The documentary, I Am Chris Farley, described as the definitive biographical film about the late comedy star, has released the official trailer. Farley died in 1997, at the age of 33, from a drug overdose.
The film, from the directors of I Am Evel Knievel, A Brony Tale, and the upcoming Johnny Cash – American Rebel, tells Chris Farley’s story from his early days in Madison, Wisconsin and at Marquette University, through his work at the legendary club Second City, to his rapid rise to the top of the comedy world on “Saturday Night Live” and in hit films like Tommy Boy and Black Sheep.
Sharing insights into the beloved funnyman are such co-stars and colleagues as Christina Applegate, Tom Arnold, Dan Aykroyd, Bo Derek, Pat Finn, Jon Lovitz, Lorne Michaels, Jay Mohr, Mike Myers, Bob Odenkirk, Bob Saget, Adam Sandler, Will Sasso, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Brian Stack and Fred Wolf. The filmmakers also speak to Farley’s four siblings, including his brother Kevin, a comedian and actor, and his brother Tom Jr., who wrote the biography “The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts.”
I Am Chris Farley opens in theaters in select cities on July 31; and will debut on Spike on Monday, August 10 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, followed by Video-On-Demand the next day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aofacg_Gy0E
Documentary
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Watch Official TRAILER for Documentary I Am Chris Farley
The documentary, I Am Chris Farley, described as the definitive biographical film about the late comedy star, has released the official trailer. Farley died in 1997, at the age of 33, from a drug overdose.
The film, from the directors of I Am Evel Knievel, A Brony Tale, and the upcoming Johnny Cash – American Rebel, tells Chris Farley’s story from his early days in Madison, Wisconsin and at Marquette University, through his work at the legendary club Second City, to his rapid rise to the top of the comedy world on “Saturday Night Live” and in hit films like Tommy Boy and Black Sheep.
Sharing insights into the beloved funnyman are such co-stars and colleagues as Christina Applegate, Tom Arnold, Dan Aykroyd, Bo Derek, Pat Finn, Jon Lovitz, Lorne Michaels, Jay Mohr, Mike Myers, Bob Odenkirk, Bob Saget, Adam Sandler, Will Sasso, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Brian Stack and Fred Wolf. The filmmakers also speak to Farley’s four siblings, including his brother Kevin, a comedian and actor, and his brother Tom Jr., who wrote the biography “The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts.”
I Am Chris Farley opens in theaters in select cities on July 31; and will debut on Spike on Monday, August 10 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, followed by Video-On-Demand the next day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aofacg_Gy0E
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Nicolas Steiner’s Documentary ABOVE AND BELOW To be Released in US | TRAILER
The documentary “Above and Below,” the debut film from Swiss director Nicolas Steiner will reportedly be released in the US via Oscilloscope Laboratories.
Above and Below is a rough and rhythmic roller coaster ride seating five survivors in their daily hustle through an apocalyptic world.
Far, far away and out of sight, that’s where April, Dave, Cindy, Rick and the Godfather are creating life on their own terms. From the depths of the flood channels under Sin City, to a reclaimed military bunker in the middle of the dusty, heated Californian nowhere land to beyond the stratosphere where Mars now lives on earth. Each individual has been flung into periling circumstances on this rollercoaster ride called life. Through the hustle, pain, and laughter, we are whisked away to an unfamiliar world where we discover its inhabitants to be souls not unlike our very own.
Oscilloscope plans to release the film theatrically followed by a release on digital and other ancillary platforms.
Interview with director Nicolas Steiner via official film site
“Above and Below” combines Mars, Earth and the subterranean. How did you come up with this unusual idea? I’m principally inspired by pictures. My imagination functions better that way, rather than when I take my lead from formulated premises. In this case it was above all pictures by Joel Sternfeld; photographs of deserts and water parks taken in massive long shots yet with an air of the unnatural to them. They contain an element of the absurd. I also studied for a year at San Francisco Art Institute as[NS3] a Fulbright scholarship holder, where I gave much attention to ghost towns. This was during the same period when the earthquake hit Japan. While surfing in Santa Cruz a presumably contaminated streetlight bearing Japanese characters floated towards us. This experience was decisive for the broader context of “Above and Below” In what way? As a director I consider myself something of a hunter-gatherer. My concepts and ideas initially overflow. Then I set about filtering them. I search for contexts that are only visible at second glance. At the same time, simple processes fascinate me. The more archaic the better. It was from such jigsaw pieces that the journey in the film, one from Mars to Earth and beneath its surface, finally emerged. The so-called tunnel-people play a central role in the film. How did you hear of them? I often made trips from San Francisco to the surrounding areas. I wanted to leave the city for a few days and visited Las Vegas. I had meant to relax, but the stay made me feel as if I were on steroids. It was all a garish sensual-overload. I walked numbly through the streets and saw in a water tunnel a guy in a nightgown with a chessboard. The idea for the film immediately became more tangible. How did you come across your tunnel-people? I made a five-week research trip to Las Vegas. I was initially with a journalist who had written about the tunnel-dwellers. I also studied old city plans of the tunnels and went off on my own to look for possible protagonists. How dangerous was that? Let’s put it this way, I wouldn’t necessarily rush off to do it again. Inflamed by my idea I recklessly entered situations that might have turned out differently. Lots of the tunnel-people are very nice but also heavily addicted to crystal meth, which makes them unpredictable. I met my protagonist Lalo, for example, in one of the tunnels in which neither the journalist nor a city social worker had entered. I could hear Lalo growling “Who is it?” in the distance. Later, when filming, he told me that he was a former electrician and cage-fighter who was responsible for the death of two people “because of a stupid accident”. My cameraman and I had a €80,000 camera with us. So of course there was a certain uneasiness, particularly when Lalo wanted to know how expensive such a device might be. I think, however, that this recklessness was taken as bravery and won us respect. The research phase and shooting were intense. I hope this is apparent in the film. It’s important for me to share experiences so viewers feel they experienced them, too. Did the police always just let you be? We were arrested once. Of course the possibility had crossed my mind, since during research and filming I was perpetually entering fenced-off territory. And I was aware, too, that trespassing is a serious offence in America. How did this come about? We parked our transporter next to a tunnel and lugged a camera crane in black bags down into it. Somebody observed us and assumed that we were smuggling dynamite and weapons since under the tunnel there was a second one running between two banks. The police, once summoned, pushed us up against a wall and searched us. The interesting