The last two Oscar nominated docs on my list are Waste Land and Inside Job. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch them both before tonight’s Oscars because they aren’t available on DVD. So instead, here are brief synopses of each film so you’ll have a little bit of background before the big show!

Waste Land:
Directed by Lucy Walker (The Devil’s Playground), Waste Land spans over nearly three years as renowned artist Vik Muniz travels to his native Brazil and Jardim Gramacho, the world’s largest garbage dump. There he photographs a group of “catadores,” or pickers of recyclable materials. As Muniz gets to know these people he begins to recreate images of them with the materials they use every day — garbage.  ”That a beautiful film could be set in the world’s largest garbage dump sounds like an oxymoron, but acclaimed documentarian Lucy Walker has pulled off precisely that feat in her profoundly moving “Waste Land,” says the Los Angeles Times.

View the trailer here:

Inside Job:
Directed by Charles Ferguson and narrated by Academy Award winner Matt Damon, Inside Job takes the viewer “inside” the economic crisis of 2008. The research and interviews that shape the film reveal the relationships that have corrupted politics. Inside Job was named one of the Top 5 Documentaries of the Year by the National Board of Review and won Outstanding Directional Achievement in Documentary by the Directors Guild Award.

View the trailer here: 

- Laura Reeve

Filmmaker Josh Fox stumbled upon the subject of Gasland, today’s featured Oscar nominee, when a natural gas company offered him almost 100,000 dollars if he leased his family’s land in Milanville, Pennsylvania. Before accepting the offer, he went to Dimock, Pennsylvania (the closest town where similar gas drilling was taking place) to investigate.

In Dimock, he heard stories of tap water bubbling, hissing, turning colors, and even setting on fire. Neighbors told Fox about family sickness and family pets who lost their fur. After this visit, Fox rejected the company’s offer and started a cross-country road trip that would take him through Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming, Utah, and more. In each of these states he heard similar stories of water and air contamination due to hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” (the drilling process that releases the natural gas). Throughout the film, one (seemingly simple, yet unanswerable) question was continually asked: why is no one doing anything about this? Unfortunately, under the 2005 energy bill pushed by former Vice President Dick Cheney, these natural gas and oil companies are exempt from regulation by the Safe Drinking and Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act. Although the film ends with Fox in a congressional subcommittee meeting about the introduction of the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, which would amend the Safe Drinking Water Act, the film confesses an inability to answer what the future holds, not only for the people in the movie, but also for the country and world at large.

It may possibly be the most traditional (in terms of subject matter) of the three documentaries I have viewed so far; however, it is also, by far, the most visually stunning. Largely filmed by Fox himself, the film really captures America — both its serene and idyllic forests, planes, and creeks and the industrial toll that we have imposed onto these landscapes. Fox ends the documentary commenting on how this journey has cemented his love for America, and that love clearly reveals itself in its visual images. Despite the fact that this film talks about the country at large, it is clearly a personal project near to Fox’s heart as his voice narrates the entire film.

Gasland, like Exit Through the Gift Shop, is not without its controversy. Energy in Depth (EID), a group representing the natural gas and oil producers, has sent a letter that says Gasland should be ineligible to win because of its numerous inaccuracies. Fox has written a response to this letter which defends his film that EID calls Gasland “an expression of stylized fiction.”

We’ll have to wait until Sunday to see if EID’s efforts are in vain; however, Gasland definitely asks its audience to both question and take action about what we are told by large corporations and the government officials that stand by them.


- Laura Reeve

As my Oscar nominated documentaries blog-extravangaza comes to a close, I wanted to get an outside and more knowledgeable perspective on these films that I’ve been watching. I was lucky enough to get in touch with Ellen Reynolds, a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, who specializes in documentary film. A filmmaker, Ellen has taught film and video at both the University of the Arts and UPenn. Here is what she had to say about the Oscars, a few of her favorite docs, and her love for the genre as a whole.

