As we celebrate the Fourth of July it's also worth noting that the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival is just over two months away. I've attended 37 film festivals since the start of 2006, but none as prestigious or breathtaking in scope as this one. I saw over 75 films there from 2006-2008, and many of my Top Picks from all festivals over the past few years (of over 375 in total) came from the Toronto lineup.

View more information on 2009 Toronto International Film Festival announces “Best of the Fest” selections...

This year's festival runs from September 10-19 and is considered the top film festival in the Western Hemisphere, second in the world only to Cannes. Many films have their World or North American premieres there. Almost every major Academy Award winning film of the past few years debuted at this festival. The total number of films typically totals over 350.

The complete film list will be revealed on August 20 on the official site at tiff.net/thefestival. In the meantime, the first set of titles has now been announced, consisting of premier selections from Cannes, Berlin, and other major festivals. These are all North American Premieres.


Masters

Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl Manoel de Oliveira, France/Portugal/Spain
North American Premiere
Famed filmmaker Oliveira, who celebrates his 101st birthday this year, tells the tale of Macario's obsession with the enticing blond he spies from his window. Little does he know that she will end up stealing much more than his heart.

Les Herbes Folles Alain Resnais, France
North American Premiere
From modernist master Alain Resnais comes a romantic adventure based around the simple act of losing a wallet.

Air Doll Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan
North American Premiere
This compelling tale of a blow-up doll that becomes a real person and abandons her status of mere sex object comes to life with the superb performance of Korean actress Bae Doo-na.\


Visions

Face Tsai Ming-liang, France/Taiwan/The Netherlands/Belgium
North American Premiere
A tableau vivant adorned with Tsai Ming-Liang’s signature aesthetic portrays a special homage to the Nouvelle Vague and the Louvre, which co-produced the film and hosted its shooting.

Independencia Raya Martin, France
North American Premiere
Mimicking early silent films, Independencia creates a lush metaphor that plays with cinematic illusions and the cultural and mythical history of the Philippines.

Irène Alain Cavalier, France
North American Premiere
Filmmaker Alain Cavalier turns his personal grief of becoming a widower into a first-person subjective documentary that focuses on his diary entries.

Karaoke Chris Chong Chan Fui, Malaysia
North American Premiere
Poetic, observant and allegorical, Karaoke juxtaposes a young man’s idealism with the reality of a changing Malaysia through karaoke videos.

Nymph Pen-Ek Ratanaruang,Thailand
North American Premiere
A haunting supernatural love affair set in a mysterious forest between a nymph and a couple who have drifted apart.

To Die Like a Man João Pedro Rodrigues, Portugal/France
North American Premiere
In order to forgive and be forgiven for the slights endured over a long life as a transsexual club performer, Tonia devolves her body back into a male form and seeks reconciliation with her estranged son.


Vanguard

Fish Tank Andrea Arnold, United Kingdom
North American Premiere
Andrea Arnold's assured follow-up to Red Road is a taboo-breaking love story about a violent teenaged girl transformed by desire for her mother's new boyfriend.


Discovery

Gigante Adrian Biniez, Uruguay/Germany/Argentina/The Netherlands
North American Premiere
Security guard Jara falls in love as he supervises staff through the closed-circuit cameras at a supermarket. First voyeur, then guardian angel, he protects and pursues the cleaning woman who has unknowingly captured his heart.

The Happiest Girl in the World Radu Jude, Romania/The Netherlands
North American Premiere
Family conflict produces comedy in this story of a young girl who wins a car in a lottery and her scheming parents who insist on selling it.

Kelin Ermek Tursunov, Kazakhstan
North American Premiere
A love story among the ragged steppes of ancient Kazakhstan is told in beautiful and poetic images, as a young love struggles to survive in the face of uncontrollable external factors.

La Pivellina Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria/Italy
North American Premiere
A small abandoned girl is sheltered by a circus woman in this tale of courage, loss and togetherness.

Samson and Delilah Warwick Thornton, Australia
North American Premiere
Teenagers Samson and Delilah live in an isolated Aboriginal community in the Central Australian desert. Their outsider status draws them closer together and they come to depend on each other when tragedy strikes.

Should I Really Do It Ismail Necmi, Turkey
North American Premiere
The concepts of real life and fiction, documentary and drama, are explored in this real-life feature which follows the unbelievable life of Petra, a German woman living in Turkey.


Contemporary World Cinema

Eyes Wide Open Haim Tabakman, Israel
North American Premiere
A gay love story set in the heart of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem, where the belief that love conquers all results in societal pressures and threats of violence.

Huacho Alejandro Fernandez Almendras, Chile
North American Premiere
A warm family saga which follows 24 hours in the life of a poverty-stricken provincial family in central Chile.