thing was the police officer shouted at me irritatedly, why don’t you shoot your film in Berlin? There are homeless there, too! Fortunately the officers were informed at that very moment of an ongoing armed robbery and headed out. That was more important than our case. How important then is the topic of homelessness in the film? Of course “Above and Below” does deal with poverty and homelessness. If my last film, “Battle of the Queens”, can be seen as a film about the homeland, then I have now made a film about “not having a home”. But nothing could be further from my actual aim than explaining America and its society to Americans. I didn’t approach the film thematically, but rather conceptually, although the focus is definitely on individuals. To me it was about cowboys, ghosts and aliens. The idea was to make a film leading viewers from Mars down to Earth, and thence into its bowels. The film might equally have played out in the desert of Dubai. Or in China. But try telling that to a furious police officer! Could the film have been shot in Switzerland, too? Was that ever considered? No, the film could not have been made in Switzerland. There is always something adventuresome about filmmaking. And I shot my last two films in my homeland, Valais in the Southern alps of Switzerland[NS6] . It was time to move on and leave my garden behind me. Furthermore there is a keyword for this film, an important one: DESERT. Aridity. The visual beauty of death and destruction. I found optimal conditions in America to deal with the themes, circumstances and socio-political views that interest me. After all, the film lives from these people and their bleak biographies, and these led me through its making. How are your protagonists now? I intend to show them the film at the given locations. I’m still in contact with Rick and Cindy, they are both clean now. Among the Mars-crew I’m most frequently in contact with April. She finished her geology studies and is continuing in research. Dave vanished a year ago but I’m still in contact with his daughter. He once called me after having swapped his[NS7] old camper for a mobile phone. I’ll find him again. Things aren’t looking so good with Lalo. I don’t know if he’s still alive, he had potentially fatal abscesses back then and was in beaten-up shape. How did you come upon the peculiar Mars-Society? At San Francisco Art Institute I saw a picture in a magazine of a lonely astronaut in a red desert. I was confused since I knew that no one could be there. When I looked more closely I saw a garden hose, and that was how I met the Mars-Society, a non-profit organisation working towards exploring and colonising the red planet. Scientists, fans of space travel, James Cameron and a couple of millionaires founded the society in the 90s. I was interested by the science behind it, but the real attraction was the trashy-cum-absurd look of the Mars people and their equipment. And at the same time the terrain on which they simulate Mars expeditions is of a poetically wistful abandonment. You rejected the classic talking-heads structure in your documentary. Why? My intention and aim was to keep my protagonists un-coerced and at their ease in conversation. I don’t like classical interviews or Q and As. I prefer conversations. Which doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate well-lit faces and spaces, but I try not to employ them at any cost. I tell my team approximately where I want to arrive, but spontaneity and flexibility are important for me, too. I think talking-heads are a matter of taste and don’t suit every content. In “Above and Below” the audiovisual level was more important to me than just precise statements. The film uses a conspicuously large amount of music There are almost 50 minutes of composed music in total. The soundtrack leads the way through the film. It was created in part before shooting, using photos that I brought back from my research-trips. This meant that we could already use music while shooting. It was apparent to me during research that music plays a very important role, since some of the protagonists do play instruments – Dave, say, with his drum set in the middle of the desert wastes. Lots of people know your abundantly prize-doted short, “It’s me.. Helmut”. What parallels, if any, do you see to “Above and Below”? The short was a twelve-minute fictional project and “Above and Below” a two-hour cinema documentary. But both films are about life and death and transience. Everything is beautiful yet, equally, destroyed. Both films feel a little tragicomic and play by-and-large outside, in nature. In the one, it’s the mountains, in the other, the desert. And in both films I attempted to use sound and image to make cinema into adventure. In “Helmut” the backdrop vanishes, with “Above and Below” it’s swept away. “Above and Below” is your film school graduation film. Will you remain faithful to documentary-making? I very much enjoy documentary-making. It broadens the horizons. And the extremely intensive research periods are something I don’t want to do without. But as for fiction, I’m certainly not excluding it. Because at a formal level, feature films generally inspire me more than documentaries. And theoretically I’m now geared up to make a great thriller or drama about the tunnel-people. Particularly since the series “True Detective”, which features existential themes in a bare landscape and pleased me well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omnPDGcGXJ8
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THE SHORE BREAK Wins Audience Award for Best South African Film at Encounters South African International Documentary Festival | TRAILER
Ryley Grunenwald’s The Shore Break, won the prestigious Backsberg Audience Choice Award at Encounters South African International Documentary Festival for Best South African Film. The award-winning documentary film follows the dilemma faced by a rural community on South Africa’s Wild Coast as to whether to support or resist a proposed titanium mining project and a national tolled highway.
https://vimeo.com/102621491
Grunenwald says she is thrilled with the accolade. “Both my co-producer Odette Geldenhuys and I are really pleased about the win. The Shore Break was a labour of love so it is very rewarding to know it is well received by South African audiences. It was an important story to tell because it captures the nuance and complexity around issues of developing the Wild Coast. The story follows two Pondo cousins who have opposing dreams for the future of their land. One wants to preserve the land through sustainable development while the other plans to mine it for titanium, believing large scale development is the only way to improve employment opportunities.”
“The audience award is based on a complicated calculation in which the festival takes into account the capacity of the cinemas, numbers of tickets sold and the votes cast.” says Odette Geldenhuys. “The film captured the imagination of festival goers, so much so that all our five scheduled screenings were sold out and we had to have two additional screenings in Cape Town and Johannesburg.”
Backsberg Estate Cellars CEO Simon Back adds, “It is a great honour for us to sponsor the Audience Choice Awards. The aim of the awards is to raise awareness around the festival and what has resonated with audiences. With sustainability being core to the way we run our winery, I am also thrilled that both winners raise awareness around critical environmental matters.”
The Shore Break, which was a project in the 2013 Durban FilmMart, will have its co-premiere at the 36th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) on July 18, 2015 with four screenings only during the festival which runs from July 16 to 26.
