COLD BLOODED: THE CLUTTER FAMILY KILLINGS

  • First 26 Films Revealed for 2018 Sydney Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_27940" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist[/caption] The Sydney Film Festival has revealed a sneak peek of 26 new films to be featured in this year’s 65th edition of the festival, taking place from June 6th to 17th, 2018; and a new Festival location: HOYTS Entertainment Quarter. Leading the titles is Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist. The film is a fascinating profile of revolutionary fashion designer and punk icon Vivienne Westwood from UK model-turned filmmaker Lorna Tucker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvYmFcAegH4 Also topping the list is the winner of Venice Film Festival’s 2017 Grand Jury Prize, Foxtrot, from award-winning Israeli director Samuel Maoz; and 2018 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award winner, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, featuring rising stars Chloë Grace Moretz (Carrie), Sasha Lane (American Honey) and Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant). Two Oscar winners will also present their latest works: Sebastián Lelio’s (A Fantastic Woman, SFF 2017) Disobedience starring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams, and Debra Granik’s (Winter’s Bone) Leave No Trace featuring young New Zealand actress Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie. Bold psychosexual thriller, Piercing, starring Australian actress Mia Wasikowska (Madame Bovary, SFF 2015), and spine-tingling British chiller Ghost Stories starring Martin Freeman (The Hobbit), kicks off the 2018 Festival’s Freak Me Out program. Anchor and Hope also delivers more star power with Natalia Tena (Harry Potter) and Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones) alongside her mother, Golden Globe nominee Geraldine Chaplin (Chaplin), in the second feature by award-winning Spanish director Carlos Marques-Marcet (10.000 Km). Closer to home, Australian journalist Travis Beard’s fascinating documentary RocKabul examines Afghanistan’s first metal band District Unknown, and I Used to be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story, is a coming-of-age documentary about the intense love of boybands, from The Beatles to One Direction. Maya the Bee: The Honey Games is a new family adventure – voiced by an all-star Australian cast including Richard Roxburgh, The Umbilical Brothers’ Dave Collins and Shane Dundas, and Justine Clarke (ABC’s Play School) – from Australian animation veteran Noel Cleary (Blinky Bill). An exhilarating debut feature from Australian director Jason Raftopoulos, West of Sunshine, starring Damien Hill (Pawno) alongside his real life step-son Ty Perham, and Kat Stewart (Offspring), will also screen in 2018. Favorites selected from the international festival circuit include: Sundance 2018 Special Jury Prize winner, Genesis 2.0, a documentary following scientific efforts to resurrect the woolly mammoth in an Arctic spin on Jurassic Park; and Berlinale Silver Bear winner, Mug, from renowned Polish filmmaker Małgorzata Szumowska. Also highly anticipated are Oscar-nominated films: The Breadwinner and The Insult. The Breadwinner was nominated for Best Animated Feature and produced by a team of Academy Award winners including Angelina Jolie and animation studio Cartoon Saloon (Song of the Sea – SFF 2015). Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueiri’s potent legal thriller The Insult was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar. Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominee American Animals stars a cast of young Hollywood talent including Evan Peters (American Horror Story) and Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). The brand-new digital restoration, from the National Film and Sound Archive, of iconic Australian Oscar nominated film My Brilliant Career (1979) – from acclaimed director Gillian Armstrong and featuring Judy Davis in her movie debut – will revive this multiple award winner for new audiences. Sydney Film Festival’s documentary program will again deliver the most exciting true stories about people, places, enterprises and phenomena from Australia and around the globe. The Festival opens a window into the lives of extraordinary young people, from Chef Flynn, about prodigy chef Flynn McGarry who became one of the world’s top chefs at just 13 years old, to students finding innovative ways to tackle the most complex environmental issues facing humanity today in Inventing Tomorrow. A light is shone in dangerous places, from the murder that made true crime an American obsession in Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders, to the life of a veteran Kurdish soldier deactivating landmines in Iraq using only a pen knife in The Deminer, to The Long Season, an intimate record of daily life for women in a Syrian refugee camp. The Festival also features heart-warming fly-on-the-wall glimpses into personal places, such as the family castle of Spanish director Gustavo Salmeron’s eccentric mother in Lots of Kids, A Monkey and A Castle. And the roly-poly lives of five guide puppies as they train for the ultimate canine career in Pick of the Litter – also screening in Sydney Film Festival’s brand new Screen Day Out program, developed for high school students. Interracial love, religious cults, Thai high society, and an appetite for raw offal complete a preview of the Festival’s more avant-garde works, with classic noir Samui Song from Thai auteur Pen-ek Rataranuang (Last Life In the Universe).

