ReFocus: The Films of Barbara Kopple

As the first woman to win two Best Documentary Oscars and the recipient of numerous lifetime achievement awards, Barbara Kopple deserves scholarly attention. Two of her early documentaries, Harlan County USA and American Dream, not only won Academy Awards but are foundational within the study of documentary as a whole.

In ReFocus: The Films of Barbara Kopple, a range of international scholars trace Kopple’s career to date, analysing her contributions in the contexts of funding, style, production and reception, and examining her films’ interrogations of social class using the lenses of gender, sexuality and race. In a shifting digital media landscape, Kopple’s critical reputation is also assessed, alongside her enduring influence on contemporary filmmakers.

• Patricia Aufderheide, American University in Washington, D.C.
• Jaimie Baron, University of Alberta and director of the Festival of (In)appropriation
• Gregory Brown, Valdosta State University
• John Corner, Leeds University
• Leger Grindon, Middlebury College in Vermont
• Kate Hearst, historian, scholar and filmmaker
• Jeff Jaeckle, Portland Community College
• E. Ann Kaplan, Stony Brook University
• Heather McIntosh, Minnesota State University at Mankato
• Betsy A. McLane, independent scholar, author and Director Emerita of the International Documentary Association
• Bill Nichols, San Francisco State University
• Augusta Palmer, filmmaker and St. Francis College
• Paula Rabinowitz, University of Minnesota
• Susan Ryan, The College of New Jersey
• Thomas Zaniello, Northern Kentucky University