the Crown of Thorns.
I once sat beside a sick child at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, a boy dying after exposure to the toxic cleanup following the BP oil spill. He didn’t live to see the film’s premiere at Sundance.
The films have received honors over the years, including Emmy and Academy Award recognition, but I was never just after beautiful images. I wanted images that carried emotional weight — images that meant something.
20 Selected Film Projects
The following projects represent a selection of documentary films and television productions filmed over the years. They range from small personal stories to large international productions, and reflect the kind of work I’ve been drawn to throughout my career.
HELLO CUBA!
After more than 50 years of embargo and isolation, little is known of the everyday lives of Cubans living only 90 miles away from U.S. shores. This short film captures the spirit of the Cuban people by visiting a group of neighbors living along a quiet street in Havana. (Director, Cinematographer, Editor)
RIVER OF GOLD
Previously Amazon Gold, is the disturbing account of a clandestine journey into Peru’s Amazon rainforest to uncover the savage unraveling of pristine jungle by illegal small scale gold mining. Two journalists who normally cover war and human rights issues travel along Peru’s Madre de Dios River to reveal the savage truth.
THE COST OF SILENCE
A feature documentary ten years in the making that focuses on the health consequences following the BP oil disaster – called the worst human caused environmental disaster in U.S. history. The film follows the efforts of everyday citizens literally fighting for their lives as they stand up against the fourth largest corporation in the world. Nominated Best Feature Documentary at The Sundance Film Festival. (Producer, Cinematographer)
LORDS OF THE GARDEN
Anthropologist Paul Taylor journeys into the rainforest of Irian Jaya to study the Korowai, a semi-nomadic, virtually untouched tribe still using stone tools. Winner, Gold Medal for Cinematography, Houston International Film Festival; Best of Festival, CINE Film Festival.
BLACK BLIZZARD
A two-hour special for the History Channel exploring the lives of Dust Bowl survivors based on the best-selling book, The Worst Hard Times. Black Blizzard makes use of extensive dramatic, stylized reenactments. (Cinematographer, Director of Reenactments)
A VANISHING TRUTH
A feature-length documentary about ancient manuscripts of Mali kept hidden from the world for centuries and covering issues critical to human existence including women’s rights, resolving disputes, jurisprudence, astronomy, medicine, mathematics and science. (Cinematographer)
IN PURSUIT OF THE SHROUD
A one-hour television special that uses modern scientific tools to examine this ancient cloth that bears a mysterious image of a crucified man some believe to be Jesus. Filmed in Europe, Israel and the US for The Learning Channel. Winner, Silver Medal, New York Film Festival. (Producer, Director, Cinematographer)
FINE FOOD, FINE PASTRIES
A film portrait of Sherrill’s, a 65-year-old family-run restaurant on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Film. (Cinematographer)
ONLY IF YOU CAN ACT
A one-hour profile of one of America’s greatest actresses, Helen Hayes, the “First Lady of the American Theater”. For PBS’ Emmy-winning series, “American Masters”.
RACE FOR THE PALIO
A film about the people of Siena Italy and the passionate year-long struggle between its 17 neighborhoods to win The Palio, a fiercely contested horse race run every year since the Middle Ages in their central Piazza del Campo. For National Geographic Television. (Producer, Director, Cinematographer)
GONDOLAS OF VENICE
This film explores the spirit of the world’s most beautiful boat and the master who plies the art of this endangered craft in the watery world of Venice. For National Geographic Television
THE THIN RED LINE
THE LAST FROG
HOTEL TERMINUS
This feature-length theatrically distributed film by Marcel Ophuls focuses on Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie. Winner, International Critics Prize for Best Film at the Cannes Film Festival; Winner, Academy Award for Best Documentary Film. (Cinematographer)
THE GROUND TRUTH
WALK WITH ME: THE TRIALS OF DAMON J. KEITH
A feature documentary about the life and work of 92-year-old Damon J. Keith, U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge. Keith is a Civil Rights giant whose decisions have had long-lasting effects across the country. Winner Best Feature Documentary, Anchorage International Film Festival and Best Feature Documentary at Middlebury New Filmmakers Film Festival. (Cinematographer)
INSIDE THE VATICAN
This National Geographic Special, shot “behind the scenes” style at the Vatican in Rome reveals the mystery and spirit of the world’s oldest institution through the people and history that animate it today. Narrated by Martin Sheen. (Cinematographer)
PROMISES TO KEEP
A feature-length documentary about homelessness in America. Narrated by Martin Sheen. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Film. (Cinematographer)
ATLAS: MEXICO (Series)
This two hour Special focuses on Mexico today as told through the lives and challenges faced by nine people from contrasting backgrounds and regions. For the Discovery Channel.
GAUCHOS
A National Geographic/Explorer film about the life and culture of the gauchos of Argentina. Nominated for a National Emmy for Cinematography. (Cinematographer)
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FilmStories: Insights from the field
On my Substack publication FilmStories, I write about the real experiences behind the films — what happens in the field, what goes wrong, what gets learned, and what stays with you afterward.
You can read the stories here:
filmstories.substack.com
Connect with Reuben Aaronson
Location
Playa Vista, CA
California, United States