    DOCUMENTARIES

    [caption id="attachment_26690" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Flynn McGarry appears in Chef Flynn by Cameron Yates Flynn McGarry appears in Chef Flynn by Cameron Yates[/caption] CHEF FLYNN What makes a great chef? Follow teenage culinary sensation Flynn McGarry’s rapid ascent from the home kitchen to the cover of New York Times Magazine. Bored with his mom’s dinners, and inspired by television cooking shows, young Flynn decided to take over the kitchen. At thirteen, he was serving multiple courses in his front room to friends and family, with his mother providing table service and complex equipment. As his menus became more ambitious and mouth-watering, Flynn ultimately attracted the attention of the media. It’s not all smooth sailing, however, as his talent is called into question in an online backlash. His adoring single mother, Meg, obsessively documented her son’s passion from childhood. It’s this intimate footage that offers a unique insight into the world of a culinary wunderkind, and the challenges he faces as he reaches adulthood. COLD BLOODED: THE CLUTTER FAMILY MURDERS A highly detailed reconstruction of the infamous Clutter family murders, which inspired Truman Capote’s bestseller In Cold Blood, directed by Oscar nominee Joe Berlinger. In 1959, in a small town in Kansas, farmer Herbert Clutter, his wife Bonnie, and their teenage children, Nancy and Kenyon, were savagely murdered. Capote visited the town, interviewed the killers (Perry Smith and Richard Hickock) and subsequently wrote his highly influential work; considered the first book in the true crime genre. Director Joe Berlinger has a history of working in this realm, with films such as Paradise Lost (SFF 1996) on the West Memphis Three. He was curious to know what the relatives and townsfolk felt about the murders and the impact of Capote’s book. The resulting documentary is a fascinating reconstruction of the case, from the backgrounds of the victims and perpetrators, to the trial, Capote’s visit and beyond. GENESIS 2.0 Winner of a Special Jury Award at Sundance, this striking documentary connects Siberian hunters of woolly mammoth remains with cutting edge 21st century cloning technology. Scavengers on a remote Arctic island spend the summer digging for prized mammoth tusks to sell to the Chinese market. Whole and partial skeletons of these long-extinct animals can be found in the melting permafrost. It’s not just the tusks that are valued: pioneering scientists want hair, blood or skin, so the creature’s genome can be sequenced and the beast cloned. The locals believe it’s unlucky to touch the remains, and this sense of wrongdoing permeates the film as it shifts to the biotech world, where dogs are cloned and an entire population’s genetic data is mapped. Siberian co-director Maxim Arbugaev worked with director Christian Frei (War Photographer, SFF 2002) to capture these two worlds, the boggy landscape and clinical laboratory, to chilling effect. I USED TO BE NORMAL: A BOYBAND FANGIRL STORY The coming of age stories of four Melbourne women whose lives were changed forever by their love of boybands Backstreet Boys, One Direction, Take That and The Beatles. Melbourne filmmakers Jessica Leski and Rita Walsh interviewed three generations of fangirls. The women are not, as you might expect, hysterical and hormonal teenagers. They are obsessive, sure, but also insightful and vulnerable. Their ages reflect the bands they adore: the oldest of the quartet being a fan of the Fab Four. The youngest, Elif, lives at home with parents, who fail to appreciate her One Direction devotion. Sydneysider and Take That fangirl Dara can’t understand her own obsession with heartthrob Gary Barlow. Loving a boyband has helped the women through difficult times, and shaped their relationships, faith, and sexuality. Ultimately though, they’ve all found joy in the fandom world. INVENTING TOMORROW Enterprising high school students from Indonesia, India, Mexico and Hawaii tackle environmental issues in their own backyard, as they prepare for the world’s largest science fair. In Bangalore, Sahithi is developing an app to track toxic water levels in neighborhood lakes. Across the globe, in one of Mexico’s most industrial cities, Jesus, Jose and Fernando are exploring ways to improve air quality. Nuha is seeking a solution to the ocean pollution affecting her Indonesian island home, and Jared is investigating arsenic levels in the soil of Hawaii. Director Laura Nix follows these inspiring, innovative and community-minded students as they develop their presentations, finding optimistic experts and fellow enthusiasts along the way. LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE A hugely charming portrait of a Spanish family headed by an eccentric matriarch, whose teenage dreams for lots of kids, a monkey and a castle came true. Julita’s newly-wed wish for many children rapidly came about, and surprisingly so did her more outrageous desires. But in her old age she, her husband and six children must face reality. Their rambling home must be sold, and horde of bric-a-brac (including her grandmother’s long-misplaced remains) squeezed into a modest apartment. Gustavo intercuts old and new footage to craft a loving (and multiple award-winning) portrait of his laid-back family and its history, which cuts across Spain’s recent past from the Civil War to the financial collapse. At its core is larger-than-life Julita; alternately questioning the premise of her youngest son’s film and swooping on treasured knickknacks. PICK OF THE LITTER We follow the two-year journey, from birth through training to graduation, of five cute but determined Labrador puppies, destined to become guide dogs for the blind. At eight weeks old, a litter of puppies is distributed to volunteer ‘puppy raisers’ responsible for training and socializing the dogs. Some handlers are experienced and others nervous first-timers. The pups are an equally mixed bag – two girls, three boys, black and golden, rowdy and shy. They are evaluated throughout their growing years, before starting an intensive training course. We also meet two people with low vision, waiting patiently for a new dog. The film demonstrates the independence that guide dogs can provide as it delves into the dog-human affinity. ROCKABUL Australian musician, journalist and debut director Travis Beard chronicles Afghanistan’s only metal band as they take to the stage, risking their lives for rock music. When Beard met District Unknown back in 2009, Kabul’s fiercely conservative and traditional community frowned upon music, and the underground party scene was for expats only. The four, later five, young Afghan men in the band could barely find instruments, let alone a rehearsal space. Practice sessions were interrupted by power cuts and exploding bombs. Nonetheless, the musicians persevered, excitedly performing their first gig to an audience as much at risk as the band themselves. But as their notoriety grew, Qasem, Pedram, Qais, Lemar and Yousef had to choose whether to stay or go, knuckle under or keep rockin’. THE DEMINER The Deminer is an edge-of-your-seat portrait of a bomb disposal expert in Iraq. Winner of a Jury Prize at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Colonel Fakhir is committed to making his homeland a safer place for everyone, but he has very few tools to help in this hazardous task. He tackles booby traps and mines with a penknife and garden pliers, even his bare hands. Watching our hero stride into the danger zone is the stuff of action movies: the clock ticking, the mobile phone detonator primed. Fakhir shot much of the nerve-wracking footage himself. A Kurdish man serving in the Iraqi army and a loving father of eight, Fakhir’s successful ‘de- mining’ makes him an Al-Qaeda target. Despite this hefty threat, he doggedly continues, as his family waits in fear and pride. THE LONG SEASON Multi-award-winning filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich (Shape of the Moon, Position Among the Stars, SFF 2011) focuses his camera lens on life in a Syrian refugee camp. Just across the border from Syria, Majdal Anjar in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley is a sprawling, ramshackle collection of shelters. Helmrich spent over a year there filming, with his female collaborator Ramia Suleiman, steadily gaining the trust of his subjects. The duo filmed mothers battling to keep their children fed, clothed and educated, bickering wives and husbands, and young women bemoaning their loss of freedom. With his trademark single shot technique (utilising fluid camera movements to shoot a scene in one take), Helmrich captures the resilience of the refugees with tenderness and compassion, particularly the womenfolk, as they face an uncertain future. WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON, ACTIVIST The wonderfully eccentric, endlessly inventive Vivienne Westwood is the reluctant star of this fabulous documentary. The British fashion designer stomped into the limelight in ’70s London, when the Sex Pistols (managed by her then-husband Malcolm McLaren) sported her designs. Over the decades, Westwood’s aberrant focus has shifted from punk to eco-activism. Her working life, chaotic creative process and close collaboration with her third husband – the endlessly patient Andreas – is revealed through archival footage and interviews. Long shunned by the establishment, in 1992 she was awarded an OBE for services to fashion (true to form, she attended the Buckingham Palace ceremony knicker-less). Straight talking Dame Vivienne considers her history to be “so boring”, but in this she’s wrong: there’s loads to entertain in Lorna Tucker’s fine documentary.