Like You Know It All Hong Sang-soo, Republic of Korea
North American Premiere
Delightfully comic exploration of the emotional and social geography of an art-house film director, directed by Korean auteur Hong Sangsoo.

Lourdes Jessica Hausner, Austria/France/Germany
North American Premiere
In order to escape her isolation, wheelchair-bound Christine makes a life-changing journey to Lourdes, the iconic site of pilgrimage in the Pyrenees Mountains.

Men on the Bridge Asli Özge, Germany/Turkey/The Netherlands
North American Premiere
The stories of three men working at the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul are told by the original characters, in this mosaic depicting real persons exposing their lives and aspirations.

Police, Adjective Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania
North American Premiere
A witty portrait of life in the small town of Vaslui, the sophisticated Police, Adjective builds on the promise of Porumboiu’s debut 12:08, East of Bucharest.

The Time that Remains Elia Suleiman, France/Belgium/Italy
North American Premiere
This semi-biographic film, divided into four historical episodes, portrays the daily life of Palestinians in 1948 who were considered a minority, even in their homeland.

The Wind Journeys Ciro Guerra, Colombia
North American Premiere
Ignacio, a former traveling musician, makes one final trip across the country following his wife’s death. He is joined by a teenaged fan, and together they explore the possibilities that life has in store for them.



View more information on 2009 Toronto International Film Festival announces “Best of the Fest” selections...

The 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival has come to an exciting conclusion and I've returned home to take stock of my experience there. In the past few days since I've been home I posted 25 reviews for all the films I saw (see articles below titled Day One - Day Seven).

As in previous years, and as I do following every film festival (37 since the start of 2006), now it's time to post my list of Top Picks.


View more information on 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival—My Top Picks...

I attended a total of 25 screenings, including 24 full-length features (there was one shorts program). Those 24 features included 15 narratives and 9 documentaries (a 5:3 ratio). Of those documentaries, 7 were from other countries and 2 were from the US. The narratives consisted of 11 from other countries and only 4 from the US. In total, I saw 17 subtitled films and 7 English-speaking films.

Of the 25 screenings I attended there were only 4 US narrative features, or the "sweet little American indies," which usually make up the majority of films I see at festivals.

Please keep in mind that there were a lot of enjoyable films -- only a few were disappointing. Most I'd recommend and some I'd even see again. But these are the best of the best -- the films that I'd not only recommend, but also see again and buy the DVD. I don't always list narrative features and documentaries separately -- it depends on the lineup. This year there were many docs on my list and several were exceptional, so I'll choose three Top Picks in each category.

Here is my list of Top Picks from the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival. Titles are linked to their respective reviews. Countries of origin are listed in parentheses.


NARRATIVE FEATURES

(in alphabetical order)


Dear Lemon Lima, (USA)

A Week Alone (Una Semana Solos) (Argentina)

West of Pluto (A L'Ouest de Pluton) (Canada)



DOCUMENTARIES

(in alphabetical order)


Bananas!* (Netherlands)

When You're Strange: A Film about The Doors (USA)

The Youngest Candidate (USA)













View more information on 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival—My Top Picks...

UPDATE: I've now updated and added capsule reviews to my Day One and Day Two posts.
Day Three capsule reviews are up.
Day Four capsule reviews now complete.
Top Picks now posted. That's a wrap!
Day Five reviews have now been posted.
Day Six reviews now completed.
Day Seven (final day) reviews are now posted.
Top Picks now posted. That's a wrap!

View more information on 2009 LA Film Festival—Update...

No, I haven’t been swallowed up by the La Brea Tar Pits (although it often feels as if I have). I’m back from the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival and catching up with reviews.

As I suspected, there was far less time to blog and post updates than I’d hoped, but this wouldn’t be the first festival at which this has happened and it’s generally a good thing. It means that the film screenings, panels, parties, and other assorted events were so plentiful and exciting that reporting on them had to wait until I got home.

At the moment I'm in the process of recapping each day’s activities with capsule reviews and posting pictures from the various Q&As I attended, after which I’ll select my Top Picks and post full-length reviews for those winners.


View more information on 2009 LA Film Festival—Update...

Here is the official press release announcing the award winners of the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival:

LOS ANGELES (June 28, 2009) – Today Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced its 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival award winners at a special event, presented by Target. The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by The Los Angeles Times, ran from Thursday, June 18 to Sunday, June 28.

View more information on 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival Award Winners...

“One of our goals at Film Independent is to help filmmakers build an audience for their work, and the Los Angeles Film Festival does just that,” said Film Independent Executive Director Dawn Hudson. “We hope recognition at the Festival will allow these filmmakers to continue to find broad audiences for their terrific films.”

