24 minute read
Film Notes
by MVFF
ART OF IMPACT
US 2021, 73 min Director Julia Bacha CALIFORNIA PREMIERE A critical investigative documentary that reveals the grossly underreported story of anti-BDS legislation that is sweeping through state legislatures in the U.S., undermining the First Amendment and causing real harm to those who stand up for their right to free speech. (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions is a movement organized by the Palestinian BDS National Committee in response to Israel’s human rights record.) The effects of these bills, which coerce individuals and companies into signing what is tantamount to a loyalty oath against the BDS movement, are far more wide-reaching than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and directly undermine the First Amendment. This film follows three individuals — a publisher in Arkansas, a lawyer in Arizona, and a speech therapist in Texas — who risk their livelihoods to fight for our freedom of speech rights and expose the powerful political entities behind these insidious anti-boycott laws. Preceded by:
Walls Cannot Keep Us From Flying
US 2021, 13 min Director Jonathan Mehring Against the backdrop of Israeli occupation, two Palestinian teenagers in the West Bank help the children of their community find freedom through skateboarding.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS Australia/Canada 2021, 86 min Directors Niobe Thompson, Daniella Ortega CALIFORNIA PREMIERE Humans—along with essentials like the sun, fire, plastic, and plants—are one of many things born of carbon. Social discourse routinely vilifies this crucial and life-giving element, instead fixating on its destructive characteristics that we alone are responsible for extracting. Carbon seeks to change that narrative. This film demystifies the most talked about but least understood element on earth, reveling in its omnipresent complexities. Carbon is personified as a woman— voiced by Sarah Snook of HBO’s Succession—and serves as the film’s central narrator. Interviews with passionate scientists (including Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson) are intermingled with imaginative animation, pertinent archival footage, and exquisite shots of plant and human life. We explore carbon’s role in everything from star formation to global warming and photosynthesis, as filmmakers Daniella Ortega and Niobe Thompson paint a lyrical picture of the interconnectivity of all living things.
SPONSORED BY JIM BOYCE TRUST and KRIS OTIS
THE GREAT OUTDOORS US 2022, 84 min Director Lori Miller WORLD PREMIERE Merging sweeping wine country footage with insightful interviews, filmmaker Lori Miller showcases the dynamic natural wine movement that is transforming a growing number of Northern California vineyards. Though less than 1% of the wine produced in California is natural, there is an increasing demand for wine made without additives (and with more care) in response to the mechanized processes that have long dominated the industry. Clean Wine follows a group of artisans at different stages of their careers as they suffer through the worst fire season on record, as well as the pandemic. But despite these obstacles, and the challenge of working within two powerful corporate sectors — wine and agriculture — these innovators find a way to make an undeniably delicious natural food product while simultaneously healing the earth. Preceded by:
Seasons
US 2021, 24 min Directors Gabriella Canal, Michael Fearon A classically trained Korean tour-de-force tends and markets her organic crops through the seasons while nurturing connections with her daughter—and the hopes she harbors for the future of the unique life she’s built single-handedly.
WONDERLANDS US 2021, 100 min Director Ahsen Nadeem CALIFORNIA PREMIERE Initially, filmmaker Ahsen Nadeem travels to Kyoto to document a secretive Buddhist sect whose monks are said to reach enlightenment through extreme acts of physical endurance. When a ringing phone gets him kicked out of the sect’s monastery, Nadeem reveals the true reason he has come to Japan: he’s running away from his own life decision — whether to tell his strict Muslim family that he has married a non-Muslim woman and, thereby, risk being ostracized by his parents or continue to keep the relationship a secret and put his marriage in jeopardy. This winding, often hilarious, thoroughly unpredictable tale is about asking questions, looking for answers and, ultimately, choosing to have faith in love.
