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!