DOXA Documentary Film Festival announces opening & closing films for 2010

If you are one of the many lucky folks already receiving our newsletter, you are already aware of our announcement regarding the opening and closing night films for this year’s DOXA Documentary Film Festival taking place from May 7th to 16th 2010.

Opening the festival is TERRE MADRE directed by Ermanno Olmi, Italy — Friday May 7, 7:30pm – Granville 7

The Terra Madre (Mother Earth) conference is held in Turin, Italy attracting some 6000 delegates – activists and farmers from 153 nations to meet and exchange ideas, experience and plans for the future of food production and sustainability. Italian filmmaker Ermanno Olmi attended the conference to document the event. Now in his late-70s, Olmi is free to reinvent the documentary form, which is exactly what happens in his new film, Terra Madre. Beginning with the conference itself, the film branches off into multiple narratives, including a sojourn north to visit the International Seed Bank in Norway, and to farms in China and India. Interspersed with conference delegates offering insight and advice, the film then gently settles on a remote Italian farm where something remarkable happens. All the discussion pales before the simplicity of old fashioned farming. As the film moves from theory to reality — cycling through the seasons of planting, harvesting, cooking and eating — traditional documentary falls away, and a singular type of poetry emerges. A poem to beauty, food and the slow passage of time, Terra Madre is a ravishingly beautiful ode to the earth in all its fecundity and abundance.

DOXA OPENING NIGHT PARTY

Join us for a Terra Madre Celebration following the Opening Night Film for an evening celebrating Italy and the Slow Food movement! Enjoy fine food and listen to live entertainment while gathering all the hot buzz for the festival!

Harrison Galleries (901 Homer Street), Vancouver, BC

Film and Party tickets ($35) OR Film Only ($15) — purchase tickets now.
[Read More...]

DOXA Documentary Film Festival rounds out Georgia Straight article

Leading up to the DOXA Documentary Film Festival taking place from May 7 to 16, 2010 we will be releasing information about this year’s through various media outlets. The latest mention comes to us via The Georgia Straight, Vancouver’s premiere arts and events publication.

Here is the DOXA portion of the article:

The celluloid blowout of the season is the DOXA Documentary Film Festival happening May 7 to 16, with films divided between the Granville 7, Vancity, and Cinémathèque. The fest is staggering from its own budget shortfall, as discussed at doxafestival.ca, where you can still find out how to become a volunteer or, better yet, a donor. (The complete film lineup will be there April 7.)

“We got cut like everybody else, so it’s been tricky,” said Kristine Anderson, DOXA’s top programmer. “We really had to pay attention to all the little details and cut a lot of corners. On the other hand, our sponsors—corporate or community—have been just as generous as before, if not more so.”

The doc-making crowd has already been hit by budget drops all decade long, but she said that isn’t reflected in the stuff that does get made.

“The filmmakers are adjusting and adapting and are not being entirely quiet about it. It’s important to keep lobbying for the importance of the arts. The community is struggling, but not beaten down. Since we grew to 10 days last year, however, our lineup has actually improved. And that quality will bring more and more people to our theatres.”

Read the complete article on straight.com.

The Human Project: Life is funny sometimes

There are more and more filmmakers bringing their documentary projects online. The folks at Receive Bacon Productions a documentary film production company in Gould, Ontario are another great example of filmmakers taking full advantage of online social media tools to promote their episodic online series THE HUMAN PROJECT.

SYNOPSIS

THE HUMAN PROJECT is a series of experimental art documentaries that explore the absurdity of life and the human condition. Each segment examines the stories of several people who have shared a common life experience.

This pilot episode focuses on two topics: people who have unexpectedly found dead bodies, and stories from those with scars that affect their lives in some way.

From funny, to sad, to just downright strange; THE HUMAN PROJECT highlights the poignant differences and similarities that connect us as a species.