    FEATURES

    [caption id="attachment_26622" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Jared Abrahamson, Evan Peters, Blake Jenner and Barry Keoghan appear in American Animals by Bart Layton, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. American Animals[/caption] AMERICAN ANIMALS Bart Layton’s (The Imposter, SFF 2012) first feature is a wildly entertaining docu-fiction hybrid about four young men who attempt one of the most audacious art-heists in history. American Animals is an unbelievable but true story of four college students who are determined to transcend their boring middle class existence. They hatch a plot to pull off an incredible heist: stealing a number of incredibly valuable volumes from their college’s under-protected rare books collection. Using a great cast of young talents like Barry Keoghan and Blake Jenner, Layton’s brilliant strategy is to also incorporate the four actual subjects into the film. Older, and perhaps wiser, these four men reflect on their past misdeeds, frequently contradicting each other in their Rashomon-like testimonies. Quite unlike any other heist film, American Animals is an energetic, boundary-pushing thriller. ANCHOR AND HOPE A lesbian couple contemplate parenthood in a funny and free-wheeling comic drama by rising Spanish filmmaker Carlos Marques-Marcet. Eva and Kat live a happy life in a houseboat on England’s Regent Canal, until the thorny question of parenthood comes up. Eva desperately wants to be a mother. Kat thinks procreation is narcissistic. But wait, perhaps there’s an answer. Kat’s lifelong bestie, Roger, is coming to visit. Could this randy womanizer be the ideal sperm donor? So begins a fresh and funny tale about love, friendship and the different ways in which modern families can take shape. This hugely entertaining slice of alternative life features wonderful performances by Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones), Natalia Tena and David Verdaguer. A delightful and insightful cameo by Oona’s real-life mother Geraldine Chaplin tops things off very nicely. DISOBEDIENCE Oscar-winner (A Fantastic Woman, SFF 2017) Sebastián Lelio’s new film is about the love affair between two women (Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams) in an Orthodox Jewish community. Ronit (Weisz) is a New York-based photographer, long estranged from her rabbi father and her life in London. When the respected rabbi dies, Ronit returns to pay her respects and claim her inheritance. The welcome she receives is not exactly warm, and there’s poor news on the inheritance front too. Ronit is taken in by her childhood friend Dovid (Alessandro Nivola) and his wife Esti (McAdams). Ronit and Esti had a passionate affair when they were younger and the old attraction simmers, but soon desire comes up against duty and faith. Gloria (SFF 2013) and A Fantastic Woman showed that Lelio is a sensitive and perceptive chronicler of desire and sexuality. With Disobedience, he has made a delicate, emotional and rewarding film. FOXTROT Winner of the Venice Grand Jury Prize and eight Israeli Ophir Awards, Foxtrot is a thrillingly inventive, tragic and funny examination of Israeli military culture. When Michael and Dafna are visited by army officials, who inform them of the death of their soldier son, the couple is devastated. Michael’s grief leads to anger and frustration, until a strange twist sets the narrative on its head, leading to a dizzying exploration of history and fate. Maoz won the Venice Golden Lion for his superb debut film, Lebanon (SFF 2010), set almost entirely in a tank. Here his view is more expansive, and Foxtrot zips back and forth in time and place, incorporating animation, music and an unforgettable dance sequence. Laced with irony and humor, and intellectually and viscerally powerful, Foxtrot is a meticulously crafted and beautifully acted film. GHOST STORIES Three terrifying tales unfold in this anthology by Jeremy Dyson (The League of Gentlemen) and Andy Nyman (Dead Set). Martin Freeman features in this classy British chiller. Three screaming cheers for the return of the British horror anthology! And what a grand return this is. Professor Philip Goodman is a professional debunker of psychics and all things paranormal. After exposing yet another fraud on the cheesy TV show he hosts, Goodman receives a package from an academic he once idolized. The contents propel Goodman into a series of investigations that force him to confront everything he doesn’t believe in. And it gets worse, much worse. Superbly evoking a drab gothic England of rising damp, peeling wallpaper, musty pubs and stale tobacco, Ghost Stories is a scary and wickedly clever fright fest that’ll give you a mountain of goosebumps. We dare you to enter this Vault of Horror! LEAVE NO TRACE Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone, SFF 2010) returns with a delicate drama about a father and daughter who are found by authorities after living off-grid in the wilderness for years. Will (Ben Foster) and his teenage daughter, Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie), have lived in the Oregon wilderness for years, far from the prying eyes of authorities. They forage for food, and Will passes on survival skills to the smart and curious Tom. When the two are discovered, they’re removed from the park and placed under the care of social services. Adjustment to mainstream society proves difficult, particularly for the traumatized Will. Granik, who famously discovered Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone, has again found an actress of immense talent. New Zealander McKenzie delivers a spectacular portrayal of a loving daughter torn between her devotion to her father and her own desires. Leave No Trace is a film of great sensitivity and compassion. MAYA THE BEE: THE HONEY GAMES Maya the plucky bee returns in this charming animated adventure. A colorful tale of buzzy derringdo for kids aged three and up, directed by top Sydney animators. Bubbly Maya (voiced by Coco Jack Gillies – Oddball, Mad Max: Fury Road) is set a challenge when she accidentally embarrasses the Empress of Buzztropolis. The little bee must win the prestigious Honey Games to save her hive’s honey harvest. With her best friend Willi (Benson Jack Anthony) beside her, she meets her ragtag team, including old friends Arnie and Barnie (David Collins and Shane Dundas of The Umbilical Brothers). She also encounters a jealous bee called Violet, who’s determined her team will come out on top. Maya eventually learns how to get the best from her insect crew, with a little advice from Flip (Richard Roxburgh) and his band, and Justine Clark as the wise Queen Bee. MUG A bitingly funny satire and Berlinale Grand Jury Prize winner; Poland’s first facial transplant patient awakes to find that – new face aside – it’s his community that’s changed, not him. Jacek is a young man living in a Polish town who loves heavy metal, his girlfriend and his dog. While working on the construction of the tallest statue of Jesus in the world, Jacek is completely disfigured by a severe accident, requiring him to undergo a facial transplant. Surprisingly, Jacek emerges from the radical medical intervention unchanged in disposition – he’s still funny, optimistic and wishes to marry his girlfriend. But all around him, people have changed and Jacek finds himself an outsider in his own community. Director Szumowska is unsparing in her criticism of the hypocrisy in this religious town, and aided by striking cinematography depicting a deformed world, has created a hilarious, stirring film. MY BRILLIANT CAREER A brand-new digital restoration of Gillian Armstrong’s award-winning adaptation of Miles Franklin’s classic novel, featuring Judy Davis in her movie debut. Set in late 19th century rural Australia, the film focuses on Sybylla (Davis), a headstrong woman determined to be a writer, who refuses to follow conventions. Armstrong’s 1979 film was nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, an Oscar and a Golden Globe award, and was awarded two BAFTAs (for Davis), and six AFI Awards (Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Cinematography for Don McAlpine). Predating Frances McDormand’s ‘Inclusion Rider’ speech by several decades, the film’s director, producers, scriptwriter, leading actor, production designer and costume designer were all women. Nearly 40 years on, Armstrong’s film has lost none of its relevance or screen power. PIERCING Nicolas Pesce follows his monochrome nightmare The Eyes of My Mother (SFF 2016) with a color-saturated tale of deviant desire and unspeakable urges starring Mia Wasikowska. Reed is a seemingly ordinary husband and father. Except that he has an uncontrollable urge to kill. On a “business trip,” Reed checks into a hotel and calls an escort service. His plan to murder sex worker Jackie turns out to be anything but straightforward. Pesce’s lusciously filmed adaptation of Ryū Murakami’s 1994 novel delves into the darkest domains of human nature. Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska deliver outstanding performances as a perpetrator and victim whose notional roles reverse and reset multiple times during an extremely feverish night. Killer production design and a fabulous soundtrack of classic giallo tracks by Bruno Nicolai and legendary outfit Goblin complete the utterly compelling picture. SAMUI SONG Murder, marriage and religion are the ingredients of this juicy film noir by leading Thai filmmaker Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Last Life in the Universe, Headshot, SFF 2012). There’s style to burn in this classy Thai riff on the eternal theme of a fed-up wife who wants her no good husband dead. Vi is an actress who’s sick of playing soap opera bitches and wants to make an indie arthouse film. Worse still, her abusive and impotent French hubby is blindly devoted to a sleazy cult guru known as the Holy One. The answer to all Vi’s problems seems to be Guy, a scuzzy hitman who desperately needs dough to pay his ailing mother’s medical bills. Naturally everything goes haywire but not in ways we might expect. Dotted with gallows humour, sharp social satire and surreal sequences that’ll keep you guessing, Samui Song is a hard-boiled and highly polished tale of unholy alliances. THE BREADWINNER Oscar-nominated animation about an 11-year-old Afghan girl, Parvana, who must pose as a boy to support her family when her father is unjustly jailed. Adapted from the popular novel by Deborah Ellis, this portrait of life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule is the powerful tale of a young girl who faces adversity with creativity and courage. Animated by a team of over 200 artists, it was produced by Ireland’s Cartoon Salon, the studio behind Oscar nominees The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. The Breadwinner is an unflinching indictment of a culture that oppresses women and girls. It is also an appeal for human rights and the power of imagination against tyranny. THE INSULT Ziad Doueiri’s (The Attack, SFF 2013) thrilling, Oscar-nominated legal drama explores festering historical, political and religious divisions in his native Lebanon. When Palestinian Muslim foreman Yasser installs a new drainpipe on Lebanese Christian Tony’s balcony without his permission, Tony’s dislike of Palestinians leads to what appears to be a minor disagreement. But insults are hurled, and the situation soon escalates out of control. What begins with a petty argument leads to a highly publicized trial that captivates a nation, and also gives a range of people an opportunity to settle old scores. Doueiri masterfully takes this private clash of wills as a starting point to explore historic rifts amongst Lebanese communities, and the aftermath of the civil war. Intelligently using humor and pathos, The Insult is ultimately a plea for empathy, forgiveness and peace. THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST Desiree Akhavan (Appropriate Behavior, SFF 2014) won the Sundance Grant Jury Prize for her latest film, a moving comedy-drama set in a “gay conversion” camp. 16-year-old Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz, Kick-Ass) is living with her born-again Evangelical aunt while secretly sleeping with the prom queen. When the girls are caught in the back of a car, Cameron is sent to God’s Promise, a Christian conversion therapy centre where teens are “cured” of their homosexual attractions. It’s in this surreal setting that she forms a close bond with two friends, Jane (Sasha Lane, American Honey) and Adam (Forrest Goodluck, The Revenant). Akhavan charmed SFF audiences with her hilarious debut Appropriate Behavior, in which she played a bisexual Persian woman concealing her true self from her family. She finds wit and poignancy again in this timely film about sexuality and self-acceptance. WEST OF SUNSHINE A working-class dad must settle a crippling debt in this punchy slice of Australian social realism. Jason Raftopoulos’ impressive first feature debuted at Venice Film Festival. Jim’s a decent guy who works for a courier company. But he has one terrible problem that’s cost him his marriage. Jim’s gambling addiction has also left him $15,000 in debt to a loan shark. Full payment is due today – or else. Jim’s first thought is to place a big bet on a sure thing in race two at Ballarat. He has no plan B. It’s also school holidays, forcing Jim to take young son Alex around town in search of a solution – or a miracle. Marked by excellent performances and filmed in vibrant, little-seen Melbourne locations, West of Sunshine beautifully captures a father-son relationship and those moments in a child’s life when the adult world comes suddenly and sharply into focus.  

