Jennifer's Documentaries Blog

A preview of An American Journey (2008), Philippe Seclier's new documentary about Robert Frank is featured as part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center's three-part program, honoring the famous photographer who's best-known work, the extraordinary book titled The Americans, was a revelatory portrait--a documentary in stills, if you will--of our nation's faces and places.

As still photographer and filmmaker, Frank's unique vision and decidedly independent style consistently challenged the staid conventions of image-making. Yet, feisty as he is in outlook, Frank is neither gimmicky nor sensational for effect. Rather, it's Frank's honesty that makes his work startling, gripping and indelibly important.

Part One of the program presents Frank’s second film, The Sin of Jesus (1961), a sort of mockudramatic take off of biblical blockbusters, Conversations in Vermont (1969), a short compilation of candid interviews and scenes with Frank's children, Pablo and Andrea, and Life Dances On… (1980), a short about the loss of loved ones.

Part Two is Me and My Brother (1968), a narrative feature about the relationship between poet Peter Orlovsky and his schizophrenic brother Julius, who are touring the country together with Peter’s companion, poet Allen Ginsberg--all of whom play themselves in the film.

Part Three is An Evening with Robert Frank, with a screening of Pull My Daisy (1959), a slideshow titled Re-Making The Americans (the photography book is being reissued by German publisher Gehard Steidl, edited by Frank himself) and presentation about an upcoming Frank exhibition at the National Gallery and a preview of An American Journey (2008), Philippe Seclier's new documentary about Frank, to be followed by Frank's appearance on stage to be interviewed by journalist Charlie LeDuff.

The May 15 event at the Walter Reade Theater is a wonderful opportunity for you to see the work of one of the independent film movement's seminal artists. If you can't get to any of the all-day programming, you can find and watch Frank's wonderful work on DVD.

Coincidentally, two of the three documentaries releasing theatrically this week follow surfers. One of them is the legendary Doc Paskowitz, now in his 80s, who as a young man escaped what he considered to be a humdrum life as a physician and reinvented himself as an original surfer dude and as the ultimate hippie. The other surfer is Lior, a 21 year old Israeli army vet who lives in the Gaza Strip, where he rides the waves as a lifeguard, enjoying the surfer's carefree lifestyle, until he's forcibly evacuated by Israeli soldiers sent to turn Gaza over to the Palestinians.

In all ways other than their love for the sport, Doc and Lior's lives are dramatically, drastically different--and they're both very interesting.

This week's third opening doc might be characterized as a non-fiction version of The Da Vinci Code, looking at the controversial notion that the descendants of Jesus married French royalty. The documentary reveals interesting new evidence that just might make you a believer.

Here are more details about the three films:

• Bloodline (2008) is British TV doc director Bruce Burgess' investigation of the legend that Jesus survived the crucifixion, married Mary Magdalene, moved to France and had children who married Merovingian royalty. Burgess brings on expert witnesses: Nicholas Haywood, who claim insider information on the Priory of Scion, and researcher Ben Hammott, who discovered a tomb in Rennes-le-Chateau (France) which contains a mummified body that may be the remains of Mary Magdalene. The film's deliberate detective thriller overtones create the same sort of suspense present in The Da Vinci Code, the narrative feature which is based on the same legend, as investigated in various non-fiction books.
• In Surfwise (2007), director Doug Pray covers the life and times of Dr. Dorian Paskowitz, otherwise known as "Doc," an octogenarian surfer, heath advocate and sex guru. You might say Doc Paskowitz was the ultimate hippie. He lived with his wife Juliette in a camper on the beach, where he raised nine children, all home schooled, taught to surf and to survive like animals in the wild. It's an amazing tale, illustrated with fascinating archival footage.
• Unsettled (2006), directed by Adam Hootnick, follows the interaction of Israelis who must come to terms with their government's decision to end its 38-year occupation of the Gaza Strip. Residents who want to keep their homes and preserve their lifestyle face off against young soldiers sent to evacuate them by force in what is a very emotionally unsettling conflict.

If these films don't screen in theaters in your area, keep your eyes peeled for the DVDs.

The sad news that the beautiful filly Eight Belles had to be euthanized shortly after finishing second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby (run on May 8th) has raced far beyond reaches of Churchill Downs, raising questions about whether horseracing is a humane and/or sufficiently regulated sport.

Perhaps this concern is behind the flurry of email messages I've received requesting screening information about The First Saturday in May, the Hennegan brothers' excellent documentary about the 2006 Kentucky Derby and eight of the horses who raced in it. If you read my review of the film, you'll see that the documentary covers the death of the magnificent Barbaro, as the ultimate result of injuries sustained while racing in the Preakness, shortly after triumphing in the Kentucky Derby.