Image: Backsberg Estate Cellars CEO Simon Back (right) with Odette Geldenhuys , co-producer of The Shore Break which won the Backsberg Audience Choice Award at Encounters South African International Documentary Festival for Best South African Film. The film will next screen at the Durban International Film Festival in July.
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WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE? Wins AFI DOCS 2015
WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE? directed by Liz Garbus (THE FARM: ANGOLA, USA) won the Audience Award for Best Feature at AFI DOCS 2015 in Washington, DC. This year’s Audience Award for Best Short went to A CONVERSATION WITH MY BLACK SON directed by Blair Foster (TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, co-producer) and Geeta Gandbhir (BY THE PEOPLE: THE ELECTION OF BARACK OBAMA, editor).
WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?
Nina Simone earned her moniker as the “High Priestess of Soul.” Trained as a classical pianist in North Carolina when racism was open and rampant, Simone drew upon her struggles as she became one of jazz music’s most beloved and complex figures. Director Liz Garbus offers access into Simone’s most intimate thoughts through her own words as the influential chanteuse became a leading voice for the civil rights movement of the late 1960s. Despite her enormous talent, however, Simone battled worsening demons that ultimately drove her into a life of seclusion in Liberia and France.
A CONVERSATION WITH MY BLACK SON
The short film features a group of racially diverse parents discussing the importance of having a conversation with their young black sons about racism and interacting with the police.
AFI DOCS attendees included America’s greatest documentary filmmakers, including Alex Gibney, Barbara Kopple, Stanley Nelson and Morgan Neville.
National leaders in attendance included White House Cabinet Secretary and Chair of MBK Task Force Broderick Johnson, U.S. Representative Steve Cohen, U.S. Representative Ted Lieu, civil rights leader Julian Bond, former U.S. Representative Mary Bono, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony S. Fauci and former Governor of West Virginia and President of the Alliance for Excellent Education Bob Wise.
Global leaders at AFI DOCS included the Ambassador of Kuwait H.E. Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Ambassador of Jordan Dr. Alia Hatoug Bouran, Ambassador of Lebanon Antoine Chedid and Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Anne Patterson.
Joining the opinion leaders were distinguished journalists: Executive Producer of PBS’s FRONTLINE Raney Aronson-Rath, Margaret Brennan of CBS News, The Atlantic’s Steve Clemons and Ta-Nehisi Coates, former ABC News anchor Sam Donaldson, Bloomberg View’s Al Hunt and PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff.
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GLEN CAMPBELL…I’LL BE ME Documentary to Premiere on CNN on June 28 | TRAILER
Glen Campbell’s extraordinary life and musical legacy are explored in a critically-acclaimed film to be exclusively broadcast on CNN/U.S. on Sunday, June 28. CNN Films Presents: GLEN CAMPBELL…I’LL BE ME will be presented with limited commercial interruptions on the network at 9:00pm, with an encore at 10:48pm Eastern and is sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company.
The film explores Campbell’s brave decision to go public with his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in 2011. After receiving the devastating diagnosis, together with his wife Kim, Campbell decided to complete one last album and say farewell to his fans in a final tour that expanded from the original five-week goodbye to fans, to 151 sold out shows over 18 months.
In association with the CNN Films Presents broadcast, CNN.com has created and curated content related to Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on people and families. There are medical facts about the disease, a digital short film about one man’s ‘cruel journey’ with Alzheimer’s, and a look into Glen Campbell’s experience through excerpts of the film. CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta will report for a digital series on the latest progress in Alzheimer’s research. The special content can be found by visiting www.cnn.com/glencampbell. Also preceding the film’s broadcast, Glen Campbell’s wife, Kim Campbell and CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen will answer questions on Facebook at 12:00pm Eastern on Friday, June 26. Facebook users can connect with both of them with their questions about the disease, and the challenges facing families and loved ones with relatives suffering from Alzheimer’s, via www.Facebook.com/CNN.
The film captures this amazing journey that included a stop in Washington, DC, where the Campbell family testified before Congress and lobbied members for more research funding for a cure – meeting with House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, among others.
A custom public service message about advances in Alzheimer’s medical research will follow the presentation of the film. CNN’s Impact Your World will gather resources for families and sufferers of Alzheimer’s online at www.cnn.com/impact.
This portrait of the extraordinary five-time Grammy Award®-winning artist also includes cameos with a wide array of dynamic artists including Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, Paul McCartney, The Edge, Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea, John Carter Cash, Sheryl Crow, The Band Perry, Keith Urban, Larry Gatlin, and Brad Paisley, as they comment on Campbell’s legacy and how his inspiration for their work. Archival footage in the film captures some of the ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’s’ most remarkable performances and appearances including Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra, and the Beach Boys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAQK8FZSLbw
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The Coffee Documentary CAFFEINATED Opens Nationwide on July 14th | TRAILER
Do you want to learn the story behind your morning Joe? From seed to mug, coffee, and the process by which it is created, has shaped the lives of thousands of individuals worldwide. The feature documentary CAFFEINATED directed by Hanh Nguyen and Vishal Solanki will open nationwide on July 14th.
Working with Geoff Watts, famous green-buyer, the filmmakers travel to America’s most populous coffee-drinking cities and to producing countries, interviewing connoisseurs and farmers alike. With a focus on the social and cultural landscape of coffee, Caffeinated gives the coffee consumer unprecedented access to the farmers responsible for growing that perfect bean, and the producers responsible for brewing that perfect cup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W73LntppUs
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A MURDER IN THE PARK, Wrongful Conviction Doc with Twists and Turns, Set For Release on June 26th | TRAILER
A MURDER IN THE PARK, directed by Shawn Rech and Brandon Kimber, and inspired by the book “A Miscarriage of Justice” by William Crawford will open in theaters June 26th, at the IFC Center in NY and on VOD.
A MURDER IN THE PARK re-examines one of the most pivotal conviction reversals in U.S. history. In 1983, Anthony Porter was sentenced to death for the 1982 murders of teenagers Jerry Hillard and Marilyn Green in Chicago’s Washington Park. In 1998, students from a prestigious University’s Innocence Project re-investigated the case, and seemingly found the real killer, Alstory Simon. Simon “confessed” to the crimes, and Porter was released and pardoned. Once just 48 hours from execution, Porter’s harrowing ordeal shook then-Governor Ryan’s confidence in the justice system, and he vacated the sentences of all Illinois death row inmates.
