Doc Film at ATL Film Fest

Most of you probably have noticed a lack of posts this past week. Well, do not fear, it's not a result of laziness. As a matter of fact, Documentary Film Online has been preparing for the Atlanta Film Festival. The events kicked off Thursday night with the world premier of "The People Speak."

We're keeping ourselves busy too with over 20 documentary screenings lined up in the next week (some happen to be world premieres). Now the festival is so chock full of excellent documentaries that we are unable to see them all, but hopefully we'll quickly post as many reviews as humanly possible.

So stay tuned and definitely check out the Atlanta Film Festival website. Even if you can't fly all the way to the hub of the Southeastern United States, it's still worth investigating so you can see which documentaries you need to keep an eye on.

Hulu Finds Superheroes

Hulu.com happens to be one of my favorite websites. I mean, how can you not love a site that legally (key word here is legally) provides free streaming movies and TV shows to anyone with an Internet connection. Not one's to rest on their laurels either, the still relatively new site (it's just about a year old) continues to expand its partnerships and database and has now started branching into the realm of (good) documentaries.

On that list of recently added docs is my much loved film Confessions of a Superhero, a story about struggling actors portraying famous icons for the amusement of Hollywood visitors. If you don't know a thing about this documentary, check out the review on our website, then immediately jump over to Hulu and watch it.

If you've already seen Confessions of a Superhero, check out some of the other documentaries they now boast, including Dig!, Super Size Me and Kicking It (the story of players participating in the Homeless World Cup).

Documentary Film vs. The U.S. Constitution

I've been trying to make heads or tails of this news since Tuesday, but to be honest, this intelligence is still above my pay grade. Since my lawyer friends refuse to help me out, I will try to explain the story as best I can- in case people don't regularly keep up with Supreme Court Law.

This past week, the U.S. Supreme Court has been listening to arguments from both sides of a case featuring a 90 minute documentary criticising then-presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. Ads for the film were banned under the McCain-Feingold Campaign finance laws because of their political nature and proximity to the presidential primaries. A federal court also blocked any airings on cable TV or video-on-demand.

Ok, that's starting to get into details. Basically, this has boiled down to a free speech question and how much control the government has over politically funded messages. Making the case even larger in context, if it wanted to, the Supreme Court could actually deem the McCain-Feingold case unconstitutional, which would be a major deal.

Anyway, read up on it over at CNN.com.

Man on Wire wins!

I know this is a few days late, but I've been out celebrating for the past 48 hours! James Marsh's Man on Wire wins the Academy Award for best documentary! Mr. Oscar, you have redeemed yourself from past mistakes and I hope you continue this trend of awarding deserving films and not mere topical B.S.

Unfortunately, for those who were unable to bask in the moment, I could not find the group's acceptance speech, but I did find a backstage camera with an extended thank you's on The Oscars website. It's not as good as the main thing, but its the best I could do (seriously, check out the picture to see what you missed!).

Check it out here: Man on Wire's Victory

Oscar Nominees: The Frontrunner

Title: Man on Wire
Director: James Marsh
Awards already won: 21 wins, six nominations

Summary: In 1974, French performance artist Philippe Petit hid with several friends after hours in the World Trade Center, strung a high wire between its Twin Towers...and walked between them for the better part of an hour, to the amazement of New Yorkers on the streets below. How Petit planned and executed his spectacle is detailed in extensive interviews with Petit and those who helped him achieve his dream (From the Oscars website).

Personal Hype: Hands down, James Marsh’ film has always been my frontrunner for best documentary. It’s creative, enticing and totally original. It’s one knock is that its definitely a more light hearted, entertaining subject- something that usually holds films back from winning Oscars. However, Marsh demonstrates his artistic genius in Man on Wire and the Academy seems more willing to acknowledge great films that aren’t topical or emotionally draining. For those reasons, I feel the Academy rights the wrongs of the recent past and selects this great documentary.