ART OF IMPACT / BREAKING FORM Germany/Netherlands 2021, 93 min Director Marten Persiel NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE This genre-bending documentary serves as both a jarring awakening and a cautionary tale regarding the future of Earth, revealing what will happen if we don’t take action to divert the current climate emergency. Viewers are transported to the year 2054 where they find a gloomy city surrounded by eerie pink flora. In the midst of a society ruled by internet algorithms and technology, three friends see the light after a chance encounter with an elder underground conservationist. Following their discovery of a fading videotape filled with images of biodiversity they don’t understand, and curious creatures called “giraffes”, they set out to change the world, daring to travel back in time to the decade that holds the power to determine Earth’s future, the 2020s. With a mixture of scientific analysis provided by bona fide scientists and futuristic tales, Everything Will Change shows that humanity holds the power to reverse course before it’s too late.
SPONSORED BY JIM BOYCE TRUST AND KRIS OTIS and TV5 MONDE, CAFILM FRENCH CINEMA SPONSOR
WONDERLANDS
US 2021, 88 min Director Marc Shaffer The story of Edward Muybridge is one of adventure, invention, treachery, and triumph. Some know him as the creator of the zoopraxiscope (a late-nineteenth-century invention that spurred the birth of cinema), others for his photographs of the American West, but most may have never heard of him at all. With remarkable intimacy, this well-researched retrospective, and winner of the 2022 Writers Guild Award (WGA) for best Documentary Screenplay, reveals the fascinating life of an uncontainable man whose far-reaching legacy preserved Native American history and inspired scientific advancement and artistic innovation. With an engaging score, stunning archival photos, and the wit of famous Muybridge collector (and actor) Gary Oldman, Exposing Muybridge brings the bizarre and ingenious inventor’s story to life.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS US 2022, 88 min Director Holly Morris BAY AREA PREMIERE A group of women from vastly different cultures and backgrounds joins forces to journey to the North Pole. After two years of arduous training, the women begin their expedition in Svalbard, Norway, and from there set out for true north. Skiing around newly-forming ice rivers and forging through fields of broken ice chunks, the women endure frostbite, cultural differences, and physical exhaustion, but the biggest threat is the rapidly melting sea ice. This global collective of women may very well be the last people to reach the northernmost point of our planet. In this inspiring tale of womanhood, resiliency, and solidarity, we follow the women as they reach the top of the world.
Preceded by:
Sarah Squared
US 2022, 3 min Director Nancy Kelly On the beach at Point Reyes, surrounded by their beloved elephant seals, two trailblazing marine ecologists share their research interests, their generation-spanning career experiences, and their name.
SPONSORED BY T. W.
WONDERLANDS US/Canada 2022, 93 min Director Sara Dosa Featuring a stunning array of gorgeous and often otherworldly archival footage, Fire of Love follows the fascinating career of two pioneers in the field of volcanology, the delightful French scientists, Katia and Maurice Krafft. In the 70s and 80s, the Kraffts—who were in love with volcanoes as much as they were with each other (or even more so)—traveled the globe in pursuit of the latest volcanic activity, learning as much as they could by getting frightfully close to the eruptions and lava flows. While their scientific achievements are important and led to a better understanding of volcanoes, what made the couple a public phenomenon was their boundless enthusiasm for volcanoes expressed on numerous talk shows and in their own films. In Sara Dosa’s wonderful film, the “fire of love” still burns brightly.
SPONSORED BY BELLAM SELF STORAGE & BOXES
ART OF IMPACT
US 2021, 93 min Director Constance Marks BAY AREA PREMIERE The soul-stirring images of Ethiopia’s famine crisis imprinted many Western minds in the Seventies and Eighties. Unbeknownst to many, this mass starvation led to the fall of a 3000-year-old royal dynasty, whose lineage is traced to the legendary figures of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. In this fascinating and intimate journey of exploration, executive produced by Emmy® winning actor Cynthia Erivo, Yeshi Kassa retraces the turbulent fall from grace of her great-grandfather Emperor Haile Selassie. She looks for answers to her intricate lineage in conversations with family friends such as musician Bob Marley, survivors, and members of the overthrowing militant coup faction, The Derg. Director Constance Marks shapes an emotional investigative story from Yeshi’s quest to seek justice for her family and her beloved country.
