# Doug Block

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**Doug Block** (born 1953 in [Port Washington, New York](/source/Port_Washington,_New_York)) is an American [documentary](/source/Documentary_film) [filmmaker](/source/Filmmaking).[1][2] He is best known for his documentaries *112 Weddings*, *[51 Birch Street](/source/51_Birch_Street)*, [*Home Page*](/source/Home_Page_(film)), and *The Kids Grow Up*.[3][4][5] He is also founder of the online community for documentary filmmakers, [The D-word](/source/The_D-Word), which has been active since 1999.[6]

## Life and career

Block was born in [Port Washington, New York](/source/Port_Washington,_New_York) and graduated from [Cornell University](/source/Cornell_University).

Block's debut documentary film *[The Heck With Hollywood!](/source/The_Heck_With_Hollywood!),* about the challenges of three first-time filmmakers, screened at over two dozen film festivals, in 1991.[7][8][9]

In August 1999 he founded (and is currently a co-host of) The D-Word, an online community for documentary professionals worldwide. In 2015, Block told *[IndieWire](/source/IndieWire)* that his aim was to create an inclusive and supportive online discussion forum and community for documentary professionals throughout the world.[6]

His second documentary film, *Home Page*, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the [Sundance Film Festival](/source/Sundance_Film_Festival).[10][11] In 2005, his documentary, 51 Birch Street, a personal story about his parents' relationship, was named one of the 10 Best Films of the Year by *The New York Times*.[12] In 2010, his documentary, *The Kids Grow Up*, about watching his daughter Lucy grow up through his camera lens, received Special Jury Mention at the [Silverdocs](/source/Silverdocs) festival.[13]

In 2014, he spoke to *IndieWire* about why he opted to premiere *112 Weddings*, his documentary about the couples he filmed as a wedding videographer, on [HBO](/source/HBO_Max) rather than having traditional theatrical distribution. For him, festivals were the "theatrical run."[14]

Block has said that he sees *112 Weddings*, *51 Birch Street* and *The Kids Grow Up* as an unofficial trilogy about family dynamics.[15]

Since 2019, Block has been working on a new documentary, *Betty & Henri*, which is based on a love letter tucked into the guidebook he'd taken along on a wedding anniversary trip to Paris.[16][17]

## Filmography

- *[112 Weddings](/source/112_Weddings)* (2014) (Director, Producer, Cameraman)
- *[The Children Next Door](/source/The_Children_Next_Door)* (2013) (Director, Cameraman)
- *[Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles](/source/Resurrect_Dead:_The_Mystery_of_the_Toynbee_Tiles)* (2011) (Executive Producer)
- *The Kids Grow Up* (2010) (Director, Producer, Cameraman)
- *[The Edge of Dreaming](/source/The_Edge_of_Dreaming)* (2009) (Producer)
- *[Orgasm Inc.](/source/Orgasm_Inc.)* (2009) (Consulting Producer)
- *[A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory](/source/A_Walk_Into_the_Sea:_Danny_Williams_and_the_Warhol_Factory)* (2007) (Producer)
- *[51 Birch Street](/source/51_Birch_Street)* (2005) (Director, Producer, Cameraman)
- *[Paternal Instinct](/source/Paternal_Instinct_(documentary))* (2004) (co-producer)
- *[Love and Diane](/source/Love_and_Diane_(documentary))* (2002) (Consulting Producer, Cameraman)
- *[Home Page](/source/Home_Page_(film))* (1998) (Director, Producer, Cameraman)
- *[A Perfect Candidate](/source/A_Perfect_Candidate)* (1996) (Cameraman)
- *[Jupiter's Wife](/source/Jupiter's_Wife)* by [Michel Negroponte](/source/Michel_Negroponte) (1995) (co-producer)
- *[Silverlake Life: The View from Here](/source/Silverlake_Life:_The_View_from_Here)* (1993) (co-producer)
- *[The Heck With Hollywood!](/source/The_Heck_With_Hollywood!)* (1991) (Director, Producer, Cameraman)

## References

1. ["indieWIRE INTERVIEW: Doug Block, director of “51 Birch Street”"](https://www.indiewire.com/2006/10/indiewire-interview-doug-block-director-of-51-birch-street-75917/). *indiewire.com*. Retrieved 2019-01-03.

1. ["DOUG BLOCK’S “THE KIDS GROW UP” AT STF"](https://filmmakermagazine.com/7047-doug-blocks-the-kids-group-up-at-stf/#.XC5vQ1UzbIU). *filmmakermagazine.com*. Retrieved 2019-01-03.