The two top juried awards of the Los Angeles Film Festival are the Target Filmmaker Award and Target Documentary Award, each carrying an unrestricted $50,000 cash prize for the winning film’s director. The awards were established by the Festival and Target to encourage independent filmmakers to pursue their artistic ambitions. “Target has been a major supporter of the Festival since 2001, and their partnership has allowed us to expand dramatically in that time,” said Festival Director Rebecca Yeldham. “Their specific dedication to individual artists is extraordinary.”

The Target Filmmaker Award recognizes the finest narrative film in competition at the Festival and went to Sam Fleischner and Ben Chace for Wah Do Dem (What They Do). The Target Documentary Award recognizes the finest documentary film in competition at the Festival and went to Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Hagerman for Those Who Remain (Los Que se Quedan).

New this year, the Festival and Target established the Target Dream in Color Award to recognize a short film in the Festival’s Future Filmmaker Showcase for high school students that inspires audiences to dream without boundaries and share culture in a unique and positive way. The prize includes a Target Gift card for the winning director and a desktop editing system for the winner’s school media arts program. The Target Dream in Color Award was presented by Elizabeth Pena and given to Sam Rubin for Lipstick.

The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature went to The Stoning of Soraya M., directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh and the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature went to Soul Power, directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte. Eva Norvind’s Born Without (Nacido Sin) won the Audience Award for Best International Feature.

The award for Outstanding Performance in the Narrative Competition went to Shayne Topp for his performance in Suzi Yoonessi’s Dear Lemon Lima,. Given to an actor or actors from an official selection in the Narrative Competition, this is the sixth year the award has been given at the Festival.

The award for Best Narrative Short Film went to Antonio Mendez Esparza’s Time and Again. The award for Best Documentary Short Film went to Anna Gaskell’s Replayground. Jérémy Clapin’s Skhizein won the award for Best Animated Short Film.

The Audience Award for Best Short Film went to Instead of Abracadabra, directed by Patrick Eklund. Grapevine Fires, directed by Walter Robot won the Audience Award for Best Music Video for Death Cab for Cutie.

The Narrative Feature Competition jury was comprised of producer Albert Berger, actress Rosemarie DeWitt, and film critic Elvis Mitchell. The Documentary Feature Competition jury was comprised of film critic David Ansen, writer-director Anna Boden, and director Darius Marder. The Shorts Competition jury was comprised of art director KK Barrett, producer Tracey Bing, and digital media
artist and filmmaker Alex Rivera. The Target Dream in Color jury was comprised of director Patricia Cardoso, the writing and directing team Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin, and director Mark Osborne.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival screened over 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries. This year, the Festival received more than 4,600 submissions from filmmakers around the world, with the final selections representing several World, International, North American, and U.S. premieres. For the first time this year, international films were included in the narrative
and documentary competition categories.

The Festival kicked off on Thursday, June 18 with the Opening Night Gala selection and World Premiere of Paper Man, directed by Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney. Public Enemies, directed by Michael Mann, screened as this year’s Centerpiece Premiere selection on Tuesday, June 23. The Closing Night film selection was Disney’s Ponyo, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. In addition to the Festival’s Coffee Talks, Tech Talks, Poolside Chats, Film Financing Conference, and other special events, the Festival held the Los Angeles Premiere of DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures’ Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Khaled Hosseini and Thom Mayne served as this year’s Artists in Residence. As Artists in Residence, each programmed an event that inspired their work. Khaled Hosseini selected Cyrus Nowrasteh’s The Stoning of Soraya M., followed by a panel discussion, and Thom Mayne engaged in a fascinating discussion with acclaimed cinematographer Frederick Elmes about architecture and cinema.

View more information on 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival Award Winners...

I attended a special screening of writer/director Jason Pollock's inspiring documentary The Youngest Candidate at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival.

This powerful film follows the frenzied lives of four people running for elective office in America: George Monger of Memphis, looking for a city council seat; Raul De Jesus, running for the office of Mayor in Hartford, Connecticut; Pittsburgh suburban school board candidate Tiffany Tupper; and Atlantic City's Ytit Chauhan, who hopes to upset the long-corrupt balance of power on the city council in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

View more information on My review of “The Youngest Candidate” at 2009 LA Film Festival...

What makes their campaigns unique, and notable enough to document on film, is that they range in age from 18-20. They are certainly legally entitled to run for elective office but many question their emotional readiness, and Pollock's film pulls no punches as it attempts to answer their critics as well.

