CREATIVE DOCUMENTARIES | |
HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD | |
 
| Dir. Suroosh Alvi, Eddy Moretti
Produced by Spike Jonze and Shane Smith for VICE Films, HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD is a feature film documentary that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition but after Saddam’s regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible. That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency. From 2003-2006, Iraq disintegrated around them while Acrassicauda struggled to stay together and stay alive, always refusing to let their heavy metal dreams die. Their story echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis.Presented in collaboration with VICE. |
BEAUTIFUL LOSERS |
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 | Dir. Aaron Rose Joshua Leonard BEAUTIFUL LOSERS celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural movements of a generation. In the early 1990's a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the “establishment” art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture. Starring a selection of artists who are considered leaders within this culture, BEAUTIFUL LOSERS focuses on the telling of personal stories... speaking of themes of what happens when the outside becomes “in” as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today's youth. Starring a cast of wildly influential outcasts such as Harmony Korine, Shepard Fairey, Thomas Campbell, Jo Jackson, Chris Johanson, Peggy Honeywell, Margaret Kilgallen, Geoff McFetridge, Barry McGee, Mike Mills, Deanna Templeton, Ed Templeton and Stephen Powers. |
THE AXE IN THE ATTIC |
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| Dir. Ed Pincus and Lucia Small In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, two filmmakers, drawn together by outrage, take a sixty-day road trip from New England to New Orleans. Along the way they meet evacuees and witness the loss, dignity, perseverance and humor of people who have become exiles in their own country. The breakdown of trust between a government and its citizens, the influence of race, class, and gender – as well as the ethics of documentary filmmaking itself – form the backdrop for this universal story of the search for home. Their search for meaning in the world resonates with the filmmakers, whose life experiences bring two different, frequently competing viewpoints to the story. Their personal perspectives shape their filmmaking choices at every turn, becoming an undercurrent of THE AXE IN THE ATTIC. As they encounter difficult choices and awkward situations with some subjects, they question their approach and the ethics of documentary filmmaking. "’The Axe in the Attic’ is one of the most important, engrossing and compelling documentaries we’ve screened in our 6 year history. It is the best documentary of 2008." -Steve Weiss, Executive Director, Downtown Phoenix Festival. "...this is a shattering documentary. The witnesses in it mourn the loss of their homes and possessions, but also their loss of a city." – Chicago Sun Times |
8 BIT |
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| Dir. Marcin Ramocki Produced in NYC, LA, Paris and Tokyo, 8 BIT brings a global perspective on the new artistic approaches of the DIY generation which grew up playing Atari and Commodore 64. 8 BIT argues that in the 21st century, GameBoy rock, machinima, and game theory belong together and share a common root: the digital heritage of Generation X. From an original point of view and with a loose set-up, 8 BIT exposes and examines the influence of video games on modern culture and their impact on contemporary music and visual arts. “8 BIT ably chronicles the modernist and postmodernist tendencies in the relatively recent history of video game-based art, but also suggests that the bit-bending antics of the post-video game generation hint at a new current in the uncharted waters of 21st century art history.” |
AN ALTERNATIVE TO SLITTING YOUR WRIST |
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 | Dir. Owen Lowery In April of 2006, Owen Lowery found himself in the psychiatric ward for attempted suicide. He decides he needs a drastic change in his life to get out of his depression. After making a list of 52 things he wants to do before he dies, Owen takes one year of his life to complete his list. AN ALTERNATIVE TO SLITTING YOUR WRIST documents his personal journey in search of happiness. Director statement:
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LOVE, PEACE & BEATBOX |
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| Dir. Volker Meyer-Dabisch
Hiss, chirp, crackle, creak, squeak, gurgle, drum or simply plop – there isn’t a single sound that an accomplished human beatboxer can’t imitate with their mouth. After rapping, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti, beatboxing or mouthdrumming is widely regarded as the fifth element of hip hop. As in many other big cities, a rich and varied music scene has emerged in Berlin in recent years, one that includes one of Germany’s most popular bands, 4xsamples, who are the current team battle vice-world champions. Founded by DJ Mesia, BeeLow and Maxim, who was murdered in 2003, the beatbox championship has now been exported to countries as far away as Australia. As an art form that originated on the street and still feels most at home there, hip hop thrives on a mixture of improvisation and virtuosity – and this is exactly what beatboxing is all about. In this way, beatboxing takes hip hop back to its roots. Shown at the Berlin Film Festival 2008, LOVE, PEACE & BEATBOX follows a group of Berlin-based beatbox artists on stage and in their everyday life. The documentary focuses on their positive philosophy beyond beatboxing, their motivations and sources of inspiration. The screening is going to be preceded by a beatbox performance! |
