MoMA Doc Festival

It is not new that the NY Museum of Modern Art has a very active film department and a very high quality in selection. Neither is it new that the Museum shows a lot of documentaries. But it is maybe new for many that the programming is as interesting as the one included in the ”Documentary Fortnight 2011: MoMA’s International Festival of Nonfiction Film and Media”, that runs until February 28. Here is the intro from the site:

Established in 2001, MoMA’s annual two-week showcase of recent nonfiction film and media takes place each February. This international selection of films presents a wide range of creative categories that extend the idea of the documentary form, examines the relationship between contemporary art and nonfiction practices, and reflects on new areas of nonfiction practice. This year’s program includes an international selection of 20 feature films; independent films from China; a look at the legacy of New Day Films, one of the first do-it-yourself film cooperatives; and two documentary performance programs.

The International Film Selection includes films from 14 countries. The opening and closing films are both debut features by British artists—Gillian Wearing’s Self Made and Clio Barnard’s The Arbor. These exciting new works incorporate acting and drama into examinations of reality. Also featured is renowned Chilean director (photo) Patricio Guzman’s Nostalgia for the Light, a hauntingly beautiful philosophical rumination on the secrets of the heavens

and Earth 10,000 feet above sea level, in Latin America’s Atacama Desert. Documentary Fortnight has also partnered with Cinema Tropical and Ambulante, the celebrated traveling documentary film festival created by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz, to present exciting films from Argentina and Mexico that are part of a recent surge of powerful new work from Latin America.

Chinese Independent Cinema is flourishing as well, with many stories to tell beyond the strictures of the government censorship. These works are shown outside China, or in small showcases and under-the-radar festivals within the country. The films are often long, as many directors have been inspired by Fred Wiseman’s prolific output and his style of observational cinema. Xu Xin’s Karamay, for example, is a six-hour film about a fire that devastated the families of Urumqi. The director’s attention to the details of these families’ stories is poetic and captivating. By contrast, Huang Weikai’s hourlong Disorder, a dense look at life in the city of Guangzhou, captures modern urban China by compiling footage shot by amateur photographers.

In 1971, dismayed that their feminist films were being dismissed by mainstream educational distributors, a group of American filmmakers joined together to form New Day Films, an independent documentary distribution cooperative. 40 years later, New Day Films is thriving as a leading educational distributor in the U.S., and its members’ award-winning films are in public demand. Five programs of films show the wide range of topics they have examined, and founding members Liane Brandon, Jim Klein, Julia Reichert, and Amalie R. Rothschild will be present to talk about their experiences.

Performances by Sam Green and Dave Cerf and Nao Bustamante will take place on the final two nights of the festival. Many of the filmmakers will be present throughout the festival, and discussions follow most films.

PS. There are several trailers to be watched on this site:

http://www.moma.org/explore/films

Forgotten Transports in Copenhagen/Again

The Czech Embassy to Denmark has asked us to recommend the documentary film series written, researched and directed by Lukáš Přibyl. One part was shown in Copenhagen in January, with such a success that the remaining three now are to be presented. The series is unique – take a look at our review of the series from 2009. Here is what the Embassy’s press release says:

When the Holocaust is mentioned, people recall images of tattooed numbers on forearms, children in striped uniforms in Auschwitz or Hitler’s speeches. Forgotten Transports have none of that. “You won’t see Hitler in my films,” says Lukáš Přibyl. “What I’m interested in is when you take a person from a relatively normal life and suddenly throw them into completely apocalyptic conditions – how does that person react?”

Each of the four films focuses on one unique “mode of survival” in the extreme conditions of the camps in Latvia, Belarus, Estonia and Poland. The films employ no present-day footage, only authentic, meticulously researched time-and-place precise materials and the words of witnesses. Out of tens of thousands of Czech Jews deported to the forgotten places in the east, fewer than 300 survived. Lukáš Přibyl managed to find over 70 of them and most of them told their stories for the first time… Based on 400 hours of interviews recorded in 20 countries and 10 years of work, the series offers a surprising picture of survival “as we don’t know it”.

Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 19:00: Forgotten Transports to Belarus: Men Who Fought

Tuesday 1 March 2011 at 19:00: Forgotten Transports to Latvia: Family Strength

Tuesday 8 March 2011 at 19:00: Forgotten Transports to Poland: The Human Spirit

… in Husets Biograf, Copenhagen

www.forgottentransports.com

Danish DocuTurbulence

For our non-Danish readers: The two postings below in Danish language deal with a current scandal in Danish film administration. At least this is what it has been called. In brief: Danish film magazine EKKO publishes an article by journalist René Fredensborg. In this article Fredensborg refers, among other things, to his new carreer as applicant for support for a documentary at DFI (The Danish Film Institute). In gonzo journalistic style he describes his meeting with film consultant Jesper Jack at a project development seminar. After dinner the film consultant offers the applicant cocain which they enjoy together the whole night through. Ten months later the applicant goes public with that information, after he has received 200.000 Dkr (around €27000) for the development of the project. The film consultant is sacked and hell breaks loose over the insinuations in the article that film support is only given to and by people who have gone to the Danish Film School and are close pals.

Front page of the cultural section of the most important Danish newspaper, lots of discussion in the tabloid – and on filmkommentaren.dk below an article by former independent producer and production responsible at DFI, Mikael Opstrup, who, having been on both sides of the desk, rejects having experienced any kind of cronyism and nepotism. Plus a small PS by this blogger on the editorial line of a magazine, EKKO.

EKKO – hvor er redaktionen?

Et lille PS til Opstrups mail: Den tarvelige smudskastende artikel i EKKO af René Fredensborg, forsmået ansøger hos Det danske Filminstitut, fik den konsekvens at en filmkonsulent blev fyret. Og Peter Ålbæk kunne så more sig i Berlin med sange, der refererede til den fyrede konsulents navn og stofbrug. Hit the Road Jack… morsomt eller bare gængs dansk morsom ondskabsfuldhed?

Et nærmere kig på bladet, hvori artiklen er bragt, kan kun få hovedet til at ryste og munden til at sige: Jamen, kære redaktion, det hænger jo slet ikke sammen? Er det et filmblad I vil lave? Eller er det sådan lidt-af-hvert, stort og småt, som man kan tillade sig på en con-amore gratis tilgængelig blog som denne, men ikke med en fire-farve-smukt-layout’et trykt ambitiøs publikation, som udkommer med kraftig støtte fra det offentlige. EKKO har fulgt sagen om “Defamation”, som udgives på dvd til gang for læserne. Fint. EKKO har interviews med Jesper Christensen og Anthony Dod Mantle. De er gode. Og der er mange andre læsværdige artikler og anmeldelser, men så kommer nogle totalt ligegyldige sider om Oscar’en, nærmest sådan lidt gossip i stil med Fredensborgs udfald. Hvor er linien, hvor er det redaktionelle fokus? Tag jer dog tid til diskussion efter den gigantiske redaktionelle fejldisposition med Fredensborgs artikel. Drop det lette stof, læg det eventuelt ud på jeres nyhedsbrev, det kan man jo bare lade være at få tilsendt. Og drop

http://www.ekkofilm.dk

René Fredensborgs indsnævrende EKKO artikel

Mikael Opstrup har overladt os denne mail til EKKOs redaktør Claus Christensen. Opstrup venter stadigvæk på svar. I mellemtiden har vi på Filmkommentaren valgt at bringe den som en slags åben mail: 

Kære Claus. Da jeg i dag (11. februar) hørte om afskedigelsessagen mod Jesper Jack blev jeg ked af det, det er dumt og deprimerende hvis en filmkonsulent blander sit private brug af stoffer sammen med sit møde med ansøgere. Det er utilgiveligt og til stor skade for hele støttesystemet.

Så nu var det tid at få læst EKKO, som havde ligget ulæst i op til et døgn hjemme i stuen.

Så blev jeg endnu mere deprimeret.

Jo det er velskrevet og hvis det ikke var for den alvorlige baggrund, også morsomt.