There are no talking heads here -- just these passionate young adults telling their stories, even recording their own video diaries at times. Presented by YOUnited Foundation with the power of David Letterman's Worldwide Pants and legendary producer Lawrence Bender, the filmmakers had the resources to put together a comprehensive, poignantly shot, and crisply edited examination of what could be, literally, the future of American politics.

As the cameras follow them around in the months, weeks, and feverish hours prior to their respective election days, we get a glimpse of all that is wonderfully right and painfully wrong with our elective process. Atlantic City's Ytit Chauhan is particularly candid about his campaign tactics. He may not be 100% ethical in his practices, but he's a choir boy compared to the insidious corruption and bribery committed by his opponents, well-documented in the annals of Atlantic City's political history. He's a crowd favorite and provided many of the film's most entertaining moments.

In the end, The Youngest Candidate isn't about the lofty goal of running for office per se but is more about simply getting involved, doing something -- anything -- to make America a better place. If the film urges just one person to get out, register, and vote, it will have done its job. As Pollock explained in his moving introduction to the screening, The Youngest Candidate isn't just a film -- it's a movement which will continue long after the movie is a memory.

And don't miss the end credits -- the audience is treated to a glimpse of some of the 50 young people who have run, and successfully obtained elective office in the United States in recent years. Most are small-town mayors but change begins at the local level. This is an unfinished story which will continue to unfold, hopefully under the watchful lens of Jason Pollock .


View more information on My review of “The Youngest Candidate” at 2009 LA Film Festival...

Today will be my final day of screenings here at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival and a good time to take stock of what I've seen so far. Compared to other festivals I've attended, it's immediately apparent that my schedule here has been anything but typical.

I've attended a total of 21 screenings, including 20 full-length features (there was one shorts program). Those 20 features included 12 narratives and 8 documentaries (a 3:2 ratio).

View more information on 2009 LA Film Festival—Day Seven...

Of those documentaries, 7 were from other countries and 1 was from the US. The narratives consisted of 9 from other countries and only 3 from the US (a 3:1 ratio). In total, I saw 16 non-English speaking films and 4 from the US. That's a 4:1 ratio of foreign to domestic films.

In conclusion, for every US narrative film I've seen 7 foreign films and documentaries. Of the 21 screenings I've attended there have only been 3 US narrative features, or the "sweet little American indies," which usually make up the majority of films I see at festivals.

All three were somewhat disappointing. Therefore, at this point, my favorite film is the "sweet little Canadian indie" West of Pluto.

But I'm not done yet...there are 4 more films to go before I head back home to Philadelphia. These will include one foreign film which I saw previously and was one of my Top Picks from the 2009 Sundance Film Festival (Unmade Beds), another Canadian indie (Passenger Side), one more documentary (The Youngest Candidate -- see my full-length review HERE), and one last film from the US (Zombies of Mass Destruction).

UPDATE 4:30 PM:

As my festival experience winds down I decided to hop back into Unmade Beds, an entry from England in the International Showcase section.

I had attended the World Premiere of this movie at the Sundance Film Festival in January. I only chose three films as Top Picks after that festival ended and Unmade Beds was one of them (see my photos from the World Premiere). This is the second feature from writer/director Alexis Dos Santos, whose first film, Glue (from Argentina), was one of my Top Picks of 2006 after having had its debut in Toronto. So naturally Unmade Beds was a must on my list and I had high expectations. It met and exceeded them.

The film stars Déborah François and Fernando Tielve (Carlos in The Devil's Backbone) as two naivé young expatriots living in London, wandering souls in search of a home. Axl (Tielve) is also looking for his mysterious English father, whom he hasn't known since his hazy early childhood. His nights consist of drinking, dancing, and waking up in strange beds with even stranger people. Meanwhile, Vera (François) has her sights set on a mysterious man as well -- someone with whom she can spend a night without commitment. She is equally lost in a cold world where eye contact and a smile are a rare commodity. This is the big city, and it can be cruel as hell. Their goals are different, or are they?

The pulsating indie rock soundtrack seamlessly blends with the live music performed onstage in the concert club which doubles as their crash pad. Some tunes are reprised, with common themes paralleling the pair's progress (or not) in finding what they're searching for. Watch for Tielve's mirror "performance" of Black Moustache's "Hot Monkey, Hot Ass!" It was a crowd pleaser in all the screenings I've attended, especially since its boldness is in such stark contrast to the puppy dog innocence he displays through much of the narrative.

The visuals are especially notable, as cinematographer Jakob Ihre captures the trippy, frenetic atmosphere of the concert hall. Using mostly handheld camera and stage lighting, with its strobes on the dance floor flashing across his staggering frame, the viewer is made to feel just as drunk and clueless as Axl. Vera is constantly in motion as well, looking equally lost and vulnerable, as she glides through crowded London streets looking for companionship. The viewer is always a close observer, almost within arm's length. We want to reach out and hug these lonely strays but we can only watch helplessly and hope they'll each end up in someone's arms.