SPONSORED BY JENNIFER COSLETT MacCREADY
WONDERLANDS United Kingdom 2022, 102 min Director Eva Longoria Bastón Peeling back the deep layers of the cultural divide between Mexican Nationals and Mexican Americans, Director Eva Longoria Bastón uses the riveting spectacle of the 1996 Ultimate Glory boxing match between Julio César Chávez and Oscar De La Hoya to explore the underpinnings of the feud and shed new light on the compelling personal stories of the two boxers. Nicknamed the “Golden Boy”, De La Hoya’s 1992 Olympic gold medal win catapulted him to mainstream success, while Chavez dominated the boxing ring with gritty, hardfought wins throughout the 80s. As the two boxers go on a national tour, the frenzy for the fight builds—De La Hoya or Chavez? This becomes the dividing line for fans everywhere and a complex measure of identity on both sides of the border. In revelatory contemporary interviews, both fighters confront the false perceptions that distorted who they were and obscured their personal struggles. Whether you are a fan of the “sweet science” or have no interest in boxing at all, La Guerra Civil will hit you with the kind of knock-out punch that only Chavez or De La Hoya could deliver.
ART OF IMPACT
US 2022, 87 min Director Kevin Shaw Director Kevin Shaw’s Let the Little Light Shine tells the powerful story of the National Teacher’s Academy (NTA), a public elementary school in Chicago that serves a predominantly Black community and is a top-ranked school in the city. When faced with the prospect that NTA will be converted into a high school benefitting an adjacent neighborhood’s gentrifying population, parents, students, administrators, and teachers join together to save their school. But, in a city where the public school administration has almost total power, the school’s closure seems like a foregone conclusion. They say, “You can’t fight city hall.” Will that prove to be the case once again or will the community’s fierce resistance be enough to change history? Preceded by: Becoming Black Lawyers Evangeline M. Mitchell US 2021, 25 min Director As recognized racism within the criminal justice system brings new scrutiny to representation and opportunity, Black lawyers candidly share their experiences during law school and while preparing for and applying their trade.
SPONSORED BY COMMUNITY ACTION MARIN
ART OF IMPACT US 2020, 83 min Director Katya Soldak CALIFORNIA PREMIERE Shot over the course of ten years, Ukrainian-American journalist, Katya Soldak, chronicles the changes in her and her loved ones’ perceptions of their relationship to Russia. Using news footage and intimate accounts with her family and friends, and humor, she vividly recounts her life in Kharkiv and summer vacations in Russia, the revered statue of Lenin in her city square, to the fall of the Iron Curtain and the impactful changes of entering the Western world. Through revolutions, corrupt leaders, and economic failures, not everyone initially embraced independence. A deeply insightful film told through first-person accounts, Soldak reveals the intricate and difficult journey for Ukrainian freedom; how the taste for democracy and the longing for security often led to opposing viewpoints, but how ultimately the threat of losing their independence unified a nation to fight for the right to choose its own future. Katya Soldak is a New York based journalist and the editorial director of Forbes Media’s international editions.
SPONSORED BY T. W.
WONDERLANDS
Spain 2021, 90 min Director Denis Delestrac CALIFORNIA PREMIERE From monsoons in India to civil wars in Afghanistan, famed photographer Steve McCurry has captured both human suffering and the capacity for hope through his photographs for decades. Likely best known for the undiluted photo of the Afghan Girl in a refugee camp that took the world by storm, the documentary reveals a more complete portrait of the man behind the camera. From a childhood rocked by loss and injury to his solitary years as a photographer in some of the world’s biggest conflicts, McCurry continues to pursue “color” in his life today— years into a storied but often isolating career. Through his own narration and photos from his vast and varied archive, McCurry shares ruminations on life, photography, and legacy. A touching and bracing look at an enigmatic and occasionally controversial photographer, whose appreciation for life shines through in the foota
SPONSORED BY T. W.
