While the torrential downpours of the first few days made for a much different SXSW than I’ve been used to, Austin needed the rain, so I tried not to complain too much, and it was still a great fest. Despite leaving a day earlier than usual in order to attend the second half of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, I managed to see a nice chunk of the films on my wishlist while in town, enough for a couple of posts. In this one, I’m including my thoughts on the Competition and Emerging Visions titles I was able to catch, while the next post will cover Documentary Spotlight, 24 Beats Per Second, SX Global, and Festival Favorites. Continue reading
Category Archives: Film Festivals
SXSW 2012: Docs in Brief, Part One: Competition & Emerging Visions
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, In Brief
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2012 Overview
This month, I’m excited to be attending the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival for the first time. I’ll be leaving SXSW after its first half to catch the second half of the Greek festival, making for a packed couple of weeks. It’s been far too many years since I’ve been to Greece – the homeland of both of my parents – and the first time I’ve attended a film event there. The tight timing unfortunately means I won’t have a chance to visit relatives in Athens, putting me in the doghouse with them, but so it goes.
Thessaloniki’s documentary fest, part of the same organization that puts together the larger non-doc specific event in the Fall, opens tomorrow, March 9 and runs through the 18th. Its 14th edition, under the theme “Images of the 21st Century, presents a staggering 185 films – features and shorts – under eight sections plus an additional six special programs. I’m covering the festival for Indiewire and looking forward to sampling as many of the offerings as possible. Following is a section-by-section overview, with some of the titles that caught my attention as I read through the lineup descriptions: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
On TV: BHUTTO
Coming to PBS’ Independent Lens this Thursday, March 8: BHUTTO
Duane Baughman and Johnny O’Hara premiered their portrait of Benazir Bhutto at Sundance in 2010. It went on to screen at Hot Docs, Stockholm, and a number of other festivals, picking up a special jury prize at the Sonoma International Film Festival.
While the assassinated Pakistani leader and her political family dynasty are at the core of Baughman and O’Hara’s film, their engrossing doc is actually as much about the history of her nation. Taking a comprehensive approach to Bhutto’s life, they present the story of how the daughter of Pakistan’s first democratically elected president – also tragically assassinated – was groomed to continue her father’s legacy, becoming, in the process, one of the most polarizing individuals in the Muslim world, and the first woman in history elected to lead an Islamic nation. Interviews with family and friends at the same time humanize and sanctify her, indicative of her enduring legacy as a national symbol of resistance and hope. While the film perhaps takes on too much and verges at times on hagiography, it nevertheless offers an engaging profile of a complex and fascinating figure.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Special Screening: BURMA VJ
Coming to NYC’s Anthology Film Archive as part of their “Internationalist Cinema for Today” series this Wednesday, March 7: BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY
Anders Østergaard premiered this taut exploration of journalism under a totalitarian regime at CPH:DOX in 2008 before screenings at IDFA, Sundance, and scores of other events. It received awards at CPH:DOX, IDFA, Sundance, Full Frame, and Berlin, among others, and was nominated for a Best Documentary Oscar after its theatrical release in 2009.
Østergaard focuses on the courageous, but by necessity anonymous, citizen journalists who have risked arrest and torture by surreptitiously documenting human rights abuses in Burma, which at the time of filming, had been under military rule for 45 years. Their footage, smuggled out of the country, has been instrumental in bringing international attention to the plight of the Burmese people. The film follows “Joshua,” a young video journalist who becomes a de facto leader of the rest of the reporters, as he captures the massive nonviolent protest organized by Buddhist monks against the military regime and tries to evade their intelligence agencies, who seek to stop this dangerous undermining of the official propaganda. The film plays like a real life thriller, with the viewer rooting for Joshua and his team to keep one step ahead of the government. It makes for a gripping, emotional, and thought-provoking watching experience.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
On DVD: SENNA
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, March 6: SENNA
Asif Kapadia’s doc on Formula One’s Ayrton Senna made a splash at Sundance last year, winning the World Cinema Audience Award. It was released in theatres last Summer and on VOD this Winter.
I wrote about the film before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
SXSW 2012: Documentary Overview
SXSW opens in a week, and I’m happy to be attending once again. I’m honored to be serving as a juror for the fest once again, this time for the documentary short competition, and I’ll also be participating on the very first film panel, Beginners Guide to SXSW Film, on Friday, March 9 at 2pm.
With great weather, a fun atmosphere, a welcoming staff, and fantastic programming, SXSW has quickly become one of my favorite festivals after just a few years of attending, and a trip I look forward to every year. The documentary programming is diverse, spread throughout the various sections of the festival, and reflects a freewheeling mix of portraiture, social advocacy films, music docs, and everything in between. While my trip this year is slightly truncated so that I can also attend the Thessaloniki Documentary festival in Greece, I’m hoping to catch as many of the festival’s lineup of nearly 60 feature documentaries as I can while I’m in Austin. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
On DVD: ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE
Released on DVD earlier this week: ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE
Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath premiered this personal look at the crimes of the Khmer Rouge at IDFA in 2009. It came to North America at Sundance in 2010, winning the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Prize. The film also claimed awards at Full Frame, the Human Rights Watch, Santa Barbara, and Hong Kong, and enjoyed a limited theatrical release.
I wrote about the doc upon its theatrical release here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Special Screening: SMASH HIS CAMERA
Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction next Tuesday, March 6: SMASH HIS CAMERA
WHEN WE WERE KING’s Academy Award winning director Leon Gast premiered this portrait of infamous paparazzo Ron Galella at Sundance in 2010, where he picked up a directing award. After additional fest exposure, the film had a limited theatrical release, and was also nominates for an Emmy.
I wrote about the doc upon its DVD release here.
Note: There will be a Q&A with Leon Gast following the screening. I will be substituting for STF’s Thom Powers as the evening’s host while he tends to his documentary programming duties at the Miami International Film Festival.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
True/False 2012 Overview
The ninth edition of Columbia MO’s innovative and fun documentary festival, True/False, begins next Thursday, March 1 and runs through the weekend. Sadly, I won’t be attending this year as I have the past couple of years, but I wanted to offer a quick rundown of some of the films in the always well-curated festival’s lineup. Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
On Cable: FAMILY AFFAIR
Coming to cable as part of the Oprah Winfrey Network’s Documentary Club next Thursday, March 1: FAMILY AFFAIR
Chico Colvard premiered his remarkable excavation of family secrets at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. During its subsequent festival run, the doc picked up awards at Atlanta, Silverdocs, Independent Film Festival Boston, and elsewhere, and also screened at other notable events such as Hot Docs and Full Frame.
In this incredibly raw and personal story, Colvard investigates the disturbing fallout from a particularly dramatic childhood accident in which, at the age of ten, he accidentally shot his eldest sister. While she survived, his sister revealed horrific child abuse taking place in their home – abuse from which Colvard was protected. Though Paula, Angelika, and Chiquita suffered at the hands of their father, as adults, they strangely maintain a staunch loyalty to him. Through his film, Colvard attempts to understand these intersections of trauma, forgiveness, and familial love. Mixing archival footage with frank present-day discussions with his sisters and parents, the director brings the audience along with him as he tries to make sense of what many would consider unthinkable, but which has in many ways defined his essential experience of family.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
what (not) to doc 