An unpublished interview with Oscar-winning documentary director, John Zaritsky, about being interviewed for a documentary about his life and work
“I’ve always been a guy that cheers for the underdog.” — John Zaritsky (Reel West interview with Mark Leiren-Young, 2016)
In 2016, I was editor of Reel West Magazine, covering the western Canadian screen scene and that meant I could choose my own stories to tell. I was delighted to have the chance to interview Academy Award and Gemini winning documentary filmmaker, John Zaritsky, about becoming the subject of a documentary about his life — Mr. Zaritsky on TV by Jennifer Di Cresce and Michael Savoie.
He also talked about the challenges of making movies, battling armies of bureaucrats and why he only made movies that mattered.
“I so much enjoy the adventure of documentaries.”— John Zaritsky (Reel West interview with Mark Leiren-Young, 2016)
His documentaries included: Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo; No Limits: The Thalidomide Saga; various critically acclaimed episodes of the docuseries Frontline, including Murder on Abortion Row and the Oscar-winning Just Another Missing Kid.
Just as I was writing up the story, Reel West folded — so I never finished or published the story. But when I heard that John died on March 30, 2022, I found our interview in my archives and decided to share it on YouTube.
Here are obituaries from the New York Times; The Hollywood Reporter and The Vancouver Sun.
From our interview… When John was thirteen his father told him, “You’re a real shit disturber.” Based on his epic career designed to draw attention to essential stories, that feels like a perfect epitaph.
