Whose obituary would you read first: the
leader of the Soviet Union, or the inventor
of the Slinky? Questions like this are part of
the daily routine for the writers and editors
of The New York Times obituaries section,
lovingly spotlighted in “Obit.” This deceptively
lighthearted documentary takes us to the
front lines of the world’s most lauded obituary
section and explains, among other fascinating
curiosities, how a word count is assigned to a
human life, what happens when a public figure
dies unexpectedly on a weekend, and which
living celebrities have pre-written obituaries
on file at the newspaper of record. Whether
they’re writing about the bassist in Bill Haley’s
Comets, JFK’s campaign advisor, or an infamous
exotic dancer, the Times’ obituarists are
revealed as archaeologists of the people who
shaped our world.
In Person: Director Vanessa
Gould (Wed, Thu); New York Times Obit
Desk Editor William McDonald (Wed, Thu).