Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

Transcription

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2006 BIG SKY documentary film festival
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 2006 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival!
In 2004 we decided to share our passion for documentary film with Missoula
by hosting the inaugural Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, and the community responded. Over the last three years Big Sky has grown beyond any of our
wildest expectations.
This year we will be screening 96 outstanding documentary films from 28
countries, including 14 World Premiers, 10 North American and United States
Premiers, 39 Northwest Premiers and 19 Montana Premiers.
This year we received over 800 entries, making our event one of the most
entered documentary festivals in the world. With such a wealth of films to
choose from, the festival will once again run an entire week at the historic
Wilma Theatre downtown Missoula. Filmmakers from around the world will be
in attendance to address the audiences after their films screen, providing a
tremendous opportunity for our community to interact with these extraordinary
artists.
We are thrilled to bring the theatrical experience of artistic, entertaining and
compelling non-fiction films to Missoula for all to enjoy and discuss. Viewers
have the opportunity to experience human stories that otherwise would never
be shown in this area. These films allow us to connect with, and better understand one another, the world, and ultimately ourselves.
We invite you to join us in watching some incredible films and celebrating the
art of documentary.
Enjoy the show!
Damon Ristau,
Festival Director
Contents
Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Special Thanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Staff Bios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Judges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Awards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Events Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
Ticket Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Feature Competition films . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-20
Short Competition films . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-32
Big Sky Award films. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35-38
Out of Competition films . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40-48
Les Blank Retrospective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50-53
Diann Kelly - Program Design, Missoulian
Kate Murphy - Art Director, Missoulian
Greg Twigg - Cover Design, Twiggarts
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Staff
Festival Programmer
Doug Hawes-Davis
Festival Director
Damon Ristau
Programming Associates
Gita Saedi and Dru Carr
Volunteer Coordinator
Valerie Krex
Event Coordinators
Sarah Woods, Tina Mills, Margot Higgins,
Marianne Zugel and Caroline Jones
Box Office Manager
Ginger Moore
Projectionists
Ken Furrow and Bill Emerson
Web and Graphic Design
Greg Twigg
Special Thanks
Les Blank
Tom Roy
Kettlehouse Brewing Co.
Toni Matlock
Amy Colson
Sten Iversen
Elisabeth Ristau
Diann Kelly
Janet Taylor
Kate Murphy
Holly Kuehlwein
Jackie Walawander
Mark Sherouse
Kim Anderson
Yvonne Gritzner
and to all the volunteers who make the event happen!
Festival Information
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
131 South Higgins Ave. Suite 201
Missoula, MT 59802
(406) 541-FILM
[email protected]
www.bigskyfilmfest.org
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Theatre Information
Wilma Theatre
131 South Higgins Ave.
Missoula, MT 59802
(406) 728-2521
www.thewilma.com
Damon Ristau -
Festival Director
After coaxing a degree out of the University of Montana in 2003,
Damon Ristau coordinated the inaugural Big Sky Documentary
Film Festival. Recently, he co-founded Walkabout Workshop, a
film and video production and post firm based in Utah that produces documentary films for international non-profit organizations.
Ristau is dedicated to the continual development of BSDFF and
the creation of space to help Missoula grow into a premier international venue for documentary film. He resides in Missoula with his
wife Elisabeth, and two kids, Mariposa and Summit.
Doug Hawes-Davis -
Festival Programmer
Doug Hawes-Davis, co-founder of High Plains Films with Drury
Gunn Carr, has produced and distributed his own non-fiction films
for more than a decade. Winner of a 2001 Montana Arts Council
Individual Artist Fellowship, Hawes-Davis has directed, produced,
and edited numerous award-winning documentaries that have
screened around the world. Hawes-Davis founded the Big Sky
Documentary Film Festival in 2003.
Dru Carr -
Programming Associate
Dru Carr, co-founder of High Plains Films, has been directing, producing, shooting and editing documentaries for nearly 15 years.
Carr's most recent feature doc, Libby, Montana (2004), co-directed
with Doug Hawes-Davis, has been screened around the world and
received universal acclaim from critics. As a board member of the
Big Sky Film Institute, he has been involved in the planning and
development of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival since its
inception.
Gita Saedi -
Programming Associate
Gita Saedi has been producing, directing and editing documentary
films and videos for over 15 years. She was the Series Producer for
the award-winning PBS national series The New Americans and
has also recently field and line produced several other critically
acclaimed projects on race and culture. Saedi works on a variety of
non-broadcast videos for universities, community groups and labor
unions as both producer and editor. She currently lives in Montana
with her husband and son.
Valerie Krex -
Volunteer Coordinator
Valerie Krex earned her undergraduate degree in Anthropology at
the University of Pennsylvania in 1998 and, after realizing that she
would never use it, headed west to Missoula, Montana. After working as a documentary photographer for several years, Valerie opted
to change her primary medium to video so that she could include
new variables, such as sound and motion, into her documentary
work. Valerie completed her MFA in Media Arts at the University
of Montana in 2005 and currently produces non-fiction work that
investigates the human experience on an individual scale.
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The Judges
John Hoskyns-Abrahall
John Hoskyns-Abrahall is the co-owner of Bullfrog Films, North
America's leading distributor of films about environmental and social
justice issues. Born in England, he received a B.A. from Oxford
University. He received an M.A. in Communications from the
University of Pennsylvania where he met his future wife and partner,
Winifred Scherrer. For the first Earth Day in 1970, John and some
friends produced CIRCUIT EARTH, which was shown at the first Big
Sky Documentary Film Festival. John and Winnie began their professional
careers as part of the Rodale Press Film Division, before co-founding
Bullfrog Films in 1973.
Les Blank
Les Blank began his career in 1960 and continues to produce exciting
new work today. Blank's films began as a series of intimate glimpses
into the lives and music of passionate people who live at the periphery of American society. In 1990, Blank received the American Film
Institute's Maya Deren Award for outstanding lifetime achievement
as an independent filmmaker. In 1989-1990 Blank was the distinguished filmmaker-in-residence at San Diego State University and in
1991, adjunct assistant professor in film at the University of California,
Berkeley. He was also the Louis B. Mayer filmmaker-in-residence at
Dartmouth College and a directing fellow at the Sundance Institute in Utah (both
in 1984). Les Blank is one of America's most acclaimed documentarians. His work spans
nearly 40 years and a wide range of topics. The 2006 BSDFF will feature a full retrospective of
Blank's work. Please see page 50 for film titles and information.
Denise Dowling
Denise Dowling worked in television and radio newsrooms for twenty
years before becoming an Assistant Professor in the Radio-Television
department in the School of Journalism at the University of
Montana. Dowling has held positions ranging from studio camera
operator to director to executive producer and managing editor. She
has earned several Emmy Awards for her work and was also honored
with the Edward R. Murrow Award in 1996.
Roger Hedden
Roger Hedden's play, “Bodies, Rest, and Motion” premiered at
Lincoln Center Theatre. He adapted “Bodies, Rest, and Motion”
for the screen, and co-produced the Fine Line film. As a producer,
he gathered five writer friends to co-write the M.G.M. film “Sleep
With Me". He subsequently wrote and directed the Lions Gate
release “Hi-Life". He is a graduate of Columbia University and was
the recipient of an N.E.A. Playwrighting fellowship.
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The Judges
Amy King
Amy King studied film, French and art history at the University of
Arizona in Tucson and the Institut Americain in Aix-en-Provence,
France. She has worked in Los Angeles as a producer on short films,
music videos and commercials, and in New York as an associate producer and post supervisor in television production. After ten years in
film and TV production, she got a gig as Segment Producer for the
HBO US Comedy Arts Festival and became hooked on film festival
work. Amy currently serves as the Associate Director of SILVERDOCS:
AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival and lives in Washington, DC.
Mary Lance
Mary Lance is an award-winning filmmaker with over twenty-five years' experience in documentary
production. Lance's films have won numerous awards and have shown at venues around the world
and have been televised in numerous countries. Her critically acclaimed documentary on the world
renowned minimalist painter, “Agnes Martin: With My Back to the World,” is showing out of competition at the 2006 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. She currently lives in New Mexico, where she
works as a line producer and field producer for various television companies including ABC News,
The Learning Channel, and various cable series. She has worked on location as a producer in
Mexico, Canada, Europe, India, Pakistan, and Russia.
Andrew Smith
Andrew Smith is a writer and filmmaker who lives in Brooklyn and
Missoula, Montana. An Assistant Professor in the Media Arts program at the University of Montana, Andrew did his graduate work at
the University of Iowa, where he received an M.A. in Film Studies,
and an M.F.A. in Poetry at the Writer's Workshop. Along with his twin
brother Alex Smith, Andrew co-wrote and co-directed the criticallyacclaimed feature film The Slaughter Rule. The film premiered in the
Dramatic Competition at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. The Slaughter
Rule went on to play at over two dozen national and international film festivals. Released in theaters in spring 2003 by Cowboy Pictures, The Slaughter Rule
was acquired for cable and home video distribution by the Sundance Channel.
Cindy Stillwell
Cindy Stillwell received her MFA from New York University's film
program and since then has worked as a filmmaker, cinematographer, editor, DVD author and professor. Stillwell's recent work has
been a series of short experimental documentaries that have screened
worldwide at festivals and venues such as the Walker Art Museum,
Melbourne International Film Festival, Slamdance Film Festival, and
the PDX Film Festival. She is currently teaching at Montana State
University in Bozeman, MT as an associate professor in the Department of
Media and Theatre Arts.
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The Judges
Brad Tyer
Brad has worked as a journalist and critic for 15 years in Texas and
Montana. His work has been published in the Houston Chronicle,
Dallas Morning News, Texas Monthly, the Texas Observer and New
York Times Book Review. He is currently the editor of the Missoula
Independent.
Awards
Documentary Feature Competition
The award for Best Feature Documentary will be given to one film 60 minutes or longer
in length, released after September 1, 2004.
Documentary Short Competition
The award for Best Documentary Short will be given to one film under 60 minutes in
length, released after September 1, 2004.
Big Sky Award Competition
The Big Sky Award will be given to one film concerning the American West released
after September 1, 2004.
Submitted films released after September 1, 2004 are considered “in-competition” for the festival
awards.