Men hvor var det dog indsnævret og reaktionært. Det hviler på 2 helt afgørende præmisser:

– ’System A’ er et godt projekt, manden har talent

– Filmkonsulenter, redaktører, producere m.m. er en indspist masse, der er fuldstændig ligeglade med film og kvalitet.

Når man ser bort fra underholdningsværdien, kan artiklen ikke ses som andet end den underkendte uden-for-eliten’s møde med en indforstået elites arrogante nedladenhed. Folkets møde med parnasset. Vi sidder på magten og hvor er vi dog ligeglade med dem, der skaber kunsten. Det var som at læse Fremskridtspartiets partiprogram omsat til dagsaktuel reportage.

Det kan man jo heller ikke udelukke kan finde sted. Men nu kender jeg tilfældigvis de fleste af dem, som Fredensborg omtaler i artiklen. Og jeg kan ikke få det til at stemme. Er det niveauet, er det sådan beslutningerne tages? Har jeg helt misforstået de seneste par årtier?

Jeg kender begge positioner. Jeg har i mange år, som du ved, været producer og dermed ansøger på filminstituttet. Og jeg har været ansat på DFI i 4 år. Jeg kender begge sider af skrivebordet og det har været meget lærerigt. De sidste 2 år har jeg været hverken-eller. Jeg har med andre ord ikke noget i klemme.

En diskussion om støttesystemer og konsulenter er altafgørende vigtig, men denne artikel er vel det mest indsnævrede udgangspunkt, man kan forestille sig. For ét er den konkrete ageren af Jesper Jack, noget andet er artiklens indforståede kontekst, som er det der står tilbage, nu hvor der er indledt afskedigelsessag mod manden. Det synes jeg ikke skal stå uimodsagt. Jeg stiller gerne op. Kærlig hilsen Mikael.

SENERE:

Jeg har i dag 18. juni 2011 modtaget denne mail fra Claus Christensen med anmodning om, at den bliver bragt her på siden:

“Årsagen til, at jeg aldrig har besvaret Mikael Opstrups henvendelse, er den banale, at Ekkos server var nede i det døgn, hvor mailen blev sendt. Jeg har derfor aldrig modtaget mailen, men kan forsikre jer om, at Opstrups udmærkede indlæg ville være blevet bragt sammen med de mange andre kritiske indlæg, som Ekko fik tilsendt om konsulentsagen og straks bragte på hjemmesiden www.ekkofilm.dk. I Ekko er debatten fri, og der er højt til loftet, også når det er magasinet, som bliver kritiseret. Hvad Opstrups spørgsmål angår, vil jeg henvise til lederen i Ekko #53, hvor vi kommenterer debatten, takker for de mange indlæg og for vores del afrunder sagen.

Venlig hilsen
Claus Christensen, chefredaktør”

Mikael Opstrup skrev med det samme i dag, da Claus Christensen sendte ham og mig besked om, at han aldrig havde fået hans mail, sådan:

“Kære Claus

Tak for din mail. Da du jo udelukkende forholder dig til den redaktionelle indledning og ikke substansen i mit indlæg, har jeg sådan set ikke mere at tilføje. Andet end,  at mailen ligger i min ’Sendt’ boks, afsendt d. 11.2.2011 kl. 20:02 til Claus Christensen. Bare til din information.

Venlig hilsen

Mikael Opstrup”

Og det er altså hvad Christensen svarer på og forklarer. Jamen, så er sagen jo opklaret. Jeg (ABN) kan kun konkludere, at nu kan Claus Christensen jo bringe Opstrups indlæg i Ekko og måske kommentere det. Men hvis han forståeligt vurderer, diskussionen om støttesystemer og konsulenter nu er forældet i Ekko, kan han af hensyn til Historien kommentere den her, og måske revitalisere den, så den kan flyttes til forsiden, hvad det principielle indhold i Opstrups tekst kunne indbyde til.

Jeg skrev dengang, at Filmkommentaren i ventetiden bragte Opstrups indlæg. Jeg tænkte ikke på, at Ekko ville droppe det, glemme det eller noget. Blot, at de nok havde meget travlt der på bladet. Nu ved jeg så, at de også havde maskinskade. Det hele er opklaret, og alt er i orden.