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  • DOC NYC 2017 to Close with NY Premiere of ERIC CLAPTON: LIFE IN 12 BARS + Announces Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_23415" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars[/caption] DOC NYC announced the full lineup of over 250 films and events for its eighth edition, running November 9 to 16 at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village and Chelsea’s SVA Theatre and Cinepolis Chelsea.  Special Events include Closing Night Film, the NYC premiere of Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars, directed by Lili Fini Zanuck, with the acclaimed musician in attendance; Centerpiece Film, the world premiere of Far From the Tree, director Rachel Dretzin’s adaptation of Andrew Solomon’s bestselling book; and the NYC premiere of Wormwood, an ambitious new project from Errol Morris exploring the 1953 death of a CIA agent.  The NYC premiere Greg Barker’s The Final Year, accompanied by members of the Obama administration, will open the festival. World premieres at the festival include A Murder in Mansfield, by Barbara Kopple (Miss Sharon Jones!), which explores the impact of a 1989 murder on a family; Maynard, by Sam Pollard (Two Trains Runnin’), about Atlanta’s first black mayor, Maynard Jackson; Naila and the Uprising, by Julia Bacha (Budrus), about the hidden role women played in the First Intifada, a project that won last year’s DOC NYC Pitch Perfect competition;  Father’s Kingdom, by Larry Feinberg, exploring the legacy of Father Divine, who attracted over a million followers and claimed to be God; The Iconoclast, by King Adz, about notorious art forger Michel van Rijn; and The Godfathers of Hardcore, by Ian McFarland, on the long-lived NYC hardcore punk band Agnostic Front. Among this year’s U.S. premieres are David Bowie: The Last Five Years, by Francis Whately, an intimate look at the creative final years of the music icon; Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco, by James Crump, a portrait of the most influential fashion illustrator of 1970s New York and Paris; Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, by Matt Tyrnauer, about the man who was the secret sexual procurer to the stars; The Stranger, by past DOC NYC award winner Nicole N. Horanyi, about a woman who discovers the man of her dreams has secrets; Armed with Faith, by Geeta Gandbhir and Asad Faruqi, which follows the heroic Pakistani Bomb Disposal Unit; Soufra, by Thomas Morgan, and executive produced by Susan Sarandon, about a woman who starts her own successful catering company in a Lebanese refugee camp; EuroTrump, by Stephen Robert Morse and Nicholas Hampson, on the Dutch Donald Trump, Geert Wilders; and The Beatles, Hippies and Hells Angels: Inside the Crazy World of Apple, by Ben Lewis, a look back at the wild early days of Apple Corps. “Documentary storytellers help us make sense of the tumultuous times we’re living in with artistry, humor and inspiring characters,” said Director of Programming Basil Tsiokos. “This year’s DOC NYC line-up gives audiences fresh insight into high profile figures and shines a light on lesser-known individuals who leave a big impression.” Tsiokos led the program selection in collaboration with Artistic Director Thom Powers and Executive Director Raphaela Neihausen. The festival is curated in 18 sections that include two new strands: New World Order, with 6 films about global issues in the news, including Sky & Ground, which follows an extended family of refugees as they escape Syria; and Spiral, about the alarming rise of anti-Semitism in Europe. Centerstage, an 8-title section focused on performing and performers, presents the world premieres of The Problem with Apu, in which a South Asian-American comedian explores the impact of the character from The Simpsons; and Repeat Attenders, about musical theater superfans. In the festival’s two feature competition sections, 8 films appear under the Viewfinders section for distinct directorial visions. They include the world premiere of Mole Man, about an autistic man who has built a 50-room structure in his backyard; and the U.S. premieres of The Judge, about the first female Shari’a judge in the Middle East, and Silas, about a Liberian environmental activist. In the Metropolis competition section, 7 films are dedicated to stories set in New York City. They include the world premieres of The Iron Triangle, about the resistance to the urban renewal of Queens’ Willets Point; Vigilante: The Incredible True Story of Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels, an unfiltered look at the founder of the controversial group; and Miracle on 42nd Street, about an apartment complex providing housing to performing artists, including past residents Alicia Keys, Terrence Howard and Angela Lansbury. Other returning sections include high-profile Special Events; national and global takes inAmerican Perspectives and International Perspectives; and thematic sections Fight the Power (on activism), Sonic Cinema (on music), True Crime (on crime), Science Nonfiction (on science and technology), Modern Family (on unconventional families),Wild Life (on animals), Art & Design (on artists), and Behind the Scenes (on filmmaking). Short-form content (85 films in total) is represented by the festival’s Shorts Competition and DOC NYC U (showcasing student work). The following is a breakdown of programming by section:

    OPENING NIGHT

    THE FINAL YEAR Dir: Greg Barker (NYC PREMIERE) Greg Barker gives an unprecedented look at the shaping of US foreign policy by following key members of outgoing US President Barack Obama’s administration.