The festival received more than 800 films to consider for the 2006 event. It is a privilege to watch
the hundreds of outstanding documentary films submitted to the festival. Three established documentary filmmakers viewed all of these entries in building the program for the 2006 festival.
Final judges for each category will view all of the finalists in their category at the official screening
for each film at the Wilma Theater during the week of the festival. Winners will be announced the
last day of the festival at the awards reception and press conference in Marianne's at the Wilma
beginning at 5:00 p.m. The reception will be followed by repeat screenings of the three award-winning films.
Out of Competition
Screenings:
Submitted films released prior to
Sept. 1, 2004 are considered “out of
competition” for the festival awards.
Retrospective
Series:
Retrospectives highlight the work of
important filmmakers and earlier classics in the genre.
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Events Schedule
Wed., Feb. 15, 2006
3:00 pm - 8:00 pm
KETTLEHOUSE KICK-OFF
FUNDRAISER
Thurs., Feb. 16, 2006
10:00 am Disarm
SHORTS PROGRAM
11:00 am Taylor Chain I
Happy Crying Nursing Home,
The Fire Within
Bessie Cohen
Lolo Ferrari
12:30 pm Stranger With A Camera
Sat., Feb. 18, 2006
LES BLANK RETROSPECTIVE
10:00 am The Maestro: King of the Cowboy
Artists
11:15 am Dizzy Gillespie
The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin'
Hopkins
Julie: Old Time Tales of the Blue
Ridge
My Old Fiddle
1:00 pm Another World
PANEL DISCUSSION:
WOMEN IN DOCUMENTARY FILM
1:45 pm El Inmigrante
1:00 pm (Marianne's downstairs at the Wilma.
SHORTS PROGRAM
2:15 pm Agnes Martin: With My Back to
the World
3:30 pm Pushing up Daisies
Don't Fence Me In
Lawn
It’s Like That
Free and open to the public.)
SHORTS PROGRAM
7:15 pm Bob Smith, USA
3:30 pm G8 Scotland: Won't Get Fooled
Again
Sweet Little Sixties
Caught in the Crossfire
Noel
9:00 pm Favela Rising
SHORTS PROGRAM
5:30 pm Battleground: 21 Days on the
Empire’s Edge
10:30 pm The Big Question
Fri., Feb. 17, 2006
10:00 am Bhopal
11:00 am The Venus Theory
12:00 pm Beethoven’s Hair
1:45 pm Mashallah
3:15 pm Two Museums
4:30 pm One Shot
5:30 pm Game Over: Kasporov and the
Machine
7:15 pm Cowboy del Amour
9:00 pm Pleasure and Pain
10:45 pm Platinum
5:00 pm Milepost 314
Phase, Iran, 2005
The Mythologist
6:30 pm Last Thoughts
8:00 pm Be Here to Love Me
9:45 pm Salt Men of Tibet
Sun., Feb. 19, 2006
10:00 am I Went to the Dance
SHORTS PROGRAM
11:45 am B224
NH2
PANEL DISCUSSION:
TOPIC TBA
1:00 pm (Marianne's downstairs at the Wilma.
Free and open to the public.)
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Events Schedule
1:30 pm 89 Millimetres
Tues., Feb. 21, 2006
10:00 am McLibel
3:00 pm Weekend Warriors
11:35 am Waiting to Inhale
SHORTS PROGRAM
5:00 pm Cheating Death
Vocalize
The Elevator Operator
Life List
Living to Work
1:15 pm Gussie
6:30 pm Village Life
5:15 pm Emma
2:15 pm Teachings of the Tree People: The
Work of Bruce Miller
3:30 pm Phase II
6:30 pm Burden of Dreams
7:45 pm Gap-Toothed Women
A Well Spent Life
Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe
SHORTS PROGRAM
8:15 pm Aerosol
Afloat
Grand Lucheonette
Hammer and Flame
Site Specifc-Las Vegas '05
Shulie
9:45 pm Homemade Hillbilly Jam
Mon., Feb. 20, 2006
10:00 am Once They Were Neighbors
SHORTS PROGRAM
10:00 pm Hand of God
11:20 am Unschooled
Richart
Blue Fish
Out in the Heartland
Wed., Feb. 22, 2006
10:00 am Sentenced Home
11:30 am The Sandman's Garden
1:15 pm Post no Bills
1:00 pm Color of Love
SHORTS PROGRAM
2:30 pm The Intimacy of Strangers
Dodge City
Gray Days
My Saraab
The Cole Nobody Knows
2:30 pm The Bird People
4:15 pm Cesarino and the Colours of Life
5:00 pm
3:45 pm On Hostile Ground
AWARDS RECEPTION AND
PRESS CONFERENCE
in Marianne's at the Wilma
6:30 pm Awards Screenings (Titles TBA)
SHORTS PROGRAM
5:30 pm Do You Want the Elephant Music
French Fries to Go
Left Behind
Hot Afternoons Have Been in
Montana
7:15 pm Clearcut: The Story of Philomath,
Oregon
9:00 pm Walking the Line
10:15 pm Fatboy: The Movie
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Tickets
SINGLE SCREENING TICKET
(matinees) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.00
SINGLE SCREENING TICKET
(evenings) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7.00
FIVE SCREENINGS PASS. . . . . . . $30.00
Provides access to ANY five screenings during the week of the
festival, but not the Awards Night event.
ALL SCREENINGS PASS . . . . . . . $75.00
All Screenings Passes provide access to the full week of screenings only. They do not include access to the Awards Night event.
ALL ACCESS FESTIVAL PASS . . . $100.00
All Access Passes are for all screenings, including the Awards
Night screenings, and all filmmaker and VIP events/parties.
AWARDS BENEFIT TICKET . . . . $10.00
Awards Night Tickets provide access to the Wednesday,
February 22, 2006 screenings of the three award winning films.
Start times will be on your ticket.
PASSES PURCHASED ON-LINE:
will be held at the ticket window and will be available for pick up
at any time during the week of the festival. Bring valid ID. All
passes and tickets are non-transferable.
Individual tickets are sold at the Wilma before each
show. Passes are available for credit card purchase on-line
at www.bigskyfilmfest.org or at the Wilma any time during
the week of the festival. Major credit cards accepted. Local
checks only.
Individual tickets are good for one screening block.
Tickets for the Shorts Programs are for all films listed. All
films screen once, except three award winners, which will
screen again on the closing night of the festival. (Award
winners to be announced on the final day of the festival.)
PLEASE NOTE: None of these documentaries are
rated. Most films in the festival are suitable for children 12
years and up but some have sensitive content. If bringing
children, please read a film's synopsis carefully. Email questions to: [email protected]
IMPORTANT! Pass holders will have immediate
entrance to the theater. We recommend you arrive at least
15 minutes early for all daytime screenings and at least 30
minutes early for all evening screenings if you're purchasing
tickets at the door. Seating is on a first come, first serve
basis and all seats are general admission.
Barring any unforeseen technical difficulties, SCREENINGS
START ON TIME.
WILL
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W issoula
M
elcome to
Directions
DOWNTOWN
Wilma Theater
131 S. Higgins Avenue, Missoula, Montana
Location:
All screenings will be held February 16-25, 2006
in the historic Wilma Theater in downtown
Missoula.
Directions:
From I-90, exit on either Van Buren or Orange,
then turn on Broadway until you reach Higgins.
Turn South. The theater and office are right next
to Caras Park and the Clark Fork river.
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Open 7 am to 10 pm
Feature Competition
Montana Premier - Feb. 19, 1:30 pm
89 Millimetres
80 minutes, 2005, DVCAM, Germany and Belarus
By Sebastian Heinzel
German filmmaker Sebastian Heinzel sets out on a journey to
Belarus, a young nation that is torn between stagnation, protest
and emigration. He meets a political refugee, members of the
Resistance, a house painter, a Go-Go-dancer, a journalist without
any prospects and a soldier devoted to his country. The film is a portrait of a generation trying to find its own way after the breakdown of the
Soviet Union. On the border of the new European Union, some say Belarus is
the last European dictatorship.
Kloos & Co. Medien GmbH, Jablonskistraße 32, 10405 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 4737 2980, [email protected], www.89mm-derfilm.de
Battleground: 21 Days on the
Empire’s Edge
83 minutes, 2004, DV, USA
By Stephen Marshall
In late 2003, two filmmakers spent three weeks on the frontlines
of the simmering guerrilla war in Iraq, gathering intelligence, dodging bullets, and capturing the untold stories of what has become the
world's most covered, and misunderstood, conflict. BattleGround is an
emotionally intense journey that will challenge orthodoxies of Left and
Right, and highlight the humanity of all sides of the conflict. BattleGround is a
critical film for anyone who wants to understand the powerful forces that are sucking America deeper and deeper into a Middle Eastern quagmire.
Stephen Marshall/GNN, 247 East 28th Street 17D, New York, NY 10016
212.679.3324, [email protected], www.gnn.tv
United States Premier - Feb. 17, 12:00 pm
Beethoven’s Hair
84 minutes, 2005, HDCAM, Canada
By Larry Weinstein
"Beethoven's Hair” traces the unlikely journey of a lock of hair
cut from Beethoven's corpse and unravels the mystery of his tortured life and death. The story unfolds tracing the past generations
of owners, culminating in the futuristic science that reveals
Beethoven's “medical secret". Set to a lush score of some of
Beethoven's most glorious music, the film explores the world of forensic
testing in sharp relief against the romance of 19th century Vienna and the horrors of 20th century Nazi Germany. Along the way, this film sheds new light upon the cause of
Beethoven's various maladies, including his deafness, as well as accounting for his volatile personality
and perhaps even the nature of his great art.
Rhombus Media Inc., 99 Spadina Ave. Suite 600, Toronto, Canada M5V 3P8
(416) 971-7856, [email protected], www.rhombusmedia.com
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Feature Competition
Be Here to Love Me
99 minutes, 2005, 16mm, USA
By Margaret Brown
As a musician, Townes Van Zandt was legendary -- perhaps one
of the greatest who ever lived, inspiring artists from Bob Dylan to
Norah Jones to Steve Earle. As a man, a husband, and a father his
life was as tragic and as beautiful as the songs he wrote. Haunting
and lyrical, BE HERE TO LOVE ME combines emotional interviews
with friends and family with never-before-seen footage
Sponsored by:
of Townes Van Zandt; from rare performance and interview
footage to intimate portraits shot in Van Zandt's own home. Includes appearances
by many famous musicians including Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson,
Steve Earle, and Emmylou Harris.
