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Documentary Films
Contributed by Sara Schieron
Friday, 21 April 2006
Though many of the films on the documentary list for SFIFF are
political in nature, some, including the new film by the great Alan
Berliner, focus on more personal issues, or as in the work of Carlos
Saura, celebrate culture. In any event, the quality is high and the
buzz is deserved.
AL FRANKEN: GOD SPOKE is the long account of Al Franken's journey from comic to "Wielder of the flaming sword of Justice". As balanced as Doob and Hegedus' previous film THE WARROOM, the depiction of Franken is primarily interested in his humanity and is interested in the complex balancing of the comic and the politician he has become. Often ironical, always sincere, GOD SPOKE gives you a view into Franken that is inclusive of all his work and all his glamour, explicitly showing how he uses his celebrity because as he says, in America: "celebrity trumps ideology". One of the most gratifying parts of that equation is the extent to which Franken needs to labor for his cause, thus proving that while celebrity might trump ideology, he's trying to turn the tilt the scales towards ideology, even if celebrity is so revered.
The Director is expected to Attend.
METAL: A HEADBANGER'S JOURNEY is a deliberately anthropological look at the world of Metal. Inclusive of all the genres and subgenres this decidedly large category of music possesses, director and main characters Sam Dunn travels the western world to speak with the founding fathers (and mothers) of metal, expressing his own personal glee with each interview and experience. Gleefully researched and organized, the film is as much a perfect primer for the uninitiated as it is a love song for the die-hard fan. At the same time, partially (and unapologetically) academic in approach, METAL doesn't try to validate the musical outcast of the musical world; rather it sifts through the aspects that define the music and the lifestyle. Split into titled groups such as Origins, Fans and Culture, and then moving into more specific themes such as Gender and Sexuality and Death and Violence, the film is a solid cinematic essay that proves that, whether Metal is or isn't the red-headed step-child of rock, it's loved by millions who like it that way.
The most recent film by Carlos Saura, the Spanish king of flamenco films, IBERIA is a stylish and resonant non-narrative musical, named for the Isaac Albeniz suite from which all the songs are taken. IBERIA proposes a beautiful rekindling of traditions, using an historically important Spanish composer's work as a springboard for the vibrant and dynamic evolution of a culture that celebrates its roots and revels in it's ownership of those roots. This film translates history, culture, music, dance, and, of course, film into usable histories that are beautiful, dynamic and very alive.
The Director is expected to Attend.
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS is a narrative meditation on a visually and emotionally fragmented Iraq. Directed by American Journalis James Longley, this three part documentary, tracks an 11-year-old mechanic in the mixed Sheik Omar neighborhood of Old Bagdhad, follows the many voices of the Shiite Moqtada Sadr movement as they explain their translations of Islamic Law and their need for militarist defense, and finally tells the story of a family of Iraqi Kurd farmers and brick makers who's son dreams of becoming a doctor, though his father wants him to serve God. Poetically exploring the tensions between the country's history, it's volatile present and it's uncertain future, the film looks at the delicate and critical intertwining of faith and law as well as the struggle for safety and happiness the citizens are challenged by as a result of current political conflicts and threats. The film will have a theatrical release in the Summer.
The Director is expected to Attend.
The recent release by personal documentary legend Alan Berliner, WIDE AWAKE is a semi-indulgent expose of the filmmaker's struggles with insomnia. As much about sleep depravation as it is about the creative process, the film is a playful and engaging exploration of the patterns we create wittingly and unwittingly on a daily basis, and where those patterns lead.
The Director is expected to Attend.
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? is a cinematic whodunit about the demise of the electric vehicle or EV. A fantastic invention and a wild success, the turn of the century EV was the original chick magnet, and widely preferred to the gas-burning car. But when car companies began mass-producing gas run automobiles, the EV lost the race. Rejuvenated for sale in the late 90's, the EV was fantastically successful. The EV was so efficient, eco-friendly and popular, California penned a law to increase the number of EVs on the road incrementally through 2003. With all this passion and success and demand, why would GM take the EV away? Mirroring the conclusion of Murder on the Orient Express, the film finishes with an encapsulated run down of the suspects responsible for the killing the EV, and thus exposes the culprits who committed the crime and those who can rectify their grievous (if accidental) decisions in the future. Finally, the film shows the growing movement and explains how you too can contribute.
PODCAST WITH THE FILMMAKERS AVAILABLE
The Director is expected to Attend.
RUNNER'S HIGH is a documentary about a team of students participating in Students Run Oakland (SRO), a volunteer based Project that trains Oakland High School Students for the Los Angeles Marathon. Directed by Justine Jacob and Alex da Silva the film tracks the training and progress of the students as they overcome their personal hardships and accomplish what even some of their parents think to be the impossible. The students are endearing and their dedication and maturity is inspiring and their accomplishments uplifting.
THEY CHOSE CHINA, directed by Shauibo Wang, is a commercial documentary about a group of 22 American POWs who, after being captured in the Korean War, and taken to China, publicly embraced communism. In the depths of the cold war, America dubbed the POWs "turncoats", the media rendered them as devious potential spies, called traitors, and charged them with treason. Many of the POWs stayed in China as long as they could under pressures from the US to return. Intercutting newsreels and home movie footage of early ‘50's China and more recent times, the film reunites the group in an effort to celebrate the accomplishment of these men who the narrator explains are "heroes to me because they tried to build bridges between countries". A startling look at the traumas enforced upon American veterans in the 50's THEY CHOSE CHINA is a reminder people can create change and our countries have but to follow its heroes.