    CLOSING NIGHT

    ERIC CLAPTON: LIFE IN 12 BARS Dir: Lili Fini Zanuck (NYC PREMIERE) An intimate, revealing musical odyssey on the life and career of guitar virtuoso Eric Clapton, told by those who have known him best.

    CENTERPIECE

    FAR FROM THE TREE Dir: Rachel Dretzin (WORLD PREMIERE) An adaptation of Andrew Solomon’s bestselling book examining how parents face their children’s extreme differences, challenging ideas of “normalcy.”

    SPECIAL EVENT

    WORMWOOD Dir: Errol Morris (NYC PREMIERE) DOC NYC’s Visionaries Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Errol Morris (The Fog of War) investigates the 1953 death of a CIA agent in this innovative new project.

    VIEWFINDERS COMPETITION

    THE JUDGE Dir: Erika Cohn (US PREMIERE) A vérité legal drama about the first woman appointed to a Shari’a court in the Middle East, providing rare insights into both Islamic law and gendered justice. LOVE, CECIL Dir: Lisa Immordino Vreeland (NYC PREMIERE) An affectionate portrait of Cecil Beaton, a multi-talented photographer, writer and painter who also designed sets and costumes for films like My Fair Lady. LOVE MEANS ZERO Dir: Jason Kohn (NYC PREMIERE) Infamous and influential tennis coach Nick Bollettieri has trained champions that include Andre Agassi and Boris Becker, but greatness comes at a personal price. MOLE MAN Dir: Guy Fiorita (WORLD PREMIERE) An autistic man is faced with the possibility of losing the only home he has ever known—and the remarkable 50-room structure he’s built in the backyard. NAILA AND THE UPRISING Dir: Julia Bacha (WORLD PREMIERE) Filmmaker Julia Bacha (Budrus) reveals the hidden history of the key role women played in the Palestinian uprising known as the First Intifada. SILAS Dirs: Anjali Nayar, Hawa Essuman (US PREMIERE) A rousing profile of Liberian activist Silas Siakor, a tireless crusader against illegal logging and a symbol of resistance for a new generation. THE STRANGER Dir: Nicole N. Horanyi (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) Amanda, a 25-year-old single mother, meets the man of her dreams on Facebook… but she soon discovers that the charming, worldly Casper has secrets. THIS IS CONGO Dir: Daniel McCabe (NYC PREMIERE) Filmmaker Daniel McCabe examines multiple sides of the fractious war in the Democratic Republic of Congo in this stunningly shot film.

    METROPOLIS COMPETITION

    ANTONIO LOPEZ 1970: SEX FASHION & DISCO Dir: James Crump (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) A portrait of the most influential fashion illustrator of 1970s New York and Paris, known for discovering talents such as Pat Cleveland and Grace Jones. CRADLE OF CHAMPIONS Dir: Bartle Bull (NYC PREMIERE) Three amateur boxers compete for glory and life-changing opportunities in New York City’s legendary Golden Gloves tournament. THE IRON TRIANGLE Dirs: Prudence Katze, William Lehman (WORLD PREMIERE) Workers and owners of auto repair shops in Queens’ Willets Point face off against gentrification and urban renewal for the future of their livelihoods and community. MIRACLE ON 42ND STREET Dir: Alice Elliott (WORLD PREMIERE) The surprising history of Manhattan Plaza and its embrace of the performing arts, featuring famed former residents including Alicia Keys, Terrence Howard and Angela Lansbury. Screening with Lucy Walker’s Oh, What A Beautiful City (A City Symphony). A celebration of summertime in NYC. OH, RICK! Dirs: Dustin Sussman, Aaron Rosenbloom (WORLD PREMIERE) A profile of comedian Rick Crom, long-running emcee at Greenwich Village’s Comedy Cellar, featuring Ray Romano, Colin Quinn, Sarah Silverman and Wanda Sykes. STILL WATERS  Dir: Peter Gordon (WORLD PREMIERE) In Bushwick, where rapid gentrification is pushing out Latino families, a unique alternative after-school program serves as a haven for the community. VIGILANTE: THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF CURTIS SLIWA AND THE GUARDIAN ANGELS Dir: David Wexler (WORLD PREMIERE) An unfiltered look back at 1970s and ’80s NYC through the eyes of Curtis Sliwa, founder of the controversial crime prevention patrol the Guardian Angels.

    AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES

    12TH AND CLAIRMOUNT Dir: Brian Kaufman (NYC PREMIERE) Hundreds of hours of home movies, archival footage, illustrations and new oral histories offer multiple perspectives of the 1967 Detroit uprising. 32 PILLS: MY SISTER’S SUICIDE Dir: Hope Litoff (NYC PREMIERE) Years after the suicide of her sister Ruth, a talented but troubled artist, director Hope Litoff tries to make sense of her loss. FAIL STATE Dir: Alex Shebanow (NYC PREMIERE) Executive produced by Dan Rather, Fail State explores the dark side of higher education in America, focusing on the rise of for-profit colleges. FATHER’S KINGDOM Dir: Lenny Feinberg (WORLD PREMIERE ) In the first half of the 20th century, Father Divine, an African-American spiritual leader, gained over a million followers by claiming to be God. THE GROWING SEASON Dir: Evan Briggs (WORLD PREMIERE) An intimate, bittersweet portrait of growing up and growing old, set in a nursing home that also houses a preschool program. MAYNARD Dir: Sam Pollard (WORLD PREMIERE) Director Sam Pollard constructs a portrait of charismatic trailblazer Maynard Jackson, who became Atlanta’s first black mayor in 1973. METH STORM Dirs: Brent Renaud, Craig Renaud (NYC PREMIERE ) DEA agents face the Sisyphean task of curbing the influx of Mexican ice, a more potent form of meth, into poor, rural communities in Arkansas. SHOT IN THE DARK Dir: Dustin Nakao Haider (NYC PREMIERE) Orr Academy’s high school basketball team is a refuge from the brutal realities of the streets of Chicago’s West Side.

    INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

    ARMED WITH FAITH Dirs: Geeta Gandbhir, Asad Faruqi (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) A suspenseful portrait of the men of the Pakistani Bomb Disposal Unit, who risk their own lives every day to combat homegrown and international terrorism. ASK THE SEXPERT Dir: Vaishali Sinha (NYC PREMIERE) A lighthearted look at India’s Dan Savage, Dr. Mahinder Watsa, a 93-year-old retired gynecologist. Is he a hero of progress or an enemy of traditional values? A BETTER MAN Dirs: Attiya Khan, Lawrence Jackman (US PREMIERE) Twenty years after their break-up, filmmaker Attiya Khan confronts her ex-boyfriend to take responsibility for their abusive relationship. CUBA AND THE CAMERAMAN Dir: Jon Alpert (NYC PREMIERE) For more than 40 years, acclaimed filmmaker Jon Alpert has enjoyed privileged access to Cuba, chronicling its changes from Havana to the countryside. ISLAND SOLDIER Dir: Nathan Fitch (NYC PREMIERE) Residents of the remote islands of Micronesia question whether the benefits of US protection are worth the human costs of fighting its wars. LOVESICK Dirs: Ann S. Kim, Priya Giri Desai (WORLD PREMIERE) In India, where marriage is a must but AIDS carries a stigma, Dr. Suniti Solomon serves as matchmaker for her HIV-positive patients. THE PINK HOUSE Dir: Sascha Ettinger Epstein (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) In a remote Australian gold-mining town, a genteel 70-year-old madam struggles to keep the oldest working brothel afloat in this entertaining portrait. Screening with Sam Ketay’s A Wonderful Place. Octogenarian Norma shares stories while giving a tour of her property atop her John Deere tractor. SOUFRA Dir: Thomas Morgan (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) Working with a diverse group of Middle Eastern women, Mariam Shaar attempts to expand her catering company, based in a refugee camp near Beirut.

    NEW WORLD ORDER

    EUROTRUMP Dirs: Stephen Robert Morse, Nicholas Hampson (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) An in-depth exploration of Geert Wilders, the “Dutch Donald Trump,” as the controversial politician seems poised to become the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. INSHA’ALLAH DEMOCRACY Dir: Mohammed Ali Naqvi (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) Following Pakistan’s former dictator, General Pervez Musharraf, as he runs for president, the filmmaker questions if democracy is truly possible in Pakistan. PLAYING GOD Dir: Karin Jurschick (US PREMIERE) A candid, complex portrait of compensation assessor Ken Feinberg, a man tasked with putting a dollar value on human lives in the wake of tragedies like 9/11 and Sandy Hook. RECRUITING FOR JIHAD Dirs: Adil Khan Farooq, Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen (NYC PREMIERE) Over several years, a journalist follows a charismatic, outspoken Norwegian missionary as he recruits young converts to Islam, and to fight for ISIS in Syria. SKY & GROUND Dirs: Talya Tibbon, Joshua Bennett (WORLD PREMIERE) A compelling, ground-level immersion into the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time, accompanying a large, extended family by foot from Syria to asylum in Germany. SPIRAL Dir: Laura Fairrie (US PREMIERE) An urgent, alarming look at the rise of anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and physical and verbal assaults against Jews throughout Europe, particularly in France.

    CENTERSTAGE

    BEHIND THE CURTAIN: TODRICK HALL Dir: Katherine Fairfax Wright (NYC PREMIERE) American Idol contestant and RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Todrick Hall races to complete an autobiographical musical and take the live show on the road to his devoted fans. GETTING NAKED: A BURLESQUE STORY Dir: James Lester (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) Uncovering New York City’s neo-burlesque subculture, this entertaining film offers a lingering look at several sexy denizens of the nightlife scene. THE PROBLEM WITH APU Dir: Michael Melamedoff (WORLD PREMIERE) South Asian-American comedian Hari Kondabolu confronts his long-standing “nemesis,” Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, better known as the Kwik-E-Mart owner on The Simpsons. REBELS ON POINTE Dir: Bobbi Jo Hart (NYC PREMIERE) A globetrotting profile of NYC’s beloved Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, an all-male dance troupe that fuses camp humor with classical ballet performed in drag. REPEAT ATTENDERS Dir: Mark Dooley (WORLD PREMIERE) An entertaining portrait of musical theatre superfans, for whom shows like Les Miz,Starlight Express and Cats are an obsession, a refuge and a place where they belong. Screening with Ben Kitnick’s Catskills. An 86-year-old dancer remembers the heyday of the upstate resort community. SAMMY DAVIS, JR.: I’VE GOTTA BE ME Dir: Sam Pollard (NYC PREMIERE) A star-studded roster of interviewees (including Jerry Lewis, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal) pay tribute to the legendary, multi-talented song-and-dance man. SIGHTED EYES/FEELING HEART Dir: Tracy Heather Strain (NYC PREMIERE) A moving account of the life of black playwright, communist, feminist, lesbian and outspoken trailblazer Lorraine Hansberry (A Raisin in the Sun). STANDING UP Dir: Jonathan Miller (WORLD PREMIERE) An Egyptian lawyer, a couch-surfing custodian and an Orthodox Jew walk into a comedy club… and end up starring in a film about three unlikely aspiring stand-up comics.

    TRUE CRIME

    COLD BLOODED: THE CLUTTER FAMILY KILLINGS Dir: Joe Berlinger (SNEAK PREVIEW) Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger reexamines the infamous 1959 murder of a Kansas family that Truman Capote explored in his landmark nonfiction novel In Cold Blood. (USA, 86 min.) THE ICONOCLAST Dir: King Adz (WORLD PREMIERE) A portrait of a Dutch art connoisseur and descendant of Rembrandt – in truth, a con man who made millions trafficking in forged and stolen art and antiquities. A MURDER IN MANSFIELD Dir: Barbara Kopple (WORLD PREMIERE) Oscar®-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple explores the legacy of the 1989 murder of Noreen Boyle in Mansfield, Ohio and its impact on her family. WHAT HAUNTS US Dir: Paige Goldberg Tolmach (NYC PREMIERE) An investigation into a rash of suicides among the men in the filmmaker’s high school graduating class reveals a disturbing cover-up centered around a popular coach. Screening with Elivia Shaw and Paloma Martinez’s The Shift. Spend an overnight shift with the emergency dispatchers for the city of San Francisco. WHITE BOY Dir: Shawn Rech (NYC PREMIERE) The story of “White Boy Rick,” a legend of Detroit’s drug world in the 1980s, still imprisoned for a juvenile offense for the past 30 years.

    SCIENCE NONFICTION

    THE EXPERIMENTAL CITY Dir: Chad Freidrichs (NYC PREMIERE) A fascinating chronicle of an almost successful attempt to build the city of the future by a visionary scientist and futurist comic strip writer in the 1960s. HAPPENING: A CLEAN ENERGY REVOLUTION Dir: James Redford (NYC PREMIERE) Seeking hope for a sustainable tomorrow, filmmaker James Redford crosses the country to chronicle the clean energy revolution already taking place. HOT GREASE Dirs: Sam Wainwright Douglas, Paul Lovelace, Jessica Wolfson (WORLD PREMIERE) A fascinating look at biodiesel, a growing industry with the potential to undercut the dominance of Big Oil—and it all starts with recycled cooking oil. THE NEW FIRE Dir: David Schumacher (NYC PREMIERE) Innovative young nuclear engineers attempt to develop next-generation reactors to provide clean and safe solutions to the world’s future energy needs.

