Boston is widely regarded as one of the strongest centers for documentary filmmaking in the country. The city has produced generations of filmmakers who have turned the lens back on themselves, making documentary films that include autobiographical components. In this highlight, excerpted from interview transcripts, three acclaimed local filmmakers discuss the risks and rewards of making personal films.

Ross McElwee, a filmmaker and Visiting Lecturer at Harvard University's Visual and Environmental Studies Department, has made a number of autobiographical documentary films. His 1986 film, "Sherman's March," received Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. Retrospectives of his work have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of the Moving Image, New York.

Robb Moss is a filmmaker and Head Tutor at Harvard University's Visual and Environmental Studies Department. His film "The Tourist" tells the story of trying to have a child against the backdrop of the global famine that he often films as a documentary cinematographer. His work has been shown at the Telluride Film Festival, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Cinema du Reel, Paris.

Ed Pincus founded MIT's Film Section in 1969. Pincus stopped making films in the late seventies, and is now a flower farmer in Vermont. His final film, "Diaries," chronicled his life over the five year period from 1971-1976.

Click on the questions below to see selected responses from the above filmmakers.