MEGUNICA |
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| Dir. Lorenzo Fonda
- Winner Best Creative Documentary MEGUNICA is documentary directed by Lorenzo Fonda about a trip that was taken to document mural artist Blu at work. It was shot on location in MExico, GUatemala, NIcaragua, Costarica and Argentina, hence the acronim “MEGUNICA”. The creative development of an artist is what makes him unique and different from the others. The things he sees, the things he lives, the things he feels are what is going to build his vision of the world. Street painter and all around uber-creative visionary artist BLU has for sure developed his own way of looking at reality. That’s why, as a first attempt in documenting his work and his world, the filmmakers team jumped on a plane and crossed an ocean to reach Megunica, a land that Blu visited both in the real world and in his mind. The idea of the film was to see how his art would react to the inputs that these places would offer him. Fonda’s idea about this project was simple: to adapt his style of shooting to Blu’s style of painting. He’s very loose when doing his art. He practically always improvises, uses none or very little painting aids and takes advantage of a wall’s unique features and imperfections. So, the film tries to do the same with its look. Another key feature that makes the film quite unique are the wildly surreal and emotive animated segments that Blu himself created when he was back from the trip. Randomly inserted in the narration, they bring the viewer to his personal world, as if we were invited for a few minutes into his mind to witness what is happening at that precise moment. |
SNEAKER STORIES |
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 | Dir. Katharina Weingartner
In SNEAKER STORIES, Katharina Weingartner's first feature length film, we meet Adrian, Karl and Aziz, three basketball players in Vienna, Brooklyn and Ghana, and watch as they struggle to find a place for themselves within an international cycle of control and commoditisation. In this transglobal documentary, the protagonists live somewhere between fantasies of sports fame and an inglorious everyday reality. Bewitched by the marketing images and advertisements which dazzle young athletes all over the world, they follow impossible dreams, and lose sight of their more realistic choices.... Winner of the audience award at the Diagonale Film Festival 2008. |
BLIP FESTIVAL - REFORMAT THE PLANET |
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  | Dir. Paul Owens
BLIP FESTIVAL - REFORMAT THE PLANET is a feature length documentary which delves into the movement known as “Chiptunes”, a vibrant underground scene based around creating new, original music using old video game hardware. Familiar devices such as the Nintendo Game Boy and Nintendo Entertainment System are pushed in new directions with startling results. Using New York as a microcosm for a larger global movement, BLIP FESTIVAL: REFORMAT THE PLANET maps out the genesis of the first annual Blip Festival, a four day celebration of over 30 international artists exploring the untapped potential of low-bit video game consoles. With floor-stomping rhythms and fist-waving melodies, trailblazers of the chiptune idiom as Nullsleep, Martin Galway, Bitshifter, Random and more. "...if you're a fan of the music or a videogame enthusiast in general, than this movie is a must see." |
THE CITY |
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 | Dir. Vladan Nikolic
The poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, himself once an immigrant in New York, wrote that NYC is 'not a city, not a country, but all humanity in one drop.' THE CITY explores this ‘humanity,’ now, in New York City, through the unique eyes of non-native New Yorkers, exiles, immigrants, refugees, eccentrics, and a Ghost. What do these sometimes quirky and all the time unique individuals have in common? They are the strangers in a city now their own, who have molded the space surrounding them, sculpting New York into livable creations. Accompanied by haunting visuals, Rainer Maria Rilke’s poetry, and a unique score by Sxip Shirey’s “mutant harmonica,” THE CITY is also a visual poem to a city of immigrants, which keeps re-inventing itself through its history, and into the new century. |
JUMP! |
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| Dir. Helen Hood Scheer
JUMP! is a character-driven documentary about competitive jump rope that follows kids on five teams nationwide as they single-mindedly pursue the dream of becoming World Champions. If you are thinking double Dutch on a school playground, think again: part extreme sport, part art form, the moves are masterfully choreographed and bursting with rhythm, energy, sweat and originality. These teenagers sacrifice everything to get where they are and each has his or her own reason to be so driven. Moving chronologically from regionals to nationals, competition moves into full swing, with explosive performances, shattered records and devastating defeats. “Brilliant…. I am ready to go buy a jump rope right this second…. This story deserves to be seen.” |
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