Writer/director Alexis Dos Santos has grown tremendously as an artist -- while Glue was mostly improvised, Unmade Beds is not although it still retains a loose unscripted feel. That's a tribute to his insightful writing as well as the sensitive performances of Tielve and François. As a team, the three have crafted a wonderful little gem that is close to perfection.

UPDATE 6:30 PM:

Next up was the World Premiere of Passenger Side, another entry in the Narrative Competition and the second film I've seen from Canada. Written and directed by Matthew Bissonnette, Passenger Side stars Joel Bissonnette and Adam Scott as two brothers reluctantly brought together on a mission to find...well, we're not quite sure. And, yes, Joel is Matthew's brother, so it would be hard to escape the autobiographical implications of Bissonnette's script.

As I wrote earlier in the week, what's fascinating about attending film festivals is how trends begin to emerge after seeing dozens of films. It would not be unusual for road movies to pop up more than once. What is novel, however, is that this is the second road film I've seen this week which takes place within the confines of one city. In the case of My Dear Enemy, it was Seoul, South Korea. Here the location is Los Angeles.

Passenger Side is indie all the way -- in its look, sound, and quirky sensibilities. Nothing fancy here, just a character-driven narrative that is both poignant and witty, as one would expect from a story centered around two brothers driving around in a car for a day. The strength of a film like this lies in the impact of the sketch comedy represented by each stop along the way, and some vignettes are gut-bustingly hilarious.

What makes this film unique, though, is the way in which the filmmakers worked the music into the story. Unlike most movies where songs are added in post-production as they become available, Bissonnette actually crafted scenes around tunes that he already had in mind. It's as if the movie is a series of music videos, with the action set to the songs, not the other way around. I got chills when the pair reached the shores of the Pacific with Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" playing in the background ("you can hear the boats go by...").

UPDATE 10:30 PM:

With two more films to go before leaving town, I headed up to the appropriately named Majestic Crest Theatre for a special screening of writer/director Jason Pollock's inspiring documentary The Youngest Candidate.

This powerful film follows the frenzied lives of four people running for elective office in America: George Monger of Memphis, looking for a city council seat; Raul De Jesus, running for the office of Mayor in Hartford, Connecticut; Pittsburgh suburban school board candidate Tiffany Tupper; and Atlantic City's Ytit Chauhan, who hopes to upset the long-corrupt balance of power on the city council in Atlantic City, New Jersey. What makes their campaigns unique, and notable enough to document on film, is that they range in age from 18-20. They are certainly legally entitled to run for elective office but many question their emotional readiness, and Pollock's film pulls no punches as it attempts to answer their critics as well.

There are no talking heads here -- just these passionate young adults telling their stories, even recording their own video diaries at times. Presented by YOUnited Foundation with the power of David Letterman's Worldwide Pants and legendary producer Lawrence Bender, the filmmakers had the resources to put together a comprehensive, poignantly shot, and crisply edited examination of what could be, literally, the future of American politics. As the cameras follow them around in the months, weeks, and feverish hours prior to their respective election days, we get a glimpse of all that is wonderfully right and painfully wrong with our elective process. Atlantic City's Ytit Chauhan is particularly candid about his campaign tactics. He may not be 100% ethical in his practices, but he's a choir boy compared to the insidious corruption and bribery committed by his opponents, well-documented in the annals of Atlantic City's political history. He's a crowd favorite and provided many of the film's most entertaining moments.

In the end, The Youngest Candidate isn't about the lofty goal of running for office per se but is more about simply getting involved, doing something -- anything -- to make America a better place. If the film urges just one person to get out, register, and vote, it will have done its job. As Pollock explained in his moving introduction to the screening, The Youngest Candidate isn't just a film -- it's a movement which will continue long after the movie is a memory. And don't miss the end credits -- the audience is treated to a glimpse of some of the 50 young people who have run, and successfully obtained elective office in the United States in recent years. Most are small-town mayors but change begins at the local level. This is an unfinished story which will continue to unfold, hopefully under the watchful lens of Jason Pollock .

UPDATE 1:00 AM:

My final film of this year's Los Angeles Film Festival was Kevin Hamedani's ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction, a US entry in the Guilty Pleasures section. Co-written by Hamedani and Ramon Isao, this horror comedy was shot and set in the city of Port Gamble, near Seattle.

