Documentaries Opening in Theaters September 9 and 11, 2009

This week’s theatrical releases include two documentaries three documentaries about the entertainment industry and two about children with very specific physical challenges:

• Crude, opening at New York’s IFC Center on September 9, with a national roll out to soon follow, is the highy acclaimed filmmaker Joe Berlinger's latest documentary. It's a beautifully crafted documentary that exposes Chevron/Texaco's devastating petroleum contamination of the Ecuadorean Amazon region, reveals its disasterous effects on the rain forest and on the tribal people -- especially their children -- who live near and depend on the Amazon and its tributaries, and covers the 27-billion dollar lawsuit brought against the multinational giant by a heroic local lawyer named Pablo Fajardo. Crude is one of 2009's best documentaries. Distributed by First Run Features, the film has a running time of 105 minutes. Read my full review
• In the entertainment realm, Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies, opening on September 9 for a limited run at the Laemmle Grand in Los Angeles, is filmmaker Nicholas Eliopoulos’ tribute to ’America’s Sweetheart’ and shows the extent of the influence the beloved star had on Hollywood production, lifestyle and the cult of celebrity. Distributed by Earthlight/White Castle Productions, the film has a running time of 102 minutes.
• Walt & El Grupo, directed by Theodore Thomas‘ (son of the late Walt Disney Studios animator Frank Thomas}, is about Walt Disney’s personal good will journey of discovery to South America in 1941. The studio head was accompanied by a team of animators whom he called 'El Grupo.' The trip resulted in several Latin-themed Disney projects, including Saludos Amigos (1942) and Three Caballeros (1945), which both won Oscars. The film incorporates some amazing archival footage and animation. Distributed by Walt Disney Studios, the film opens in select theatres and runs for 106 minutes.



• On Friday, September 11, The Horse Boy opens in Dallas and Houston, followed by a nationwide roll out beginning with additional cities in Texas. The film, directed by Michel Orion Scott, chronicles the unusual journey of a Texas family, the Isaacsons, who ride horses across the steppes of Mongolia, seeking the help of several tribal shamans to heal their son Rowan’s autism. In addition to presenting a sweeping and enlightening travel adventure, the film opens a fascinating discussion about the very nature of autism, what causes it and how widespread it is, and whether it is or is not an affliction. And, without giving anything specific away, it's safe to say that the film's conclusion is absolutely remarkable. The Isaacson family's approach is their child's autism is as resourceful, creative, effective and loving as the approach that's shown in Autism The Musical. Both films are inspiring. Zeitgeist Films is the distributor. The running time is 93 minutes.
• Gogol Bordello Non-Stop is Margarita Jimeno’s music and lifestyle documentary about the popular gypsy punk band, Gogol Bordello, and its famously bad boy front man, Eugene Hütz. The film is distributed by Lorber Films and runs for 90 minutes.