1. ["Interview: Doug Block (112 Weddings)"](https://www.ioncinema.com/interviews/interview-doug-block-112-weddings). *ioncinema.com*. Retrieved 2019-01-03.

1. ["Interview: Scenes From a Marriage, Revealed by a Son"](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/18/movies/18birc.html). *nytimes.com*. Retrieved 2019-01-07.

1. ["Daddy’s Little Documentary Subject"](https://slate.com/culture/2010/10/the-kids-grow-up-doug-block-s-disconcerting-chronicle-of-his-daughter-s-life.html). *slate.com*. Retrieved 2019-01-07.

1. Bernstein, Paula (2015-04-22). ["Attention, Documentary Filmmakers: Here’s the Online Community You Need to Know About"](https://www.indiewire.com/features/craft/attention-documentary-filmmakers-heres-the-online-community-you-need-to-know-about-62781/). *IndieWire*. Retrieved 2026-02-07.

1. ["FILMFEST A YEAR OF REACHING OUT"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1991/04/28/filmfest-a-year-of-reaching-out/b0ff6c75-a45c-403a-adfa-0f543f9e1920/). *washingtonpost.com*. Retrieved 2019-01-07.

1. ["FILM CENTER TO SHOW 2 MOVIES POKING FUN AT HOLLYWOOD"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180924204245/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/268995/FILM-CENTER-TO-SHOW-2-MOVIES-POKING-FUN-AT-HOLLYWOOD.html). *[Deseret News](/source/Deseret_News)*. Archived from [the original](https://www.deseretnews.com/article/268995/FILM-CENTER-TO-SHOW-2-MOVIES-POKING-FUN-AT-HOLLYWOOD.html) on September 24, 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-07.

1. ["Documentary's 'F' Word: Funding Challenges for Personal, Experimental Works | International Documentary Association"](https://www.documentary.org/feature/documentarys-f-word-funding-challenges-personal-experimental-works). *www.documentary.org*. 2010-06-29. Retrieved 2026-03-19.

1. ["1999 Sundance Film Festival"](https://www.documentary.org/feature/1999-sundance-film-festival). *documentary.org*. Retrieved 2019-01-07.

1. ["1999 Sundance Film Festival Unveils Opening Night and Lineups"](https://www.indiewire.com/1998/12/1999-sundance-film-festival-unveils-opening-night-and-lineups-82473/). *indiewire.com*. Retrieved 2019-01-07.

1. ["Here's to the Ambitious and the Altmans"](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/movies/24scot.html). *nytimes.com*. Retrieved 2019-01-07.

1. ["AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival Announces Award Winners 2010"](http://www.filmfestivaltoday.com/fft-festival-coverage/afi-discovery-channel-silverdocs-documentary-festival-announces-award-winners-2010). *filmfestivaltoday.com*. Retrieved 2019-01-07.

1. Bernstein, Paula (2014-06-30). ["Who Needs Theatrical Distribution? Here’s Why One Filmmaker Is Skipping Theaters."](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/who-needs-theatrical-distribution-heres-why-one-filmmaker-is-skipping-theaters-24766/). *IndieWire*. Retrieved 2026-02-07.

1. ["'112 Weddings' and a Documental: Doug Block's Look at Marriages Years Later | International Documentary Association"](https://www.documentary.org/feature/112-weddings-and-documental-doug-blocks-look-marriages-years-later). *www.documentary.org*. 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2026-02-14.

1. ["A love letter, a Monet and a filmmaker’s obsession: The search for Betty and Henri"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/a-love-letter-fell-out-of-an-old-paris-guidebook--and-set-a-filmmaker-on-an-obsessive-quest/2017/10/13/163c3320-aaf8-11e7-850e-2bdd1236be5d_story.html). *washingtonpost.com*. Retrieved 2019-01-07.

1. ["Can you solve the mystery of this Paris love letter?"](https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/romantic-paris-mystery/index.html). *CNN*. Retrieved 2019-01-07.

## External links

- [Doug Block](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0088710/) at IMDb
- [Doug Block](http://www.51birchstreet.com/index.php/about/filmmakers/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151019010513/http://www.51birchstreet.com/index.php/about/filmmakers/) 2015-10-19 at the Wayback Machine 51 Birch Street official site
- [Doug Block](https://web.archive.org/web/20061206004005/http://www.d-word.com/bio.html) Short biography

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Doug Block](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Block) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Block?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.