The descriptive title of this film alone would normally be a fair enough plot summary. The fact that this is a zombie movie would usually say most of what one generally needs to know about a horror film. 'Nuff said, you might think. But no, ZMD is actually a carefully crafted political statement about the suspicious treatment of Muslims and gays in America post-911. How that odd scenario plays out needs to be seen to be believed. George Romero (the father of the genre) always had hidden messages in his films. Somehow that got lost along the way in the wave of imitators. Hamedani brings it back, and blatantly, too.

Although this is an ultra-low budget film it certainly doesn't look like it. As with all genre films, sound design is absolutely critical and almost serves as another character in the narrative. ZMD is efficiently shot and smartly edited. The clever script is often "rolling on the floor laughing" hilarious.

That the residents allowed and even encouraged the filmmakers to use the actual name Port Gamble in the movie is particularly brave and notable -- as Hamedani pointed out in the Q&A following the screening, the original script used a fictional town. But there is no similarity to persons living, dead, or undead.


View more information on 2009 LA Film Festival—Day Seven...

A previously unannounced screening of the music documentary When You're Strange: A Film about The Doors was a pleasant surprise to start my second to last day here. This was my 18th screening here and the first to be completely sold out.

Writer/director Tom DiCillo was able to gain access to original footage shot from 1966-71 by Paul Ferrara, a UCLA Film School buddy of flamboyant lead singer Jim Morrison. Those old, grainy films are all that were needed to make this stunning documentary -- no modern-day or additional footage was shot.

View more information on 2009 LA Film Festival—Day Six...

The dramatic voiceover was provided by Johnny Depp who, in a statement from DiCillo read prior to the screening, was the one person the filmmakers felt qualified to narrate the movie. It had to be someone with a passion for the music of The Doors, and Depp fit the bill.

With the assistance of the remaining living members, particularly band co-founder and keyboardist Ray Manzarek (who sat in front of me), the film is destined to be the definitive chronicle of the band's history. We finally discover the shocking truth behind the curious myths -- did Morrison really expose his genitals at that infamous Florida concert? Did he fake his own death? When You're Strange separates fact from fiction and puts to rest the many rumors surrounding the manic life and untimely death of Jim Morrison. The heretofore secret details behind the making of each amazing album (one took 11 months, another took less than a week) are mind-boggling. Naturally, there's plenty of music. Tons of it.

Like all music docs, the degree to which one connects with the film is directly proportional to one's familiarity with the music and/or artists featured in the production. This certainly applies here. Like some of the thrilling music documentaries I've seen at festivals in the past couple of years (The U.S. vs. John Lennon, Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing, The Wrecking Crew, Kurt Cobain About a Son), I put When You're Strange right at the top of my list. I was blown away. However, while I walked away feeling that this was an absolutely brilliant film, I have to give it a qualified thumbs up if only because there is no doubt many simply won't have the emotional response that I did. But, for fans of this music, When You're Strange is absolutely a must-see.

UPDATE 6:00 PM:

Within the festival's International Spotlight section of foreign films are a set of selections titled Documenting Mexico. As its name implies, these informative documentaries from south of the border aim to fill in some of the blanks in our collective cinematic history of this great nation. El General was the third I've seen of this group and my fourth documentary in a row.

Director Natalia Almada has a unique connection to this land as her great-grandfather was Plutarcho Elias Calles, who served as President of Mexico in the 1920s. Through the use of audio tapes taken from her grandmother (Calles' daughter), Almada hopes to put a friendlier face on the towering man known as "Mexico's Mussolini."

The 1900s was rife with presidential assassinations, and Calles was the first to die of natural causes. Exiled to San Diego after his stormy reign, he returned to Mexico in 1941 and died there in 1945. Much of the nation's history has been shrouded in mystery (and remains so to this day) but, while Almada's intention was not to chronicle the events of the past 100 years, she did hope to answer some of the questions.

Almada intercuts colorful images of present day Mexico City with grainy archival footage from the early 20th century. She focuses on the commerce of this great bustling metropolis, pointing out that the half million street vendors account for as much as 40% of Mexico's gross domestic product. In the Q&A following the screening, Almada explained that her intention was simply to show the contrast between the often barbaric treatment of its citizens in her great grandfather's time to the modern Mexico.

UPDATE 9:00 PM:

West of Pluto (A L'Ouest de Pluton) hails from Canada and was featured in the International Showcase section. Being shot and set in Quebec, the film is in French with English subtitles. Written, directed, produced, and edited by Myriam Verreault and Henry Bernadet, West of Pluto is everything I look for in great independent cinema. But if my Holy Grail of festivals is the "sweet little American indie," well, I just may have found it in this film -- just take out "American" and replace it with "Canadian."

The mockumentary-style narrative captures a slice of suburban life as a dozen teens hang out, party, and descend into the inevitable set of crises that comes with the lack of boundaries. It doesn't take long to get to know these endearing kids as their day plays out before the camera (the story takes place over one 24-hour period). The audience is almost privileged to be let into their secret world of drama and joy -- the viewer feels like a voyeur at times, as though one needs permission to watch.

