Donigan Cumming: Controlled Disturbance DVD Box Set, 2005, 6:00:00   "Cumming has said that it is his intention to question, "the myth of the innocent, invisible photographic witness." Borrowing from what he calls, "experimental ethnography," Cumming consciously positions himself not only as investigator, but also participant, caretaker and friend. Thus his examinations of human frailty are always tempered by a compassion that stems from his own involvement in the situations he records." --Marcy Goldberg, Visions du Reel Festival, Nyon "His real-life characters may be physically repellent and spiritually broken, and they represent what one does not want to face: sickness, aging, and mortality. These are not fairy tales with happily-ever-after endings, and yet at the same time they give us hope because they strive to confront reality at its strongest." --Sally Berger, Museum of Modern Art, New York

This three-DVD collection features 18 titles, 10 years of videography, and over six hours of material by Donigan Cumming. The collection also features optional French sub-titles, a Vision du Reel atelier with Donigan Cumming, and the following essays: Jean Perret - Cumming's Truth Marie-Josée Jean - Inventing the Self Peggy Gale - Touching on Donigan Cumming Yann Olivier-Wicht - A Sense of Detail Nicolas Renaud - Difference and Indomitable Ugliness Sally Berger - Beyond the Absurd, Beyond Cruelty: Donigan Cumming's Staged Realities Catherine Bédard - Donigan Cumming: Mouthing the Pangs of Speech. Marcy Goldberg - Cruelty and Compassion DVD 1 A Prayer for Nettie   Donigan Cumming 33:00 1995 An improvised series of prayers and memorials for Nettie Harris, (an elderly woman who was Cumming’s photographic model from 1982 to 1993), by people who knew her and some who did not. Cut the Parrot    Donigan Cumming 40:16 1996 The tape unwinds through stories of sex for rent, unclaimed bodies, and cigarette burns three grotesque comedies of hope and heartbreak. After Brenda   Donigan Cumming 39:59 1997 Cumming redefines the genre of popular romance with an improvisational style that traverses the boundaries of tragedy and comedy, drama and documentation. Karaoke   Donigan Cumming 03:00 1998 An ailing, elderly man listens to a private performance in his room. Transgressive and mesmerizing, Karaoke distorts the landscapes of sound and body. Shelter Donigan Cumming 03:22 1999 A conversation about marriage and horses between two unseen men. DVD 2 Erratic Angel Donigan Cumming 50:00 1998 In his fiftieth year, Colin looks back on a life of drug and alcohol abuse. Four years into recovery, he is angry and articulate about addiction, treatment, and the romance of the street. In the chaos and claustrophobia of an ice storm, Colin waits to be reborn. Pétit Jesus Donigan Cumming 03:02 1999 Christmas Eve. A man alone finds someone he can talk to. Trip Donigan Cumming 02:11 1999 A camera on thin ice. Four Storeys Donigan Cumming 02:04 1999 The confession of a woman who took flight. Docu-Duster Donigan Cumming 03:30 2001 To be a man, to be a hero, to be a wife: these conflicting voices inhabit the body of a documentary filmmaker as he re-enacts the climax of a Western morality play, 3:10 to Yuma. Wrap Donigan Cumming 03:00 2001 System failure: A man repeats the story of a prison stabbing as something goes wrong with the tape. if only I Donigan Cumming 35:00 2000 What if... Colleen's life, in her own words, has been "wretched." if only I marks another hot summer in crisis. Colleen presents herself, broken and whole, to the camera. Culture Donigan Cumming 17:04 2002 An urgent act of housekeeping, Culture uncovers all the hidden meanings of 'culture', from systems of knowledge and taste to active micro-organisms. Cold Harbor Donigan Cumming 03:00 2003 In Cold Harbor an old soldier's regrets romance the present. In this short video, Donigan Cumming uses a minimum of elements to create a powerful anti-war message. DVD 3 My Dinner with Weegee Donigan Cumming 36:26 2001 Two life stories are weaved together: the central figure, a man in his seventies named Marty, remembers the famous and infamous characters from his past, while Cumming contemplates life in his fifty-fourth year. Voice: off Donigan Cumming 39:00 2003 Voice: off is the autobiography of a forgotten man. The video camera is his prosthesis and he borrows the memories of people who no longer need them. Locke's Way Donigan Cumming 21:00 2003 A family’s photographs tell us everything and nothing about the subterranean past.