Documentaries are your specialty. Why do you like studying this particular genre? What do you think makes it interesting?
Real life is just more interesting to me than fiction, though I do admire the craft of fiction storytelling very much. I am fascinated with how people live their lives and make choices, and the unceasing variety of human experience, even as it exists with it’s timeless aspects and constraints. It is extremely demanding to be inside life and looking at aspects of it as a filmmaker that provides a lot of challenges that appeal to me. There are serious ethical questions of representation which I like grappling with. Personally, in my work, I feel a calling to represent with respect the stories of the unheard and unseen, for the historical record but also to serve as an affirmation, a guidepost, for anyone who’s interested. The (old fashioned?) idea that documentaries matter also moves me, I am at heart a keeper of that flame.

Can you weigh in on what “kinds” of  documentaries usually win the Oscars? Is the content and the subject matter more important than how the documentary is actually made?
The content is very important, naturally. But what seems to be “in vogue” are documentaries that follow a clear three-act structure. Everyone loves a good story. New forms of documentary (essay, or a blurry blend of fiction and non-fiction that calls into question “reality”) are not quite mainstream enough to be popular, though innovations in the form and asking the hard “inside” questions are super exciting to makers.

The movie that comes to mind with this next question is Restrepo. It’s clearly about a very touchy and emotional topic. Do you think that will effect its chances of winning (either positively or negatively)?
I think that personal stories that emerge out of situations a lot of people care abut are very attractive to the jury, and to anyone! I haven’t seen Restrepo but I think I will admire it, even though I hate the subject (war, warriors, unwinnable and tragic situations).

Do you think Energy in Depth’s attack on Gasland will effect its chances of  winning?
Not sure. I hope not. Other things might – it’s not very innovative in form nor demanding for the maker – it’s kind of a folksy story about a guy on a quest for knowledge who finds out more than he bargained for – a similar theme to King Corn that I loved too and is also very solidly made and important, but won nothing.

Exit Through the Gift Shop is another Oscar nominated doc that has been accused of being “fake.” What are your thoughts on that controversy? How do you feel about documentaries that might not be as  truthful as they appear (especially since, I believe, the majority of people go into a documentary expecting to be told the “truth”)?
Tricky question. Sometimes “the truth” is the subject (Capturing he Friedmans for example), so to manipulate the truth to show the possibilities of manipulation is interesting but requires a somewhat sophisticated viewer. The “truth” of “reality” is a big subject now in our “reality tv” dominated media landscape so it’s a very legitimate subject in my view. Otherwise, I think the maker has an obligation to show their allegiance transparently. This is the basic reason why I don’t see Michael Moore’s work as propaganda – we know exactly what side he’s on, he’s just making the best case possible for it which I believe is his right. Editors know well the practice and possibilities of manipulation – it is therefore incumbent upon them (and their directors) to be sure that they treat this responsibility ethically.

What was your favorite documentary you saw this year (even if it wasn’t nominated for an Oscar) and why?
I love Wasteland. Lucy Walker made The Devil’s Playground a few years ago as well, an amazing piece of documentary work. Wasteland does what Docs (I think) should do- connects contemporary events to transcendent themes.

The Last Train Home was astonishing. It’s an incredible, beautiful, film, though not American.

Gasland was amazing. The personal voice really works on this one, gives urgency and locality to a huge scientific and controversial subject. It has the power to effect change, without resorting to propaganda – the old fashioned ideal of all documentary makers. But I doubt it will win.

I’m interested in 12^th and Delaware. I haven’t seen it yet. It’s by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing who made the phenomenal Jesus Camp.

I loved, as an Editor, the Art of the Steal about the Barnes Foundation. It’s a great local story, but this film would be dry as toast without the great editing job.

Of the few that you have seen, do you have any idea which documentary will win this year?
Restrepo probably. It’s nonpolitical about a political subject, centers on a personal story, and obviously a very difficult film to make. (But I haven’t seen Exit Through the Gift Shop. It depends on if the jury wants to stay nonpolitical as it sometimes does.)

Thanks so much to Ellen Reynolds for taking the time to answer my questions. Tell us your Oscar doc pic in the comments. And don’t forget to tune into the Academy Awards this Sunday, February 27, at 8 PM on ABC!

I was not emotionally prepared for Restrepo, a documentary that tells the story of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. The next movie on my series about the Oscar nominated documentaries, Restrepo focuses on a 15-man outpost “Restrepo,” named after a medic killed in action. Considered one of the most dangerous outposts in Afghanistan, the men see action constantly as they build the outpost.