Palm Pictures, (212) 320-3684, [email protected]
Northwest Premier - Feb. 16, 7:15 pm
Bob Smith, U.S.A.
85 minutes, 2005, mini-DVD, USA
By Neil Abramson
A hilarious new documentary that provides a view into American
culture through the eyes of seven men named Bob Smith. The
filmmakers traveled across the United States documenting the
lives of the Bob Smith's. Despite their common names, the men vary
greatly in profession, age and religion - from septic tank repairman to
yoga instructor; from twenty eight to eighty-eight years old; from
Evangelical Christian to Evangelical Atheist. As each man's story unfolds in
their own words, intimate portraits are drawn; creating a poetic, non-judgmental and highly entertaining document of American life.
Neil Abramson, 2814 Haddington Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90064
310-710-1998, [email protected], www.bobsmithmovie.com
North American Premier - Feb. 20, 4:15 pm
Cesarino and the Colours of Life
69 minutes, 2005, Beta, Switzerland, Argentina and Italy
By Tiziano Gamboni and Gianluigi Quarti
The tenth of eleven children, Cesarino Fava was born in 1920, in
Italy. After emigrating to Argentina, he founded that nation's
Alpine Club and began exploring the most remote summits in the
Andes. During a fateful ascent on the Aconcagua, Cesarino was
trapped for several days on a mountain wall in a violent blizzard while
trying to save the life of a North American climber. A
severe case of frostbite resulted in both of his feet being
Sponsored by:
partly amputated. Today, at the age of 81, he is still able to climb. The Colours of
Life relates his emotions, his memories and enthusiasm and brings to light his
incredible and infectious vitality.
Televisione Svizzera -TSI, Federico Jolli, Dip. Cultura E Fiction
6903 Lugano, Switzerland, +41 91 03 53 25, [email protected]
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Feature Competition
Northwest Premier - Feb. 16, 10:00 am
Disarm
67 minutes, 2005, MiniDV, Afghanistan,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq
By Mary Wareham
Despite a global ban, millions of antipersonnel mines continue to
claim victims daily in more than eighty countries. Disarm features
harrowing footage smuggled out of isolated nation of Burma,
scenes from war-ravaged Colombia and Iraq, never-before-seen helmet camera footage shot by Afghan and Bosnian deminers, unprecedented access into warehouses stockpiling millions of Soviet-made mines,
and insightful comments by outspoken Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams.
Looking beyond landmines, Disarm offers a contemporary, intelligent and critical investigation into
how weapons systems, war, and the way it is waged are being redefined in the twenty-first century
with devastating consequences.
Mary Wareham, Next Step Productions, 2407 15th Street, NW #411, Washington, DC 20009
(202)612-4356, [email protected], www.nspfilms.org
Fatboy: The Movie
By Michael Landsberg
Are Americans getting fatter while the weight loss industry
grows at the same rate? In Fatboy: The Movie we are taken on
the weight loss journey of Miles Forman, a Florida native who
decides to pursue a healthier lifestyle after 25 years of being overweight. On Forman's road to fitness and well being his dysfunctional
upbringing is unveiled-a world of solitude, numbed by TV and video
games, and comforted with food. Fatboy examines America's poor eating
habits coupled with their love of “quick-fix” fad diets, while they ironically retain the title of “The
Worlds Largest Nation."
Magnolia Martin, Milos Productions, 687 6th Ave, Apt. 2, Brooklyn, NY 11215
(347)223-4958, [email protected], www.fatboythemovie.com5
Favela Rising
80 minutes, 2005, DV/16mm, Brazil
By Jeff Zimbalist
Favela Rising documents a man and a movement, a city divided
and a favela (Brazilian squatter settlement) united. Anderson Sa
is a former drug-trafficker who, haunted by the murders of his
family and many of his friends, turns revolutionary in Rio de
Janeiro's most feared slum. Through hip-hop music, the rhythms of the
street, and Afro-Brazilian dance he rallies his community to war against
the violent oppression enforced by teenage drug armies and sustained by corrupt police. At the dawn of liberation, just as collective mobility is overcoming all odds and
Anderson's grassroots AfroReggae movement is at the height of its success, a tragic accident threatens to silence the movement forever.
Favela Rising LLC115 W. 29th St. 10th Fl, New York, NY 10001
[email protected], www.favelarising.com
17
Feature Competition
World Premier - Feb. 21, 10:00 pm
Hand of God
96 minutes, 2005, miniDV, USA
By Joe Cultrera
How does a film about Catholic clergy abuse not descend into
depression? It helps when the victim doesn't act like one - but
uses his own intellect and humor to fight back. Unlike any other
look at this topic - Hand of God is a provocative tale of one survivor
and his family. The paint is peeled off generations of blind faith as a
family tries to regain its spiritual footing, and a survivor comes to incendiary conclusions about Corporate Catholicism. This is a visually compelling
and poetic portrait of family, community and the triumph of individual spirits.
Zingerplatz Pictures, 200 Park Ave South, Suite 1612, N.Y., NY 10003
(212)529-3841, [email protected], www.zingerplatz.com
Homemade Hillbilly Jam
80 minutes, 2005, Super 16mm, USA
By Rick Minnich
Hillbillies haven't died off; they've simply become neo-hillbillies.
Three families of musicians in the Ozark Mountains of
Southwestern Missouri give new meaning to the word “hillbilly.”
Float down the backwaters, soak up some old time religion, savor a
washboard duel, and bask in the neon lights of the pseudo-hillbilly
showtown Branson. Lean back and merge into hillbilliness.
Hoferichter & Jacobs GmbH, Alte Schönhauser Str. 9, 10119 Berlin, Germany
+49-30-3087-4560, [email protected], www.hoferichterjacobs.de
McLibel
83 minutes, 2005, DVCAM/Beta SP, UK
By Franny Armstrong
“McLibel” is the story of two ordinary people who humiliated
McDonald's in the biggest corporate PR disaster in history. In the
longest trial in English legal history, the “McLibel Two” represented themselves against McDonald's £10 million legal team. Seven
years later, in February 2005, the marathon legal battle finally concluded at the European Court of Human Rights. And the result took
everyone by surprise - especially the British Government. “McLibel” is not
just about hamburgers. It is about the importance of freedom of speech now that
multinational corporations are more powerful than countries. Filmed over ten years by no-budget
Director Franny Armstrong, “McLibel” is the David and Goliath story of two people who refused to
say sorry. And in doing so, changed the world.
Lizzie Gillett, BCM Spanner Films, London, WC1N 3XX
+44 207 681 0394, [email protected], www.spannerfilms.net
18
Feature Competition
North American Premier - Feb. 20, 10:00 am
Once They Were Neighbours
65 minutes, 2005, DVCAM, Hungary
By Zsuzsanna Varga
Koszeg is a picturesque small town surrounded by mountains on
the Austrian border of Hungary. 60 years have passed since any
Jews have lived here. What did the bystanders see and what do
they believe they saw in their community during the last days of
WWII? The film raises difficult questions regarding the actions of
average non-Jewish Hungarians while their Jewish neighbours were sent
to their death. The people of Koszeg - along with the entire Hungarian society have never really faced the past, never taken responsibility, never asked the questions: How did we
let it happen? What could have been done?
Zsuzsanna Varga, Zsurlo Film Kft., Szél u. 17., 1035 Budapest, Hungary
+36 30 3825388, [email protected], www.zsurlofilm.com/OnceTheyWereNeighbours/
World Premier - Feb. 22, 11:30 am
The Sandman’s Garden
66 minutes, 2005, miniDV, USA
By Arthur Crenshaw
The Sandman's Garden examines the life and art of Lonnie
Holley, a self-taught African-American artist based in
Birmingham, Alabama. The film follows Holley as he builds a
sculptural environment out of discarded materials and found
objects in the Birmingham Museum of Art's sculpture garden. His
art is by turns profound, playful, and deeply moving. As the garden
grows piece by piece, Holley is revealed as a man who has overcome a tortured past. Growing up poor and black in the 20th century American South,
Holley worked to overcome prejudice and deprivation by using art to explore his life and ideas. The
camera captures the artist's process and reflections as he gathers materials, creates pieces, interacts
with others, and relives the joys and sorrows that forged his unique and genuine artwork.
Arthur Crenshaw, Furnace Films, 4306 Overlook Road, Birmingham, AL 35222
(205)533-3348, [email protected]
Sentenced Home
76 minutes, 2005, DVCAM, USA/Cambodia
By David Grabias and Nicole Newnham
Raised as Americans in inner-city Seattle, three Cambodian
refugees each made a rash decision as a teenager-committing a
crime that irrevocably shaped their destiny. Now as adults 20 years
later, they find themselves caught between a tragic past and an
uncertain future by a system that doesn't offer any second chances.
“Sentenced Home” puts a human face on U.S. deportation policy, following the heart-breaking sagas of these three Cambodian-Americans full-circle.
Told in first-person narration, through the voices of the three deportees, their families and their
friends, “Sentenced Home” interweaves their dramatic cinema-verité stories and raises timely questions about immigration, civil rights, and cultural identity that have no easy answer.
Sentenced Home Productions, 4302 1/2 Melrose Ave., Suite B, Los Angeles, CA 90029
323-661-4700, [email protected]
19
Feature Competition
Village Life
61 minutes, 2005, DVCAM, England
By Nick O'Dwyer and Rachel Bliss
Botton Village - tucked away high on England's north Yorkshire
moors - is part soap opera; part Village of the Damned. It's a
bold social experiment where 136 special needs “villagers” with
learning difficulties live in a commune with 100 “co-workers.”
Partly because of its isolation, Botton is a place of high emotion
where outbursts of bizarre behavior are part of the routine and are
benignly tolerated. Landmark Films was given remarkably free access to
Botton and “Village Life” - filmed over a cold winter - is an extraordinary mix
of conflict, emotion and weirdness. “Village Life” unfolds in a series of observed scenes, allowing
special needs people to speak for themselves, unmediated by experts or educational therapists. The
result is a film which is raw, direct, honest and provocative.
