Sean Dunne makes his feature-film-directing debut with the documentary, OXYANA which looks at the OxyContin epidemic in the West Virginia town of Oceana. OXYANA had it’s world premiere earlier this year at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, where the film received a Special Jury Mention in the World Documentary Competition, as well as a nod for Best New Documentary Director for filmmaker Sean Dunne. OXYANA will be released by the filmmakers for sale starting July 1, 2013.
Struggling with poverty and unemployment after the demise of its only industry—the mining trade that had historically nourished the local economy—Oceana, West Virginia, has become the epicenter of a drug scourge devastating towns across the country and leaving many good and honest communities forsaken. Known among its residents as “Oxyana” after the OxyContin epidemic quietly washing over this sleepy Appalachian town, Oceana is a tragically real example of the insidious spread of drug dependency in the United States today.
Set against the eerie backdrop of abandoned coal mines within the lush West Virginia landscape, to the melody of Deer Tick’s haunting score, Sean Dunne’s unflinchingly intimate documentary probes the lives of Oceana’s afflicted. He turns the camera on its many residents, allowing them to tell their stories in their own words and homes to illuminate how their unique stories have led them each to the same tragic inevitability of pill addiction. Dunne eschews the high-drama mode in which drug dependency stories are often framed in favor of a simple, sympathetic immersion in the day-to-day experience of a town living in the harsh grip of addiction.
“We recognized when we set out to make OXYANA just how sensitive the subject matter was, but once we started showing the film at festivals, we saw an urgent need to get this message out to a wider audience,” says Dunne. “By distributing the film ourselves through our website, we can quickly get the film to those who want and need to see it and hopefully spark a dialogue about prescription drug abuse in this country.”
Sean Dunne has directed five previous short documentaries, including The Archive (nominated for an Emmy in 2011), Man in Van, The Bowler, Stray Dawg and American Juggalo (named documentary of the year for 2011 by the website, Short of the Week). Hailed as the “master of fringe Americana” for his ability to realistically capture half-mythical corners of the country, Dunne’s approach to documentary is to give his subjects the ease and opportunity to find their own voices and his viewers the freedom to form their own conclusions.
[caption id="attachment_4053" align="alignnone" width="550"]VENUS IN FUR[/caption]
Director Roman Polanski along with Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Seigner will kick off the 2013 Paris Cinema International Film Festival with their new movie, the comedy VENUS IN FUR, from this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The festival will close with Felix van Groeningen’s latest film, the drama, THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN.
9 movies from all around the world are competing this year: The Battle of Solferino (Age of Panic) by Justine Triet, one we leave (The Moving creatures) by Brazilian Caetano Gotardo;Ilo Ilo by Singaporean Anthony Chen, Eka & Natia Chronicle of a Georgian youth , a Georgian movie codirected by Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß, Kid by Fien Troch, All which Will compete for Belgium; Lifelong from Turkish filmmaker Asli Özge, Youth , by Isreali director Tom Shoval and from North America, Prince Avalanche by American director David Gordon Green and Vic + Flo saw a bear (Vic + Flo saw a bear) by French Canadian Denis Côté.
The festival will also honor Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, (A separation) whose last movie The Past won this year’s Best Actress award for Berenice Bejo at Cannes Film Festival
The Paris Cinema IFF will run 28 July – 9 July 2013.
The Damn These Heels! (DTH!) LGBT Film Festival in Utah which celebrates its 10th Anniversary, will be held this year during the weekend of July 12-14, 2013. In celebration of the 10th year, DTH! will feature expanded programming with 21 feature films from 9 countries – more than double the films at last year’s festival. The festival opens with G.B.F. and closes with I AM DIVINE.
