Louder Than a Bomb premiers Thursday, 9pm

Yes, it’s a new year, but I’m assuming the new work week has already left you stuck in the same old rut. Well, luckily for you there’s always a new movie to help lift your spirits and inspire change. If you need a good pick me up story that’s not your standard sappy Hollywood affair, look no further than Louder Than A Bomb.

Directed by Greg Jacobs & Jon Siskel, this documentary follows four schools preparing for the annual Louder Than A Bomb poetry slam competition. After watching an advanced screening, I couldn’t agree more with the film’s summary: “This is not ‘high school poetry’ as we often think of it. This is language as a joyful release, irrepressibly talented teenagers obsessed with making words dance.”

If you need more details, head to the film's official site. Otherwise, make sure to set your schedules now so you don’t miss out on a documentary that will help you kick the year off right.

Louder Than a Bomb premiers Thursday, January 5 at 9pm (Eastern Time) on the Oprah Winfrey Network- and don’t hate on OWN, they have got an excellent line up of documentaries this year.

Trailer: Born and Bred

Whether it's Rocky, The Fighter, Million Dollar Baby or any number of other similar films, it's hard to deny the power of a good boxing flick. Sure the actual boxing industry has taken a turn for the worse in recent years, but that doesn't stop American audiences from enjoying the story of a fighter (both in and out of the ring).

Justin Frimmer makes his directorial debut with his own boxing film: Born and Bred. His documentary takes a unique twist on the old fighters tale by following children as they learn the ropes. And if you think it's going to be all light and fluffy, think again, I doubt I've seen more broken noses in a film trailer since... well... you don't see many broken noses, except in Frimmer's film.

So if you are looking to glimpse at the future of boxing or you just want another great boxing film to enjoy, head over to Born and Bred's official site: http://www.bornandbredmovie.com. Catch the trailer and see when it will be available at a theater near you.

SIlverdocs... award winners!

Yesterday I mentioned my favorites from Silverdocs, but of course, my word is not the official word, and frankly, it doesn't really count. Yesterday though, the festival announced its winners and DocFilmOnline would be remiss not to share those with you, so without further adieu:

Sterling Award for Best US Feature - Our School, directed by Mona Nicoara and Miruna Coco-Cozma.

- Special Jury Mention - The Bully Project, directed by Lee Hirsch.

- Special Jury Mention - When The Drum Is Beating ,directed by Whitney Dow.

Sterling Award for Best World Feature - Family Instinct, directed by Andris Gauja.

- Special Jury Mention - Position Among The Stars, directed by Leonard Retel Helmrich.

Sterling Award for Best Short Film - Guanape Sur, directed by János Richter

- Special Jury Mention - Still Here, directed by Alex Camilleri.

Cinematic Vision Award - Life In A Day, directed by Kevin MacDonald.

WGA Documentary Screenplay Award - The Loving Story, written by Nancy Buirski and Susie Ruth Powell.

Audience Award for Best Feature - Donor Unknown, directed by Jerry Rothwell.

Audience Award for Best Short Film - Mr. Happy Man, directed by Matt Morris.

The festival juries consisted of:

• Sterling US Feature Jury: Claire Aguilar, Programming VP, Independent Television Service; Chico Colvard, Filmmaker (Family Affair); Shannon Kelley, Head of Public Programs for the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
  
• Sterling World Feature Jury: Sean Farnel, former Programming Director, Hot Docs; Eugene Hernandez, Director of Digital Strategy, Film Society of Lincoln Center; Karina Longworth, Editor, LA Weekly.
• Sterling Short Film Jury: Sadie Tillery, Programming Director, Full Frame; Eva Weber, Filmmaker (Steel Homes); José Rodriquez, Program Associate, Tribeca Film Institute.

SIlverdocs... wrap up

So a few personal issues cut the week long festivities short, but I can't help but be pleased with the part of Silverdocs I was able to experience. Now admittedly, there were too many good documentaries and too little time to see everything I hoped to see, but of the ones I watched I was quite impressed.

But enough gushing from me, you want to know which films are worth seeing, right? Well, of course we'll have reviews of each and every film as soon as they can be posted, but in the meantime, here is the list of films I saw in order of favorite to least favorite. Now, as I mentioned, the documentaries were so good, even the ones toward the bottom of this list are worth seeing. So while they are ranked, know that I really wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of them.

• Miss Representation - I never would have expected feminism to be so enthralling... and educational.
• Jiro Dreams of Sushi - Beautifully shot with mouthwatering images of delicious sushi.
• Fire on Babylon - A last minute whim turned out to be a gem of the festival. Cricket fans rejoice!
• Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest - Fans will love it and newbie's will wish they were cool enough to already be fans.
• At the Edge of Russia - A coming of age tale where everything is meaningless.
• The Loving Story - It's more romance than political history, but this is still worth seeing.
• The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975 - A compelling premise uses some odd stylistic choices, that limit it potential.
  
