Fatherhood in Film: Two Notable Documentaries

  by Chris Horst

Dads are increasingly starring in marketing campaigns, music videos, and commercials, but some filmmakers are going beyond shorts and producing full-length films on the art of fatherhood. There are many films that feature great dads—but two recent documentaries worth noting focus exclusively on them.

Daddy Don’t Go

Filmmakers Emily Abt, Andrew Osborne, Keryn Thompson, and Suzette Burton aimed to produce a film to undermine society’s negative caricatures about fathers. “Captured over two years,” they wrote, “Daddy Don’t Go is a feature length documentary about four disadvantaged fathers in New York City as they struggle to beat the odds and defy the deadbeat dad stereotype.”

https://vimeo.com/78381499

Daddy Don’t Go, which has been racking up awards since its release, addresses head-on the challenges fathers face and the real examples of fathers working to overcome them.

They Grow Up Fast

With the birth of his first child, independent filmmaker Darren Doane picked up his camera and began documenting the process of becoming a family. Ten years in the making, They Grow Up Fast follows Doane as he enters the wonderful world of fatherhood.

https://vimeo.com/144525555

They Grow Up Fast brings to light the beauties and pains of raising children. And, it reminds us to slow down, put our phones away, and enjoy the craziness of the journey.

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Picture by Chilanga Cement; Used via Creative Commons license.

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