Below is the complete list of the 10th Annual Damn These Heels! LGBT Film Festival titles along with trailers:
ANIMALS Directed by Marçal Forés Not rated | 94 min | 2012 | Spain Catalan w/English subtitles This thriller is a very unconventional coming-of-age tale and an intoxicating blend of fantasy and cold reality as it follows a shy teenager’s perilous period when exciting but troubling sexuality enters into his formerly innocent world. San Sebastian International Film Festival 2012; BFI London Lesbian + Gay Film Festival
http://youtu.be/8k4zn6GHD8c
BALLROOM RULES Directed by Nickolas Bird + Eleanor Sharpe Not rated | 77 min | 2012 | Australia/Germany A passionate group of Australian same-sex ballroom dancers battle homophobia, injury and personal drama as they pursue their dream of competing at the Gay Games in Germany.
http://youtu.be/kivoyFOZ1ck
BRUNO AND EARLENE GO TO VEGAS Directed by Simon Savory Not rated | 97 min | 2013 | UK/USA/France Earlene arrives at Venice Beach after running from a desperate situation, only to become fast friends with an Australian skater who is also lost. Together, they set out into the desert to find themselves.
CHASTITY BITES Directed by John V. Knowles Not rated | 95 min | 2013 | USA In the early 1600’s, Countess Elizabeth Bathory slaughtered more than 600 young women, believing if she bathed in the blood of virgins that she would stay young and beautiful forever. Still alive today, she’s found a perfect hunting ground.
http://youtu.be/wwoE2howJPk
CONTINENTAL Directed by Malcolm Ingram Not Rated | 95 min | 2013 | USA The story of Continental Baths, a well-known New York City establishment for gays during the late ’60 to 1974. South by Southwest Film Festival 2013; Frameline Film Festival 2013; BAMcinemaFest 2013
FIVE DANCES Directed by Alan Brown Not rated | 83 min | 2013 | USA FIVE DANCES is a creatively adventurous narrative feature film set in the New York ‘downtown’ modern dance world. Opening Night, Dance On Camera – Film Society of Lincoln Center 2013
http://youtu.be/ZwpI3NzKeZc
FRAUENSEE (Women’s Lake) Directed by Zoltan Paul Not rated | 86 min | 2012 | Germany German w/English subtitles A middle-aged couple in the German countryside has unexpected visitors that cause trouble in their already tenuous relationship. Toronto InsideOut Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival 2012; Frameline San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival 2012
http://youtu.be/yO32CRL0iqA
FREE FALL (Frier Fall) Directed by Stephen Lacant Not rated | 100 min | 2013 | Germany German w/English subtitles A promising career with the police, a baby on the way – Marc’s life seems to be right on track. Then he meets fellow policeman, Kay. Opening Night, New Film! MOMA 2013; Berlin International Film Festival 2013
http://youtu.be/Nx-hQkDIkyA
G.B.F. – Opening Night Directed by Darren Stein Not rated | 92 min | 2013 | USA What happens after Tanner is outed by his classmates and becomes the title “gay best friend” for three high school queen bees? Tribeca Film Festival 2013; Frameline Film Festival 2013; Closing Night – Outfest 2013
http://youtu.be/Z6DJSGrfNbk
GOEGRAPHY CLUB Directed by Gary Entin PG-13 | 85 min | 2013 | USA At Goodkind High School, a group of students of varying sexual orientation form an after-school club as a discrete way to share their feelings and experiences. Toronto InsideOut Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival 2013
http://youtu.be/oQb2-a685sw
GORE VIDAL: United States of Amnesia Directed by Nicholas D. Wrathall Not rated | 83 min | 2013 | USA/Italy This is an unashamedly opinionated film. In Gore Vidal’s America, the political coup has already happened. Tribeca Film Festival 2013 – Framline Film Festival 2013
http://youtu.be/wCJlpvPhIPs
HOT GUYS WITH GUNS Directed by Doug Spearman Not Rated | 103 min | USA | 2013 Imagine Lethal Weapon if Mel Gibson and Danny Glover were ex-boyfriends. Frameline Film Festival 2013
I AM A WOMAN NOW Directed by Michiel van Erp Not rated | 80 min | 2011 | Netherlands Dutch, German, French w/English subtitles The first generation of transsexuals who had their sex change in Casablanca back in the mid-1950s to 1960s take stock of their lives.