Pernille R. Grønkjær: The Monastery

First year student at Zelig Documentary film school, Anke Riester, watched this neo-classic for the first time. Here is the review:

For 40 years, Mr. Vig, a 82-year old bachelor from Denmark had a dream: to transform his run-down castle in the heart of the Danish countryside into a Orthodox Russian monastery. Finally his dream seems to come true as the Moscow Patriarchate sends 3 nuns, headed by Sister Ambrosija, to Denmark to get the castle into shape for the final goal. After a lot of renovation works they move in and the castle is approved by the Patriarchate. From now on the nuns share the life of the old man who used to live alone for decades.

The filmmaker follows Mr. Vig in a very intimate way through all the ups and downs that are caused by these new arrangements. The well-educated elderly man is a character every filmmaker is after. He carries the whole film so intensely that as soon as he leaves the frame it becomes hard for the viewer to stay focused. These pauses are filled with images of landscapes which are all mostly similar and too long for “taking a breath”.

The close relationship between Mr. Vig and the filmmaker makes the viewer feel as if he lives next door and this makes it easy to sympathize with this very special old man and his century-old dream. Mr. Vig often forgets the camera and just sees and talks to the person behind it. This gives the movie a very authentic and natural feel as well as a deep insight into the world of his protagonist.

The editing style is very obvious. The cuts are clearly visible, jumping bravely from one situation to another within the interviews with Mr. Vig, combining different parts of his sentences. This technique gives the viewer a feeling of honesty instead of interrupting the flow of the film.

The only problem is that the theme of realising a dream didn´t seem to be enough for the director. She is very determined to try to create a forced love story between Mr. Vig and Sister Ambrosija. This would not would have been necessary because the main story works well enough.The film is even ending with Vig´s death and a citation of a letter that Sister Ambrosija wrote to him after his passing away. In my opinion it would have been a perfect ending to see which dimension Vig´s dream of monastery had finally reached. The end leaves the viewer alone with this unfulfilled expectation. Still it´s a unique story and definitely worth watching.

Denmark, 2006, 84 mins.

PS. “The Monastery” has been reviewed and reported upon several times on this blog.

Piotr Stasik: The Last Day of Summer

Livia Romano, first year student at the Zelig Documentary Film School in Bolzano has written this review:

“One, two, three …. MARCH FORWARD!”
Straight at attention, with polished shoes, well-ironed pants and belt buckles shining, young cadets are marching in perfect ordered lines, during the parade of the opening day of a Russian military school. The summer is over and it’s time to return to school desks with order and discipline. Small soldiers are almost drowning in the uncomfortable, stiff uniforms that hide innocent eyes, fresh young faces and childhood dreams.

Three stories, three different ages, three growth processes take us into the world of an adolescence which is in some ways already too grown-up: a seven-year-old boy who talks about the impending separation of his parents, a boy who speaks about the economical crisis during his lunch break, another one who asks a marshal if he has never been afraid to shoot or even a child who should note down everything his comrades do. However, fantasy and game will not succumb under the weight of arms: the mini-cars, piano, first loves, bike rides, games on the bank of a river, yet possible to dream of a childhood devoid of color. The main storyline of the boys is intercut with images of the city, characterized by shades of grey and desaturated colours, underlining well the anxiety and fear of growing up.

Private thoughts and diary entries blend into the tune of an ethereal soundtrack that seems  from one hand to give a breath to the dreams of the cadets, on the other to accentuate the coldness and rigidity of the school where everything must be perfectly in order. This intimate approach is emphasized by delicate camerawork that seems to lightly slide from one story to another as the last tracking shot from one face to another shows.

This is a portrait with special stories that could lead each of us back into our own childhood to the dreams buried there.

