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Documentarian Lance Oppenheim is like a maximalist Errol Morris.

He makes films that focus on eccentrics and oddballs and the communities they call home, documentaries that invite viewers to gawk at their subjects but do not, themselves, gawk.

In a documentary landscape that too frequently hues to the intentionally bland aesthetic conventions of “realism” — gritty, washed-out photography and hand-held framing masquerading as “objective” — Oppenheim’s films can be assaultive. They’re full of oversaturated colors, hallucinatory shifts in perspective, hyper-intimate close-ups and reenactments that blur lines between reality and subjective fiction.

I was legitimately shocked to look up the running times on Oppenheim’s 2020 Some Kind of Heaven and 2024’s Spermworld and see that both documentaries were under 85 minutes. It’s not exactly a criticism to say that I thought they were both longer. Lance Oppenheim documentaries feel like a lot.

At a solid three hours stretched over three episodes,...

“Donating sperm makes me feel good. Maybe it makes me feel wanted, and needed. Worth something to somebody else,” says Stefan, one of the subjects of “Spermworld,” the new FX on Hulu documentary that delves into the landscape of unregulated babymaking and just why prospective parents have sought out these unconventional solutions.

Director Lance Oppenheim went deep inside another distinctive community with his last documentary, “Some Kind of Heaven,” about The Villages in Florida. And there’s a throughline to Oppenheim’s films: They combine lushly saturated camera work with a narrator-free approach that lets subjects tell their own stories about their sometimes quixotic lives. That’s also the case with his next project, “Ren Faire,” a three-part HBO series about the Texas Renaissance Festival and its charismatic founder that premieres this summer.

Oppenheim fell into the world of prolific sperm donors through former New York Times reporter Nellie Bowles...

Fremantle has acquired a majority stake in Silvio Productions, the Israeli production outfit behind hit documentary series such as “Shadow of Truth” and Showtime’s “Buried” which earned an Emmy nomination.

Silvio Productions, previously known as Egg Films, was founded by the award-winning Israeli filmmakers Yotam Guendelman and Mika Timor.

The acquisition of Silvio Productions underscores Fremantle’s commitment to grow its presence in the premium documentary landscape and invest in talent-driven production companies.

The deal was spearheaded by Andrea Scrosati, group COO and continental Europe CEO of Fremantle, and Guy Hameiri, co-founder of Abot Hameiri, the Fremantle-owned Israeli banner behind Netflix’s hit drama series “Shtisel,” and local adaptations of “Got Talent,” “Survivor” and “The X Factor.”

Under the deal, Hameiri be tapped chairman of Silvio Productions, with Guendelman and Timor reporting into him. Guendelman and Timor will collaborate and work closely with Abot Hameiri.

Silvio Production’s “Shadow...

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Production giant Fremantle has acquired a majority stake in Silvio Productions, the Israeli production company behind documentary series Shadow of Truth, Coastal Road Killer, After Midnight, The Baby Daddy and Buried.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Fremantle is part of media giant Bertelsmann’s Rtl Group.

Silvio, formerly known as Egg Films, was recently nominated for two honors at this year’s News and Documentary Emmy Awards. It was founded by award-winning Israeli-based director-writer-producers Yotam Guendelman and Mika Timor.

“The acquisition of Silvio Productions further underlines Fremantle’s commitment and ambition to grow its global documentaries proposition, investing in and helping develop premium production companies working with the world’s most exceptional creative talent,” the company said.

The deal was spearheaded by Andrea Scrosati, Fremantle’s group COO and CEO of continental Europe, and Guy Hameiri, co-founder of Abot Hameiri, the Fremantle-owned Israeli...