http://youtu.be/pXYs3PFUD9s
I AM DIVINE – Closing Night Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz Not rated | 90 min | 2013 | USA How Divine, aka Harris Glenn Milstead, became John Waters’ cinematic muse and an international drag icon. South by Southwest Film Festival 2013; Frameline Film Festival 2013
http://youtu.be/AUiX5Llrb58
IN BLOOM Directed by Chris Michael Birkmeier Not rated | 87 min | 2013 | USA The relationship of a young couple disintegrates in the dog days of Chicago summer as the neighborhood is being terrorized by a serial killer. Toronto InsideOut Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival
http://youtu.be/xOH-JUP4k4Y
LAURENCE ANYWAYS – Centerpiece Screening Directed by Xavier Dolan Not rated | 168 min | 2012 | Canada/France French w/English subtitles An astonishingly crafted exploration of the 10-year relationship of a male-to-female transsexual with her lover. Opening Night, Un Certain Regard; Winner, Best Actress; Winner, Queer Palm – Festival De Cannes 2013
http://youtu.be/1YjIWEky81M
MARGARITA Directed by Dominique Cardona + Laurie Colbert Not rated | 90 min | 2012 | USA When cash-strapped yuppies fire their teen-aged daughter’s lesbian Mexican nanny, Margarita, they set off a chain of events that lead to her deportation.
PEACHES DOES HERSELF Directed by Peaches Not rated | 80 min | 2012 | Germany Peaches herself likes to describe it as “The Jukebox Musical that got a Sex Change!” Toronto International Film Festival 2013, Sundance London 2013, BAMcinemaFest 2013
http://youtu.be/KhNhrKNYvSo
THE RUGBY PLAYER Directed by Scott Gracheff Not rated | 90 min | 2013 | USA The film explores the life of Mark Bingham, one of the passengers of United Flight 93 on 9/11. Winner, HBO Audience Award Best Documentary – Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival 2013 Toronto InsideOut LGBT Film Festival 2013
SUBMERGE Directed by Sophie O’Connor Not rated | 97 min | 2013 | USA A Gen Y love story presented as a fetish sex drama, submerge explores the need of Gen Y for constant stimulation and instant gratification underpinned by a sense of entitlement. Frameline Film Festival 2013
http://youtu.be/OCizTM7bnik
WHO’S AFRAID OF VAGINA WOLF Directed by Anna Margarita Albelo Not rated | 83 min | 2013 | USA The day after her fortieth birthday, Anna comes to the conclusion that it’s time for the madness to stop. She lives in her friend’s back yard tool shed, her career as a filmmaker isn’t paying her bills and worst of all it’s been ten years since she’s had a girlfriend. Frameline Film Festival 2013
[caption id="attachment_4112" align="alignnone" width="550"]ENZO AVITABILE MUSIC LIFE[/caption]
ENZO AVITABILE MUSIC LIFE, directed by Jonathan Demme will open theatrically at Lincoln Plaza and a downtown theater in New York on October 18, and at the Royal and other Los Angeles area Laemmle theaters on October 25. A national release will follow.
Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme (Silence Of The Lambs, Philadelphia, Stop Making Sense), turns his camera on Enzo Avitabile, a renowned Neapolitan saxophonist and singer/songwriter. This project is the fruit of the two artists’ reciprocal esteem for one another. It is also the result of many years spent following the musical artistry of Enzo Avitabile, a well-known figure on the world music scene recognized for his passion for research and experimentation.
With this documentary, one of the world’s great directors tells us not just about the music of a singular artist in its fusion of Neapolitan world music (and especially Arab music, with performances by Naseer Shamma and Palestinian singer Amal Murkus) and jazz, but also of a city, Naples, with all of its treasures and contradictions. The film follows Enzo, as he creates amazing new music with collaborators from all over the world, including Eliades Ochoa of Buena Vista Social Club, Naseer Shamma, Daby Touré and Trilok Gurtu.
Music has always played a decisive role in Demme’s films, which is evident in all his works for the big screen. Over the years, this passion has been expressed in various video clips, and above all, documentaries (The Pretenders, New Order, Talking Heads, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young), which received high critical acclaim by the public, and film and music critics alike.
With cameo appearances by Penélope Cruz (Volver) and Antonio Banderas (The Skin I Live In), I’M SO EXCITED! features a top-notch cast of Spain, Mexico and Argentina’s finest acting talent, including previous Almodóvar collaborators Antonio de la Torre (Volver), Javier Cámara (Talk To Her, Bad Education) and Lola Dueñas (Volver, Talk To Her). I’M SO EXCITED! opens in the US in late June 2013.