Landmark Films, 11 Evelyn Court, 267b Cowley Road, Oxford, England OX4 1GY
+44 (0)1865 297220, [email protected], www.landmarkfilms.com
Waiting to Inhale
85 minutes, 2005, DVCAM, USA
By Jed Riffe
“Waiting to Inhale” takes the viewer from underground pot clubs
to the U.S. Supreme Court, from Israeli science labs to government approved marijuana gardens outside London. It features
leading experts and researchers from all over the world on both
sides of the controversy over the therapeutic potential of marijuana.
In the U.S., ten states have passed laws with medical marijuana provisions. Yet use, cultivation and possession - for any reason - remain illegal
under federal law. In the film we see the ensuing battles while exploring deeper
issues of medical ideologies. “Waiting to Inhale” is not a propaganda film for either side of this international conflict, instead focusing on passionate individuals enmeshed in a struggle whose stakes are
nothing short of life and death.
Jed Riffe, Beyond the Dream, LLC, 2600 Tenth Street Suite 437, Berkeley, CA 94710
(510)845-2044, [email protected], www.beyondthedream.org
Weekend Warriors
93 minutes, 2005, MiniDV, Germany
By Alexa Oona Schulz
American Football is not only played in the US but also in
Germany. Four young amateur football players from Berlin are
the main focus of the film. For them this all-American sport is
more than just a hobby and more than just a game. Football gives
them guidance in life and a boost to their masculine ego. Weekend
Warriors portraits Herbie - the mama's boy, Tilo - the show-off, Johnny the young and confused, and Thomas - the thinker, during one football season
with the “Berlin Adler”. The film explores in a humorous way how personal goals, moral values and
rituals from the football fields are applied to real life and vice versa.
Blue Moon Film, chustehrusstr. 45, 10585 Berlin
+49(0)171 17 200 74, www.blue-moon-film.com, www.weekendwarriorsfilm.com
20
21
Welcome to
Missoula!
Enjoy the
Big Sky Documentary
Film Festival
Oasis in the Alley
115 1/2 South 4th West
(corner of 4th and Higgins beside the Holiday station)
Tired of the Usual?
See you at Tipu’s
Menu: www.tipustiger.com
Take Out: 542-0622
Delivery by Café Courier: 829-9500
22
LAMBROS REAL ESTATE
Pepsi Cola Bottling
of Missoula
TWILA
WILA WOLFE
OLFE
Buying or Selling...
“Talk to Twila”
406-532-9252 • [email protected]
www.twilawolfe.com
Short Competition
Afloat
By Erin Hudson
From the intimate vantage point of a senior community swimming pool, water and time suspend both body and memory. This
film travels underwater and above water to create a gentle meditation on growing old, feeling young, and living life.
Erin Hudson, 650-380-8601, [email protected], www.rotationfilms.com
Another World
52 minutes, 2005, MiniDV, France
By Steve Moreau
The incredible story of two young men: Sébastien Lefebvre, a
Frenchman aged 27, and Jeremy Hinton, an Englishman aged 23.
Coincidence and confidence in each other brought them together.
They had only known each other for a few hours, spoke different
languages, and had different approaches to navigation and life in
general. Together, on the 22nd of October, 2003 at 7 o'clock in the
morning, they set forth from the island of La Gomera on one of the most
difficult sporting events in the world: rowing across the Atlantic Ocean.
Les Films du Voilier, 32, rue de l'Arcade, 75008 Paris - France
+33 (0) 1 40 06 07 36, [email protected], www.lesfilmsduvoilier.com
Montana Premier - Feb. 17, 10:00 am
Bhopal: The Search for Justice
52 minutes, 2004, DV, India/Canada
By Lindalee Tracey & Peter Raymont
On December 2, 1984, the Union Carbide pesticide plant in
Bhopal, India, leaked poisonous methyl isocyanate gas, killing at
least 15,000 men, women and children. Hundreds of thousands
more were permanently maimed. Twenty years later, amid charges
of corruption, graft and suppression of medical and environmental
research about the tragedy, the victims are still not adequately compensated and cared for. Journalist Raajkumar Keswani, whose prediction
of the Union Carbide disaster proved prophetic, documents the legacy and
introduces us to the leading scientists, doctors and activists in his search for justice.
National Film Board of Canada, 1-800-542-2164, http://nfb.ca/
23
Short Competition
Blue Fish
21 minutes, 2005, MiniDV, USA
By Rao Fu
A film about the decisions and sacrifices we all have to make in
life. A promising young pianist is forced to choose between his
musical aspirations and his family.
Rosie Fu, 5455 Kiowa Dr. #39, La Mesa, CA 91942
Caught in the Crossfire
18 minutes, 2005, MiniDV, Iraq
By Mark Manning
With exclusive footage, never before seen in western media,
Caught in the Crossfire tells the true and untold story of the civilians of Falluja, Iraq. Shot from November 2004 to April 2005
inside the city of Falluja this film details the conditions experienced
by civilians as they endured the violent clashes and consequences of
Operation Phantom Fury and became refugees outside the eyes and care
of the international community. Caught in the Crossfire exposes the annihilation, not the liberation, of the Iraqi people. By detailing what is actually happening to these civilians,
the film shows why the people of Iraq have lost faith in the stated American policy goals and why,
with the loss of “hearts and minds” in Iraq, there is now no way for America to win this war.
Conception Media, PO box 2219, Santa Barbara CA 93120
[email protected], www.conceptionmedia.net
Cheating Death
25 minutes, 2005, DV, Canada
By Eric Geringas
At 13 years old, Gyasi Ferdinand was a sweet kid from Trinidad,
living with his mom in suburban Toronto. By 17, he was making
$2000 a night selling crack cocaine on some of the roughest street
corners in Canada. The 9mm pistol in his waistband had earned him
the street name J9.
“Couldn't be more timely... A rare entry into the world of pure
violence.” - Globe and Mail
Golden Sheaf - Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival, 2005
Third World Newsreel, 545 Eighth Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10018
(212)947-9277, [email protected], www.twn.org
24
Short Competition
The Cole Nobody Knows
21 minutes, 2005, MiniDV, USA, Switzerland and France
By Clay Walker
A documentary on Chicago-native Freddy Cole, the lesser
known, yet equally talented younger brother of Nat “King” Cole.
At age 74, with his current recording topping the jazz charts,
Freddy Cole is finally being recognized for his amazing musical talent. The Cole Nobody Knows features extraordinary, never-beforeseen live performance material with Freddy Cole and his quartet. The
film also includes interviews with music legends Monty Alexander, Clark Terry,
David “Fathead” Newman, John di Martino, H Johnson, Carl Anthony and many others.
Clay Walker, Plan B Productions
www.planbproductions.com, [email protected]
Dodge City
5 minutes, 2005, DVCAM/MiniDV/Digital Beta, USA
by Jeff Dell
This short reminds us of the horrible toll war takes on children.
Two children are exploring a playground miniature of Old Dodge
City, a name synonymous with violence of the Old West. The
health and vigor of these children at play becomes a shocking contrast to the scenes of children injured by war that begin to appear. Be
prepared for some disturbing images.
Jeff Dell, 6 Longridge Lane, East Hampton, NY 11937
Do You Want the
Elephant Music
17 minutes, 2005, 35mm, USA and Africa
By Leslie Dektor
The ring allows us to see the lives and feelings of the circus performers and how they reflect our own lives. Do You Want the
Elephant Music is an artistic endeavor that captures the imagination
with its unique cinematography and editorial style. What is it that lies
always outside or beyond the ring? We are being asked to look elsewhere.
Best Cinematography - 2005 Hermosa Shorts Film Festival
Leslie Dektor, 1151 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, CA 90038
25
Short Competition
The Elevator Operator
By Jonathan Skurnik
The Elevator Operator is a meditation on the simultaneous
power and futility of hope. Eugene Sheiman runs a manual elevator in a New York City office building, trapped in his six by six foot
cage. We discover that Eugene, a Ukrainian immigrant, was a journalist in Kiev and has published a novel in Russian. Now that he's an
American citizen, The Elevator Operator reveals his
big dream.
Mint Leaf Productions
(917)658-2811, [email protected], www.mintleafproductions.com
Emma
By Valerie N. Krex
Emma is the coming of age portrait that follows Emma Carney
through her turbulent first year of high school in Missoula,
Montana. Largely shot in the first person, Emma begins to document her experiences following her release from an adolescent mental health unit. Struggling to stay afloat in the public school system,
Emma candidly details the obstacles surrounding her adolescence as well
as her methods of escape. With original music by Morning Spy, Emma allows
for a real-life glimpse into girlhood, womanhood, and the places in between.
Valerie N. Krex, (406)370-7799, [email protected]
G8 Scotland
42 minutes, 2005, DVCAM, Scotland
By Edinburgh Youth Against War
When the G8 World Leaders came to Scotland recently in July
2005, seasoned activists and concerned individuals were ready for
them. Against a background of escalating and menacing police
presence on the streets of Edinburgh, it shows their articulate views
about Make Poverty History, the African Debt Crisis, Global
Warming, Free Trade, Holy Bob Geldof and the supposed “Lennon and
McCartney” of International Debt Relief - Brown and Blair. This arresting
and compelling film smashes the myth of apathy and lethargy in the younger generation, and presents a youth account of one of the most significant weeks in Scotland's current political history.
Pilton Video, 30 Ferry Rd Ave, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH4 4BA
0044 131 343 1151, www.piltonvideo.org
26
Short Competition
Grand Luncheonette
By Peter Sillen
Grand Luncheonette documents the last days of one of the 42nd
Street's unforgettable hot dog lunch counters. Its closing marks
the final stage of the much publicized gentrification of Times
Square.
Peter Sillen, Pumpernickel Inc, 12 E. 10th Street, New York , NY 10003
(212)228-1905, [email protected], www.pumpernickelinc.com
Gray Days
By Katherine Leggett
A graying American population and a record number of people
incarcerated present an alarming trend: a dramatic increase of
elderly in our state prisons. Built around the compelling stories of
two elderly inmates in two North Carolina prisons, this film confronts the lives of an often-ignored population within our criminal justice system.
