The True/False lineup
Plan your movie-filled weekend.
Published Feb. 27, 2009
"Afghan Star"
Director Havana Marking brings the story of Afghanistan's massively popular television show "Afghan Star," the country's version of "American Idol." In war-torn, Taliban-run Afghanistan, the stakes are higher than for their American counterparts -- one contestant receives death threats after dancing on the show. All told, "Afghan Star" takes a compelling look at a country in transition.
"At the Edge of the World"
"At the Edge of the World" follows a ship named the Steve Irwin, manned by the 40-plus volunteer Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, as it chases Japanese whaling fleets across the freezing waters of the Antarctic ocean. The Japanese call the Sea Shepherds pirates, the Shepherds claim the Japanese whale for profit under the guise of "research" and the tension eventually builds up to intense battles between the two equally crazy groups.
"Big River Man"
Martin Strel is a world record holding endurance swimmer, but if Michael Phelps is built like Zeus, then Strel is more like Cupid, if Cupid were 54 years old, hairy and a heavy drinker. Yet, Strel has swam the whole of the Mississippi River (in 68 days) and the whole of the Yangtze (40 days), and "Big River Man" tracks him as he attempts to traverse the Amazon, the lengthiest and most dangerous river in the world.
"Blood Trail"
War photography is not a common career choice. But for Robert King, a 24-year-old from Memphis, it was the perfect chance to become the world's youngest Pulitzer winner. Traveling to bloody Bosnia in 1993, a naïve King confidently pursues great photos. But as he witnesses his subjects' suffering for himself, his innocence quickly disappears. "Blood Trail" follows King from his start in Bosnia through reckless years in Chechnya and, finally, to his jaded life as a war photographer in Iraq.
"Bronx Princess"
Have you ever felt the urge to discover your roots, to travel to your family's native land? That's exactly what Rocky, a 17-year-old from New York, does as she leaves her home and travels to West Africa, where she reunites with her father, who is a village chief in Ghana. "Bronx Princess" plays along with two shorts, "Lies" and "Tommy."
"Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country"
In September 2007, hundreds of Buddhist monks took to the streets of Burma, along with students and other political activists, to protest a controversial decision by the ruling junta that caused fuel prices to jump dramatically. The junta soon became violent, and the protests helped spark international outrage. "Burma VJ" is made up of guerilla footage taken by the Democratic Voice of Burma on all-too-real media like camcorders and cell phones, giving the film a stark and grisly feel.
"Carmen Meets Borat"
"Carmen Meets Borat" is set in Glod, Romania, and it follows 17-year-old Carmen to tell the story of how Sascha Baron Cohen's use and negative portrayal of her fellow Kazakhstanis in "Borat" affected the impoverished community. According to the True/False Web site, "Carmen Meets Borat" is "a crazy-quilt mix... an incisive look at a media circus; and a reflection on Hollywood ethics."
"Crude"
Within Ecuador's Amazon forest, a lawsuit is raging. It does not involve a dictator or a war-bent drug lord. Instead, Chevron Corporation is facing judgment. Thanks to the efforts of lawyers, Pablo Fajardo and Luis Yanza, as well as the support of the musician Sting, Ecuador's indigenous people have a case against the petroleum giant. Joe Berlinger's film follows unique accounts, from the story of a cancer patient to that of a Chevron lawyer, as it explores a modern-day human struggle.
"Earth Days"
In a culture where hybrid cars are fashionable and politicians must discuss environmental concerns, it's hard to remember that "going green" was not a public concern 40 years ago. But those who created the first Earth Day in 1970 remember, and they know the work is far from over. Award-winning filmmaker Robert Stone looks at America's developing eco-awareness by incorporating unique footage, accounts from the original Earth Day advocates and his own eye for cinematography.