I’M SO EXCITED! is the story of a Mexico-bound flight that runs into trouble when its landing gear malfunctions, and is put in a holding pattern. On board, the flamboyant cabin crew deal with the situation by drugging economy class to sleep and breaking out the tequila and mescaline in business class, where the passengers include a virgin psychic, a dominatrix, a soap star and a corrupt banker.
I’M SO EXCITED! marks the first of 18 days for MIFF, which includes well over 300 films from around the world.
This year’s star-studded shorts feature Academy Award winners and nominees, as well as film and television stars. Jason Ritter in Boats Against the Current (USA); the voice of Rachel Griffiths in Butterflies (Australia); the voice of Cate Blanchett in the North American Premiere of A Cautionary Tale (Australia); Tom Sizemore in The Charlatan (USA); Christopher Lloyd in the World Premiere of The Coin (USA); Shannyn Sossamon in The Cyclist (USA); Yvan Attal and Anne Parillaud in the North American Premiere of Delicate Gravity (France); Alan Rickman in Dust (UK); Ian McKellen in the World Premiere of The Egg Trick (UK); Christopher Eccleston and Felicity Jones in the World Premiere of Emily (UK); Gerard Depardieu in Frank-Etienne (France); the voice of Bill Nighy in the North American Premiere of The Hungry Corpse (UK); Missi Pyle in Killing Vivian (USA); Brenda Blethyn and Tom Jones in the World Premiere of King of the Teds (UK); Anson Mount directs Last Time We Checked(USA); Elle Fanning in Likeness (USA); Nick Cassavetes in the World Premiere of Love and Skin (USA) directed by Virgina Cassavetes; voices of Hugh Bonneville and Andy Serkis in the North American Premiere of The Magnificent Lion Boy (UK); Nastassja Kinski and Julian Sands in The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars (Italy) directed by Edoardo Ponti; Hugo Weaving in No Budget (Australia); David Lyons marks his directorial debut in the North American Premiere of Record (USA); Lee Meriwether in Remember to Breathe (USA); Lauren Ambrose and Adam Driver in The River (USA); Frances Conroy in Sequin Raze (USA); Shohreh Aghdashloo in Silk (USA) directed by Catherine Dent;Jordana Spiro directs Skin (USA); Denis Lavant in the North American Premiere of Spring Tides(France); Lisa Edelstein and James Le Gros in the World Premiere of Three Hours Between Planes(USA); Emma Thompson in Walking the Dogs (UK); Brooke Shields and Mireille Enos in the World Premiere of Wild Horses (USA); and Camilla Belle in Zero Hour (Mexico/USA).
Sydney Netter (Founder, SND Films), Missi Pyle (actress) and Betsy Sharkey (Film Critic, Los Angeles Times) will serve on the ShortFest jury and a total of $110,000 in prizes, including $16,000 in cash awards, will be given out in 19 categories to this year’s short films in competition. First place winners in four categories will automatically become eligible for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for a possible Academy Award nomination.
Eleven films have been chosen to play online at the ShortFest Online Film Festival, starting a week prior to the festival and continue to play online for two months after the end of the festival.
Amstel (Netherlands) – It’s early Sunday morning, and Maarten has just met the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately he’s still drunk, and still with his date from the night before. Director: Jaap van Eyck. Cast: Tjebbo Gerritsma, Nyncke Beekhuyzen, IIke Paddenburg.
Bad Cars (USA) – An exploration of the difficulty of finding love in Los Angeles, particularly when you have a crappy car. Director: Anthony Deptula.
Bubble Boy (USA) – Love makes everything look better (and bigger)! Director: Tang Tao.
Bouddhi Bouddha (France) – Just back from a trip to Nepal, two friends let the mysteries of meditation and the allure of exotic lands blur the lines of their relationship. Director: Sophie Galibert.
The Mrs. (USA) – In one man’s world, it’s a good thing his wife gets up before he does. The Mrs. is one of five different films from the same script. As part of Bombay Sapphire’s Imagination Series, Oscar winner Geoffrey Fletcher wrote a script stripped of any stage direction and asked people to imagine their film. Director: Matt Smukler. Cast: Paul Messinger, Bonnie Burroughs, Sean Miller.