Katherine Leggett, 119 North Monroe Street, Stoughton, WI 53589
[email protected]
Gussie
50 minutes, 2005, MiniDV/Super 8mm, USA
By Meshakai Wolf
"You don't feel that you're old,” says Gussie Adams, the 104 year
old subject of this film. “Gussie” is a vivid portrait of one woman's
accumulated wisdom and memories. Despite old age and recurring
illness, Gussie remains inquisitive and lucid throughout the film,
often turning the spotlight of attention upon her great-grandson
behind the camera, grilling him about his own life while he attempts to
learn about hers. Through moments of tenderness and poignant humor,
“Gussie” achieves more than a colorful portrait of old age in America; it points to the remarkable
potential for communion between young and old.
Meshakai Wolf, 134 New Street, Decatur, GA 30030
404-373-9043, [email protected], www.gussiefilm.com
27
Short Competition
Hammer and Flame
10 minutes
2005, Digital Betacam, UK/India
The hull of an immense tanker broken open like an eggshell. A
man descending into a dark trap of sparks and smoke. A crankshaft broken in two using only a chisel and a pair of sledgehammers. Circles within circles, ship following ship. In the demolition
wards of Northern India we enter an enigma, a world at the edge of
our own, where in an unending cycle the greatest of manmade titans are
unpieced with the simple tools of hammer and flame.
Vaughan Pilikian, Unruowe,
2 Hesperus Crescent, Isle of Dogs, London, England E14 3AD, United Kingdom
+44 (0) 7940 212 770, [email protected], http://www.unruowe.com
United States Premier - Feb. 20, 2:30 pm
The Intimacy of Strangers
19 minutes, 2005, MiniDV/DVCAM, UK
By Eva Weber
You used to have to make an effort to overhear other people's
conversations, now you have to make an effort not to. The
Intimacy of Strangers is a story of life, love, loss and hope - entirely
constructed out of real, overheard cell phone conversations of random strangers. Exploring the conflict between the private and public,
between being intimate yet distant, the film weaves these seemingly random exchanges into a modern-day love story that is both absurd and tender.
Hemant Sharda, Bucks HP9 1LG
National Film and Televison School (UK), Beaconsfield Studios, Station Road, Beaconsfield
+44 (0) 1494 731 452, [email protected]
Left Behind
24 minutes, 2005
miniDV, Thailand
Since 1975, thousands of hilltribe Hmong have fled Laos' communist government, which hunts them down for having sided with
the US during the Vietnam War. In late 2004, Hmong refugees
arrived in the northern Thai village of Nam Khao. On July 4th,
2005, the Thai government evicted the Hmong onto the street, denying
them shelter, food and water, and preparing to send them back to Laos.
For the government, these are not refugees. They are illegal migrants.
Laurent Gorse, LFG Productions, Whittayu Complex #23-C1, Bangkok, Thailand 10400
66 4.772.9236, [email protected]
28
Short Competition
Life List
By Tom Dunlap
A warm-hearted and lyrical documentary that examines the
philosophies, motivations, and field behaviors of two different
birders, one a young college student in Minnesota and the other a
retired social worker in Arizona. The film compares and contrasts
the birding experiences of these individuals, focusing on the social and
competitive aspects of the sport of birding, and the value of keeping
records of all the birds they have seen. From the Southwestern deserts to the
frozen shores of Lake Superior, Life List uncovers the intrigue behind one of the fastest growing
activities in the United States.
Best Documentary Short - Northern Lights Documentary Film Festival, 2005
Tom Dunlap, Comeuppance Productions
(818) 288-1128, [email protected], www.comeuppanceproductions.com
Living to Work
By Leah Wolchok
A cinematic meditation on the meaning of work in America. This
visual poem explores the relationship between the elite obsession
with success and the working class struggle to make a living wage.
What begins as a city symphony morphs into an abstract montage,
and by the end, the film asks whether living to work is living at all.
Leah Wolchok, 1021 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 637-7390, [email protected]
My Saraab
22 minutes, 2005, MiniDV, USA/Iraq
By Sarna Lapine
In Arabic the word saraab means mirage, often used as a
metaphor for survival in the midst of war. Political refugee Sabah
Al-Dhaher returns home to Iraq: confronted with his past and the
loss of hope, Sabah seeks solace through painting and carving in a
world torn asunder by war.
Sarna Lapine, Journey Girl Productions, 350 W. 110th Street #3E, New York, NY 10025
(212)662-2524, [email protected], www.sarnalapine.com
29
Short Competition
Out in the Heartland
By Gretchen Hildebran
Through the stories of gay Kentucky parents, Out in the
Heartland examines the impact of the 2004 campaign to ban gay
marriage on families and communities. As the amendment
emerges from churches onto the ballot, these parents fear for the
safety of their families. By giving a face to those at the center of this
issue Out in the Heartland illuminates the consequences anti-gay amendments have for real families and for us all.
Frameline Distribution, 145 Ninth St, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 703-8650, [email protected], www.frameline.org/distribution
World Premier - Feb. 18. 5:00 pm
PHASE, Iran 2005
40 minutes, 2005, miniDV, Iran
By Kamal Bahar
Using a series of interviews with everyday Iranians, PHASE, Iran
2005 documents common perceptions of drug use in Iran. During
recent years, traditional opium use is gradually replaced by the
proliferation of synthetic drugs including Ecstasy. Young people
have their own personal and social motives and reasoning to take X.
Escaping present political and cultural realities seems to be a common
theme. PHASE, Iran 2005 is a journey into the spirit of a society with scarcity
of happiness and hope.
Mr. Massih Bahar, Bahar Doc Film
249, Karegar Shomali St, Bahar lab Bldg., Tehran 14146 - Iran
T: + 98 21 88 96 95 45, M: +98912 1000 227, E: [email protected], www.bahar-doc-film.com
Platinum
54 minutes, 2005, MiniDV/8mm/16mm, USA
By Sean Pecknold
In 1985, they found the mountain... and dreamed of a contest...
Hidden away in the remote mountains of the Pacific Northwest,
the pioneers of snowboarding created a race, not for money or
fame, but for the sake of pure riding. Since those early days The Mt.
Baker Legendary Banked Slalom has remained true to the essence of
snowboarding. Every year, pioneers and pros from around the world
return to their roots and race side by side with the next generation of riders for
a roll of duct tape. This film celebrates the past, present, and future of a race that defined the soul of
a sport.
Sean Pecknold, Flying Spot Pictures, 1008 Western Ave. Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98104
(206)464-0744, [email protected], www.flyingspot.com
30
Short Competition
Northwest Regional Premier - Feb. 16, 3:30 pm
Pushing Up Daisies
30 minutes, 2005, Beta SP/MiniDV, USA
By Doug Whyte
Pushing Up Daisies delves into the world of American funeral
directors, revealing the rarely witnessed behind-the-scenes action
of the death care industry. It takes an intimate look into the daily
lives of two very different funeral directors: Ronald L. Jones, a flamboyant, philosophical man in urban St. Louis, lured into the business
by the big cars, fancy suits and rumors of riches; and Peter Burla, an austere, down-to-earth man in Ironwood, Michigan, who views his one-man operation as a chance to earn a modest, respectable living. Examining the lives and work of these professionals gives an insight into the heart of our culture.
7th Art Releasing, 7551 Sunset Blvd, Ste 104, Los Angeles, CA 90046
[email protected], www.7thart.com
Sweet Little Sixties
4 minutes, 8mm, 2005, USA
by Martin & Suzy Holt
This is a prologue to the third chapter in the story of my era. It
suggests the messages I heard in the fifties which set up my emergence into adulthood. It was about the music of what's happening
and of what is possible. It feasted on the excitement of being
engaged and challenged and on fire. It was about setting up situations
where a life could be imagined and a real life lived. It is a movie within a
movie. I am none. I come from nowhere. I meet the beautiful people. I
see the light. I get the gift of the capture.
Montana Art Works, 576 3 Street, Helena, MT 59601
(406) 442 6331, [email protected]
Two Museums
53 minutes, 2005, Super 16mm, Canada
By Lea Nakonechny
Two Museums is a cinematic exploration of memory and place set
in the starkly beautiful landscape of the Canadian prairies. Firsttime filmmaker Lea Nakonechny follows two characters-one at the
beginning of life's journey and one at the end-to portray the cyclical
beauty of farm life. Two Museums weaves the lives of these people
into a universal experience that speaks to the nature of identity in the face
of change.
“...a timeless film, a continuation of a poignant story that is older than the province itself.” Nick
Miliokas, Regina Leader-Post
Judges Award, Best Film In Category - San Diego Girl Film Festival, 2005
Arid Sea Films, Box 2167, Swift Current, SK S9H 4V1, Canada
(306) 773-8980, [email protected], www.aridsea.com
31
Short Competition
World Premier - Feb. 20 , 11:20 am
Unschooled
By Jason Marsh
Unschooled follows three families that practice the homeschooling philosophy known as “unschooling,” where there is no curriculum, and kids have no tests or lessons. Parents trust that their children's own intrinsic interests will lead them to the skills they need
for a full and happy life. The film presents one of the most radical
approaches to the crisis of pubic education in this country. It also offers
an intimate, often lighthearted, portrait of three families staking their place
outside the American mainstream.
Jason Marsh, 2041B Ashby Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94703
(510)644-0860, [email protected], www.unschooledfilm.com
Vocalize
By Robert Bregman
Elliot Gerard has one dream in life: To become a rapper.
Unfortunately, he doesn't quite fit the criteria of the typical hiphop lyricist as we have come to understand it today. For starters,
he's White and Jewish. But he won't let that get in the way.
Best Documentary, 2005 Dusty Film Festival
Best Documentary Short, 2005 Great Lakes Film Festival
Robert Bregman, 77 Bleecker Street (Apt 804), New York, NY 10012
917-514-8506, [email protected]
32
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33
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Bldg. 322 Fort Missoula • Missoula, MT 59804 • 406 728-3476
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34
Big Sky Award
Clearcut: The Story of
Philomath, ORegon
72 minutes, 2005, mini-DV, USA
By Peter Richardson
In the rural Oregon logging town of Philomath, every high
school graduate has their college tuition paid thanks to the generosity of local lumber baron Rex Clemens. But when a new
schools Superintendent arrives from Chicago, the administrators of
the scholarship become concerned over the increasingly “liberal” direction of the schools. The conflict between the old-time loggers and the “urban
immigrants” escalates dramatically, and the scholarship administrators deliver an ultimatum: either
the superintendent leaves, or the scholarship is withdrawn, leaving the town's children without
money for college.