WONDERLANDS / BREAKING FORM United Kingdom 2022, 104 min Director Jono McLeod BAY AREA PREMIERE Sixteen-year-old Brandon Lee lived a difficult and unorthodox life. While a student at Bearsden Academy in Scotland, he faced the death of his mother, father, and grandmother. Despite this hardship, he flourishes as an A-student as he works towards his dreams of attending medical school. Through an engaging mix of cartoon illustrations, retellings from classmates, and multi-award winner Alan Cumming’s tour-de-force performance of Lee’s personal narration, viewers revisit Brandon’s old school experience to better understand his journey. One may start this film asking, “Who is Brandon Lee?”, but, as the film progresses, we start to question, “Is Brandon Lee even who he says he is?” As the documentary unfolds, Lee’s astonishing secret comes out, inspiring feelings of incredulous shock and an ever-deepening curiosity as to “Why?”
SPONSORED BY JENNIFER COSLETT MacCREADY
ART OF IMPACT
US 2022, 98 min Director Daniel Roher When Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny—Vladimir Putin’s leading political opponent—fell gravely ill on a flight to Moscow in August 2020, it soon became clear that his illness bore all the trademarks of a Kremlin-orchestrated assassination attempt. Upon his wife’s insistence, Navalny is airlifted to Germany for treatment. In Berlin, doctors confirm what many already suspected—Navalny had been poisoned. It is here that director Daniel Roher gains unprecedented access to the candid and hugely charismatic man himself. As Navalny convalesces, he, his family, and his inner circle are determined to uncover the truth of his poisoning. A riveting near-murder mystery and an illuminating character portrait of a key figure in Russian politics, and winner of the 2022 Sundance US Documentary Audience and Festival Favorite Awards, Nalvany is a real-time behind-the-scenes drama of personal courage at a critical moment when the stakes—for Russia and the world—couldn’t be higher.
SPONSORED BY T. W.
ART OF IMPACT US 2021, 95 min Directors Jordan W. Barrow, Matt Edwards Through poetry, animation, and intimate selfie videos, this affirming documentary explores the power of the spoken word through the voices of five Black and brown L.A. high schoolers. The poets are a part of “Get Lit”—the nonprofit program with the mission to increase literacy, empower youth, and inspire communities since 2006. The film unfolds as each student finds poetry, their sustained connection to the art, and how they use the power of words to heal and cope with the ever-present realities of their worlds. When 2020 COVID lockdown rules impact their programs and crew, watch as each of these dynamic students process the quickly changing world and their place in it going forward. Although they share vastly different experiences, what becomes clear in the film is the positive impact their art has on their lives and others.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Spain 2021, 99 min Director Andoni Canela CALIFORNIA PREMIERE Take a trek with a National Geographic wildlife photographer and his son as they journey to majestic landscapes across the globe in search of the last great big cats, including the Mato Grosso jaguar, the Patagonian cougar, the Rajasthani tiger, and the ever-elusive snow leopard of the Himalayas. Filmed across four continents—and over the course of several pivotal years in the son’s young adulthood—we get up close to these magnificent creatures, both human and wild. At the heart of the story is the delicate connection between father and son, the creative spirit from which the boy draws inspiration, and the imaginative lenses that bind them both. At times whispering and still, the film captures the essence of spirit in its sublime meditations on flora and fauna, leaving viewers with a reverence for nature and life itself.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS US 2021, 86 min Directors Darío Higuera Meza, Trudi Angell BAY AREA PREMIERE Darío Higuera Meza—a 70-year-old rancher and leatherworker from Baja California Sur —treks 200 miles by mule with a pack train of donkeys to the capital city of La Paz, honoring a generations-old tradition. As he travels with his friends, son, and grandson through the rugged terrain, he connects with elder ranchers living along the trail to celebrate a way of life that is barely remembered in today’s modern world. Through song, lessons on ranching, and his indomitable spirit and love of the land, Higuera Meza, in spite of physical difficulties that would stop most people in their tracks, strives to preserve the history of not just his own family— but an entire population of people whose practices are near extinction.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS US 2021, 75 min Directors Jennifer Peedom, Joseph Nizeti CALIFORNIA PREMIERE Majestic imagery and transportive music from the Australian Chamber Orchestra, command this meditation on how rivers have shaped both the globe and human life since the beginning of time. With narration from Oscar®-nominated actor Willem Dafoe and footage of rivers across six continents, the film takes audiences inside glaciers, across plains, and through the skies—showing the ways modern society is both harnessing and harming these ancient sources of life. From the establishment of civilizations to some of today’s biggest modern cities, this wondrous film examines how rivers and humanity intertwine. Atmospheric music and rhythmic cinematography combine to create an awe-inspiring and chill-inducing experience.