Naptime! (USA) – Naptime! might just be that revolutionary new product that could save your life (or at least your sanity). Play this video to learn all about it! Director: Chris Capel. Cast: Mallory Moye, Asif Ali, Taylor Orci.
Shelved (New Zealand) – Two industrial robots, Craig and Beano, figure they’re too cool for school until a plague starts hitting the warehouse floor: robot workers are being replaced by humans! Can Craig and Beano survive the gathering storm? Director: James Cunningham. Cast: Simon McKinney, Stephen Papps, Lara Fischel-Chisholm, Penny Ashton, Peter Rowley.
Sleddin’ (USA) – A daring little boy goes on a mini winter adventure, though not all is as it seems in beautifully crafted animated short. Director: John Pettingill.
Start the Engine and Reverse (Russian Federation) – A first date, illicit enough, but made all the more so since the couple are driving her father’s car, turns quickly into a showdown of morals and conscience on a snowy road. Director: Andrey Zagidullin. Cast: Lubov Novikova, Egor Kharlamov.
[caption id="attachment_4108" align="alignnone" width="550"]Sweet Crude Man Camp [/caption]
Sweet Crude Man Camp (USA) – A haunting look at the complicated realities surrounding the ongoing oil boom in the Bakken region of North Dakota. Director: Isaac Gale.
Whateverest (Denmark/Norway) – Enter the strange world of Marius Solum Hohansen, a young failed musician who cares for his father, manages the family’s tanning salon business and posts “drug recipes” on the Internet. Director: Kristoffer Borgli. Cast: Marius Solem Johansen, Jan Thomsen.
Rapper, actor, entertainment mogul Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and boxing promoter Lou DiBella have acquired the rights to TAPIA, the documentary based on the life of five-time world champion boxer, Johnny Tapia. TAPIA is set to world premiere as part of the Documentary Competition at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival on June 15.
TAPIA chronicles the personal and professional life of the boxer, beginning with his poor childhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The film explores the glory of his punishing ring prowess and five world titles in three weight classes, forever mired by personal demons: his mother’s brutal kidnapping and murder when he was 8 years old, and his drug addiction, mental illness and near death experiences. Using first person narration from Tapia himself, archival footage, and personal photos, director Eddie Alcazar paints an intimate picture of the fighter and the man.
TAPIA follows the champ’s winding road through victories, downfalls and redemption. Director Alcazar spent many hours with Tapia filming the biopic, just weeks before the fighter’s tragic death at age 45. Tapia’s last interviews now serve as the heartbeat of Alcazar’s revealing documentary. In it, the soft-spoken champ opens up about his ‘vida loca’ and the unending pain of his mother’s murder, which led to glory in the ring and struggle throughout his life.
The 15th Anniversary of the Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) will take place in Provincetown, Massachusetts from June 19th through June 23rd, 2013. The festival will open with Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s LOVELACE (pictured above), and close with EMANUEL AND THE TRUTH ABOUT FISHES, directed by Francesca Gregorini. The Friday Night Spotlight selection is I AM DIVINE, directed by Jeffrey Schwartz and the Saturday Night Spotlight Selection is I’M SO EXCITED!, directed by Pedro Almodovar.
The 2013 Filmmaker on the Edge Award will be awarded to writer/director Harmony Korine (SPRINGBREAKERS, GUMMO, MISTER LONELY, KIDS) in conversation with John Waters at Provincetown’s Town Hall on Saturday, June 22nd.
The Festival will close on June 23rd with a block party and the presentation of the HBO Audience Awards.
THE CONJURING directed by James Wan (Saw, Insidious) will World Premiere at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival on June 21. The film, which stars Academy Award® nominee Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, Bates Motel), Patrick Wilson (Insidious), Ron Livingston (Office Space, Adaptation) and Lili Taylor (Hemlock Grove), is set for release on July 19.
Before there was Amityville, there was Harrisville. Based on the true-life story, THE CONJURING tells the tale of how world-renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most horrifying case of their lives.
