September 20, 2011

BRINGING KING TO CHINA

After a long career covering wars for ABC News, director Kevin McKiernan (Good Kurds, Bad Kurds) turns the camera on his grown daughter Cáitrín as she attempts to produce a play about Martin Luther King, Jr. in China. Her quest to build a bridge between countries threatens to fall apart over political and cultural clashes. Collaborating with acclaimed […]

September 20, 2011

CALVET

US PREMIERE The French painter Jean Marc Calvet recounts his incredible life story as a former Cannes bodyguard who abandoned his family, robbed a Miami mobster, hid out in Central America and overcame addictions by teaching himself how to paint at age 38. That was seven years ago. Now his intricate paintings sell for five figures, but he […]

September 21, 2010

WINDFALL

2010 VIEWFINDERS COMPETITION WINNER In this revealing look at wind energy, residents of Meredith, NY are divided when companies want to build wind turbines in the traditional dairy farm community. Laura Israel makes her directorial debut after years of film editing for individualists such as Robert Frank and John Lurie. She brings a strong sense […]

September 21, 2010

ANPO: Art x War

ANPO refers to the US-Japan Mutual Security Treaty, which has justified the presence of 90 US military bases in Japan for six decades. The presence of the bases has spawned opposition and protests. Director Linda Hoaglund (who was born and raised in Japan) delves deeply into resistance against ANPO, drawing upon rich archival sources of […]

September 21, 2010

Pink Saris

Director Kim Longinotto has earned acclaim and a recent MoMA retrospective for her globe-spanning films about women fighting odds such as “Divorce Iranian Style” and “Rough Aunties.” In her latest “Pink Saris,” Longinotto travels to Uddar Pradesh in northern India to follow the crusading Sampat Pal Devi who dispenses street justice like a self-appointed Judge […]

September 21, 2010

Kati with an I

Over the course of three tumultuous days, Kati a teenage girl in Alabama has to confront big life choices over love, family and her future. As Kati’s half-brother, director Robert Greene gains an intimacy that makes viewers feel part of the family, reminiscent of last year’s award-winning doc “October Country.” Cinematographer Sean Price Williams (“Beetle […]

September 21, 2010

Five Weddings and a Felony

Director Josh Freed turns a Flip camera on his own relationships for a contemporary and comic look at the travails of romance. As a boy, Josh’s philosophical nature led to an obsession with the film “My Dinner with Andre.” Now as a twentysomething, he attracts bright and accomplished women, but his self-questioning interferes with his […]

September 21, 2010

Discoveries of a Marionette

Norwegian director Bjarte Mørner Tveit draws upon a rich personal archive of 8 mm film left by his grandfather Alf, who was secretive about his experiences as a globe-trotting sailor. The exquisite use of family footage calls to mind the work of Doug Block and Alan Berliner. Examining the reels, Tveit uncovers his grandfather’s experiences […]

September 21, 2010

The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan

During the Vietnam War McKinley Nolan mysteriously disappeared – rumored to be either a traitor, captive or American operative. Long haunted by his absence, his family from the cotton belt of Texas gets a tip he may still be alive and travels to Southeast Asia to seek closure. Director Henry Corra, a longtime collaborator with […]

September 21, 2010

Armadillo

Following western soldiers in Afghanistan, “Armadillo” (named for an army base) captures scenes of intense combat with a rare artistry. The film raises piercing questions over how recruits become warriors and how the war is being conducted. Director Janus Metz gains such close access to his characters, you might think you’re watching a work of […]