Peter Richardson, Bicoastal Films LLC, 963 NW Jackson Avenue #302, Corvallis, OR 97330
310-936-1333, www.clearcutmovie.com, [email protected]
Cowboy Del Amor
87 minutes, 2005, HD, USA and Mexico
By Michèle Ohayon
Cowboy Del Amor is a documentary comedy about a cowboyturned-matchmaker who can't manage his own love life. It follows self-proclaimed “Cowboy Cupid” Ivan Thompson, as he finds
Mexican brides for disillusioned American men searching for the
perfect wife. His clients include Rick, an ex-marine long-distance
truck driver, and Lee, a hopeful 70-year-old Vietnam Veteran. They
willingly pay $3,000 for a 600-mile bus ride into the heart of Mexico in
search for true love. He might not look like he knows much about love, but his
success rate proves that he just might. His strategies are quirky and entertaining, from posting ads in
the Mexican papers to checking his clients' pulse. As Ivan says, anyone can find a wife, as long as they
have the “huevos” to do something about it. Love doesn't just stroll up and say 'Howdy!'
Homeland Film Productions, 2337 High Oak Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068
[email protected], www.cowboydelamor.com
El Inmigrante
90 minutes, 2005, MiniDV, USA/Mexico
By John Sheedy, David Eckenrode and John Eckenrode
EL INMIGRANTE examines the Mexican and American border
crisis through the story of Eusebio de Haro, a young Mexican
migrant who was shot and killed during one of his journeys north.
The film presents a distinct humanitarian focus in which story and
character take precedent over policy and empiricism. The cast includes
de Haro's family, the community of Brackettville, Texas-where Eusebio
was shot, members of vigilante border militias in Arizona, the horseback border patrol in El Paso, and migrants en route to an uncertain future in the United States.
David Eckenrode, 2412 Delwood Ave., Durango, CO 81302
970-759-9683, [email protected], www.elinmigrantemovie.com
35
Big Sky Award
- Feb. 16, 11:00 am
The Fire Within
10 minutes, 2005, MiniDV and 16mm, USA
By Danny Reyes
This is a ten minute film about a young girl who is paralized and
goes to the Burning Man Festival to spin fire as a performer. Her
story is told about how she became paralized and what she has
learned from her accident. She also gives us a great show of 'Poi'
(fire-spinning) at the unique 2004, Burning Man Festival. This is an in
depth look at one's determination and spiritual growth.
Danny Reyes, 836 South 4th West, Missoula, MT 59801
Hot Afternoons Have Been in
Montana
By Ken Kimmelman
Based on the esteemed 1925 Nation prize-winning poem by Eli
Siegel, this dramatic and colorful montage, combining still photography, live-action and special effects, shows how a hot afternoon in
Montana is related to the whole world--people, places, things, eventspast and present. It so deeply honors the earth--its land, history and
people.
“Ken Kimmelman's reproduction, on film , of Eli Siegel's magisterial
poem, is an extraordinary achievement. It matches, in its visual beauty, the elegance of Siegel's words,
and adds the dimension of stunning imagery to an already profound work of art.” - Howard Zinn,
Historian
Imagery Film,Ltd., 91 Bedford Street, New York, NY 10014
212-243-5579, [email protected], http://ifl.home.mindspring.com
Last Thoughts
By Kevin Henry
In 1926, a sixteen-year-old boy hopped his first train from
Oklahoma to California, beginning a ten-year odyssey marked by
life-changing experiences. He kept his stories from those
Depression years to himself until the eve of his death, when he made
a tape recording for posterity. Seventy-five years after that first train
ride, his grandson would set out with that tape and a 16mm camera, looking for echoes of those experiences in the modern landscape. Last Thoughts is
an impressionistic tour of the American West, past and present, guided by the voice of a dying hobo.
Kevin Henry, PO Box 1199, Carmel, CA 93921
www.last-thoughts.com, [email protected]
36
Big Sky Award
Milepost 314
By Anne Devereux
Where great corridors of migrating wildlife and human commerce intersect, “Milepost 314” profiles Bozeman wildlife biologist April Craighead's efforts to make freeways less destructive to
our natural heritage. Filmed along Interstate 90 just east of
Bozeman, filmmaker and scientist explore solutions to prevent hundreds of animals from dying in collisions with automobiles each year.
Anne Devereux, The Dept. of Moving Pictures, 621 Canary Lane, Bozeman, MT 59715
[email protected], www.thedmp.com
Site Specific-Las Vegas ‘05
By Olivo Barbieri
One of a series of aerial city studies by Olivo Barbieri, begins
over the deserts of Arizona and Nevada and soon reaches the fantasy glitter world of Las Vegas. A portrait of materialism, Barbieri's
film confounds - the miniature-sized pedestrians, cars and architecture appear as artificial as toys; monumental feats of engineering (the
Hoover Dam or the Fountains at Bellagio) seem strangely out-of-context
within the natural landscape; and the development of the Las Vegas Strip causes one to ask, what motivates such excess?
Wonder Inc., 372 Richmond Street West, Suite 212, Toronto, Ontario M5V 1X6
(416)585-7911, www.wonderinc.com
Teachings of the Tree People:
The Work of Bruce Miller
58 minutes, 2005, Beta, USA
By Katie Jennings
“The trees were our first teachers.” Known to the Skokomish people of the Pacific Northwest as “subiyay“, National Heritage
Fellow, Gerald Bruce Miller, passed on the silent teachings of the
natural world to anyone who came to learn. A passionate student of the
culture, Bruce became the bearer of the language, oral traditions, art and
spirituality of the Twana people of Hood Canal. This gentle and generous film
documents his race against time and ailing health to pass his knowledge on to the next generation.
The four-part seasonal structure, gradually unfolding narrative, and currents of deep emotion make
Teachings of the Tree People a poignant walk through Indian Country.
IslandWood, 4450 Blakely Ave NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
(206) 855-4300, [email protected], www.islandwood.org
37
Big Sky Award
Walking the Line
58 minutes, 2005, mini-DV, USA
By Jeremy Levine & Landon Van Soest
A harrowing view of the chaos, absurdity, and senseless deaths
along the U.S.-Mexico border through private citizens who are
taking the law into their own hands. The region, celebrated for its
history of lawlessness, has become the most highly trafficked areas
for immigrants in the world—and one of the most dangerous. A shift
in border policy forces migrants to cross the unforgiving desert where
thousands die; those who make it face volatile civilian militias. Following
rancher vigilantes with semiautomatic weapons, outlaw pastors with four-wheel drives, and impoverished immigrants with dreams of a better life, the film explores the uncertain line between what is
patriotic, what is moral, and what is just.
Jeremy Levine, 513 S. Aurora St., Ithaca, NY 14850
[email protected], www.walkingthelinemovie.com
Jack Victor
Christian Brooks
Corbin
Hart Schaffer Marx
Missoula 129 N Higgins
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38
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Welcome to the
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www.barneyjettejewelry.com
39
Out of Competition
Aerosol
23 minutes, 2004, HD, Spain
By Miguel Angel Rolland
A portrait of four graffiti writers from Madrid and Barcelona:
SUSO33, ISRA, SIXE and KAPI. They are part of a pioneering
and illustrated generation in Street Art. For that same reason,
their words and the development of four pieces (one by each artist)
are the guides through this documentary. Shot in High Definition
Aerosol shows these four people's passion about a new, radical, urban and
deserving of greater respect art.
Miguel Angel Rolland, Calle Colmenares 13 4C, Madrid, Madrid 28004, Spain
+34915218802, [email protected], http://www.docusmadrid.org, www.aerosoldocumental.com
Agnes Martin: With my back to
the World
By Mary Lance
A groundbreaking documentary on the internationally renowned
painter, designated by ARTnews Magazine one of the world's topten living artists. This documentary was shot over a period of four
years, from 1998 through 2002, Agnes Martin's ninetieth year.
Interviews with the artist are cut with shots at work in her studio in
Taos, New Mexico, with photographs and archival footage, and with images
of her work from over five decades. It is a venue for Martin to speak about her
work, her working methods, her life as an artist, and her views about the creative process. She also
discusses her film, Gabriel and reads from her poetry and lectures. In keeping with Martin's chosen
life of solitude, she alone appears in the documentary.
New Deal Films, Inc., PO Box 2953, Corrales, NM 87048 USA
505-897-9738, [email protected], www.newdealfilms.com
B 224
23 minutes, 1999, 35mm, Germany
By Rainer Komers
The B 224 is one of the major highways leading through the Ruhr
area, one of Germany's most industrial and most densely populated regions. It runs south and north again connecting Gladbeck,
Bottrop, Essen, Wuppertal and Solingen. B224 is a purely observation film, created from striking cinematography taken along this road
corridor. Made by acclaimed German filmmaker Rainer Komers, winner
of a special jury prize at the 2005 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival for his
film, “Nome Road System."
Rainer Komers Film, Moritzstrasse 102, D-45476 Mülheim an der Ruhr
+49-208-77 94 38, [email protected]
40
Out of Competition
The Big Question
67 minutes, 2004, Beta SP, Italy
By Francesco Cabras & Alberto Molinari
Shot on the set of The Passion of the Christ, this film explores
essential questions of the nature of divinity and belief through
interviews with the cast and crew of 'The Passion,' including director Mel Gibson, and actors Monica Belluchi and Jim Caviezel. The
Big Question is based on an idea that is very simple yet rather complex: it poses extremely direct questions to a large and varied group of
people regarding their own intimate perception of the divine.
Ganga Film, Largo Generale Gonzaga del Vodice, 4, 00195 - Roma
+39 06 37.41.11.05, www.gangafilm.com, [email protected]
The Birdpeople
By Michael Gitlin
A loosely-knit community of birdwatchers in New York's Central
Park; ornithologists with their specimen collections at a dozen different natural history museums; bird banders gingerly extracting
birds from mist nets and collecting data in upstate New York; six
people searching for an extinct bird in a Louisiana bayou: these are
the strands that are woven together by The Birdpeople as it documents a
passionate fixation. Part cultural history, part self-reflexive anthropology, by
turns humorous and elegiac, The Birdpeople examines the pleasures and problems of looking and
naming, and investigates the social construction of nature, centered on ornithology and its amateur
counterpart, bird watching.