The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) under the theme MAGNETIC which ran from May 31 through June 9, 2013 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC, at indieScreen and for the first time at Windmill Studios NYC came to a close last night with a ceremony honoring the winning films. SOMEWHERE SLOW directed by Jeremy O’Keefe won the award for Best Narrative Feature, and WITHOUT SHEPHERDS directed by Cary McClelland won the award for Best Documentary. The prizes for Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature award winners include a seven-day theatrical release at indieScreen in Brooklyn, New York.
Narrative Feature – Jeremy O’Keefe for Somewhere Slow Documentary – Cary McClelland for Without Shepherds Short Subject – David Figueroa García for Scoundrels (Ratitas) Animation – Tomasz Popakul for Ziegenort Experimental – Eduardo Menz for A Film Portrait on Reconstructing 12 Possibilities that Preceded the Disappearance of Zoe Dean Drum
AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Documentary – Amy Finkel for Furever Narrative Feature – Dan Eberle for Cut to Black Animation – Rachel Salomon O’Meara for The Course Experimental – Timothy Ziegler For Baldr Short Subject – Max Sherwood for Nervous Person
CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT:
Best New Director – Nicole Gomez Fisher for Sleeping With The Fishes Best Producer – James E. Duff & Julia Morrison for Hank And Asha Best Screenplay – Adam Weirbianski for HairBrained Best Cinematography – Polly Morgan for Emanuel and The Truth About Fishes Best Editing – Lindsay Lindenbaum & Nadav Kurtz for Scattered Best Original Score – Slavomir Kowalewski for Sado Tempest Best Actor (Female) – Sheila Etxeberría for Soft In The Head Best Actor (Male) – Alex Wolff for HairBrained
SPIRIT AWARDS:
Narrative Feature – Enrique Alvarez for Giraffes Documentary – Inigo Westmeier for Dragon Girls Short Subject – Connor Hurley for The Naturalist Experimental – Carlo Sampietro for Tambourine Buttocks Animation – Susanna Nicchiarelli for Live Bait
[caption id="attachment_4098" align="alignnone" width="550"]THE BIG MELT directed by Martin Wallace[/caption]
The world premiere of the “THE BIG MELT” directed by Martin Wallace will help kick off the 20th edition of Sheffield Doc/Fest and also celebrate the 100 Years of Stainless Steel in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK, the home of the festival, on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. In an interesting collaboration, leading Sheffield musicians – including The City of Sheffield Brass Band, Richard Hawley and band members, Pulp band members, The Forgemasters, a string quartet and a youth choir – will perform live to the world premiere of the film.
THE BIG MELT is described as “A lyrical film for the contemporary age, The Big Melt uses footage from the BFI National Archive to tell the story of steel, the story of the men in the steelworks and the story of Sheffield. The score directed by Jarvis Cocker takes us on musical journey into the soul of a nation, bringing to life the ghosts of our past, leading us into the belly of the furnaces and showing how our national characters have been stamped from the mighty presses of our industrial heritage. Jarvis Cocker has gathered a group of leading Sheffield musicians to create a phenomenal music score for the film – a new kind of Sheffield heavy metal, with pictures.”
Says Martin Wallace, Director: We wanted to tell a story about steel that opened-out the basic social history and facts about the process itself. There are some awesome BFI archive films that already paint a vivid picture of the real story, so we wanted to drag this archive into the present, re-imagine and invigorate it, turn it into something more fantastical, more playful and, at the same time, more challenging.
[caption id="attachment_4096" align="alignnone" width="550"]Mott Green in NOTHING LIKE CHOCOLATE[/caption]
Mott Green, who founded the Grenada Chocolate Company, the subject of the documentary “NOTHING LIKE CHOCOLATE,” directed by Kum-Kum Bhavnani, died on June 1 in Grenada. He was 47.
The NY Times is reporting that his mother, Dr. Judith Friedman, said he was electrocuted while working on solar-powered machinery for cooling chocolate during overseas transport.
Green was born David Friedman in Washington, and grew up on Staten Island in New York City. He later took Green as his surname to reflect his environmental interests.
As a child he built go-karts using lawn mower engines; he ran the New York City Marathon when he was 16; he dropped out of the University of Pennsylvania just months before graduation; and he spent much of his 20s squatting with a community of anarchists in abandoned homes in west Philadelphia, where he “rescued” food that restaurants had planned to throw away and distributed it to homeless people.