SPONSORED BY JIM BOYCE TRUST and KRIS OTIS
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
US 2021, 101 min Directors Renan Ozturk, Freddie Wilkinson CALIFORNIA PREMIERE
A five-year story of friendship and obsession, The Sanctity of Space (DocPitch 2018) tracks filmmakers Renan Ozturk, Freddie Wilkinson, and Zack Smith’s efforts to retrace the steps of legendary mountaineering photographer Bradford Washburn. Washburn’s iconic black and white photographs of the Moose’s Tooth (Dineje Waugh) Massif high above Alaska’s Ruth Gorge taken more than eighty years ago, provide impetus for this audacious expedition. A riveting adventure film with a fixation on the sublime, characterized by the vast landscapes of the traditional homelands of the Dena’ina and Athabascan peoples.
WONDERLANDS Canada 2022, 72 min Director Stacey Tenenbaum US PREMIERE We live in a world defined by growth and consumption. The world’s scrap is tossed aside or left to rust without a thought. But what happens to all things big and small that are expected to simply disappear? 2018 DocPitch project Scrap, delivers a lyrical cinematic behind-the-scenes look at the strange beauty midst abandoned vehicles and metal graveyards. Jumping from Asia to Europe and the Americas, we witness the afterlives of metal objects once frozen in time. An environmental message as much about sentimental attachment and shared cultural history as it is about reinvention and repurposing, Scrap suggests a paradigm shift in the way we view our connection and relationship with trash.
ART OF IMPACT
Total Program 115 min In this shorts compilation, we explore identity, watching as those featured explore where they come from, connecting with who they are, and in some instances—discovering who they want to become. Ne Netoca Kiahuitzin (My Name is Little Rain) (Eden Sabolboro, US 2021, 4 min), we meet an artist who reconnects with her indigenous Ancestral Lands. In Kambana (Samuel Pastor, Spain 2021, 16 min) twins in Madagascar break through cultural superstition to help forge a new future. Into the Circle (Meg Griffiths & Scott Faris, US 2021, 17 min) offers a lesson on healing from generational trauma with a Lakota teenager who has spent a lifetime seeking community. Prairie Flowers (Flores de la llanura) (Mariana Xochiquétzal Rivera, Mexico 2021, 19 min) wherein an indigenous women’s collective raises awareness about violence against women while mourning a friend, and Stranger at the Gate (Joshua Seftel, US 2021, 29 min) where a combat scarred Marine comes home with a flawed master plan. Lastly, Game Hawker (Brett Marty & Joshua Izenberg, US 2022, 30 min) where a master falconer dedicates his life to magnificent birds to preserve an ancient practice.