Michael Gitlin, 106 1/2 North 8th Street, Apt. 4L, Brooklyn, NY 11211
[email protected], www.flatsurfacefilms.com
The Color of Love
68 minutes, miniDV, 2004, Iran
by Maryam Keshavarz
One week each year Iranians stay out all night. Women abandon
legal curfews. Men weep. Communities gather to mourn their
saint's death, ask that wishes be granted, give thanks for prayers
answered. While this week showcases Iran's most restrictive religious
elements, it offers openings for this culture's most intimate connections. Is a change in the perception of love inherently political because it
affects individuals and their view of the world? THE COLOR OF LOVE
shows that freedom is not what we assume it is and love is more than we imagine it to be.
MaraKesh Films, Maryam Keshavarz, 543 Brooklyn Street, #2A, Brooklyn, NY 11215
415 710-7518, [email protected], www.marakeshfilms.com
41
Out of Competition
Don’t Fence Me In
30 minutes, 2004, DV/Beta, Burma
By Ruth Gumnit
Since 1962, Burma has been ruled by a military junta. Despite its
former prosperity and its rich resources, it was voted least developed nation by the UN in 1987, and human rights atrocities continue to prevail. "Don't Fence Me In" chronicles the life of 70-yearold freedom fighter Major Mary On and her people's struggle for
self-determination. Her charismatic storytelling is accompanied by
rare, clandestine footage smuggled out of the Karen refugee camps.
Cynthia Close, Exec. Director, Documentary Educational Resources
101 Morse Street, Watertown, MA 02472
(617)926-0491, [email protected], www.der.org
French Fries to Go
15 minutes, miniDV, 2002, USA
by Howard Donner & Bob Murphy
“French Fries to Go” documents the origins of Telluride
Colorado's Biodiesel project, which resulted in the launching of
the first city bus in the nation to operate on 100% Biodiesel. This
funny and thought provoking film is pure Telluride featuring a cast
of colorful characters from around the region. Heel stomping fun for
the whole family with cameo appearances from Daryl Hannah, Dennis
Weaver and world renowned Doctor Andrew Weil."
Best Environmental Film, 2002 Telluride Mountain Film Festival
Grassolean Solutions, P.O. Box 2928, Telluride, Co 81435
(970) 209-8099, www.Grassolean.com, [email protected]
Game Over: Kasparov and the
Machine
84 minutes, 2004, Beta SP, USA
By Vikram Jayanti
In May 1997 Garry Kasparov, the greatest chess player the world
has ever seen, played Deep Blue, a hulking one and a half ton
IBM supercomputer. Before ranks of the world's media, this was a
chess tournament and scientific experiment that would question our
dominance as the most intelligent entity on the planet. To win the
match, the computer did what many thought impossible at the time - it
appeared to think like a human. Immediately after the tournament, bleary eyed and
exhausted, Kasparov stormed into the final press conference and, under the glare of the world's
media, accused IBM of cheating, alleging they had tampered with the machine during play. Within
24 hours of Deep Blue's victory, IBM's share price rose by some 2.5%, adding over $2 Billion to the
company's value.
THINKFilm, Amanda Sherwin, (646)293-9400, [email protected]
42
Out of Competition
Happy Crying Nursing Home
By Niklas Vollmer
With an almost frightening intensity, videomaker Niklas Sven
Vollmer captures the enveloping void of fatherhood in “HAPPY
CRYING NURSING HOME." In penetratingly honest detail,
Vollmer charts the feelings of loneliness, jealousy and tenderness,
the bitter, complex cocktail of despair and love that define his relationships to his child, his partner * and his camera. A powerful and witty,
self-referential treatise on technology's gendered function and an analysis of
what the camera means in a father's hands.
Niklas Vollmer, 2796 Alston Drive SE, Atlanta, GA 30317
It’s Like That
7 minutes, 2003, 16mm, Australia
By the Southern Ladies Animation Group
An animated documentary based on the recorded voices of three
children. They were interviewed by phone while being detained in
one of Australia's several Immigration Detention Centers, in accordance with the Australian Migration Act of Mandatory Detention of
Asylum Seekers. The children are depicted as caged migratory birds.
They reflect on their environment, the food and what they imagine
Australia is like outside the facility.
Southern Ladies Animation Group (SLAG), P.O.Box 2103, Brighton Nth, 3186, AUSTRALIA
+61(0)438211263, [email protected]
Lawn
By Monteith McCollum
An exploration of our relationship with nature and our desire to
control it, and how our perception of others is affected by the
condition of their lawns. A man struggles to go chemical-free to
ensure the health of his child.
Latent Films, 677 Halsey Valley Rd., Barton, NY 13737
43
Out of Competition
Mashallah
73 minutes, 2004, Digibeta, Israel
By Eytan Harris
A mysterious combination between murder and poetry. A brutal
murder of an anonymous Palestinian taxi driver drew a lot of
attention only to be soon forgotten. Some years later the two main
Israeli newspapers published a few poems, written in Hebrew and
signed by an unknown Palestinian author. “Mashallah", the first poem,
described a terrible experience of pain, misery and death. With grace and
a sure sense of plot, the film weaves together the stories of the victim’s family,
the murderer, the investigators and mysterious poet, who adds a fascinating element of literary
intrigue to this tale of lives forever linked by tragedy.
Eytan Harris Productions, 15 Yair Street, Zichron Yaacov, 30900 Israel
+972 4 6396224, [email protected]
The Mythologist
26 minutes, 2004, Digital Beta/35mm, UK
By John Lundberg
On the surface 'Armen Victorian' seems like a regular guy. He
lives in Nottingham with his wife and two children and his occupations have been variously listed as insurance salesman, shop assistant and cleaner. But dig a little deeper and Armen's life starts to
resemble that of a latter-day Walter Mitty. Diplomat, adventurer,
UFO investigator, crop circle researcher, intelligence officer - is this the
secret life of a Nottingham shop assistant?
Jerwood First Cuts Documentary Award - Sheffield International Documentary Festival
John Lundberg, +44 (0)771 575 4018, [email protected], www.offkilter.co.uk
NH 2
53 minutes, 2004, Beta SP, Germany
By Rainer Komers
The Indian National Highway No. 2 or “Grand Trunk Road”
starts at Kolkata, cuts through the industrial areas of West Bengal
and Bihar and meets the Ganges at Varanasi. The film documents
three separate trips leaving the NH 2 to go north to Shantineketan
(the international university established by Rabindranath Tagore and
the ashram founded by his father), to Parasnath Hill, and to the sacred
Buddhist pilgrimage centre Bodh Gaya. NH2 is a purely observational film
made by acclaimed German filmmaker Rainer Komers, winner of a special jury prize at the 2005 Big
Sky Documentary Film Festival for his film, “Nome Road System."
Rainer Komers Film, Moritzstrasse 102, D-45476 Mülheim an der Ruhr
+49-208-77 94 38, [email protected]
44
Out of Competition
On Hostile Ground
By Liz Mermin and Jenny Raskin
On Hostile Ground enters the lives of three abortion providers to
reveal the obstacles (practical, legal, and emotional) that they
face everyday, and shows them struggle with the decision to perform this procedure. They reveal what their professional decision
has done to their personal and family lives. While they each have
their own stories, they are all driven more by personal experiences and
spiritual beliefs than by political conviction. They each Sponsored by:
express anger, confusion, and resentment in their own way.
By weaving together three very different character portraits, this documentary
takes an unusual approach to a volatile social conflict, portraying abortion through
the personal stories of those who are in mortal danger because they provide it.
Aubin Pictures, 136 Grand Street, New York, NY
(212)274-0551, [email protected], www.onhostileground.com
Northwest Regional Premier - Feb. 17, 4:30 pm
One Shot
60 minutes, 2004, BETA SP, ISRAEL
By Nurit Kedar
This is the first time snipers of Israel Defense Forces were ever
interviewed for a film. After 5 weeks of training an Israeli soldier
can become a sniper if he chooses to. Snipers are part of every
combat unit. War scenes in the film were taken by combat soldiers
on duty. Since the last Intifada, Israeli snipers are used for targeted
killing. The image of the gun, the bullet and the man behind them who
waits patiently and calmly, in the quiet darkness in order to fulfill the command
and shoot one single shot - make the sniper appear a heroic fighter and, to others, a cold-blooded
murderer. “ONE SHOT” focuses on snipers who still serve as reserved snipers in the Israeli Army.
They do not regret killing, they still believe in one shot - one kill.
Ruth Diskin Films LTD, 13 Diskin St. Suite 47, Jerusalem, 96440, Israel
972-2-5669691, [email protected], www.ruthfilms.com
Phase II
87 minutes, DV, 2003, Germany/Switzerland
By Tom Streuber
Robert Rappacinski, “Rappa,” is an 18 year old addicted criminal. After getting caught in one crime, he is sentenced to three
months in a monastery - a sort of “work education institution".
Together with seven other addicted delinquents, he has to learn that
a “normal life” should be a goal. Rappa has three months to prove his
attitude changed or he has to stay for at least two more years. This
observational documentary accompanies Rappa and the other inhabitants during these three months.
“...a brilliant filmed opus", Filmwoche
Tom Streuber, +49 163 6386512, [email protected]
45
Out of Competition
Pleasure and Pain
By Danny Clinch
An intriguing and in-depth look at the life that is lived by contemporary roots rock icon Ben Harper. This documentary offers a
rare glimpse into Ben's travels, performances, song writing, religion
and life in general. Along with a rare behind-the-scenes perspective
of the lives that these enigmatic musicians live, it incorporates concert
footage, backstage clips and what goes into producing Ben Harper's performances. Not just another self-indulgent music documentary, Pleasure &
Pain lives up to its name by showing the imperfect yet true humanity behind the performer on a
pedestal.
Matt Henderson, Seventh Art Releasing, 7551 Sunset Blvd., Suite 104, Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323)845-1455, [email protected], www.7thart.com
Post No Bills
By Clay Walker
Political heavy-weights populate this urgent and humorous documentary on the detonative mix of art and politics as embodied in
the work of infamous 'guerilla' poster artist Robbie Conal, a professional painter who has splattered hundreds of thousands of his
caricatured paintings-as-posters across the United States' urban
streets. Photographed in the grainy nighttime streets and in the well-lit
galleries of Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City, this award winning
film documents Conal's efforts through a variety of perspectives, including interviews with gallery
owners, city officials, Daryl Gates, actor Tim Robbins, the Reagans and even Oliver North.