Poland, 2010, 34 mins.

http://centralafilm.pl/the-last-day-of-summer

Michal Marczak: At the Edge of Russia

Lucia Alessi, first year student at the Zelig Documentary School in Bolzano, Italy writes this review:

In the extreme north of Russian Federation, along the twelve thousand kilometres who divide the country from the Arctic Sea, there are twelve military bases, which were set up in the fifties to defend the borders of the Soviet Union. There, in “The edge of Russia”, Aleksey, a 19 year old new rookie, has to learn how to face such a hostile nature, gain the respect of his superiors,and be prepared for a foreign attack, which actually will never arrive. The Polish director Michal Marczak carefully moves between the opposites of life, the extremes which make people face themselves.

In a place where going abroad just takes one step, a breath, maybe the same breath that Aleksey learns to hold when his body is freezing, all that is left is just some small black completely isolated spots in the white of the north, uniforms which lost their souls in vodka fumes and the melancholy of old songs, which have nothing but their own past, their previous lives, that can never be shared in that senseless, dehumanizing base. Where a man doesn’t manage to trust his own wife, but is ready to keep his hand under the axe of his mate. Where the only connection to the real world is a Putin portrait on a wall and the celebrations of the Victory day.

An amazing camera brings us into the deep of their daily life, the small details which build up the days, where nothing happens and everything repeats, in a suspended waiting-for-nothing atmosphere, worthy of the most famous of Beckett’s plays.

Alone in front of themselves, these men are all “boiling in the same pot”, in a symbiothic relation, which will develop their psychical and physical strength. Forced to live a complete faked life, they will learn day by day how to face the unreality to live in a place where no blade of grass grows, to be prepared for an attack that, up to now, has never been, keeping on with a paranoia of the most scary power of the twentieth century, which does not exist any longer.

Poland, 2009, 72 mins.

Jørgen Leth – Master of Dox

This is how Danish veteran Leth is characterised on the site of the coming ZagrebDox (February 27 – March 6) in a quite interesting intro text, that also has a greeting to what is called Danish puritans:

“Can ‘eroticism’ be measured? Can it be limited or defined? In his latest film, one of the most significant documentary filmmakers of today, 73-year-old Jørgen Leth (‘The Perfect Human’, ‘The Five Obstructions’) travelled from North Africa to Rio in order to register the form and sense of eroticism, refusing to accept it as a part of the dominant currents of new Puritanism and/or commercialised video-style eroticism of ‘fake breasts and backsides’.

Quite predictably, Leth’s sensual, poetic and unbiased exploration of human eroticism, created during the course of ten years, was harshly criticised by reviewers (The Variety describes Leth’s accomplishment as shameful) and Danish puritans, calling the author ‘controversial’. Another unfavourable element was the fact that Leth, as an honorary ambassador to Haiti, was involved in an intimate relationship with his cook’s under-age daughter, describing the episode in his memoirs ‘Imperfect Man’ and causing great controversy in Denmark.”

For the festival programme in total, festival leader Nenad Puhovski has again made a choice of high quality, check the site below.

http://www.zagrebdox.net/en/

 

DocAlliance offers Love – for free

The excellent vod (video on demand) portal DocAlliance, a collaboration between the five documentary film festivals in Copenhagen, Leipzig, Jihlava, Warsaw and Nyon, introduces a Valentine’s Day gift from tomorrow. Here is the text from the site:

“As part of the online film display about various (per)versions of love, the portal will present 10 films for free stream. One of the most successful Danish films from the past years, Mechanical Love (Photo), deals with the strong emotional bond between people and robots. Blind Loves by Juraj Lehotský is a fragile parable about most intimate emotions and feelings of blind people; the film was awarded at the Cannes film festival. By means of amateur family films, the powerful story of Josef and Marie is told on the backdrop of turbulent historical events in Czechoslovakia in the film With Kisses from Your Love, a part of the successful cycle Private Century by Jan Šikl. Perverted forms of love between people and their pets are captured in the provocative and brutal stage-managed documentary Animal Love by Ulrich Seidl.”

And if you profit from this generosity, why not make a pay-back by ordering (for a pretty low price) some of the brilliant films that DocAlliance has online. For instance several films by masters like Sergey Loznica and Marcel Lozinski.

http://docalliancefilms.com/