TRAILER

As well as THE HUMAN PROJECT web site, you can get updates, see and/or learn more from their social profiles: Twitter, Facebook Group, Vimeo, YouTube and Flickr

Three NFB films screening at SXSW between March 14 and 18

On Friday March 12 SXSW 2010 begins in Austin TX. According to the SXSW web site, “The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery.” This year, in the film portion of the festival, three films from the NFB will be featured.

The NFB films scheduled are Guy Maddin’s short Night Mayor, about an inventor who harnesses the power of the Aurora Borealis in an attempt to broadcast images of Canada to its citizens; Mamori, an experimental animated film by artist Karl Lemieux; and Neil Diamond’s feature length documentary Reel Injun, spoken about in a previous blog post, which is an entertaining and insightful look at the Hollywood Indian through a century of cinema.

Here’s a 4 minute 59 second promotional clip for Reel Injun:

If you’re in Austin for the festival, and I know there’s a large contingent from Vancouver who are headed there, be sure to give these Canadian films your support.

Oscars for The Cove and Music By Prudence with a side of controversy

Last night’s 82nd Annual Academy Awards ceremonies were definitely interesting. They were even fraught with controversy including one of the producers of Hurt Locker, the film winning “Best Picture”, being banned from attending the proceedings and not allowed to accept his golden statuette in person (although he’s been promised to be sent one at a later date). The documentary category award acceptance speeches did not disappoint either.

The winner in the Documentary Short category was Music by Prudence, “the uplifting story of Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Prudence Mabhena, 21, who was born severely disabled and has struggled to overcome poverty and discrimination”, by Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett.

In probably the most uncomfortable moment in the entire awards ceremony as Roger Ross Williams was on stage delivering his acceptance speech producer Elinor Burkett, in a move reminiscent of Kanye West’s antics at the People’s Choice awards, barged onto stage and took the microphone away from Williams. Here’s some video evidence of the cringe worthy moment:

Salon.com interviewed both Williams and Burkett after the incident.
[Read More...]

A list of 10 awesome documentaries to prep you for the Oscars

The 82nd Academy Awards are set to air this Sunday, March 7, 2010, on ABC in the U.S. and CTV in Canada at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. There five strong contenders for the Oscar statuette this year, as mentioned in a previous blog post. They are Burma VJ, The Cove, Food, Inc., The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers and Which Way Home.

There have been some fabulous documentaries over the years that I have enjoyed. If you haven’t seen them you might want to check them out. Below is a list of 10 of my favourites, in no particular order:

Project Grizzly

SYNOPSIS: “In this feature-length documentary, Troy James Hurtubise goes face to face with Canada’s most deadly land mammal, the grizzly bear. Troy is the creator of what he hopes is a grizzly-proof suit, and he repeatedly tests his armour – and courage – in stunts that are both hair-raising and hilarious. Directed by Peter Lynch, the film has become a cult classic in the United States and is rumoured to be a favourite of director Quentin Tarantino.”

VIDEO: The full length, 72 minute, documentary feature thanks to NFB.

MY OPINION: This is far and away the best Canadian documentary that I can name off the top of my head. The subject of the film, Troy Hurtubise junkyard owner & mountain man turned inventor, could not have been written any more perfectly by Christopher Guest of This is Spinal Tap fame. The only difference between he and Guest’s character’s is that Troy is the real deal.

Thin Blue Line

SYNOPSIS: “A film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas. ”

VIDEO: Fellow directors talk about Errol Morris’ Thin Blue Line.

MY OPINION: If you’re looking for a film about miscarriage of justice and the power of documentary film this is definitely one to see.
[Read More...]

DOC BC Music Composition and Sound Design workshop – Thursday, March 11

The Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) BC chapter is hosting a workshop titled ‘Exploring Music Composition and Sound Design for Documentary Film: Development through Post-Production’ on Thursday, March 11 at 6:30pm at the Vancouver Public Library Central Branch. Composer Denis Burke and writer/engineers Jef Gibbons and Brandon Cherrington will cover topics including Location Sound, Original Composition and Stock and Budget.