Soon after his “confession,” Simon accepted a plea bargain, and began serving a 37 year sentence for the killings. He later claimed that the evidence he was presented with to secure his confession and plea was bogus, but left him feeling he had no choice but to confess.
A MURDER IN THE PARK’s investigation provides a fascinating glimpse into a very broken criminal justice system, and questions the motives and tactics of those trying to free the wrongly accused as well as end the death penalty.
Note: The Innocence Project featured in this film is not connected with the original Innocence Project in New York.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cm7OeaUNJg
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Complete Slate of Films for AFI DOCS 2015 Film Festival
The American Film Institute (AFI) revealed the slate of films for the AFI DOCS 2015 Film Festival, running June 17 to 21 in Washington, DC and Silver Spring, MD. The 13th edition of the festival showcases 81 films representing 25 countries, including four world premieres, three U.S. premieres and four East Coast premieres. AFI DOCS opens with Magnolia Pictures’ BEST OF ENEMIES from director Robert Gordon and Academy Award ®-winning director Morgan Neville and concludes with the HBO documentary film MAVIS! (pictured above) from AFI DOCS alumna Jessica Edwards.
AFI DOCS will recognize Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson (THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION) as its 2015 Charles Guggenheim honoree at the National Archives’ William G. McGowan Theater on June 19.
Spotlight Screenings include THE ARMOR OF LIGHT (DIR Abigail Disney), THE DIPLOMAT (DIR David Holbrooke), the world premiere of FIRST AND 17 (DIR Brad Horn) and MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED (DIR Greg Whiteley). Panel discussions or extended Q&As with special guests will follow each Spotlight Screening.
This year’s AFI DOCS program also includes two Special Screenings. The world premiere of Discovery’s RISE: THE PROMISE OF MY BROTHER’S KEEPER (pictured above) (DIR Dawn Porter) screens at the Newseum on June 18. SALAM NEIGHBOR (DIRS Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci) coincides with World Refugee Day with a world premiere screening on June 20.
Additional films from notable documentarians include IN TRANSIT (DIR Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu and David Usui), the East Coast premiere of STEVE JOBS: THE MAN IN THE MACHINE (DIR Alex Gibney) and THE LOOK OF SILENCE from AFI DOCS alumnus Joshua Oppenheimer.
“Audiences will see the most renowned documentary films of the year, all of which will inspire, inform and entertain,” said Michael Lumpkin, Director of AFI DOCS. “This year’s slate celebrates documentary filmmaking while providing a launch pad for meaningful dialogue between audience members, filmmakers and policy leaders.”
AFI DOCS will offer additional programs for festival filmmakers as a way to connect with film industry and policy leaders. The festival will also include a two-day Filmmaker Conference open to the documentary filmmaking community at-large. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.
AFI DOCS 2015 DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL PROGRAM
OPENING AND CLOSING NIGHT, SPECIAL AND SPOTLIGHT SCREENINGS
Wednesday, June 17
OPENING NIGHT: BEST OF ENEMIES: DIRS Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon. USA.
In the summer of 1968, the media landscape changed forever when ABC hired two politically opposed intellectuals — Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, Jr. — to debate the issues of the day on live television. The directors will be in attendance for a discussion and Q&A following the film.
Thursday, June 18
SPECIAL SCREENING: RISE: THE PROMISE OF MY BROTHER’S KEEPER: DIR Dawn Porter. USA.
Discovery Channel’s documentary film about President Obama’s challenge to implement a community-level cradle-to-college-and-career strategy for young people, including boys and young men of color, to ensure they can reach their full potential. World premiere.
Friday, June 19
THE CHARLES GUGGENHEIM SYMPOSIUM: The Charles Guggenheim Symposium honors the legacy of the late four-time Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Charles Guggenheim. This year, the free Symposium pays tribute to pioneering documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson. AFI DOCS is proud to present Nelson’s latest documentary THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION as part of the 2015 program. The Symposium includes a conversation with Nelson moderated by The Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday and a series of excerpts from his work. Nelson’s films include Emmy Award®-nominated THE BLACK PRESS: SOLDIERS WITHOUT SWORDS (1999), Emmy Award®-winning THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL (2003), BEYOND BROWN: PURSUING THE PROMISE (2004), JONESTOWN: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PEOPLES TEMPLE (2006), Emmy Award®-winning FREEDOM RIDERS (2011) and FREEDOM SUMMER (2014).
SPOTLIGHT SCREENING: MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: DIR Greg Whiteley. USA.
The American education system has remained virtually unchanged for more than 100 years. In today’s highly competitive age of information and technology, experimental schools such as San Diego’s High Tech High aim to change that.
SPOTLIGHT SCREENING: THE DIPLOMAT: DIR David Holbrooke. USA.
The son of the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke unflinchingly examines the career of his brash and talented father, whose life had global reach and unquestioned historical impact.
Saturday, June 20
SPOTLIGHT SCREENING: FIRST AND 17: DIR Brad Horn. USA.
Da’Shawn Hand, the top-ranked high school football recruit of 2013, navigates the pressures of being aggressively pursued by more than 90 colleges. World premiere.
SPOTLIGHT SCREENING: THE ARMOR OF LIGHT: DIR Abigail Disney. USA.
Abigail Disney’s directorial debut follows a prominent evangelical Christian leader who begins to reconsider his moral and political assumptions about gun rights after a major tragedy hits close to home.
SPECIAL SCREENING: SALAM NEIGHBOR: DIRS Chris Temple, Zach Ingrasci. USA/Jordan.
A film team spends one month living in Jordan’s Syrian Za’tari refugee camp to uncover the personal stories behind a rapidly growing global crisis. World premiere.
Sunday, June 21
CLOSING NIGHT: MAVIS!: DIR Jessica Edwards. USA.
Mavis Staples, the legendary gospel and R&B singer, has been making music for more than 60 years. From her roots in Chicago with the family group The Staple Singers, led by her father, Roebuck “Pops” Staples, to her award-winning work as a solo artist, MAVIS! traces the life and career of a remarkable woman with an unstoppable voice. The director will be in attendance for a discussion and Q&A following the film.