Oscar Nominees: The Runner-Up

Title: Trouble the Water
Director: Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
Awards already won: 6 wins (including cleaning up at the Full Frame Doc. Festival), 2 nominations

Summary: As the drama of Hurricane Katrina unfolded, New Orleans resident Kimberly Roberts recorded the chaos and devastation of her own experience on videotape. Her footage forms the heart of this portrait of Roberts's long journey with her husband, from the early days of the storm to their subsequent evacuation, resettlement in Memphis, and eventual return to the decimated city (From the Oscars website).

Personal Hype: A documentary I originally ignored, believing I knew everything it had to offer and in many ways I still feel that way. But, those who have seen this documentary have nothing but praise and come away truly impacted. Shot entirely by local citizens, this is probably my number two on my list for potential Oscar winners. I still don’t think it could win, but wouldn’t be surprised if it did.

Oscar Nominees: The Dark Horse

Title: The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
Awards already won: 1 win, two nominations

Summary: The life of Laotian immigrant Thavisouk Phrasavath serves as a metaphor for the far-reaching repercussions that are still felt from America's involvement in the Vietnam War. When his family suffered persecution following the U.S. withdrawal from Southeast Asia as a result of his father's work for the CIA, Phrasavath's mother fled with eight of her ten children to a life of poverty in Brooklyn (From the Oscars website).

Personal Hype: The dark horse candidate for best documentary. Ellen Kuras’ film captivates in a way Errol Morris’ films held audiences. It lacks a major U.S. following and boasts even fewer awards, but the story is both well known and totally unique: a perfect combination for a potential Oscar winner in this category.

Oscar Nominees: The Long Shot

Title: Encounters at the End of the World
Director: Werner Herzog
Awards already won: No wins, 2 nominations

Summary: In the extreme conditions that define existence in Antarctica, filmmaker Werner Herzog explores the range of personalities who have been drawn to spend their working lives in one of the world's harshest environments. From research scientists to blue collar workers, Herzog's subjects demonstrate a self-reliance and intrepid sense of adventure that both equip them for their frigid surroundings and place them outside the mainstream of society (From the Oscars website).

Personal Hype: I’m gonna be honest, I think Werner Herzog is kinda a selfish prick, but he just makes very good films. With the backing of Discovery, you know the visuals will be top notch, but can Herzog’s film carry a story. More importantly, can the Academy enjoy this talented director’s work despite his pompous narrations? Judging by its lack of awards, probably not.

Oscar Nominees: The Extreme Long Shot

Title: The Garden
Director: Scott Hamilton Kennedy
Awards already won: Grand Jury Prize at Silverdocs Documentary Festival

Summary: In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, a fourteen-acre expanse of city-owned land in a South Central neighborhood was developed by local residents into one of the country's largest community gardens. In 2003, the tract was sold back to its original owner, whose plans to develop it prompted area residents to organize in an attempt to stop efforts to oust them from the land (From the Oscars website).

Personal Hype: Scott Hamilton Kennedy receives an Oscar nomination for his second ever feature length documentary, not a bad follow up to his hit OT: Our Town. The Garden looks like a step up from his previous work and could very well be in the same mold as Street Fight (a personal favorite of mine). However, it just doesn’t seem to bring anything unique to the table, so I don't see it winning.

Sundance Films: We Live in Public

Title: We Live in Public
Director: Ondi Timoner
Website: http://www.weliveinpublicthemovie.com/
Potential Major Release Date: hitting the festival circuit- next up SXSW!

Summary: Ondi Timoner's documentary chronicles a decade in the life of Internet pioneer Josh Harris, who instigated an "artificial society" experiment in which more than 100 artists lived under 24-hour surveillance in an underground compound in New York City. After FEMA broke up the project, Harris turned the cameras on himself and his girlfriend. Timoner's provocative film (winner of the Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at Sundance) includes clips from Harris's projects as well as her own original footage (NetFlix).

Thoughts: I tried to save the best for last as Ondi Timoner stole my heart with her previous work: Dig!. Her latest film, We Live in Public, came out of the gate in full stride, winning the Grand Jury Prize for best documentary. After watching the trailer it’s easy to see why Sundance was captivated by her work. This story seems infinitely more edgy then even Dig! and I can’t wait to see how she handles this subject matter. A toast to the Sundance Grand Jury prize winner!