It’s the day documentary filmmakers and fanatics have been waiting for since last year: The start of DOXA Documentary Film Festival less than 24 hours away.
I’m sure by now most of you have picked up a DOXA program book, or browsed the list of films online, and of course all of you are going to go support DOC Members with films in the festival. But what else are you going to see? After all, with over a week’s worth of films it might be overwhelming to choose just a few.
Lucky for you, one of our lovely DOC BC Members and former DOXA jury member, Michelle Bjornson, has put together a list of ten must-see documentaries.
Bloody Beans — Winner of the Best Documentary Film Award 2013 Copenhagen International Documentary
Film Festival
“The Algerian War of Independence, as told through a gang of street kids, is the basic gist of Narimane Mari’s debut film, but that description simply doesn’t do it justice. Phantasmagorical, magic, and occasionally a little bit cuckoo, this is documentary filmmaking that takes serious risks.”
Return to Homs — Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival
Sunday, May 4, 2014 – 9:00pm – The Cinematheque
“A remarkable portrait of a country at war, Talal Derki’s film was made over the course of two years (from August 2011 to August 2013). During this period, we watch a group of young men transform from ordinary citizens into revolutionary fighters. In the city of Homs, the fighting has been brutal, even by Syrian standards. The place has been transformed into little more than a bombed out husk.”
The Circle —Winner of the Teddy and Audience Awards at the 2014 Berlin Film Festival,
Song from the Forest —Winner VPRO Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary, 2013 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
Saturday, May 10, 2014 – 11:00am – VIFF’s Vancity Theatre
“While listening to the radio one night in Amsterdam, Louis Sarno heard a recording of some strange singing. The moment changed his life. He bought a one-way ticket to the Central African Republic and set about finding the Bayaka people, the creators of the mysterious music, and one of the last communities of huntergatherers on Earth. As befits a film about a musician, the film is an aural tapestry of sound.“
Pipeline —Winner, Karlovy Vary IFF 2013 (Best Documentary Film); MDR Prize (Excellent Eastern European Documentary) 2013 Dok Leipzig.
Powerless—This special screening of Powerless was chosen by our guest curator and essayist Charles Montgomery.
Nostalgia for the Light—This special screening of Patricio Guzmán’s extraordinary film was chosen by our guest curator Rebecca Solnit.
“The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is one of the driest places on the entire planet. The Atacama was also the site of a concentration camp established by Gen. Augusto Pinochet, where thousands of people “disappeared.”
Fly Colt Fly: Legend of the Barefoot Bandit
“The Gray Brothers have fashioned an adrenaline-fueled caper epic, chock-a-block with animated car chases, boat chases, and even plane chases. Colton’s story serves as an interesting example of the intersection between different forms of mediated reality, be it conventional journalism, online culture, and even documentary film itself.”
Cinéma Vérité: Defining the Moment
Have your own suggestions for what to see at DOXA this year? Post them on our facebook wall, or tweet at us. And don’t forget to come out to DOC BC Day at DOXA to meet DOXA filmmakers and mingle with DOC Members.