FEATURE FILM SELECTIONS:
3 ½ MINUTES, TEN BULLETS: DIR Marc Silver. USA. The 2012 murder of African-American teen Jordan Davis by a middle-aged white man, following an argument over loud music, sparked a national debate about Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law.
ALL THINGS MUST PASS: (pictured above) DIR Colin Hanks. USA. Explore the rise and fall of Tower Records in this fascinating account of the iconic titan of the music business, which closed its doors in 2006. East Coast premiere.
ALTHEA: DIR Rex Miller. USA. Tennis great Althea Gibson rose from the tough streets of Harlem to become the first athlete of color to win Wimbledon. Rex Miller’s documentary tells the story of a strong and resilient champion.
AMONG THE BELIEVERS: DIRS Hemal Trivedi, Mohammed Ali Naqvi. Pakistan. Within Pakistan’s borders, a violent clash of ideologies between radical Muslim extremists and moderates is shaping the path of the country’s future.
ATTACKING THE DEVIL: HAROLD EVANS AND THE LAST NAZI WAR CRIME: DIRS Jacqui Morris, David Morris. UK/Canada. Sunday Times editor Sir Harold Evans uses his newspaper to shed light on the harmful effects of the drug thalidomide during the late 1960s and early ‘70s. U.S. premiere.
THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION: DIR Stanley Nelson. USA. Director Stanley Nelson offers a fascinating account of activist group the Black Panthers and its place in America’s history.
CARTEL LAND: DIR Matthew Heineman. USA/Mexico. A citizen vigilante group in Mexico fights back against the encroaching drug cartels, which have brought widespread fear, violence and corruption to the area for years. The Washington Post Film Strand.
THE CHINESE MAYOR: DIR Hao Zhou. China. Mayor Geng Yanbo has ambitious plans to refurbish and develop the Chinese city of Datong, but progress comes with a price
CITY OF GOLD: DIR Laura Gabbert. USA. Join Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold as he ventures off the beaten path in search of the most adventurous cuisine that Los Angeles has to offer and enjoy the fascinating personal stories that are often served up for dessert.
CODE: DEBUGGING THE GENDER GAP: DIR Robin Hauser Reynolds. USA. Though computer science touches every aspect of life, women are barely represented in a coding community urgently seeking millions of skilled workers. CODE asks, “Why?”
DRONE: DIR Tonje Hessen Schei. Norway. Drone technology has been a highly controversial issue in recent years as it has come to define the modern War on Terror.
DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON: DIR Douglas Tirola. USA. Take a fascinating look into the history of National Lampoon, the hilariously twisted, profane and influential humor magazine that launched an astounding number of successful comedy careers.
FRAME BY FRAME: DIRS Alexandria Bombach, Mo Scarpelli. USA. Four photojournalists in Afghanistan work to re-establish a free press after years of oppression under the Taliban regime. The Washington Post Film Strand.
FRESH DRESSED: DIR Sacha Jenkins. USA. This fun and colorful history of hip-hop fashion looks at how the fresh trends that were born on urban streets found their way into mainstream America.
FROM THIS DAY FORWARD: DIR Sharon Shattuck. USA. Filmmaker Sharon Shattuck explores her father’s gender identity struggles and how her parents have remained married through it all.
HOT TYPE: 150 YEARS OF THE NATION: DIR Barbara Kopple. USA. Two-time Oscar® winner Barbara Kopple tracks the iconic progressive weekly The Nation from its 1865 founding by abolitionist Republicans to present-day challenges facing print media of all stripes.
HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO: DIR Alexandra Shiva. USA. As they prepare for their first formal dance, a high-functioning co-ed group of autistic teenagers learns the intricacies of social interaction.
I WANT TO BE A KING: DIR Mehdi Ganji. Iran. Abbas runs a B&B-like tourist destination out of his Iranian home, but with the success of his business, his plans grow increasingly ambitious and outlandish. U.S. premiere.
INDIA’S DAUGHTER: DIR Leslee Udwin. UK/INDIA. INDIA’S DAUGHTER tells the tragic story of a 2012 gang rape and murder of a medical student and presents a searing indictment of the culture of misogyny behind the assault.
IN TRANSIT: DIRS Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu, David Usua. USA. Legendary documentary pioneer Albert Maysles captures a cross-section of people in transitional stages of life as they journey across America by train.
KING GEORGES: DIR Erika Frankel. USA. Take a look behind the scenes of five-star French restaurant Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia, run by its famously demanding owner and chef, Georges Perrier.
LARRY KRAMER IN LOVE & ANGER: (pictured above) DIR Jean Carlomusto. USA. A portrait of outspoken writer and AIDS activist Larry Kramer, one of the most fiery, passionate, complicated and fascinating people you will ever get to know.
LISTEN TO ME MARLON: DIR Stevan Riley. UK. Drawing on hundreds of hours of previously unheard personal audio recordings, filmmaker Stevan Riley lets actor Marlon Brando tell his extraordinary life’s journey from beyond the grave.
THE LOOK OF SILENCE: DIR Joshua Oppenheimer. Denmark/Indonesia/Norway/Finland/UK. In his follow-up to THE ACT OF KILLING, director Joshua Oppenheimer continues to unearth the ghosts of Indonesia’s violent past, shifting his focus from the perpetrators to those left in the aftermath.
LOVE MARRIAGE IN KABUL: DIR Amin Palangi. Australia. In Afghanistan, Abdul and Fatemeh have fallen in love and wish to marry, but their voices in the matter all but disappear within the complex negotiations and exchanges of money that must occur between the two extended families before an agreement can be made.
OF MEN AND WAR: DIR Laurent Bécue-Renard. France. The devastating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on returning American combat soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are explored in this essential testimony documented by French filmmaker Laurent Bécue-Renard over the course of five years.
OUT TO WIN: DIR Malcolm Ingram. USA/Canada. The world of professional sports has long been dogged by a reputation of homophobia, steeped in the fear that openly gay players provide a potential “distraction” to the other teammates. However, times are changing.
PEACE OFFICER: DIRS Scott Christopherson, Brad Barber. USA. A former Utah sheriff investigates the increased militarization of police forces following the death of his son-in-law during a police standoff.
PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: ART ADDICT: DIR Lisa Immordino Vreeland. USA. Born into New York’s prominent Guggenheim family, Peggy Guggenheim made her own mark as one of the premier art collectors and exhibitors of her day.
A POEM IS A NAKED PERSON: DIR Les Blank. USA. Unseen for more than 40 years, Les Blank’s portrait of singer-songwriter Leon Russell is a brilliantly freewheeling and poetic film experience ready for rediscovery. East Coast premiere.
PROPHET’S PREY: DIR Amy Berg. USA. Filmmaker Amy Berg examines the alarming allegations surrounding the rogue polygamist religious sect known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) and its incarcerated leader, Warren Jeffs.
RADICAL GRACE: DIR Rebecca Parrish. USA. When you hear the words “feminist,” “activism” and “politics,” Catholic nuns are not usually the first thing that come to mind. However, this group of nuns is turning tradition on its ear. U.S. premiere.
REQUIEM FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM: DIRS Peter Hutchison, Kelly Nyks, Jared P. Scott. USA. Noam Chomsky offers a riveting discourse on income inequality and its devastating effects, which threaten to erode democracy itself.
REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD: AMERICAN SPRING 2014: DIRS Nick Doob, Shari Cookson. USA. During the spring of 2014, more than 8,000 individuals lost their lives to gun violence in the United States. REQUIEM focuses on these gun tragedies, weaving a series of vignettes from police footage, 911 calls and social media. East Coast premiere.
THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER: DIR Chad Gracia. UK. Was Chernobyl really an accident? Ukrainian artist Fedor Alexandrovich investigates an unusual conspiracy theory behind the infamous disaster. East Coast premiere.
STEVE JOBS: THE MAN IN THE MACHINE: DIR Alex Gibney. USA. Alex Gibney takes a candid and critical look at Steve Jobs, the iconic visionary behind Apple Inc., whose impact helped define the tech industry. East Coast premiere.
THE STORM MAKERS: DIR Guillaume Suon. Cambodia/France. Through revealing interviews with victims and perpetrators, filmmaker Guillaume Suon exposes the human-trafficking industry in Cambodia that ensnares tens of thousands of victims annually.
THE THREE HIKERS: DIR Natalie Avital. USA. In 2009, when American hikers Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal mistakenly wandered off the beaten path near Iraq’s poorly marked border with Iran, they quickly experienced the draconian consequences of their error. World premiere. The Washington Post Film Strand.
TYKE ELEPHANT OUTLAW: DIR Stefan Moore, Susan Lambert. Australia. After years of mistreatment, Tyke the circus elephant goes on a rampage in this tragic and unforgettable tale of performing-animal abuse.
UNCERTAIN: DIRS Anna Sandilands, Ewan McNicol. USA. Stunningly beautiful and disarmingly funny, UNCERTAIN delivers a portrait of the literal and figurative troubled waters of Uncertain, Texas, a 94-resident town on the brink of extinction.
VERY SEMI-SERIOUS: DIR Leah Wolchok. USA. This fascinating, funny film explores the history and process of The New Yorker’s iconic cartoons through the lens of its cartoon editor, Bob Mankoff.
WELCOME TO LEITH: DIRS Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker. USA. When notorious white supremacist Craig Cobb decides to settle in Leith, North Dakota, the townspeople work together to evict their unwanted neighbor.
WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?: DIR Liz Garbus. USA. Nina Simone trained as a classical pianist but evolved into one of jazz music’s most beloved and complex figures. Lending her voice to the civil rights movement, Simone battled demons that ultimately drove her into a self-imposed exile.
THE WOLFPACK: DIR Crystal Moselle. USA. Tucked inside an apartment in Manhattan’s Lower East Side live the Angulo siblings, a tight-knit group who have barely left home due to the overbearing hand of their father. They spend countless hours re-creating scenes from their favorite movies, which have shaped their view of the outside world.
THE YES MEN ARE REVOLTING: DIRS Laura Nix, The Yes Men. USA. The prankster activists known as The Yes Men are at it again. Traveling the globe posing as corporate and government spokesmen, the mischievous pair stages elaborate stunts designed to draw attention to the issue of climate change.
SHORT FILM SELECTIONS:
THE 414S: THE ORIGINAL TEENAGE HACKERS: DIR Michael T. Vollmann. USA. When a group of teenagers began testing their hacking skills in 1983, they started a firestorm by stumbling into a national laboratory’s computer system.
ALLEN & ALINEA: DIR Daniel Addelson. USA. In his home kitchen, Allen tackles the complicated recipes from Alinea, a high-end restaurant. In the process, he unlocks his own creativity and confidence.
BODY TEAM 12: DIR David Darg. Liberia. It’s perhaps the most dangerous job in the world: collecting dead bodies from Ebola-stricken villages.
BORN TO BE MILD: DIR Andy Oxley. UK. Members of the Dull Men’s Club explain their non-threatening passions (mailboxes, traffic circles, bricks, milk bottles) without shame and without judgment.
COBBLER: DIR Madelon Vroom. UK. A feisty artisan seems poised to be the last shoemaker in his family — until his inexperienced son joins the business, triggering a lively dialogue.
COMIC BOOK HEAVEN: DIR E.J. McLeavey-Fisher. USA. A long-standing comic book store in Queens prepares to close its doors for good.
A CONVERSATION WITH MY BLACK SON: DIRS Blair Foster, Geeta Gandbhir. USA. A group of racially diverse parents discuss the importance of having a conversation with their young black sons about racism and interacting with the police.
CROOKED CANDY: DIR Andrew Rodgers. USA. An adult collector shows off his illegal Kinder Egg collection, the egg-shaped chocolate candies banned in the U.S.
DEAR ARAUCARIA: DIR Matt Houghton. UK. When the creator of a long-running newspaper crossword is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he begins leaving a cryptic message within the puzzles.
GIOVANNI AND THE WATER BALLET: DIR Astrid Bussink. Netherlands. Ten-year-old Giovanni is the only boy trying out for the synchronized swimming team.
HANGAR B: DIR Thomas Beug. USA. A group of men, some in their eighties and nineties, stays active working at a hangar at Floyd Bennett Airfield in Brooklyn, restoring old planes.