The film, which spans from May 2007 to July 2008, begins with home movies made by Doc Restrepo and his fellow soldiers a week before their deployment begins. They laugh and make jokes, all of them excited for the adventure ahead of them. The story is completely told through the eyes of these 15 men. The individual interviews, zoomed into the soldiers’ faces, explain life both in the valley and their lives after their deployment. The viewer is taken into the fighting — gun shots, swearing, and the emotional roller coaster of combat (both the adrenalin highs and the emotional breakdowns as soldiers see their friends wounded and killed). ”I prefer not to sleep, not dream about, than sleep and see the picture in my head. It’s pretty bad,” a soldier, Cortez, says in his interview.

“The war in Afghanistan has become highly politicized, but soldiers rarely take part in that discussion. Our intention was to capture the experience of combat, boredom, and fear through the eyes of the soldiers themselves,” directors Tim Hetherington and Sebastion Junger explain. This intention is fully realized, as the images of Afghanistan, the civilians, the soldiers’ families, and the Army experience are completely filtered through the eyes of the soldiers, making the film’s perspective especially unique and emotional. The film makes the war feel less like a far away, abstract concept. The war becomes something real and tangible, especially with the men who lived it, staring at and speaking to the viewer through the screen.

Already a winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Restrepo will definitely be a contender on the 27th. It is currently streaming on Netflix and can be downloaded on itunes.



- Laura Reeve

As the 2011 Oscar’s approach (February 27), I’ll be taking a closer look at each of the five documentary films nominated this year: Exit Through the Gift Shop, Gasland, Inside Job, Restrepo and Waste Land, ultimately making my own prediction for which one will come out the winner.

First up on my to do list was Exit Through the Gift Shop. The nomination of which maybe puts to rest the mystery surrounding the film as pure documentary or a hoax. At its core, hoax or no, it’s a film about street art, a hybrid form of graffiti that uses stickers, stencils, posters, and sculptures to create art that captures one moment. It is art so momentary that it can be painted over or taken away moments or days later. It’s art that street artist legend Banksy, the sort-of subject of the film, explains as being in a “legal gray area.” However, once seen as a nuisance, thanks to artists such as Banksy, street art now sells in the most presitgious auction houses. 

Exit Through the Gift Shop begins by introducing Thierry Guetta, a French immigrant who cannot put his film camera down. He films everything, from his family to celebrities he encounters in Los Angeles. He finally finds a focus when he starts to film his cousin, Space Invader, a street artist famous for his mosaic pieces. Through Space Invador, Theirry begins to film artists all around the world including Shepard Fairey (an artist most famous for his OBEY stickers depicting the famed wrestler Andre The Giant. See below.) and, eventually, Banksy. Guetta is given an intimate inside look at Banksy’s secretive world and documents his art projects from London to Disneyland. 

Starting out as merely a film about street art, Exit Through the Gift Gift Shop takes an interesting and unpredictable turn when the two men switch roles, Banksy becoming the director of the film and Thierry the subject of the film. It is actually through this role reversal and the creation of Thierry’s alter-ego, Mr. Brainwash, that we learn the most about this world and the public’s perception of the art this world produces. 

Thierry Guetta

As a director, Banksy shows his creativity by weaving together the story of an art movement and a man who gets sucked into it. Not only does the film bring the viewer into a secret world that really is all around us (literally pasted onto the sides of buildings, mailboxes, and stop signs), but the documentary also poses pertinent questions about art as a commodity, hype, and worth. However, what I think sets this documentary apart from others I have seen, is how it is told; because the artists themselves are telling the story (and directing it), the film becomes remarkably introspective.

View the trailer below and definitely check out this film (especially if you want to predict which documentary will be taking home the big prize). It’s also streaming now on Netflix.

- Laura Reeve

Image from Voices of Afghanistan

As the First Person Festival draws near, First Person RAW artists will be interviewing other Festival artists working in similar fields for the First Person blog. We’ve paired funny ladies Robin Gelfenbien and Elna Baker and actors Justin Jain and Dan Hoyle. For our first interview, Heather Metcalfe from Voices of Afghanistan interviews Heather Ross, director of Girls on the Wall.

