Colin Snow
Haskell Wexler's documentary *Who Needs Sleep?*' premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. The film makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices, looking at how film crews routinely work hours far beyond anything that can be considered safe or healthy. Wexler visits film crews in Europe who express a disdain for overtime, placing a higher value on quality of life and family. The film also includes interviews with doctors and scientists who study the long-term effects of sleep deprivation, which affects a large percentage of American workers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 2006 |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Director | Haskell Wexler |
| Co-director | Lisa Leeman |
| Producer | Tamara Maloney |
| Notable interviewees | Julia Roberts, Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, John Sayles, Sam Mendes, Billy Crystal, Annette Bening, Vittorio Storaro, Richard Zanuck, Bill Dement, Darrel Drobnich, Nelson Powel, Conrad Hall |
| Subject matter | Sleep deprivation, American motion picture work practices |
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What You'll Learn
The importance of sleep
Haskell Wexler's 2006 documentary *Who Needs Sleep?*' makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices. Wexler, a cinematographer, documentarian and social activist, argues that film crews routinely work hours far beyond anything that can be considered safe, healthy or conducive to a balanced life.
The film sees Wexler travel around the country meeting with doctors and scientists who study the long-term effects of sleep deprivation, which affects a large percentage of American workers. These specialists conclude that people with a large 'sleep debt' perform in the same way as people who are intoxicated by alcohol.
Wexler also visits film crews in Europe, who express disdain for overtime and place a higher value on quality of life and family. They often refuse to work 'American hours'. The film is a sharp but entertaining wake-up call to the film industry.
Who Needs Sleep? premiered at Sundance in 2006 to packed audiences. It was described as 'informative and disturbing' and 'a strong, personal and surprisingly engaging' look at the importance and science of sleep.
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The science of sleep
Haskell Wexler's 2006 documentary *Who Needs Sleep?* makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices. The film looks at how film crews routinely work hours far beyond anything that can be considered safe, healthy or conducive to a balanced life. Wexler visits film crews in Europe who express a disdain for overtime, placing a higher value on quality of life and family, and therefore often refuse to work "American hours".
The film also includes interviews with doctors and scientists who study the long-term effects of sleep deprivation, which affects a large percentage of American workers. These specialists conclude that people with a large "sleep debt" perform in the same way as people who are intoxicated with alcohol.
The documentary premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival to packed audiences who had to be "firmly persuaded" to leave cinema venues after intensive Q&As with Wexler, co-director Lisa Leeman, and producer Tamara Maloney.
Today, the film is described as highlighting the importance and science of sleep.
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The long-term effects of sleep deprivation
Haskell Wexler's documentary *Who Needs Sleep?*' explores the long-term effects of sleep deprivation. The film makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices, highlighting how film crews often work hours that are unsafe, unhealthy and not conducive to a balanced life. Wexler visits film crews in Europe who express disdain for overtime, prioritising quality of life and family over working long hours.
Research has shown that people who are sleep-deprived perform in the same way as people who are intoxicated. Most people feel irritable if they haven't had a good night's sleep, but long-term sleep deprivation has been linked to clinical depression and a more general loss of motivation.
Getting less than 5-6 hours of sleep per night has been linked to an elevated instance of hypertension. Sleep deprivation may also disrupt the body's method for processing glucose and the amount of insulin it produces, which is why it is considered a significant risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes.
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The impact of sleep debt on performance
Haskell Wexler's 2006 documentary *Who Needs Sleep?* explores the impact of sleep debt on performance. Wexler, a cinematographer, director and activist, makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices. The film takes a comprehensive, personal and surprisingly engaging look at how film crews routinely work hours far beyond anything that can be considered safe, healthy or conducive to a balanced life.
Wexler visits film crews in Europe who express a disdain for overtime, placing a higher value on quality of life and family, and therefore often refuse to work “American hours”. The film also features interviews with some of Hollywood’s most respected professionals and “A list” celebrities, including Julia Roberts, Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, and Sam Mendes. These interviewees recognise the lifestyle madness of ‘part-time’ work, and the dilemma of mega-budget production costs and a short shooting schedule.
Wexler also travels around the country meeting with doctors and scientists who study the long-term effects of sleep deprivation, which affects a large percentage of American workers. These specialists conclude that people with a large ‘sleep debt’ perform in the same way as people who are intoxicated on alcohol.
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The need for reform in American motion picture work practices
Haskell Wexler's documentary *Who Needs Sleep?*' makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices. The film takes a comprehensive, personal and surprisingly engaging look at how film crews routinely work hours far beyond anything that can be considered safe, healthy or conducive to a balanced life. Wexler interviews some of Hollywood's most respected professionals and celebrities, including Julia Roberts, Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, John Sayles, Sam Mendes, Billy Crystal, Annette Bening, Vittorio Storaro and Richard Zanuck. Some of these interviewees recognise the lifestyle madness of 'part-time' work, while others discuss the dilemma of mega-budget production costs and a short shooting schedule.
Wexler also travels around the country, meeting with doctors and scientists who study the long-term effects of sleep deprivation, which affects a large percentage of American workers. These specialists conclude that people with a large 'sleep debt' perform in the same way as people who are intoxicated by alcohol. The film also visits film crews in Europe who express a disdain for overtime, placing a higher value on quality of life and family, and therefore often refuse to work 'American hours'.
Who Needs Sleep? is a sharp but entertaining wake-up call to the film industry. It premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival to packed audiences that had to be firmly 'persuaded' to leave cinema venues after intensive Q&As with Wexler, co-director Lisa Leeman and producer Tamara Maloney.
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Frequently asked questions
Who Needs Sleep? is a documentary by Haskell Wexler about the long-term effects of sleep deprivation.
Who Needs Sleep? was released in 2006.
Who Needs Sleep? is about the long hours worked by film crews and the impact this has on their health and quality of life.
Haskell Wexler interviews some of Hollywood's most respected professionals and celebrities, including Julia Roberts, Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, John Sayles, Sam Mendes, Billy Crystal, Annette Bening, Vittorio Storaro and Richard Zanuck.
Haskell Wexler makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices, arguing that film crews routinely work hours that are unsafe, unhealthy and not conducive to a balanced life.