Becoming Black Lawyers
Becoming Black Lawyers
US 2021, 25 min Director Evangeline M. Mitchell As recognized racism within the criminal justice system brings new scrutiny to representation and opportunity, Black lawyers candidly share their experiences during law school and while preparing for and applying their trade. Shown with Let the Little Light Shine
Seasons
US 2021, 24 min Directors Gabriella Canal, Michael Fearon A classically trained Korean tour-de-force tends and markets her organic crops through the seasons while nurturing connections with her daughter—and the hopes she harbors for the future of the unique life she’s built single-handedly. Shown with Clean Wine
Sarah Squared
US 2022, 3 min Director Nancy Kelly On the beach at Point Reyes, surrounded by their beloved elephant seals, two trailblazing marine ecologists share their research interests, their generation-spanning career experiences, and their name. Shown with Exposure
Walls Cannot Keep Us From Flying
US 2021, 13 min Director Jonathan Mehring Against the backdrop of Israeli occupation, two Palestinian teenagers in the West Bank help the children of their community find freedom through skateboarding. Shown with Boycott
THE GREAT OUTDOORS US 2020, 90 min Director Alex Pritz CALIFORNIA PREMIERE A visually enchanting account of indigenous efforts to fend off illegal land grabs in the Amazon following the election of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. This documentary provides a sympathetic depiction of the indigenous Uru-eu-wauwau people and the settling farmers who bear the costs of Brazil’s development. A haunting, yet informatively tender look into a fight decades-long in the making, the film deftly negotiates the complicated forces of contemporary media, global environmental activism, and capitalist development. Winner of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Documentary Audience and Special Jury Awards, The Territory demonstrates the material and emotional costs of deforestation in the world’s largest tropical Rainforest.
WONDERLANDS
US 2022, 93 min Director Allison Otto Full of twists and turns, this true crime documentary (DocPitch 2019) will shatter your preconceived expectations and reveal that everything and everyone are not as they seem—and sometimes the truth is hidden in plain sight. After being boldly and recklessly sliced from its frame, as well as lost for decades, Willem de Kooning’s famous Woman-Ochre resurfaces in an unforeseen place: the home of Jimmy and Rita Alters. On the surface, the Alters seem like a lovely couple, described as “cool soulmates’’ by their friends and family. With a love of traveling and art, they lived life to the fullest, packing their days with adrenaline rush inducing adventures. Over the course of this curious story, viewers alongside local police, federal detectives, family members, art scholars, and others work to piece together the truth of this crime as the unexpectedly dauntless inner-life of the Alters is slowly unraveled.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS US 2021, 93 min Director Elizabeth Unger With less than 20,000 jaguars living in the wild globally, filmmaker Elizabeth Unger exposes the illegal trade of jaguar teeth between Bolivia and China. In this harrowing eco-thriller, Unger follows Marcos Uzquiano, veteran forest ranger and Director of Bolivia’s Madidi National Park, who works tirelessly to protect the dwindling jaguar population. Marcos investigates the supply side of the illegal trade, tracking hunters and conducting undercover operations to identify buyers and sellers. Meanwhile, Hong Kong journalist Laurel Chor examines the deep-seated cultural reasons and misconceptions behind the rising demand for jaguar teeth in China. Only by seeing both sides of the story can we begin to understand why these beautiful and irreplaceable creatures are under threat.
WONDERLANDS
US 2022, 89 min Director Ron Howard Acclaimed filmmaker Ron Howard follows the trail of celebrity chef-turned-humanitarian José Andrés, founder of the non-profit World Central Kitchen (WCK), who relentlessly travels the globe in the wake of natural and manmade disasters to feed hungry people. Originally, Andrés came to the U.S. to start what would become a world-famous tapas restaurant in Washington, D.C., but, after witnessing a natural disaster in the Cayman Islands, he was moved to use his cooking skills for humanitarian aid. We Feed People reveals the compelling story of how WCK has managed time and again, often against impossible odds, to step up when larger NGO organizations fall short. Ultimately, it’s a story about what it means to dedicate one’s life to relief work in an era defined by environmental devastation.
ART OF IMPACT
US 2022, 95 min Directors Lisa Riordan Seville, Zara Katz CALIFORNIA PREMIERE
Kristal Bush is driven by personal experiences and the love she has for her family and community to navigate the complexities of familial separation within the carceral system of Philadelphia. She uses her skills to start an impactful van service (with her mother as the sole employee), to keep families together in the face of imprisonment. She strives to balance being a business owner and her own self-care, with activism and advocacy, tirelessly fighting to adopt her incarcerated brother’s young son while building her business to create a safety net for her father and brothers. All with the aspiration to keep her own family together.
