Watch Thom Powers' The Essentials

Thom Powers' The Essentials is a short movie about movies. In particular it showcases how legendary film historian Thom Powers looks at movies. Thom begins by offering the perspective of a Toronto International Film Festival programmer as he looks at various documentaries. He provides a very succinct view of the subject, while leaving many of the details up to the viewer to discover for themselves. Even with the brevity, Thom is able to list some of the more hidden gems of the documentary world. In particular, he comments on various issues with documentaries from the perspective of an experienced documentarian and film aficionado.