Celebrities on Celebrities: TV Academy Focuses in on A-List Driven Documentaries

variety.com:

Addie Morfoot ContributorThis year’s documentary directing Emmy race is celebrity-heavy. Not only are four of the seven directors nominated public figures, but the five docus featured include marquee names.Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio’s “George Carlin’s American Dream,” Amy Poehler’s “Lucy and Desi” and Andrew Rossi’s “The Andy Warhol Diaries” each explore the lives of the titular characters.W.

Kamau Bell’s “We Need to Talk About Cosby” examines the thorny cultural legacy of Bill Cosby, while Peter Jackson’s “The Beatles: Get Back” is a portrait of the band’s final chapter.

Finally, Ian Denyer’s Venice episode of the series “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” follows the actor as he visits the seaside city.

Denyer’s is the only nominated director with a film that doesn’t rely on archival footage. Instead, he spent two and a half weeks prepping in Venice before Tucci arrived for a one-week, meticulously mapped-out shoot.“The show is the television equivalent of joining the Navy SEALS,” quips Denyer. “It’s a huge, three-camera shoot involving travel and food, which are the two things you just don’t want to put together because of constant angst.