"Extremities"
"Extremities" is a 67-minute package of four short films that span the globe from China to Colombia. "Glass Trap" is a 14-minute look at Polish gangsters who fight goldfish; "Dresnica" uses film from the 1970s to colorize the memories of the blind; "Accidentally Sprayed" examines the fumigation of Colombia's coca plants and "The World's Largest Shopping Mall" ventures into just that, a mall in China that's a shrine to rampant capitalism. Gonzalo Escobar Mora ("Accidentally Sprayed") and Pawel Ferdek ("Glass Trap") will attend the showings.
"Food, Inc."
Americans are becoming increasingly interested in their food -- its make up, origins and production. Director Robert Kenner's "Food, Inc." sets out to give audiences a behind-the-scenes look at what happens to the food we eat every day, from changes in farming, trends in food consumption and arguing that big corporations like Wal-Mart are not all bad.
"Forgetting Dad"
Rick Minnich, a True/False favorite, tells the haunting story of his own father in this investigative film. In 1990, Minnich's father was involved in a car accident, after which he appeared to have come down with amnesia. Although doctors reported no physical damage, the older Minnich no longer remembered his previous job, wife or kids. He left his first life to begin a new one. In the film the younger Minnich looks at his father's accident as well as a possible amnesia epidemic.
"Gaea Girls"
The world of Japan's female pro wrestlers is likely an unfamiliar one for most True/False filmgoers. Not surprisingly, Japan has long hidden its somewhat taboo, and often violent, sport from American audiences. In "Gaea Girls," director Kim Longinotto shows audiences the numerous strains -- whether physical or mental -- that these women undergo as they train. While audiences learn that female pro wrestling in Japan is just as predetermined as it is in America, they will also learn it is far more brutal.
"glastonburykids"
After the success of MTV's "Jackass" series about middle-class teens attempting risky stunts, it isn't surprising to see a documentary on the subject. Yet "glastonburykids" doesn't copy Johnny Knoxville; instead the film is more of an in-depth view of American teenagers -- in this case, the Double G gang of Glastonbury, Conn., -- and their need to break outside of their parents' world. From crashing cars to jumping off of mall balconies, the members of Double G are trading security for thrills.
"I Will Survive"
Following the title's lead, this piece focuses on five films about human survival. Spanish for a "long walk," "La Caminata" shows a reenactment of the journey from Mexico to the U.S. In "The First Kid to Learn English from Mexico," a boy named Pedro Lopez moves to the United States from Mexico. While he wants to return to Mexico at first, he soon learns to enjoy his new life and viewers are once again reminded of the overarching theme.
"Loot"
The winner for best documentary at the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival, "Loot" tells the story of two World War II veterans who yearn to travel back overseas (one to Europe, the other to the Philippines) in order to retrieve valuables they had hidden during combat. They both converge with Lance, an amateur treasure hunter, and travel across the world in search of their stashes, along the way confronting old demons, feelings and memories.
"Necrobusiness"
Directed by Richard Solarz and Fredrik von Krusenstjerna, "Necrobusiness" tells the story of the criminal activities of the undertakers and ambulance drivers of the Polish town of Lodz. They take advantage of the state burial funds, leading to an eruption of violence which, according to the True/False Web site, includes "an attempted murder, feuding funeral moguls and a system of state burial funds that make bodies worth more dead than alive."
"No Impact Man"
"No Impact Man" follows New York resident Colin Beavan and his wife Michelle Conlin as they live for a year without making any net environmental impact, which includes no electricity, no toilet paper and eating strictly local food. The film follows the family's struggles, particularly Michelle's, as they abandon the modern world and deal with Colin's rise in fame as he attracts media attention, including some harsh critics.
"O'er the Land"/"Bitch Academy"
"O'er the Land" is an odd and singular documentary, a patchwork film that examines America through the eyes of its hardened blue-collar males, men like border patrol officers and firemen. The film leaves its meanings and morals up to the viewer, but its lasting effect is undeniable. "Bitch Academy" examines a Russian school where a single male teacher instructs women on how to exploit their seductiveness in the name of personal gain. "O'er the Land" director Deborah Stratman will appear.