The deaths of the two thoroughbreds aren't directly related to each other, and the documentary is much more celebratory of horseracing than it is investigative--but this is yet another of those uncanny coincidents in which current events and the theme of a recently released documentary seem to collide.

Unfortunately The First Saturday in May is no longer playing in NYC or LA, but it is currently being shown at the following venues:

• Baltimore - Rotunda
• Cleveland - Cedar Lee
• Columbus (OH) - Drexel East
• Denver - Starz Film Center
• Durango (CO) - Abbey Theatre
• Lexington (KY) - Kentucky Theatre
• Seattle - Metro
• Tulsa - Circle Cinema
• Washington, DC - E Street

Additionally, it opens in Indianapolis at Key Cinemas on May 9, and in Huntington, NY at Cinema Arts Centre on May 30. If you want to see the film on a big screen, do so quickly--small independent films like this one rarely remain in theaters for long. If you can't make it to one of these theaters, you can pre-order a DVD, which will ship in about two weeks.

In a comptition open to narrative features as well as documentary films, audiences at the Tribeca Film Festival have selected War Child, a documentary about Emmanuel Jal, the African hip-hop artist who was a child soldier in the civil war in southern Sudan. The film shows Jal at benefit performances in Washington DC, then follows him as he returns to the Sudan to retunite with his family for the first time in 18 years and continues to raise awareness of the ongoing crisis in Sudan and the horrific plight of child soldiers around the world.

The film was directed by C. Karim Chrobog, who receives a $25,000 cash prize, the art award “Peripheral Drift Illusion” created by Ryan McGinness and a one-of-a-kind trophy to commemorate his achievement.

The Cadillac Audience Award winner was determined by ballots taken from audience members as they exited festival screenings. Final results were tabulated and announced during Tribeca Presents: Best of the Festival, which aired on WNBC-TV on Saturday, May 3, 2008. War Child will be given two final festival screenings on Sunday, May 4 at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at AMC Village VII in New York.

The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival announces the winners in its competitive categories, including cash prizes for documentary features and shorts.

The winner of this year’s world competition documentary feature award is Pray the Devil Back to Hell, about how the women of Liberia brought peace to their war-torn country. Director Gini Reticker wins $25,000 in cash and an art award, “Liza Minelli,” created by Timothy White.

The Best New Documentary Filmmaker category award goes to Old Man Bebo, about 90-year-old Bebo Valdes, one of Cuba’s greatest living musicians. Director Carlos Carcas (Spain) receives $25,000 cash, and the art award “Maquette for Primary Compass,” created by Don Gummer.

In the New York LOVES Film category, the winner is Zoned In, directed by Daniela Zanzotto (USA, UK), who wins $5,000 in cash and the art award “Table Odeon,” created by Donna Ferrato. The feature-length film follows 16-year-old Daniel during nine years of his life, as he transfers from a Bronx high school to a prestigious Ivy League university, and explores how race and class influence opportunity in the American education system.

Special Mention in the New York LOVES Film category goes to director Douglas Keeve (USA) for “Hotel Gramercy Park, about the dramatic doings surrounding conversion of the infamous hotel--an infamous drug den that catered to David Bowie, Blondie and other high livers--into a chic Ian Schrager boutique property.

The award for Best Documentary Short is awarded to Mandatory Service, directed by Jessica Habie, who wins $5,000 cash and the art award “The Screamer,” created by John Alexander. The film reveals the empathy Israelis have for Palestinians in the ongoing conflicts.

The winner of the Cadillac Award, the audience choice award that can be given to a documentary or a narrative feature film, will be announced on WNBC-TV on May 3 at 7:30 pm, during a special that will also show highlights from the awards ceremony. The Cadillac Award prize consists of $25,000 in cash, an art award of “peripheral Drift Illusion” and trophy created by Cadillac.

Read the festival's press release.

The Sundance Channel will air Jennifer Fox's remarkable six-hour documentary, Flying: Confessions of a Free Women in May.

In the autobiographical film, Fox travels around the world, visiting with friends in 17 nations, while trying to measure her own attitudes towards relationships and personal freedom against those arising in their widely divergent cultures.

The episodic film has been acclaimed since it premiered at the Sundance Festival in 2007. The film is also available on DVD.

Read my review.

The Museum of Modern Art is presenting a retrospective of the films of Alanis Obomsawin, the renown Canadian documentarian who has chronicled the history and struggles of the First Nations of Canada. The filmmaker will introduce and discuss her films from May 14 through 18.

Obomsawin, born in New Hampshire in 1932, is a member of the Abenaki Nation, which originally spanned from New England northward to Quebec. While growing up on the Odanak reservation (located northeast of Montreal), she became deeply absorbed in the history, traditional stories, and songs of her ancestors. She began her career as a singer, writer, and storyteller. In 1971 she made Christmas at Moose Factory, a short animated film about Indian children in residential schools, and since then she has worked with the National Film Board of Canada to make more than 30 documentaries on First Nations people and issues affecting their traditions, customs, and way of life. The well-researched films are compilations of interviews, drawings, songs and music.

