American Documentary Showcase
Tuesday November 10 to Friday November 13 of 2009
Mini Theater 1, TK park, 8th Fl., CentralWorld
1."Flow: for the Love of Water" (2008)
Director: Irena Salina, Producer: Steve Starr
Running Time: 84 min.
Nominated for Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, won Best Documentary at Vail Film Festival
An investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century – the world water crisis – that builds a case against the growing privatization of the world’s dwindling fresh water supply with a focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel. Includes a look at people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies for successful global and economic turnaround.
Producer Starr: is the founder of the award-winning creator sustainability pioneer Revver.com. He previously managed KPFK-FM, the largest community radio signal in the US. Prior to that, Starr was writer/director and/or producer of award-winning indie films such as Joey Breaker and Johnny Suede and co-creator/producer of The State for MTV/CBS.
2."Another Day in Paradise" (2008)
Director: Deborah Dickson
Running Time: 90 min.
An intimate film about three men performing disparate but connected roles on an aircraft carrier, the 'USS Nimitz', from flying F-18S to maintaining the aircraft to loading bombs. Going deeply into the personal lives of these individuals, the film portrays them dealing with life as fathers and soon-to-be fathers, while also confronting and questioning issues surrounding their work on board ship and the role of the Navy in a time of war.
Director Dickson: an independent documentary filmmaker and three-time Academy Award nominee, she recently directed "The Education of Gore Vidal" for the PBS series "American Masters."
3."Traces of the Trade" (2008)
Director: Katrina Browne
Running Time: 86 min.
Nominated for a Sundance Grand Jury Prize
Filmmaker discovers that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. She and nine cousins retrace the triangle trade and gain new perspective on the black/white divide.
Director Browne: is the seventh generation descendant of Mark Anthony DeWolf, the family’s first slave trader. Prior to starting this film, was involved in planning outreach programs to develop community dialogue on race, ethnicity and equity.
4."The Hobart Shakespearians" (2005)
Director: Mel Stuart
Running Time: 56 min.
Year after year, the Hobart Shakespearians excel. They read passionately, far above their grade level; tackle algebra, and stage Shakespeare so professionally that they often wow actor Sir Ian McKellen. This takes place at a large Los Angeles public elementary school. Few of the children at Hobart Elementary School speak English as a first language and many are from poor or troubled families.
Director Stuart: has won four Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and an Academy Award nomination for his work. Stuart has made over 180 films, including documentaries "Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant-Garde" and "Billy Wilder - The Human Comedy" for PBS, the TV dramas "Ruby and Oswald" and the 12-hour miniseries "The Chisholms". He also directed the feature films "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium."
5."Made In LA" (2007)
Director: Almudena Carracedo
Running Time: 70 min.
Follows the remarkable story of Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from trendy clothing retailer 'Forever 21.'
Director Carracedo: now a U.S. citizen, worked as a television director in Spain before coming to the U.S. as an international scholar to work on her doctoral dissertation at UCLA Film School.
6."A Man Named Pearl" (2008)
Directors: SCOTT GALLOWAY AND BRENT PIERSON
Running Time: 78 min.
A bigoted remark made in 1976 dissuades Pearl Fryar from moving into a white neighborhood. Told that "Black people don’t keep up their yards," Pearl creates an extraordinary topiary garden, which receives over 5,000 visitors a year.
Director Galloway: has produced more than 650 television programs for networks including ABC, A&E, Court TV, ESPN, Food Network, HGTV, History Channel and the Travel Channel. He has won an Emmy, a New York Film and Television Award and more than twenty Telly Awards
Director Pierson: has produced and written documentary features and television programs for A&E, Discovery Channel, History Channel, NBC, PBS, Universal-MCA and others.
7."Craft in America – Part I" (2007)
Directors: Nigel Noble, Daniel Seeger, Hilary Birmingham
Running Time: 56 min. Each Part, 3 Part Series; Winner of 2007 Peabody Award.
A journey to the artists, origins and techniques of American craft. From Eastern shipwrights to Navajo weavers; from those who work with needles to those who work with sledgehammers, from saddle makers and banjo-builders to the potter who’s "always praying over the Klin"
Director Noble: Academy Award-winning producer and director of films and television specials, he won an Oscar for "Close Harmony" and an Oscar nomination for "A Stitch for Time."
8."One Bridge to the Next" (2008) (Short)
Director: Kim Snyder
Running Time: 27 min.
In 1992, Dr. Jim Withers began doing night rounds on the streets of Pittsburgh, offering medical assistance and support to the homeless. Fifteen years later, the organization he founded, Operation Safety Net, is a pioneering model in a growing movement to provide healthcare to the homeless. Dr. Withers and his team navigate riverbanks, bridges, and alleyways to bring medical help and social justice to those who have fallen through the cracks of society.
9."The Betrayal" (2008)
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
Running Time: 97 min.
Filmed over 23 years, tells the story of a family’s epic journey from war-torn Laos to the mean streets of New York. Thavisouk Phrasaveth tells his own story of struggling as a young man to survive both war and the hardship of immigrant life, as well as his mother’s astonishing tale of perseverance.
Director Kuras: award-winning cinematographer and three-time winner at Sundance. This is her directing debut. Laotian co-director Phrasavath is also the main subject of the film.
10."Miss Navajo" (2007)
Director: Billy Luther
Running Time: 60 min.
Reveals the inner beauty of the young women who compete in this celebration of womanhood. Not Only must contestants exhibit poise and grace as those in typical pageants, they must also answer tough questions in Navajo and demonstrate proficiency in skills essential to daily tribal life: fry-bread making, rug weaving and sheep butchering.
Director Luther: a native American who is Navaho, Hopi, and Laguna, Luther conceived the film as a celebration of womanhood and a tribute to his mother, Sarah Johnson Luther, who was Miss Navaho Nation 1966-67. Luther studied film at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and worked on projects for the Smithsonian Institution’s New York City National Museum of the American Indian Film and Video Center.
For more information about the films:
http://ufva.org/content.php?type_id=10&article_id=267 or contact Ms. Laila Bunnag Tel. 02 257 4300 x 411