"Oscar Nominated Shorts"
Oscar Nominated Shorts is a grouping of just that: the four films nominated in the Best Documentary, Short Subjects category at this year's Academy Awards. Highlights include "Smile Pinki," the winner, a film that documents the story of a five-year-old Indian girl who travels to a big-city hospital in order to fix her cleft lip. Also featured is "The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306," a first-person account of the hours leading up to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "Smile Pinki" director Megan Mylan will attend.
"Over the Hills and Far Away"
Rowan, the son of the happily married and successful couple Rupert and Kristin, has a debilitating case of autism, a disease that turns even the simplest tasks into small wars. Yet, his temper flare-ups seem to subdue when he is on a horse, and so his parents travel to a remote area in Mongolia, to a place that melds horseback riding with non-traditional healing. "Over the Hills and Far Away" transmits the family's harrowing journey.
"The Posters Came From the Walls"
Here in America, Depeche Mode quit being relevant somewhere around the mid-1990s, but to many across the world -- from Germany to Iran -- the band has never fell from its role as personal Jesus. "The Posters Came From the Walls" opens up the screen to Depeche Mode devotees who have followed the band across the globe, constructed elaborate portraits and monuments, or just traded bootlegged concert tapes.
"Pressure Cooker"
Directors Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker bring us "Pressure Cooker," the story of Wilma Stephenson, a woman who runs a culinary arts boot camp at a Philadelphia high school. It shows how her passion for food and teaching gives three students from a disadvantaged neighborhood a chance to better their future as they learn professional cooking skills and gain the confidence needed to make it in the world.
"Prodigal Sons"
Director Kimberley Reed retraces her family history from her new home in New York back to Montana, where she spent her teen years as Marc, the star quarterback for her high school football team. But the film doesn't dwell on her sex change; it instead becomes an all-encompassing search for identity. Reed finds she was adopted and her grandfather is the famed Orson Wells -- and that she and him share some staggering similarities.
"Profiling"
Ranging from three minutes to half-an-hour, six short films bring to life a diverse set of characters. "Roz and Joshua" follows a mother who lives in her car. "Forty Men of Yukon" tells the story of a bar owner and a gold mine worker. "Ma Bar" features a 73-year-old weightlifter. "Close Your Eyes and Look at Me" challenges preconceptions about Islam. "Ghost in the Material" showcases an artist imprisoned in San Quentin and "Skin" takes a look into tattoo art through the eyes of a 62-year-old enthusiast.
"Reporter"
Nicholas D. Kristof, an acclaimed reporter for The New York Times, knows the West is not attuned to the Congo's humanitarian struggles. Therefore, he sets out for the country in an effort to find one person representing Congo's suffering for the Western world. Braving rampant disease, hunger and war, Kristof travels through the country until he finds his representative in a girl named Yohanita. At that point, her story carries the film as Kristof attempts to tell it to the disconnected West.
"Rise Up"
In Jamaica, an island immersed in music, three young people try to make it in the competitive music industry. Following Kemoy, a teenaged a capella singer, Ice, a privileged white singer and artist Turbulence, the film illustrates the struggle to stand out in a crowd. Commentary by music professionals Sly & Robbie and Lee "Scratch" Perry help guide the film as it showcases the persistence and drive of its subjects.
"Rough Aunties"
"Rough Aunties" takes place in Durban, South Africa, and it tells the story of a group of women who make it their life's work to care for abused children through Operation Bobbi Bear. According to the True/False Web site, this film "offers a personal story of women...performing, on a daily level, the small miracles that help to make the world a kinder, better place."