Plan B Productions, www.planbproductions.com, [email protected]
Richart
By Dawn Smallman
While confined to a psychiatric ward at age 50, Richart Tracy
made this discovery: If you want to get out of the hospital start
making art like this. They will get rid of you - fast! This documentary takes a trip through his Art Farm yard, his eccentric art, original
methods and his genius mind (not to mention what he hides in his
basement). “Directors Renwick and Smallman hit the cinematic jackpot
when finding the subject for their documentary, Richart.” Portland Mercury.
Best Documentary Video - Microcinefest 2002, Grand Jury Award
Far Away Films, LLC, 1148 SE 50th Ave., Portland, OR 97215
(503) 295-6832, [email protected], www.farawayfilm.com
46
Out of Competition
- Feb. 18, 9:45 pm
The Salt Men of Tibet
109 minutes, miniDV, 1997, Tibet/Germany
by Ulrike Koch
Shot under extreme conditions in one of the world's most remote
locations, “The Saltmen of Tibet” is a work of sublime beauty and
epic scale. Documenting the ancient traditions and day-to-day rituals of a Tibetan nomadic community, filmmaker Ulrike Koch transports us into a realm untainted by the tides of foreign invasion or
encroaching modernity. Observing age-old taboos and steadfast homage
to the deities of nature, four men meticulously plan their grueling three-month
yak caravan to fetch “the tears of Tara,” the precious salt from the holy lakes of northern Tibet. The
Saltmen of Tibet is a breathtaking collage of image and sound-a majestic tribute to the purity of a
landscape, people and tradition facing extinction.
ZEITGEIST FILMS LTD
(212) 274-1989, [email protected], www.zeitgeistfilms.com
Montana Premier
Bessie & Lolo-Feb. 16, 11:00 am
Noel-Feb. 18, 3:30 pm
Selections from
THE OBITUARY PROJECT
By Hope Tucker
An obituary whittles down one's social contribution down to its
barest form. The last ninety years of a life (BESSIE COHEN, SURVIVOR OF 1911 SHIRTWAIST FIRE, 3 minutes) can be eclipsed by
an escape from a burning building. A porn star with a virtual fan base
(LOLO FERRARI, 1.5 minutes) might have no obituary at all, garnering only an
AP wire report. And a songwriter's identity (NOEL, 5 minutes) remains as obscure as his motives for
penning a popular & didactic American holiday standard.
Hope Tucker, 710 Sanga Creek, Cordova, TN 38018
(901)489-1034, [email protected], www.theobituaryproject.org
Shulie
By Jerry Blumenthal, James Leahy,
Sheppard Ferguson and Allan Rettig
A portrait of 22 year-old Shulamith Firestone in 1967 as she completes the last year of her BFA in painting and photography at
Chicago's School of the Art Institute. Working at the post office to
pay the bills, trying to cope with her own ambivalence about her art
and the harsh judgments of her professors, Shulie shares as much of herself as she can, given the circumstances. The film coincidentally introduces us
to the woman who five years later would write the now legendary manifesto, “The Dialectics of Sex:
The Case For Feminist Revolution."
Kartemquin Films, 1901 W. Wellington, Chicago, IL 60657
773-472-4366, [email protected], www.kartemquin.com
47
Out of Competition
Stranger with a Camera
By Elizabeth Barret
In 1967 eastern Kentucky, Hobart Ison shot and killed Canadian
filmmaker Hugh O'Connor who was documenting conditions of
poverty in Appalachia. “Stranger With A Camera” revisits this
tragedy to explore the complex relationship between filmmakers and
the communities they portray.
Marketing & Sales, Appalshop, Inc., 91 Madison Ave., Whitesburg, Kentucky, 41858
1-800-545-7467, [email protected], www.appalshop.org/
Taylor Chain:
Story in a Union Local
By Jerry Blumenthal and Gordon Quinn
Taylor Chain: Story in a Union Local depicts the gritty realities
of a seven-week strike at a small Indiana chain factory. Volatile,
dramatic union meetings and the increasingly tense interactions on
the picket line provide an inside view of the full range of conflicts in
an authentic grassroots democracy, just as the recently won union is
beginning to feel empowered to confront management with demands for a better contract.
“A tiny stick of dynamite!” - Chicago Tribune
Kartemquin Films, 1901 w. Wellington, Chicago, IL 60657
[email protected], www.kartemquin.com
The Venus Theory
52 minutes, 2004, Digibeta, Finland
“The Venus Theory” is about the possibility of a sudden
catastrophic climate change and the greenhouse effect
spiralling out of control on the Earth. Exploring the possibility
of the Earth's temperature one day equaling the temperature on
the planet Venus, the film includes interviews with leading
scientists from around the world who explain the science behind
climate change. The film covers projections of our atmosphere's
warming in the coming century, and what consequences this holds for our
planet, various species, and mankind.
THE VIDEO PROJECT, Post Office Box 411376, San Francisco, CA 94141-1376
800-4-PLANET, [email protected]
48
Missoula’s Resource for
coordination, development &
support of arts and culture to
benefit Missoula.
www.missoulacultural.org
721.9620
49
Les Blank Retrospective
A Well Spent Life - Feb. 19, 7:45 pm
By Les Blank
A deeply moving tribute to the Texas songster, Mance Lipscomb,
considered by many to be one of the greatest guitarist of all time.
Mance was not “discovered” until 1960, when Chris Strachwitz
first recorded him for Arhoolie Records. Before that, Mance lived
by sharecropping, surviving the brutality of a system not much better
that slavery. Amazingly, instead of growing bitter, the tough times
made him sweet. The film captures Mance's music, set in his hometown
of Navasota, Texas.
Flower Films, 10341 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530
(510)525-0942, [email protected], www.lesblank.com
The Blues According to Lightnin’
Hopkins - Feb. 18, 11:15 am
By Les Blank
In his own words and his “own” music, Lightnin' Hopkins reveals
the inspiration for his blues. He signs, jives, ponders. He boogies
at an outdoor barbecue and a black rodeo, and takes you with him
on a homecoming visit to his boyhood home of Centerville, Texas.
Blank has captured Lightnin' blues in their fullest darkest power. The
film reaches “past the impish bluesman himself into the blues itself, into
the red-clay Texas, into hard times, into black-ness, into the senses... you begin
to understand the reasons why black Texas people might be in love with this land and yet angry with
the poverty.
Burden of Dreams - Feb. 21, 6:30 pm
By Les Blank
An extraordinary feature-length documentary about the messianic German director Werner Herzog struggling against desperate
odds in the Amazon basin to make his epic feature, Fitzcarraldo.
Burden of Dreams was honored with a British Academy Award for
Best Documentary of 1982, and many critics consider it Blank's most
awesome film.
Sponsored by:
50
Dizzy Gillespie - Feb. 18, 11:15 am
20 minutes, 1964, 16mm B&W, USA
By Les Blank
Rare images of immortal bebop jazzman Dizzy Gillespie as he
talks about his beginnings and music theories -- and blows a lot of
hot music on his famous bent horn. Les Blank's earliest music
film, focusing on the trumpet player himself, who, along with
Charlie Parker, Theolonius Monk and others, sparked the change
from jazz into Bop in the '40s.
Gap-Toothed Women
- Feb. 19, 7:45 pm
By Les Blank
A charming valentine to women born with a space between their
teeth, ranging from lighthearted whimsy to a deeper look at issues
like self-esteem and societal attitudes toward standards of beauty.
Interviews were conducted with over one hundred women, including
model Lauren Hutton and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day
O'Connor.
J'ai Été Au Bal - Feb. 19, 10:00 am
(I Went to the Dance)
By Les Blank
The definitive film on the history of the toe-tapping,
foot-stomping music of French Southwest Louisiana. Includes
many Cajun and Zydeco greats, featuring Michael Doucet and
Beausoleil, Clifton Chenier, Marc and Ann Savoy, D.L. Menard,
and many others.
51
Julie: Old Time Tales of the Blue
Ridge - Feb. 18, 11:15 am
By Les Blank
Born in 1903, Julie Lyon, sister of Old Time fiddler Tommy
Jarrell, lights up this gem of a film as she spins tales of her
Appalachian childhood in North Carolina -- and her first
romance. In telling stories of her life, from her midwife grandmother riding horseback through ice storms to deliver babies to her proper
but whimsical courtship of her husband, Julie evokes in an inimitable way
a world of times gone by: of the memories that lie behind a patchwork quilt or
a yellowed daguerreotype.
The Maestro: King of the Cowboy
Artists - Feb. 18, 10:00 am
By Les Blank
What happens when a dedicated husband and father quits his
job, adopts the persona of a Western-Movie Singing Cowboy,
takes on the entire art establishment (including Christo and Andy
Warhol), and refuses to accept money for his art? Meet Gerry
Gaxiola, AKA The Maestro, an ex-wage slave who gave up everything
to make art for art's sake. The Maestro's story could inspire a whole new
generation of Van Goghs.
My Old Fiddle: A Visit with
Tommy Jarell in the Blue Ridge
- Feb. 18, 11:15 am
By Les Blank
The long-awaited sequel to Sprout Wings and Fly (Les Blank's
first film about this homegrown Appalachian fiddler and raconteur)
is a gentle celebration of mountain living, a once-thriving American
way of life. This portrait showcases Tommy's unpretentious folk wisdom
and reminiscences. The soundtrack features his singing and fiddling, spiced
with a visit to the Smithsonian to test-drive an authentic Stradivarius violin.
52
Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe
- Feb. 19, 7:45 pm
By Les Blank
Yes, German film director Werner Herzog really does eat his
shoe to fulfill a vow to fellow filmmaker Errol Morris -- boldly
exemplifying his belief that people must have the guts to attempt
what they dream of.
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After the show...
enjoy our show of fabulous
cocktails, award winning cuisine and
beautiful atmosphere
Come as you feel.
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AFFORDABLE. ON THE RIVER.
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Located in the Doubletree Hotel

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

Transcription

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