[With just a day until the Melbourne International Film Festival programme is revealed, Julian considers how he would fill out the festival if he was given the opportunity.]
The second largest category at the Melbourne International Film Festival is the Documentaries section, which last year contained 33 non-fiction features dealing with a range of subjects. I’ve decided not to explain why I picked every feature in my list – that would take a while considering how big this section is. Instead, I will quickly go over which films have already been announced, which titles I have taken from the Sydney Film Festival, and list some of the other highlights, before listing my 33 picks.
Let’s look at the features already announced:
The Ambassador | dir. Mads Brügger | DEN
The Imposter | dir. Burt Layton | UK
Into the Abyss | dir. Werner Herzog | USA/UK/GER
Journal de France | dir. Raymond Depardon, Claudine Nougaret | FRA
Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis | dir. Gregg Barson | USA
Room 237 | dir. Rodney Ascher | USA
Now let’s look at my other Sydney Film Festival pick-ups:
Side by Side | dir. Christopher Kenneally | USA
Whores’ Glory | dir. Michael Glawogger | AUT/GER
The World Before Her | dir. Nisha Pahuja | IND
And here are some of the other highlights:
Call Me Kuchu | dir. Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall | USA/UGA
A big winner at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, Call Me Kuchu follows the final year in the life of Uganda’s first openly gay activist David Kato. Portraying the homophobic and Christian-fanatical environment in Uganda during a time where religious groups are trying to pass an anti-homosexuality bill, the film examines the astounding courage of its central figure and his comrades-in-arms.
Carol Channing: Larger than Life | dir. Dori Berinstein | USA
One of the most entertaining and vivacious performers in American history, Berinstein’s documentary profiles the 90-year-old icon that is Carol Channing. While many consider Channing as a camp figure, this smartly-constructed film celebrates her seven decades as a musical comedy star, while uncovering a remarkable love story.
Hell and Back Again | dir. Danfung Dennis | USA/UK/AFG
This Academy Award nominated documentary feature brilliantly juxtaposes the intense experience of war with the challenges of re-adjusting to civilian life by following the story of wounded 25-year-old Marine Sgt. Nathan Harris. Hell and Back Again is a smart examination of the scars that manifest upon soldiers returning home.
Her Master’s Voice | dir. Nina Conti | UK/USA
Ventriloquist Nina Conti takes the puppets of her mentor and former lover Ken Campbell on a pilgrimage to “Venthaven”, the resting place for puppets of dead ventriloquists. As Nina takes this journey, she gets to know her travelling partners and looks at herself and her lost love in this very unique feature.
The Invisible War | dir. Kirby Dick | USA
An “examination of the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the U.S. military, the institutions that cover up its existence and the profound personal and social consequences that arise from it,” this is a documentary that pulls no punches in its careful handling of its subject matter. Passionate yet controlled, this is a crucial film.
José and Pilar | dir. Miguel Gonçalves Mendes | POR
A Portuguese documentary following the final years of Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, focusing primarily on his relationship with wife Pilar del Río. Highlighting their daily lives in Lanzarote and their many trips around the world, Mendes manages to show the tenderness and humanity behind a man whose political views courted much controversy.
Sexy Baby | dir. Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus | USA
Exploring the saturation of sex in Western society, Sexy Baby looks at what it is like to be a woman in the digital age where “sexy” dominates everything from marketing to music to reality television. Focusing on three women – a twelve-year-old, 22-year-old and 32-year-old – Bauer and Gradus mix clips from popular culture with intimate character studies to confront how identity and self-esteem have been altered in contemporary society.
Visiting Room | dir. Alexandru Baciu, Radu Muntean | ROU
After creating complex love relationships in fiction features like Boogie and Tuesday, After Christmas, Baciu and Muntean turn to the real life love stories of prison convicts, who began relationships through mailed correspondence and hope to eventually meet the other person physically. Managing to keep their distance while opening up their subjects, Baciu and Muntean have created a powerful and unsentimental feature.
So after all of that, let’s take a look at my selections for the Documentaries section:
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry | dir. Allison Klayman | USA/CHN
The Ambassador | dir. Mads Brügger | DEN
Back to the Square | dir. Petr Lom | NOR/CAN
A Bitter Taste of Freedom | dir. Marina Goldovskaya | RUS/SWE/USA
Call Me Kuchu | dir. Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall | USA/UGA
Carol Channing: Larger than Life | dir. Dori Berinstein | USA
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop | dir. Rodman Flender | USA
Dreams of a Life | dir. Carol Morley | UK
5 Broken Cameras | dir. Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi | FRA/ISR/PAL
The Flat | dir. Arnon Goldfinger | ISR/GER
Hell and Back Again | dir. Danfung Dennis | USA/UK/AFGHANISTAN
Her Master’s Voice | dir. Nina Conti | UK/USA
The House I Live In | dir. Eugene Jarecki | USA
The Imposter | dir. Burt Layton | UK
Into the Abyss | dir. Werner Herzog | USA/UK/GER
The Invisible War | dir. Kirby Dick | USA
Jose and Pilar | dir. Miguel Gonçalves Mendes | POR
Journal de France | dir. Raymond Depardon, Claudine Nougaret | FRA
Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis | dir. Gregg Barson | USA
Planet of Snail | dir. Seung-Jun Yi | KOR
Room 237 | dir. Rodney Ascher | USA
Sexy Baby | dir. Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus | USA
Side by Side | dir. Christopher Kenneally | USA
The Trial | dir. Gerald Igor Hauzenberger | AUT
Visiting Room | dir. Alexandru Baciu, Radu Muntean | ROU
Wavumba | dir. Jeroen Van Velzen | NED
West of Memphis | dir. Amy Berg | NZ
We Were Here | dir. David Weissman, Bill Weber | USA
Whores’ Glory | dir. Michael Glawogger | AUT/GER
The Will | dir. Christian Sønderby Jepsen | DEN
Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines | dir. Kristy Guevara-Flangan | USA
The World Before Her | dir. Nisha Pahuja | IND
So that’s what I would have in the programme for MIFF 2012. Have I missed anything? What would you want if you had free reign?