• Sound it Out - A simple film of obsession music lovers can truly support.
• The First Movie - A bit too artsy for some, yet this will still make you smile.
• The Price of Sex - A tough pill to swallow, but worth reflecting on.
• When the Drum is Beating - A unique idea that failed to meet high expectations.
• The Night Watchman - A great idea with some good sequences, but never comes together in any meaningful way.

SIlverdocs... Day 3

Just when Silverdocs couldn't top itself with great film selections, Day 3 rolls around and we're left blown away. The films were so good we really couldn't pick a clear favorite for the day so we just decided to highlight the five films in a brief and enjoyable way.

Sound It Out - Ever want to know what a real life High Fidelity character looks/sounds/acts like? Well definitely check out this low budget but high quality documentary to get your local record shop fix.

At The Edge of Russia - It's like a coming of age story... but only if the coming of age story feels completely meaningless. Siberia may be the backdrop for this film, but the characters carry the beauty and humor audiences will love.

The Loving Story - Stories of love and political strife are blended beautifully together in this documentary. You'll leave feeling inspired about the change they caused, but it's the love story that will leave you all warm and fuzzy inside.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi - Some of the most beautiful footage seen all festival. Yes, you'll leave wanting Sushi, but you'll also love the characters- especially Jiro, who is both unrelenting and hard, but also warm and surprisingly hilarious.

The Black Power Mixtape - A well pieced montage of the African American struggle in the U.S. between 1967 and 1975. It's less about the facts and more about the viewpoint (specifically the Swedes who filmed the events) and it's a great piece of historical narrative most will enjoy.

SIlverdocs... Day 2

Another day and still more great films at the Silverdocs Festival here in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The favorite from the day two screenings was definitely Jennifer Siebel Newson's Missrepresentation. This look at women's portrayal in media wasn't just full of great research and interviews, it was highly stylized and (dare I say?) entertaining. There are plenty of comparison's to an Alex Gibney documentary here and that is certainly not a bad thing. So unless you truly hate women, I suggest checking out Missrepresentation as soon as possible, it's engaging, informative and totally worth the price to screen.

SIlverdocs... Day 1

The first day we were able to catch three pretty good films, but the night cap was Michael Rapaport's Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest, a documentary about A Tribe Called Quest. This is Rapaport's first directorial debut, but his love for the band and the hip hop genre comes through quite clearly. If you are a hip hop fan or just looking for a good film to get you grooving, definitely check this documentary out. It's certainly not perfect and it's not a mere love fest for the band, but it is everything you'd hope for in covering early 90s hip hop.

Silverdocs begins!

DFO is in Washington D.C. this week for the Silverdocs Film Festival (ok, technically, the festival is in Silver Springs, Maryland, but than you non East-Coasters would be all confused and I'd have to explain that it's near D.C. and then we'd be wasting time explaining directions to the festival instead of just talking about it).

This week will be full of numerous documentaries (many we are quite excited about) so if you are in the D.C. area, definitely take some time to enjoy this wonderful festival. If you aren't able to make it, well that's why we're here. We'll provide you with daily updates of our favorite films and (of course) reviews of all the films we were able to see.

So get ready for a documentary overload!

Princess Diana documentary shocks Cannes Festival

The Cannes Film Festival is one of the largest and most renown festivals in the world, and with so many movies fighting for attention, it's a bit of a surprise that a documentary by a little known actor/director is getting as much focus as Unlawful Killing seems to be creating.

Then again, not many films feature a 'conspiracy theory' and shocking photos of the death of the once beloved Princess Diana.

For those repulsed by the notion of showing such a documentary (and there are plenty who feel this way), it's important to note the film is not on the festival's official program. According to TIME's Richard Corliss, a Cannes veteran of 40 years, "Any producer can rent a screening room and show movies in the Cannes marketplace; that's how pornographic movies 'played Cannes' in the 1970s."

But even with this fact, it's impressive that a little known film would garner such media attention amidst the usual blockbuster heavyweights. The question now is, will anyone see it, and if so, will it receive any distribution to worldwide audiences?

Head on over to TIME's website to read more about Unlawful Killing and the stir it's causing.

Theatrical Releases

Every Friday we update you all with the week's theatrical documentary releases. Now, this is not a perfect process as our beloved genre prefers the rolling/limited release schedule instead of a big nationwide or international-wide release. So apologies if a film isn't out in your area or if you are a filmmaker and we missed the boat on announcing your documentary's big day (if that is the case, please let us know and we'll correct the mistake).Now, with that introduction out of the way, here's this weekend's releases with their current rating on the amazing website Rottentomatoes.com:

Forks Over Knives - (rating - 80%) examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. (Rottentomatoes.com)