    WILD LIFE

    DONKEYOTE Dir: Chico Pereira (NYC PREMIERE) A 73-year-old Spanish man dreams of walking the Trail of Tears with his donkey and his dog—but getting to America from Spain presents a challenge. EATING ANIMALS Dir: Christopher Quinn (NYC PREMIERE) Based on the book by Jonathan Safran Foer and produced and narrated by Natalie Portman, this unflinching exposé looks at the devastating costs of our dietary choices. RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE Dirs: Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler, Jeff Springer (WORLD PREMIERE) This quirky film follows bounty hunters and other colorful Gulf residents as they try to defend Louisiana from the invasive giant swamp rat known as the nutria. Screening with Olivier Bernier’s A Garbage Story. Over 30 years in the garbage business, Nick has become a bonafide trash connoisseur. SAMANTHA’S AMAZING ACROCATS Dir: Jacob Feiring (NYC PREMIERE) A woman pins her dreams of stardom on a traveling cat circus, but how long can she hold on as debt mounts and success seems elusive? Screening with Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman’s Nobody Loves Me. High in the Andes, a frog with an unusual appearance is threatened with extinction.

    ART & DESIGN

    44 PAGES Dir: Tony Shaff (NYC PREMIERE) A heartwarming, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the landmark 70th anniversary issue of beloved children’s magazine, Highlights. BIG TIME Dir: Kaspar Astrup Schröder (NYC PREMIERE) A portrait of superstar Danish architect Bjarke Ingels as he takes on his largest project yet, relocating to New York City to create the new 2 World Trade Center. FIVE SEASONS: THE GARDENS OF PIET OUDOLF Dir: Thomas Piper (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) A portrait of visionary landscape designer Piet Oudolf, known for public works like the High Line that redefine our conception of gardens as works of art. LARGER THAN LIFE Dir: Tiffany Bartok (NYC PREMIERE) An intimate look at the life and death of Kevyn Aucoin, who moved from small town Louisiana to become a legendary makeup artist to supermodels and celebrities. MADDMAN: THE STEVE MADDEN STORY Dir: Ben Patterson (NYC PREMIERE) The rags-to-riches story of designer footwear mogul Steve Madden, who nearly lost everything because of his connections to notorious “Wolf of Wall Street,” Jordan Belfort. MORE ART UPSTAIRS Dir: Jody Hassett Sanchez (NYC PREMIERE) Who gets to decide what is good art? A competition touting the biggest cash prize in the art world finds cultural elitism butting up against Midwest populism. MR. FISH: CARTOONING FROM THE DEEP END Dir: Pablo Bryant (NYC PREMIERE) Finding it increasingly challenging to publish his subversive art, will controversial political cartoonist Mr. Fish be forced to sell out in order to sell his art?

    MODERN FAMILY

    6 WEEKS TO MOTHER’S DAY Dir: Marvin Blunte (WORLD PREMIERE) In a remote jungle in Thailand, a unique democratic school provides orphans with education and empowerment under the watchful eyes of the woman they call Mother Aew. AMAZONA Dir: Clare Weiskopf (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) The director tries to make sense of the elder woman’s decision to leave her children behind to live in the jungle after a family tragedy. ELISH’S NOTEBOOKS Dir: Golan Rise (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) Discovering a secret cache of journals written for them by their late mother, Elisheva’s children confront their complex feelings for their emotionally distant parent. HARMONY Dir: Lidia Sheinin (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) Battle lines are drawn when an elderly Russian woman finds her comfortable apartment invaded by her family. Screening with Laura Checkoway’s Edith+Eddie. The love story of America’s oldest interracial newlyweds is threatened by a family feud. LIFE TO COME Dir: Claudio Capanna (US PREMIERE) Surrounded by the sounds of machines and doctors in white coats, severely premature twins Eden and Léandro fight for their survival. LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE Dir: Gustavo Salmerón (NYC PREMIERE) Spanish actor-turned-director Gustavo Salmerón captures his eccentric, extraordinary mother, who had three dreams: having lots of kids, a monkey and a castle. PLOT 35 Dir: Eric Caravaca (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) French actor-turned-director Eric Caravaca unearths personal family history in search of his sister Charlotte, who died as a toddler before he was born. Screening with Matt Sukkar’s Durango. Adolescent brothers cope with loss over a summer in bucolic Colorado. THANK YOU FOR COMING Dir: Sara Lamm (NYC PREMIERE) After learning she was conceived via a sperm donor, Sara becomes a genealogical detective, navigating ancestry databases and DNA tests for clues to his identity.

    BEHIND THE SCENES

    BLUE VELVET REVISITED Dir: Peter Braatz (NYC PREMIERE) Three decades after documenting the filming of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, the director crafts an unconventional yet accessible meditation on the cult classic film. JIM & ANDY: THE GREAT BEYOND… Dir: Chris Smith (NYC PREMIERE) Offbeat documentarian Chris Smith (American Movie) reveals just how fully Jim Carrey took on the persona of idiosyncratic comedian Andy Kaufman on the set of Man on the Moon. KING COHEN Dir: Steve Mitchell (NYC PREMIERE) A look at the heyday of guerrilla filmmaking through a celebration of the work of maverick filmmaker Larry Cohen, known as “the John Cassavetes of exploitation.” SAVING BRINTON Dirs: Andrew Sherburne, Tommy Haines (NYC PREMIERE) An eccentric collector is on a mission to restore and preserve a cache of early films and cinema memorabilia, the legacy of a pioneering but forgotten Iowa showman. SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD Dir: Matt Tyrnauer (US PREMIERE) A deliciously scandalous portrait of unsung Hollywood legend Scotty Bowers, whose bestselling memoir chronicled his decades spent as sexual procurer to the stars.

    FIGHT THE POWER

    ATOMIC HOMEFRONT Dir: Rebecca Cammisa (NYC PREMIERE) A citizens’ movement confronts government bureaucracy to uncover the atomic secrets of St. Louis, Missouri in order to keep their families safe. BALTIMORE RISING Dir: Sonja Sohn Actress Sonja Sohn (HBO’s The Wire) returns to Baltimore in her directorial debut to chronicle the city in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death. MANKILLER Dir: Valerie Red-Horse Mohl (NYC PREMIERE) Wilma Mankiller rose from poverty to become the first female chief of the Cherokee nation, battling rampant sexism, political rivals and health challenges. NOTHING WITHOUT US Dir: Harriet Hirshorn (NYC PREMIERE) Female activists, scientists and scholars in the US and Africa demonstrates the vital role that women have played—and continue to play—in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. THE OTHER SIDE OF EVERYTHING Dir: Mila Turajlic (NYC PREMIERE) A locked door in her family’s Belgrade home provides the gateway to understanding the filmmaker’s remarkable mother and Serbia’s tumultuous political inheritance. QUEERCORE: HOW TO PUNK A REVOLUTION Dir: Yony Leyser (NYC PREMIERE) Misfits in both the mainstream gay and homophobic punk scenes, Bruce LaBruce and GB Jones invented a radical underground subculture that spread around the world. UNFRACTURED Dir: Chanda Chevannes (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) Shot over the last year of the historic grassroots fight against fracking in New York state, a raw, intimate look at biologist and activist Sandra Steingraber. ZERO WEEKS Dir: Ky Dickens (NYC PREMIERE) In most countries, workers have paid leave and job security to care for a newborn or family emergency—but not in the US, costing us all a heavy price.