Secret Screening Blue
This film goes where no film has gone before: behind the scenes at Behind the Walls Rodeo, an annual cowpoke in Oklahoma where the participants are inmates, both men and women. They ride and wrestle but are ultimately untrained for what can potentially become a fatal sport. Dangerous as it may be, it's an escape from their cells. The film takes a look into society's view on inmates through the eyes of the small town in Oklahoma that gathers to watch the prisoners risk it all for entertainment. The film shows the human side of prison, and the often hostile side of the world around it.
Secret Screening Gold
A work-in-progress and mostly subtitled, this secret screening previews the story of a young Mexican man who is wrongfully accused of murder and eventually sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit. The obstacles of receiving a fair trial in the complicated Mexican court system paint a dim picture, but he might find some justice and get a second chance with the help of two former lawyers-turned-filmmakers.
Secret Screening Red
Already known as a courageous filmmaker for his work on a documentary featuring American soldiers in Fallujah, this director (name confidential; get it, "Secret Screening?") again takes us along into another intimate look at war. A portrait of Ajmal, an Afghan man who worked as a translator and guide for foreign journalists and was eventually kidnapped and killed by the Taliban, the film shows the young, intelligent Ajmal as he works with Christian Parenti, a journalist for The Nation.
Secret Screening Silver
What starts seemingly as a story about troop greeters -- senior citizens (some former veterans themselves) who gather at a local airport to express gratitude to returning and departing American soldiers -- delves deeper and takes a look into three members as they juggle their own obstacles. From failing health, mounting debt and the depression that comes with it, the film captures their stories and paints veterans and the elderly in a new light, challenging long-held perceptions and stigmas.
"Sergio"
Forever an opponent of war's cruelties, Sergio Vieira de Mello, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, was determined to work for Iraqi peace. That was before August 19, 2003, the day upon which George W. Bush ignored the UN's pleas and invaded Iraq. "Sergio" follows the life of this hardworking man through his first successful peace deals, his goals for a more functional Iraq and the eventual U.S. invasion that destroyed such plans.
"Sounds Like Teen Spirit"
This sneak preview of director Jamie Jay Johnson's debut feature takes the audience along for the ride as Europe's biggest pop music competition (think "American Idol") gets underway. Pre-teen contestants vie for pop stardom at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The film follows the "heart-on-sleeve drive" of the young contestants as they each put their hopes and dreams on the line just for a chance at their big break.
"Waltz with Bashir"
"Waltz with Bashir," is an animated documentary written and directed by Ari Folman, a veteran of the 1982 Lebanon War. He tells his personal story as he attempts to retrieve suppressed memories of the Sabra and Shatila Massacre. A film not to miss, "Waltz with Bashir," according to the True/False Web site, "weaves together investigative journalism, personal essay and contemporary Middle Eastern history with startling, often surrealistic animated imagery."
"War Against the Weak"
Based on Edwin Black's book of the same name, "War Against the Weak" looks at the first eugenics research stemming from the United States and its eventual transformation into a Nazi ideal. Originally a theory developed by scientist Charles Davenport, selective breeding grabbed the attention of such wealthy families as the Carnegies and Rockefellers. Looking at the eerie details surrounding this pseudoscience, Justin Strawhand's film presents the direct links between America's early theories and the murderous steps taken by Hitler himself.
"We Live in Public"
We now live in an era when online social networking keeps us as interconnected as ever -- where private facts and photos are available at the click of a button. In "We Live In Public," director Ondi Timoner follows artist and techno junkie Josh Harris and his girlfriend as they choose to stream their private lives online, giving the viewing public complete access to their lives, giving a new definition to the way we communicate and share.
"The Yes Men Fix the World"
The Yes Men are here to save the world. Posing as top executives from giant corporations, Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum speak at conferences, make television appearances and simply poke fun at the widespread greed of big business. While their antics are hilarious, their message is sincere. In this sequel to their 2003 film, the men present an interesting platter for their audiences to consume -- ultimately asking viewers to witness their discoveries and challenge the role of corporate business today.