KATSUO-BUSHI: DIR Yu Nakajima. Japan. Japanese cuisine’s umami flavor depends upon dried, smoked and fermented tuna. While most processors have industrialized production, the finest artisans continue to use age-old methods.
THE LAND: DIR Erin Davis. USA. A radical European playspace for children encourages independence and risk-taking.
LAST REEL: DIR Steven Bognar. USA. With the arrival of new technological advances, Ohio’s Little Art Theatre prepares to say goodbye to 35mm movie prints.
LETTING YOU GO: DIR Kim Faber. Netherlands. This delicate film explores one woman’s heartbreaking decision to self-euthanize.
LOSERS, A FILM ABOUT LOSS: DIR Arianne Hinz. Netherlands. Three young people share their different stories of loss: a stuffed animal, a fencing tournament and a loved one.
MEND AND MAKE DO: DIR Bexie Bush. UK. As Lyn looks back on her past, her imagination brings to life her treasured memories in the shape of her most familiar belongings.
MIDNIGHT THREE & SIX: DIR Joe Callander. USA. As Lyn looks back on her past, her imagination brings to life her treasured memories in the shape of her most familiar belongings.
OBJECT: DIR Paulina Skibińska. Poland. A Polish rescue team dives into the freezing depths to retrieve a mysterious object hidden beneath the ice.
SANDORKRAUT: DIRS Emily Lobsenz, Ann Husaini. USA. A “fermentation fetishist” blends his ritualistic culinary process with his own personal feelings on eating, living and mortality.
SLEEPERS’ BEAT: DIR Anastasia Kirillova. Russian Federation/UK. The romance of the rails is beautifully captured in this meditative look at the workers on long-distance Russian trains who sleep to its rhythmic beat.
A STRONG BEAT: DIR Daniel Addelson. USA. A man receives a heart transplant and then falls in love in a most unexpected way.
THE TIMEKEEPER: DIR Katherine Wells. USA. How long is one second? Demetrios Matsakis keeps the official time for the U.S. by measuring fractions of a nanosecond with cutting-edge atomic clocks.
WATERLILIES: DIR Tanya Doyle. Ireland. Irish lasses in their sixties learn to swim for the very first time while discussing their marriages, children and interests.
A WEE NIGHT IN: DIR Stuart Edwards. Scotland. An elderly Scottish couple enjoys an evening at home together, delighting in all the wee things that make life special.
WHO STOLE THE RUBY SLIPPERS? DIR Theodore James. USA. The investigation of the theft of one of the iconic pairs of ruby slippers from THE WIZARD OF OZ from the Judy Garland Museum.
WOMEN IN SINK: DIR Iris Zaki. Israel/UK. In this charming film, the director converses with Arab and Jewish women as she washes their hair, revealing a nuanced portrait of contemporary Israel.
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THE POET OF HAVANA Documentary to Open 16th Woodstock Film Festival | TRAILER
The documentary, THE POET OF HAVANA, directed by Ron Chapman about Cuban singer/songwriter Carlos Varela will open the 16th Woodstock Film Festival on September 30, 2015. Opening night will also include a live performance from Carlos Varela, joined by Jackson Browne at The Woodstock Playhouse.
The Poet of Havana explores the cultural, political and social significance Varela has had in his 30 years as a singer-songwriter. A veteran of censorship battles with the Cuban government, his emotionally charged songs—raw, metaphoric chronicles of contemporary Cuban life— have drawn comparisons to Bob Dylan’s work. Jackson Browne’s translation of Varela’sMuros y Puertas (Walls and Doors), talks about how polarized we are as a society, evident in the song’s refrain, “There can be freedom only when nobody owns it.” Shot in Havana with unique access, the audience enjoys stunning concert and insider backstage moments, along with exclusive interviews with such international stars as Ivan Lins, Luis Enrique, Juan and Samuel Formel, Diana Fuentes, X Alfonso, Alexander Abreu, in addition to Jackson Browne and actor Benicio Del Toro (The Usual Suspects, Traffic, Guardians of the Galaxy).
Cuban singer/songwriter Carlos Varela started playing music literally “in the dark.” Growing up in Havana, whenever a power failure killed the lights, Varela and friends would play rock music blowing across the sea via a homemade radio antenna. In 1977, at a concert of Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés — standard-bearers for Nueva Trova, homegrown folk music that reflected the unrest of many Cubans — Varela realized music could be more than just a fun way to pass the time.
Although he insists poetics took precedence over politics, Varela has struggled with the restrictions of censorship. But while other artists might have sought refuge elsewhere, Cuba is his inspiration and has always been home. He has recorded eight albums and performs worldwide.
Ron Chapman, director of The Poet of Havana, started out as a musician, then went on to manage musical artists, produce albums and ultimately establish a film production company, directing rock videos and TV commercials for some of the world’s leading brands. At his legendary Toronto music club “The Edge,” Chapman provided a scene for some of the most exciting international artists of the day.
Chapman’s 2014 documentary Who the F**K is Arthur Fogel, features Lady Gaga, U2, The Police, Madonna, Rush, and key music industry insiders. His forthcoming film The Forbidden Shore, with performances and interviews of over 60 top Cuban artists, will be the most in-depth cultural/music documentary to come out of Cuba.
In a return to his roots, Chapman has recently completed an album of his own songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B_3FVv_rQY
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Watch Official TRAILER for Documentary The Babushkas of Chernobyl
The official trailer was released today for the documentary The Babushkas of Chernobyl, directed by Holly Morris and Anne Bogart, and World Premiering at the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival.