Obomsawin first covered the conflicts over land and rights in Canada with Incident at Restigouche (1984). Her acclaimed film Kanehsatake: 270 years of Resistance (1993) is about the Mohawk protest against the expansion of a golf course into their sacred burial lands.

In May, 2008, Obomsawin will receive the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement, one of Canada’s highest honors. The National Film Board of Canada is releasing a DVD box set of four documentaries on the Oka crisis of 1990, including Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. The box set will be available in the MoMA Stores and at www.nfb.ca.

This is another really good week for opening documentaries.

Errol Morris' highly anticipated Standard Operating Procedure, a Sony Pictures Classics release, has been making the festival rounds for the past year and, at last, is opening in select theaters this Friday. The film expands on the infamous 'torture' photographs that were taken by U.S. military personnel of their colleagues who were torturing suspected terrorists in Abu Ghraib. The film, in which Morris interviews men and women soldiers who participated in the 'standard operating procedure' of terrifying, humiliating and sexually harassing the prisoners, is a shocking revelation about our government's behavior--and how it dehumanizes not only the prisoners, but the soldiers, as well. Since none of America's military leaders nor high government officials have been indicted for these crimes against humanity, the soldiers, deemed 'bad apples,' have taken the fall. The film raises questions about how we, as a people and nation, became this way and what the behavior bodes for the future. Morris, one of the world's most masterful documentary filmmakers, uses special effects and extreme angles to deliver images with tremendous impact. The film is disturbing, shocking--and it should be required viewing on Capitol Hill. Read my review.

Judging by its title, Bomb It (2007) might be a terror-related expose, a film perhaps related in theme to the likes of Standard Operating Procedure. But this film explosive film has nothing to do with war and terror. In fact, it's a film about art and culture, a film that follows graffiti artists as they pursue their art on five continents. Directed by Jon Reiss, the film paints the worldwide picture on contemporary graffiti, setting its roots back to ancient rock paintings, and tracing its development through history and up to its prevalence in hip-hop culture in New York during the 1970's.

In his Without The King, filmmaker Michael Skolnik takes us to Swaziland, the world's last absolute monarchy. It's one of the few African countries that's never had a civil war, but as the extended royal family--the king has more than one wife--enjoys a lavishly opulent life style, impoverished Swazi citizens are nearing the rebellion. The film is a fascinating study of a culture that is entirely different than our own, but faces issues we can identify with--as they near critical mass. In case you miss this excellent film at a theatre near you, it's due to release on DVD on July 22, from First Run Features.

He's looking for Osama bin Laden--in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Spurlock's wife is pregnant, but off he goes to dangerous places in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he dodges bullets while going up to strangers and asking if they've seen bin Laden. Followed by his cameraman, Spurlock's on the prowl, determined to do what America's military and security etablishments have been unable to do: track down the world's most wanted terrorist.

That's the premise for Spurlock's new doc, releasing theatrically on Friday, April 18.

Where In The World is Osama Bin Laden? is a film that's intened to show audiences what influenced bin Laden and how he influences others, and to convince us that people in pro-Osama areas are just people--just like us.

Does it work? Read my review.

It's an interesting week, with a lot to watch. The six docs opening theatrically this week are about very different subjects: Terrorist Osama bin Laden and composer Philip Glass, author and ex-priest James Carroll and avant-garde saxophonist Albert Ayler, six throroughbred race horces and their trainers and, as conducted by media personality Ben Stein, an investigative commentary on Darwinism and the Theory of Evolution.

Here are the titles:

• Constantine's Sword (2007) - Follows author James Carroll analysis of the Catholic Church's long-standing history of antisemitism.
• Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008) - Follows media personality Ben Stein surveying the Theory of Intelligent Design, as opposed to the Theory of Evolution.
• The First Saturday in May (2007) - This introduction to the world of thoroughbred follows the amazing Barbaro and five other great horses--and their trainers--in preparation for the Kentucky Derby. Read my review
• Glass: A Portrait of Philip Glass in Twelve Parts (2007) - This revealing profile of Philip Glass provides great insight into the avant-garde composer's music and artistic process.
• My Name is Albert Ayler (2005) - A documentary about avant-garde saxophonist Albert Ayler
• Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? (2008)- Morgan Spurlock's romp through the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan in search of the world's most wanted terrorist. Read my review

First Saturday in May opens in Austin, Berkeley, Boston, Denver, Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis and Washington. Spurlock's Osama opens nationally. The other films open in New York, with future screenings in other cities. All will go to DVD.