He eventually ended up in Grenada, an island he visited as a child when his mother, Dr. Sandor Friedman, the director of medical services at Coney Island Hospital, taught there each winter.
Mr. Green founded the Grenada Chocolate Company in 1999, under the slogan from “tree to bar.” Human rights advocates had criticized the treatment of small cocoa farmers, and Green set out to address these issues by dealing directly with small growers and by keeping the entires process including processing and packaging of chocolate within Grenada.
A message on the filmmakers website reads: “Mott Green, founder of the Grenada Chocolate Company, died suddenly while working in his beloved chocolate workspace in Grenada on June 1, 2013. We miss you, Mott.”
Deep in the rain forests of Grenada, anarchistchocolatier Mott Green seeks solutions to the problems of a ravaged global chocolate industry. Solar power, employee shareholding and small-scale antique equipment turn out delicious chocolate in the hamlet of Hermitage, Grenada.
Finding hope in an an industry entrenched in enslaved child labor, irresponsible corporate greed, and tasteless, synthetic products, Nothing like Chocolate reveals the compelling story of the relentless Mott Green, founder of the Grenada Chocolate Company (GCC). [grenadachocolate.com]
Relocating from Oregon to Grenada in 1998, headstrong and driven, Mott Green set out to make chocolate, from the tree to the bar, using recycled antique equipment. Wondering “would we really learn how to make great chocolate?”, the neophyte entrepreneur leased 100 acres of land from a neighboring estate and established the Grenada Organic Chocolate Co-operative.
Within 5 years, the co-operative was producing 9 to 10 tons of local organic chocolate. Nothing Like Chocolate looks at this revolutionary experiment, focusing on how solar power, appropriate technology and activism merge to create a business whose values are fairness, community, sustainability and high quality. While Hersheys threatens to remove cocoa from chocolate, and can not guarantee slave-free cocoa in its chocolate, it is Mott Green and his friends, including calypso singer and lawyer Akima Paul, and Shadelle Nayack Compton, owner of the Belmont Estate, who defy all the odds. They insist that this worker co-operative is the model for the future: “We’re doing this for idealistic reasons: we are activists and our goal is to create a true worker-owned co-operative.”
Nothing Like Chocolate traces the continued growth of Mott’s co-operative, exposing the practices and politics of how chocolate has moved worldwide from a sacred plant to corporate blasphemy. Governments around the world, beholden to multi-nationals, sell cocoa for export at the best possible price. Industrial chocolate dominates taste buds and the market. Threatened by boutique producers, such as Grenada Chocolate Company, mega-companies work hard to buy up these small artisans, as Hersheys has done with Scharffenberger.
Confronted by the financial challenges of small-scale farming, Mott Green envisions a unique niche for exquisite organic chocolate in the global market, whose profits will come back to nourish the working shareholders.
With a suitcase full of chocolate bars, Mott boards a plane to persuade chocolate distributors in the UK and the USA that Grenada Chocolate Company makes the best chocolate in the world. 65,000 chocolate bars in stylish new packaging, stashed in air-conditioned storage, await their destiny.
How successful will this bold experiment be? The Grenada Chocolate Company produces less than 1% of the world’s chocolate, while at least 43% of cocoa beans come from Ivory Coast, where trafficked child labour is exploited to harvest cocoa. In the chocolate industry, Mott’s way of doing things – delicious chocolate, organics co-operatives, employment for local communities – is unusual.
From currency to candy, chocolate reflects a rich history saturated with sacred ritual, endorphin highs, hip anti-oxidants, exotic sensuality and high quality luxury. Nothing Like Chocolate adds new depth to the stories of chocolate.
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OXYANA[/caption]
OXYANA[/caption]
VENUS IN FUR[/caption]
G.B.F.[/caption]
ENZO AVITABILE MUSIC LIFE[/caption]
I’M SO EXCITED![/caption]
Sweet Crude Man Camp [/caption]
TAPIA[/caption]
SOMEWHERE SLOW[/caption]
Without Shepherds[/caption]
THE BIG MELT directed by Martin Wallace[/caption]
Mott Green in NOTHING LIKE CHOCOLATE[/caption]