Both Heather M. and Heather R. allow the stories of marginalized and forgotten women to be heard. In June 2009, Heather M. traveled to Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan where she photographed and interviewed the men, women, and children whom she met along her travels. Heather’s photographs and film depicting the strength, beauty, and struggles of the women of Afghanistan make up the film and book titled Voices of Afghanistan, which she’ll be presenting at the First Person Festival. Heather Ross is the director of Girls on the Wall, a documentary about the young women of an Illinois juvenile correctional facility as they tell their stories through the creation of a musical about their own lives. (watch the trailer below)

Girls on the Wall

Heather M: Why is storytelling important?
Heather R: I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I grew up as an escapist and always liked to lose myself in other people’s stories.  Film is a powerful medium in terms of getting absorbed and losing yourself to the story, and in a documentary, you can lose your self in a real person’s story. That’s an especially powerful thing, particularly when the subject or the character is nothing like you. And I really like that moment of realization for a viewer when they realize their story is similar to the one in the film, especially when they had not expected that. Stories help people, at least briefly, come up with a new way of looking at the world.

In my film Girls On the Wall, the theme of storytelling is central. Ms. P, the director of the program,  gets the girls to realize that they can’t change their life, their story, until they understand their story.

What drew you to making a movie about teenage girls who were incarcerated?
I didn’t have a particular interest in teenage girls living in prison originally. I  wanted to do something about teenage girls and their stories, but wasn’t sure what exactly. However, I then heard a story on the radio about about a musical program for teenage girls, who were in prison and was instantly interested.  The fact the girls were doing a musical made it funny and creative, yet the girls were in prison. So it had important stories, voices you haven’t heard before and a crazy way of bringing an audience into that world.

Based upon your work on the film, are there any policies you would like to see changed regarding juvenile delinquents and the criminal justice system?
My focus was entirely on the stories of the girls.  Nothing in the film has anything to do with the policies. However, through hearing the girl’s stories, you can form your own opinions about whether the system is working for them.  I personally think it did, many of the girls lived better in jail than they did outside, which in itself is pretty tragic. In the facility, people cared about them, they were in school, they were fed, they weren’t getting hurt. Then again, you do see how kids get locked up for something very minor, and then it snowballs into a pattern of getting in and out of jail.

Overall, the film is not a social justice piece. There is no agenda other than telling the fascinating stories of these girls.

What will your presentation at First Person Arts Festival entail?
My film Girls on the Wall will be shown in the Prison 101 program, together with a live performance of stories written by men in a local prison.  It should be interesting for people to see live theatre written by men who are in prison and compare to the lives of teenage girls in prison. We’ll also have a Q&A afterward.

What do you think viewers will be surprised from Girls On the Wall?
Viewers are typically surprised by how smart, funny and charismatic the girls are.  That is huge and important to me.  Girls On the Wall is not a sob story about bad kids who made bad choices.  It is about kids who clearly have a lot of potential.  And if they are tough, you love them more, because you can see the pain, which the toughness is covering up.  Viewers typically are surprised by how much they love and care for the girls, as well as how much they root for them.

Other thoughts?
I’m really excited for Girls On the Wall to be shown in the First Person Festival. It has been shown at theaters and film festivals, but the festival is a really ideal place to show the film because that is what the movie is about, the power of the girls telling their story.  The film will demonstrate how powerful it is for people to tell their story for the first time.  I hope viewers will watch Girls On the Wall, have fun and be moved.

From Afghanistan to our own back yard, come learn about the strength and beauty that exists within these two extraordinary groups of women. Heather Ross will be doing a Q&A after the premier of Girls on the Wall Saturday, November 13 at 2:00 PM, as part of the three-part program, Prison 101. Click here for more information and to buy tickets. Heather Metcalfe will be presenting Voices of Afghanistan on Saturday, November 13 at 6:30 PM. Click here for more information and to buy tickets. Both events take place at the Painted Bride Art Center.

Girls on the Wall Trailer

“So, what are they making a documentary about you for?”
“Because I’m fascinating. I write wonderful music.”

Strange Powers is a documentary that spans 4 tours, 3 albums, and 10 years. Directed by Kerthy Fix and Gail O’Hara, the film follows the closely guarded world of Stephin Merritt and his band The Magnetic Fields. Along with The Magnetic Fields, Merritt has put out numerous albums including 1999’s 69 Love Songs, an epic three-disc concept album that highlights Merrit’s genuine talent at creating music. (It also includes my personal favorite, “I Need a New Heart,” but that’s besides the point.) The film follows Merritt through his songwriting and recording processes as well as explores his personal relationships with his band mate and manager Claudia Gonson. Strange Powers won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature at Outfest in Los Angeles, CA. Official Website.