    SONIC CINEMA

    THE BEATLES, HIPPIES AND HELLS ANGELS: INSIDE THE CRAZY WORLD OF APPLE Dir: Ben Lewis (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) An entertaining look behind the scenes at Apple Corps, which The Beatles hoped would allow them to spread their countercultural message throughout the world. BILL FRISELL: A PORTRAIT Dir: Emma Franz (NYC PREMIERE) A warm profile of Bill Frisell, a widely inventive guitarist who crosses musical boundaries, featuring Bonnie Raitt, Hal Willner, Paul Simon, Nels Cline, and more. DAVID BOWIE: THE LAST FIVE YEARS Dir: Francis Whately (US PREMIERE) An intimate look at the remarkably creative final years of David Bowie, through the production of his final two albums, and the stage musical, Lazarus. THE GODFATHERS OF HARDCORE Dir: Ian McFarland (WORLD PREMIERE) For over 35 years and still going strong, Agnostic Front’s Vinnie Stigma and Roger Miret have been synonymous with the New York punk scene. HELLO HELLO HELLO : LEE RANALDO : ELECTRIC TRIM Dir: Fred Riedel (NYC PREMIERE) Legendary Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo embarks on the recording of a new experimental concept album with a little help from some friends. ITZHAK Dir: Alison Chernick (NYC PREMIERE) Widely considered the greatest living violinist, Itzhak Perlman takes us on a journey through his music and life. STREETLIGHT HARMONIES Dir: Brent Wilson (WORLD PREMIERE) A who’s who of musicians trace the evolution of doo wop in the 1950s, from street corners to radio stations all across America.

    SHORTS

    Shorts: Body Language On the limits and potential of the human body, exploring dance, tattoos, pro wrestling, meditation and light sensitivity. Shorts: City Lights The ups and downs of city living, featuring artists, improv, hard work, boxing and table tennis. Shorts: Dream Weavers About fulfilling dreams and reimagining the world, featuring Cuban cigar factory workers, men seeking wives, a mail-order bride and more. Shorts: The Future is Feminine Everyday women and girls who inspire, including a housekeeper turned real estate entrepreneur, children’s rights advocate, unlikely athletes and special birthday girl. Shorts: Justice For All True crime and the criminal justice system, exploring death row, surveillance, juvenile offenders, police corruption, war criminals and capital punishment. Shorts: Mother Earth Protecting the planet, from Standing Rock and anti-fracking activism, to saving orangutans and sea turtles. Shorts: The New Normal America, before and after 11/8/16, exploring the Trump campaign, a divided electorate, immigration anxiety, fake news and disturbing parallels to past regimes. Shorts: Recorded Memory The past looms large in these affecting stories about confronting family relationships, reckoning with career decisions, remembering trauma and more. Shorts: Strange But True Quirky real life stories exploring insomnia, dreams, fetishes, first love, conspiracy theories and psychic abilities. Shorts: Surviving the System Finding oneself in and out of the criminal justice system, in stories about a police traffic stop that escalates into violence and a restaurant offering former prisoners a second chance.

    DOC NYC U

    DOC NYC U: THE NEW SCHOOL SHOWCASE Selections from The New School’s Documentary Media Studies program, featuring a tap dancer, migratory birds, New York life, selfies and a yodeling punk singer destined for greatness. DOC NYC U: NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY SHOWCASE NYFA selections profile a Hiroshima orphan, a Central Park mainstay, a wolf rescuer, a persecuted journalist and a lost city. DOC NYC U: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SHOWCASE NYU’s NewsDoc offerings explore a controversial Tibetan boarding school program in China and the growing popularity of taxi driving as a career for women in India. DOC NYC U: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SHOWCASE Work from Columbia Journalism School’s Documentary Project profiles deportation fears under Trump, a drug crisis in the Muslim community and adult illiteracy. DOC NYC U: SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS SHOWCASE SVA’s SocDoc program presents profiles of artists, musicians, designers, a vintage barbershop, broken hearts and Native American activism.

    SHORT LIST

    ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL Dir: Steve James Steve James (Hoop Dreams) profiles a small, family-run Chinatown bank—the only financial institution indicted following the 2008 financial crisis. Courtesy of PBS Distribution. THE B-SIDE: ELSA DORFMAN’S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY Dir: Errol Morris DOC NYC’s Visionaries Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Errol Morris (The Fog of War) profiles legendary large-format photographer Elsa Dorfman. Courtesy of NEON/Netflix. CHASING CORAL Dir: Jeff Orlowski Following his acclaimed film Chasing Ice, director Jeff Orlowski sets out to chronicle the environmental devastation happening to the world’s coral reefs. Courtesy of Netflix. CITY OF GHOSTS Dir: Matthew Heineman Anonymous Syrian citizen journalists risk their lives to stand up against ISIS and report the truth about the Syrian conflict. Courtesy of Amazon Studios/A&E IndieFilms/IFC Films. DINA Dirs: Antonio Santini, Dan Sickles An unforgettable couple, both on the autism spectrum, navigate the complexities of sex and romance in this Sundance Grand Jury Prize winning film. Courtesy of The Orchard. FACES PLACES Dirs: Agnès Varda, JR French New Wave legend Agnès Varda and acclaimed photographer JR travel the French countryside, celebrating ordinary people through extraordinary photo murals. Courtesy of Cohen Media Group. THE FINAL YEAR Dir: Greg Barker (NYC PREMIERE) Greg Barker gives an unprecedented look at the shaping of US foreign policy by following key members of outgoing US President Barack Obama’s administration. Courtesy of Motto Pictures/Passion Pictures. THE FORCE Dir: Peter Nicks An immersion into the beleaguered Oakland Police Department as it attempts to reform its scandal-ridden image. Courtesy of Kino Lorber/PBS Independent Lens. ICARUS Dir: Bryan Fogel An unexpected exposé of a complex doping operation at the heart of Russia’s Olympics program. Courtesy of Netflix. JANE Dir: Brett Morgen Brett Morgen (On the Ropes) reconstitutes 50-year-old National Geographic footage into a poetic look at primatologist Jane Goodall. Courtesy of National Geographic Documentary Films. KEDI Dir: Ceyda Torun This infectious portrait captures Istanbul through the eyes of its colorful street cats.Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories/YouTube Red. ONE OF US Dirs: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady This year’s Visionaries Tribute honorees Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp) penetrate the insular world of New York’s Hasidic community. Courtesy of Netflix. RISK Dir: Laura Poitras Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) creates a complex portrait of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and his team. Courtesy of NEON/Showtime Documentary Films. STEP Dir: Amanda Lipitz The inaugural class of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women strives for success both academically and through its fierce step dancing team. Courtesy of Fox Searchlight. STRONG ISLAND Dir: Yance Ford Yance Ford explores the long-lasting impact on his African-American family of his brother’s murder, killed by a white man who was never punished for his crime. Courtesy of Netflix.

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