There are over 150 titles playing at this year’s Sydney Film Festival, so to help you wade through the immense list of features, AtTheCinema will be breaking down each section of the festival with our own recommendations, separated into four categories. Today we look at the incredibly diverse International Documentary section.
THE AWARD WINNERS
The Law in These Parts | dir. Ra’anan Alexandrowicz | ISR/USA/GER
A Grand Jury Prize winner at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, as well as the Best International Feature award at Hot Docs, Ra’anan Alexandrowicz’s The Law in These Parts examines Israel’s 45-year “rule of law” in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Hopefully exploring the complex nature of the Occupied Territories, this looks to be a powerful and unsettling documentary about the consequences of this legal framework.
Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present | dir. Matthew Akers | USA
This eloquent documentary following a hard-working and incredibly unique performance artist ended up taking home the Panorama Audience Award at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival. Focusing on Abramović’s 2010 exhibition at MOMA in New York, director Matthew Akers tracks the artist’s 40-year career and how it leads to this new show. This is likely to be a profound and incredibly moving documentary.
Undefeated | dir. Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin | USA
While the underdog tale is nothing new in the sports genre, this real-life tale of an underfunded and underprivileged high-school team whose volunteer head coach set out to change the lives of his players and the inner-city Memphis community is one not to dismiss. Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin’s first effort out of film school won this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary and is likely to be a heart-warming and inspiring watch.
THE AMERICAN CONTINGENT
Bully | dir. Lee Hirsch | USA
The incredible amount of publicity surrounding Bully has come from Harvey Weinstein’s battle against the MPAA over its initial R-rating – so much so that South Park had a dig at the chairman/producer – but attention should be focused on its incredibly important central issue. A candid and revealing examination of society’s attitude towards the problem, this is a call to action on a topic most have had experience with.
First Position | dir. Bess Kargman | USA
This multi-award winning documentary follows six young performers who hope to pursue their dreams by succeeding at one of the world’s most prestigious ballet competitions, the Youth America Grand Prix, where hundreds in the final round compete for only a handful of elite scholarships and contracts. Given only five minutes to prove they deserve a chance, the film explores the stress, practice, discipline and pain involved in working towards becoming a professional ballet dancer, all while navigating through childhood. This looks like a thoroughly interesting film.
Side by Side | dir. Chris Kenneally | USA
The seemingly inevitable shift from film to digital has already caused a large amount of debate amongst filmmakers and film lovers, and Chris Kenneally’s Side by Side will only add fuel to the discussion. Keanu Reeves interviews directors (including Christopher Nolan, David Lynch, James Cameron and Danny Boyle), actors, producers, cinematographers, editors, and visual effects artists about the possibilities and limitations of the next generation of filmmaking. This is for anyone with an interest in cinema.
Woody Allen: A Documentary | dir. Robert B. Weide | USA
After screening on PBS in two parts earlier this year, Weide’s fascinating look at the writer-director over the span of his career has been edited down for a theatrical release. Featuring interviews with his mother, sister, managers, actors he’s worked with, and the man himself, this is likely to be a terrific documentary about Allen and his impressive career.
DARK HORSES
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry | dir. Allison Klayman | USA/CHN
After filming a short video for Ai’s 2008 show “New York Photographs 1983 – 1993”, Allison Klayman has directed a feature documentary on the artist from the time the two met through to just after his release from detention in June 2011. Receiving a Special Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the documentary looks at the artist, his processes, and his activism.
The Imposter | dir. Bart Layton | UK
Bart Layton’s documentary centres on Frederic Bourdin, a young Frenchman who convinced a Texas family that he was their missing sixteen-year-old son. Featuring a baffling story with strong direction and compelling visuals, candid interviews and a case filled with inconsistencies, this is an engaging documentary boasting a number of twists and turns.
Pink Ribbons, Inc. | Léa Pool | CAN
Samantha King’s 2006 book Pink Ribbons, Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy claimed that breast cancer had been transformed into a market-driven corporate industry. The book inspired The National Film Board of Canada to make a documentary, and Léa Pool’s feature is the result. Highlighting instances of corporate misuse, the documentary contains damning interviews that help expose the lies surrounding pink-themed campaigns.
THE THREE MUST-SEE PICKS OF OUR FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
The Law in These Parts | dir. Ra’anan Alexandrowicz | ISR/USA/GER
The Grand Jury Prize and Best International Feature winner at this year’s Sundance and Hot Docs festivals, Alexandrowicz’s documentary focuses on one of the world’s major hotspots and the complexities of enforcing a “rule of law” over a lengthy period of time. A must.
Whores’ Glory | dir. Michael Glawogger | AUT
Premiering at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, the third film of Michael Glawogger’s globalisation trilogy (following Megacities and Workingman’s Death) takes the viewer on a visual journey into the lives of women prostitutes in three very different settings: Thailand, Bangladesh and Mexico. The winner of a Special Jury Prize at last year’s Venice Film Festival, Glawogger is known for his understanding and control of composition, as well as examining the lives of those in extreme employment in a non-exploitative manner. Filled with moments of lucidity, the visual documentarian’s newest work is an astonishing and unflinching documentary.
The World Before Her | dir. Nisha Pahuja | CAN
Juxtaposed between two institutions – the Miss India pageant and the women’s arm of the Hindu fundamentalist movement – this eye-opening documentary clearly illustrates the incredibly limited opportunities of women in the country, and the dramatic differences between Old and New India. The winner of the Best Documentary Feature at Tribeca, and Best Canadian Feature at Hot Docs, Pahuja’s feature is a stunning watch, containing impeccable direction and editing. It deserves a spot in your festival schedule.
Hopefully this list aids your decisions in the section. If you have already bought tickets to any films in the International Documentaries section, we would love to know your choices and your most anticipated of the category!