Verreault and Bernadet first selected 50 kids from a "typical" suburban high school and narrowed the group down to a dozen, then turned on the cameras and let them "be themselves." While most of the film is actually scripted, as the filmmakers pointed out in the Q&A following the screening, much of the dialogue came out of weekly improvisational workshops conducted with the teens in the period preceding the shoot. So while the action isn't necessarily improvised, they aren't reading lines off the page, either.

West of Pluto is indie all the way, with the use of natural lighting and mostly handheld camera. The filmmakers' style includes numerous extreme closeups, as the emotions projected by these endearing kids' faces and eyes often say more than even the most powerful words can. As we spend more and more time with them, it becomes clear that these young people represent all of us -- every viewer will be able to identify with one or more of them, which is what makes it such a universally appealing film. As non-actors, these are literally real kids saying real things. Even in French, as an English-speaking viewer, the language of adolescence shines through. Once again, the idea that "kids are the same all over the world," the overarching theme in most of the foreign coming-of-age films at these festivals, is blatantly evident.

The most striking observation uncovered by watching these kids is how dramatic a contrast there is between girls when they are among other girls and boys as a group. Throughout most of the film we see males and females interacting with others of their own gender. The girls sit and argue and debate over whether or not Quebec should secede from Canada while the boys get high and ponder the philosophical significance of the butterflies on the bathroom wallpaper. Unlike most depictions of the sexes in cinema, the respect they show each other is remarkable, especially among the boys. The sniping, fighting, and one-upmanship so common in films simply isn't present here. In fact, the girls are actually tougher when together. The boys show more vulnerability even towards each other -- it is they who shed the tears, not the girls.

West of Pluto is also the first film in a long time that had me laughing untiI I cried. But it wasn't anything the kids did that prompted that to happen. No, it was the actions of one eccentric canine which had me rolling on the floor. The dog steals the show.

As I wrote earlier in the week, what's fascinating about attending film festivals is how trends begin to emerge after seeing dozens of films. One recurring theme is the idea of kids being left to their own devices, either by choice or lack of adult supervision, and the inevitable dark turn and ensuing spiral into mayhem which occurs.

Three of my favorite coming-of-age films of the past five years are the 2004 indie classic Mean Creek, Alexis Dos Santos' Glue, which was my #1 Top Pick from the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, and Still Green, the Jon Artigo indie from 2007. Mean Creek took a group of kids and set them loose on a boating excursion with dire consequences. Glue was an unscripted film featuring three teens in the Argentinian countryside, in a touching story of self-discovery. Still Green was set on the Gulf Coast of Florida with a group of college-bound friends, with a dark turn that changes their lives forever.

All owe a debt to Gus Van Sant and Larry Clark, who are perhaps the two best known filmmakers able to capture the awkwardness of adolescence, the pangs of first love, and the playfulness of children without supervision. In Kids and Ken Park, Clark took non-professional actors and shot them in cinema verite style, just being themselves. In films like Elephant and Paranoid Park, in particular, Van Sant did the same while using long takes and tracking shots, viewing the kids as observers with a deliberate, slow pace. It is now a common device among younger directors who count him among their influences (and freely admit it).

West of Pluto does all the above. This is the kind of charming film that makes attending festivals and sitting through dozens of movies worthwhile. It is the "sweet little indie" that will stay in your mind long after leaving the theater.

UPDATE 12:00 AM:


My day ended with Weather Girl, an entry in the Guilty Pleasures section which premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in January. This was only the third narrative feature from the US out of the 21 films I've seen here so far. Written and directed by Blayne Weaver, Weather Girl was one of those "buzz films" I'd written about prior to the festival.

Tricia O'Kelley stars a Seattle morning show's "sassy weather girl" who has an over-the-top, painfully funny on-air meltdown over her cheating boyfriend, the show's despicable co-anchor (the always-reliable Mark Harmon, NCIS' Agent Gibbs). Out of work, out of love, and homeless, she needs to pick up the pieces and start a new life. That begins with a knock on the door of her brother Walt's bachelor apartment (Ryan Devlin), where his best friend Byron (Patrick J. Adams) seems to have taken up permanent residence. Jon Cryer, Jane Lynch, and Blair Underwood are among other notables in the cast.

Although it's an indie, Weather Girl has the polished look of a Hollywood movie with top quality production values and cinematography that takes full advantage of its breathtaking Seattle location. But this is clearly a character-driven film where all the protagonists have their flaws and the villains simply cannot redeem themselves. There is a great deal of visual humor -- sight gags abound and facial expressions often are the jokes in themselves. The plot is somewhat formulaic, though, and we know where this is going right from the start. But even though we've seen this story before it is still entertaining and occasionally laugh out loud funny.