Following the screening, Claudia Gonson and filmmaker Kerthy Fix will talk about the impact of The Magnetic Fields.

The event will take place on Saturday, November 13 at 5:30 PM on the Main Stage of the Painted Bride Art Center as part of the First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art. It is $15 for the general public and $12 for First Person members. Buy your tickets here.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the final documentary in the First Person Festival, Inside Hana’s Suitcase. If you missed it yesterday, get to know the Girls on the Wall.
- Laura Reeve

As the 2010 First Person Arts Festival quickly approaches, we are busily preparing some pretty spectacular events featuring music, dance, poetry, theatre, and memoir. And our Festival wouldn’t be complete without some standout documentary films.

Join us for the Philadelphia premiers of three different documentaries. Each film provides insight into the lives of amazing people, each with their own histories, journeys, and stories to tell. This week, we’ll take a brief look at each of the documentaries, starting with the moving and provocative Girls on the Wall.

Girls On the Wall

Directed by Heather Ross, Girls on the Wall takes you into Warrenville, a juvenile detention center for young girls in Illinois. Enter Whitney, Rosa, and Christina. They are just three of the many Warrenville girls who took part in an art project aimed to help them reclaim their lives: writing and performing a musical. As the girls write their stories, they must face their pasts and come to terms with their crimes. The LA Times Blog described Girls on the Wall as a masterpiece. It has won awards at both the Chicago International Film Festival and the Bermuda International Film festival. Official Website. 

Girls on the Wall is the first part of a three-part event looking at the role of the arts in criminal rehabilitation, Prison 101. The event includes the world premier of Prison 101, a monologue-driven theater piece written by the men of Graterford Prison, just 45 minutes outside of Philly. Mural Arts founder Jane Golden will moderate the third and final part of the showcase, a discussion with the directors of Girls on the Wall and Prison 101. 

The event is sponsored by Villanova University and Ursinus College and will take place on Saturday, November 13 at 2:00 PM on the Main Stage of the Painted Bride Art Center. It will run for approximately 2 1/2 hours and is $15 for the general public and $12 for First Person members. Buy your tickets here. 

Tomorrow we’ll get a sneak peak at Strange Powers: Stephin Merrit and The Magnetic Fields.

- Laura Reeve

In case you’re just getting back from a three-month stint in Siberia or are just generally unaware of the Philly arts scene (though how could that be the case, if you’re a fan of First Person?!), then let me tell you about this little thing called the Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe. It’s just your run-of-the-mill two-week long extravaganza of theater, music, dance and just about every combination of multi-media, interdisciplinary collaboration you can think of that features some of the best performers from Philly and around the world. Yeah, it’s very ho hum.
And this year features some very first person-y projects. Here are our picks for pieces featuring documentary and memoir. But I want to hear what YOU’RE going to see, memoir, documentary, real life, fake life, whatever. Tell me in the comments.
Cankerblossom- Ok, it’s totally not memoir but it does feature former First Person Arts Artist-in-Residence Beth Nixon, so we can’t wait. (Beth is awesome! And she rocks cardboard like nobody’s business.)
Cedric Andrieux- Biography by way of dance. Plus, he’s one beautiful man. (See photo above) Even better, mention First Person and get 20% off your tickets.*
Journey to the West- Avant-garde first person storytelling based on the experiences of Chinese opera artists in the West.
Let’s Face It! Self Portraits and Life Stories- Helmed by FPA’s own Linda Dubin Garfield, this free event lets you tell your story via self-portraiture. Don’t just take my word for it… it was just pulled out as a City Paper fest pick.
No One Else Could Love You More- This documentary film provides a behind-the-scenes look at Philly’s own Headlong Dance Company and the making of their piece more.
Polaroid Stories- Based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the UArts Theater Department show centers around a story slam like you’ve never seen before.
What are you going to see? Tell me in the comments!
*Cannot be combined with other offers. Not valid on student or 25 and under tickets.
Photo by Jaime Roque de la Cruz