The workshop is free for DOC members, $15 for non members. Limited Seating available on a first come basis. The Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch is located at 350 West Georgia Street. For more about DOC BC visit www.docbc.org or email docbc@docbc.org.

More information on this workshop at DOCspace.

DOXA and Cap Film Series present Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love

The Cap Film Series in partnership with DOXA Documentary Film Festival is presenting the film Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love (102 mins – U.S.A.) by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi on March 9, 2010 at 7:30pm in the Capilano Performing Arts Theatre.

Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love opens the door to a life that began humbly, out of traditions and the human desire to share one’s joy of music, and rose to become one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. N’Dour’s unwavering warmth and astonishing talent in concert will be a wonderful surprise for first-time listeners and a great treat for his many fans.

Trailer:

For more information please check out the Cap Film Series site.

Love, Hate & Propaganda contest for students at CBC Docs

Beginning on Thursday, March 2010, CBC will be airing the first in it’s six part documentary series Love, Hate & Propaganda. The series will probes the part that propaganda, on all sides, played in manipulating the psychology of combatants and citizens alike during World War II; the first modern war.

Series information:

Why a series on WWII? Because it has shaped the lives of millions of Canadians born in the last half century who know little about what happened, or how its legacy still affects them. This series will bring the dramatic events of the war years alive, and convey their importance in a powerful, human, and accessible way – to transfer the memory to a new generation.

Even seventy years later, the brutal statistics of WWII have the capacity to shock: more than 60 million dead, six million Jews – and countless others – victims of genocide. Cities incinerated, the world map ruthlessly rewritten – an extraordinary level of violence that is still unmatched. [more at source]

To further engage and interest Canadian secondary and post-secondary students in the series CBC Docs has created a companion Propaganda Contest. Entrants are encouraged to create and pitch their own “propaganda campaign”. Here are entry details and guidelines from the CBC website:

We are challenging secondary and post-secondary students to be our new message makers. Choose a cause, perhaps one that is near and dear to your heart, like animal rights, or better food in the school cafeteria, or perhaps global warming or protecting the environment. And then create your own persuasive pitch, your own ‘propaganda campaign’.

There are two ways to enter: Create a propaganda poster. Or create a video, no longer than thirty seconds.

All material must be original. No film, video, drawings or photographs allowed from other sources.

Guidelines
The contest is open to secondary & post-secondary students in the following age groups:

14-17 years of age.
Poster or video category.
18 years of age & over.
Poster or video category.

Your poster or video can include a slogan or a catchy phrase but it does not necessarily have to. The important thing is that it conveys a message. You can use photos, moving images, graphics, illustrations, sounds, and music to support your message but only if you have created them.

No group submissions please, just individual entries, a maximum of one entry per category. No offensive language or art will be accepted. Anything that promotes hatred towards groups of people will not be accepted. CBC/ Radio-Canada reserves the right to make this judgment. All decisions are final.

See some entries now.

DOXA alumnus among nominees for 30th Annual Genie Awards

Two films, screened by DOXA Documentary Film Festival over the past year, have been nominated in the Best Feature Length Documentary category for the 30th Annual Genie Awards. “For three decades, the Genies – like the Canadian Film Awards before them – have celebrated and affirmed Canada’s national cinema. Promoting all facets of film, the Genies have evolved over the years, introducing new awards categories to reflect the ongoing growth and development of the industry.” [source]

The first of the DOXA films up for an award is RiP: A Remix Manifesto, a film that explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers. Second is Inside Hana’s Suitcase, tells the present-day story of “The Small Wings”, a group of Japanese children, and how their passionate and tenacious teacher, Fumiko Ishioka, helped them solve the mystery of Hana Brady, whose name was painted on an old battered suitcase that they received from Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi death camp built in Poland.

Below is the full lit of nominees for Genie Award in the Best Feature Length Documentary and Best Short Documentary categories.
[Read More...]