For nearly 30 years a community of unlikely heroines have lived in Chernobyl’s post-nuclear disaster “dead zone.” Stylish and stubborn, these fascinating women have survived, and even thrived, on some of the most toxic land on Earth. They arethe last survivors of a community who refused to leave their ancestral homes after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. But the babushkas aren’t the only risk-takers: scientists, bureaucrats and even young men and women called “Stalkers” (who break in illegally to pursue their video game-inspired fantasies) explore the dystopian Zone and seek out its radioactive grandmas. First-time feature documentary filmmakers Holly Morris and Anne Bogart’s portrait of a community tells a remarkable tale about the pull of home, the healing power of shaping one’s own destiny and the subjective nature of risk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5pLPUH5eDs&feature=youtu.be
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Showtime Acquires NFL Legend Tony Gonzalez Documentary PLAY IT FORWARD | TRAILER
The documentary PLAY IT FORWARD, an intimate portrait on the life, family and career of legendary NFL tight end and future Hall of Fame inductee Tony Gonzalez, and his relationship with his older brother Chris, has been acquired by Showtime Networks.PLAY IT FORWARD premiered as the Opening Gala of the 2015 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival – which screens sports movies as part of the annual Tribeca Film Festival. The documentary was the only non-ESPN film in the festival’s nine-year history to win the coveted opening gala spot. PLAY IT FORWARD was written and directed by Oscar(R) nominee Andrea Nevins.
PLAY IT FORWARD, which the Los Angeles Times calls “remarkable, intimate and moving,” tells the compelling story about the relationship between two brothers, the football star, Tony, and his older brother and wingman, Chris, whose heart’s desire was to play the game as only his little brother could. The film follows the Gonzalez brothers over the course of a pivotal year as Tony’s career is winding down, as are his chances of finally getting to a Super Bowl. During this time, Chris, who first taught Tony how to play the game, and always stood by him throughout his college and professional football journey, now chases his own mid-life ambition to become a firefighter. This candid, heartfelt film explores brotherhood, sacrifice and what it takes to achieve greatness, on or off the field.
“I’m so appreciative of Tony and his family who were open and honest in what proved to be such an emotional series of events we bore witness to,” said director Andrea Nevins. “We’re so excited to share the Gonzalez family’s very human story of dreams deferred, loss, and ultimately triumph.”
“The Gonzalez’s story in PLAY IT FORWARD resonates with the love, joy, loss, struggle and sacrifice it takes to hold a family together and achieve success,” said executive producer Michael Strahan. “Whether you’re a player in the NFL or chasing a dream to be a firefighter the one central theme is family. As executive producers, Constance Schwartz and I are thrilled that SHOWTIME has joined us on this journey to take this film to audiences in hopes that they will be as inspired by this story as we are.”
Former Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez now serves as a CBS Sports analyst for the NFL pre-game show, THE NFL TODAY, alongside James Brown, Boomer Esiason, Bill Cowher and Bart Scott. Gonzalez also contributes across multiple CBS platforms including INSIDE THE NFL on SHOWTIME and CBS Sports Network’s Sunday pre-game show, THAT OTHER PREGAME SHOW (TOPS). Gonzalez’s NFL career spanned 17 years, 12 with Kansas City after being their first-round pick in 1997, and five with Atlanta before his retirement in 2013. He is the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdowns (111) and yards (15,127) by a tight end. He also is the NFL’s all-time leader in consecutive starts (120) and Pro-Bowl appearances (14) by a tight end, and ranks second overall among all players in catches with 1,325. Known for his strength and durability, Gonzalez missed only two games during his 17-year career.
Academy Award(R) nominee Andrea Nevins has produced, directed and written for documentary film, television news, public radio and newspapers for over 25 years. She produced critically-acclaimed and award-winning documentaries for Peter Jennings: Reporting, which earned her an Emmy(R) Award for her work on an ABC News/Time forum on the issue of gun control in America. Nevins’ first independent documentary project, Still Kicking, earned her an Academy Award nomination. The short, which she produced and wrote, chronicled the experiences of former dancers getting back on stage in their golden years. Following this, she co-produced the award-winning Tom Brokaw special, “Why Can’t We Live Together,” about a town south of Chicago that was “tipping” from white to black. Nevins partnered with producer Cristan Reilly to tell the story of aging punk rockers turned fathers in “The Other F Word,” which served as the genesis of their company Rare Bird Films. Her most recent piece with her team at Rare Bird Films was on HBO’s STATE OF PLAY. Titled HAPPINESS, this film explored the career transitions of football greats Brett Favre, Tiki Barber and Wayne Chrebet.
PLAY IT FORWARD will also be uniquely supported by the National Football League’s Legends program. The Legends Community connects and celebrates all who have played in the NFL. Its mission is to bring opportunities and information to retired players through other members of the Legends Community and to help them stay connected with former teammates, clubs, and the league.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSjWfGYG7YA
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Clean Energy Documentary CATCHING THE SUN to World Premiere at LA Film Festival | TRAILER
The documentary CATCHING THE SUN, directed by Shalini Kantayya, which explores the global economic race to lead the the clean energy future, will World Premiere in Documentary Competition at the 2015 LA Film Festival.
Director Kantayya uses interwoven character dramas spanning the US and China to tell the story of the global energy transition from the perspective of workers and entrepreneurs building solutions to income inequality and climate change with their own hands.
Catching the Sun is anchored on the hope and heartbreak of unemployed American workers seeking jobs in the solar industry. An unlikely ensemble of characters contrast with preconceived notions about who is at the forefront of a transition to clean energy: Eddie Wiltz, a college dropout with few job opportunities who seeks training as a solar installer; Debbie Dooley, a Green Tea Party activist who takes on Georgia’s utility monopoly; Van Jones, a Bay Area activist who goes to Washington to elevate the national conversation on green jobs and implement policy, and; Wally Jiang, an ambitious Chinese CEO pursuing global markets in this rapidly growing industry.
“I set out to do a small film about American workers, and ended up telling a global story unfolding in real time,” says director Kantayya. “The story took me through innumerable twists and turns as I tried to understand the larger global economics that impact whether American workers get jobs in the clean-tech industries of the future. Catching the Sun is a global documentary and reflects my point of view as a global citizen.”
With countries like China investing in innovative technologies and capitalizing on this trillion-dollar opportunity, the documentary has already caught the attention of government officials and leaders in the industry. Kantayya hopes the film will serve as the catalyst to propel America as frontrunner in this industrial race.
Director Kantayya adds, “The oil economy has created monopolies and concentrated wealth and power in the hands of the few. I was fascinated by the idea that solar power could democratize and decentralize energy in a way that rebuilds the ladder of economic opportunity in the U.S.”
The film’s World Premiere will take place on Thursday, June 11, 2015 at the Regal Cinemas LA Live (1000 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FzqgS-M5Eo