The director, cast, and crew were present for a hilarious Q&A after the screening which rivaled the comedy in the movie.

Just a note: the picture was annoyingly dark. Generally I'd attribute this to poor projection on the part of the theater or a bad print (or digital copy) before I'd blame the post-production team. It definitely took away from my enjoyment of the film and I hope that's not the way the public will see it in the future.

Weather Girl does have theatrical, home video, and cable distribution and will open in theaters on July 10.






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The US Premiere of Carmen Meets Borat was a delightful start to my fifth full day of screenings. This International Showcase selection, partly in Romanian with English subtitles, was shot in Romania and hails from The Netherlands.

Written and directed by Mercedes Stalenhoef, this poignant documentary takes us to the town of Glod, the "fictional" Kazakhstan village which served (somewhat unwittingly) as Borat's hometown in Sacha Baron Cohen's film of the same name. Carmen Meets Borat benefits from the latter character's name in its title but deservedly so.

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As Stalenhoef explained in the fascinating Q&A following the screening, while on vacation she initially had a chance encounter with Carmen, a charming but feisty resident of a small country town in Romania. Intrigued by the description of her rich and colorful life in the former Communist country, Stalenhoef decided to travel to Glod and shoot a film about its people. Serendipitously, 20th Century Fox just happened to show up in Glod during the filming of her documentary. In presenting its simple townsfolk as backwards and even somewhat perverted, Borat's presence caused Stalenhoef's film to evolve into something completely different -- an exposé of sorts, following the ensuing lawsuit which the residents of Glot filed against Borat's filmmakers for their negative portrayals and defamations. The residents there speak no English and had no awareness of Fox's intentions to portray them as prostitutes and sexual deviants.

Because we get to know and develop an affinity for the people of Glod long before Fox rolls into town, we can't help but sympathize with these folks when the big Hollywood studio crew shows up to exploit their innocence and naiveté. The film mixes cinema verité with a narrative style, as the residents occasionally address the camera directly with an eagerness to show the viewer just how full of life they really are. That said, the film can be uncomfortable to watch at times since these country folk can be viewed as "backwards" to some extent when compared to many in more developed areas, although nothing like what Borat depicts.

The soundtrack is similar to that used in Borat, helping to illustrate the stark contrast between the reality of this peaceful village with the fictionalized town presented in the Fox movie. Carmen Meets Borat is as humorous and awkward as the residents of Glod. It may not be the best place to live, but it's nice to have visited.

UPDATE 7:00 PM:

The World Premiere of Dear Lemon Lima, another US entry in the Narrative Competition, was one of the highly anticipated "buzz films" I'd written about prior to the festival. Although this was my 15th screening here, it was only the second English-speaking film (and candidate for my "sweet little American indie" title) I saw.

Written and directed by Suzi Yoonessi, this classic coming-of-age story is told through the diary writings of 13-year-old Vanessa (the brilliant Savanah Wiltfong). As a young woman's world is bigger-than-life, the widescreen (2.35:1) format serves to enhance the "no boundaries" view that one experiences as a child. Cleverly quirky snippets of animation add humor where appropriate and were an audience favorite.

Set in Alaska, where her high school's Snowstorm Survivor competition reenacts rich Eskimo traditions, Vanessa and her unlikely band of teammates will battle against all odds to achieve greatness -- think a female "Revenge of the Nerds."

Dear Lemon Lima, (yes, there's a comma in the title) has the look of a big budget film, with surprisingly high production values and top-notch art direction capturing perfectly the lush landscape and palette of nature's colors which few ever experience in this outlying region of America.

Academy Award nominee Melissa Leo (Frozen River) is a delight as a teammate's mother and Shayne Topp is just this side of obnoxious as Vanessa's would-be boyfriend (he just took home the jury award for Outstanding Performance at the festival). Watch for Beth Grant as the over-the-top conservative school principal -- you'll swear she's reprising her role as Kitty Farmer in the classic Donnie Darko (a fact which she unashamedly admitted to me after the screening). Writer/director Yoonessi explained in the Q&A that Seattle subbed for Alaska due to budget constraints and beneficial tax credits, but it was important to cast a half-Eskimo actor to portray the character, and she was lucky to find young Wiltfong to fit the bill.

True family movies have become a rarity, and Dear Lemon Lima, is good, clean fun for all ages. It's clear that this movie was a labor of love for cast and crew.

UPDATE 9:00 PM:

Next up was the US Premiere of Rehje, another Mexican entry in the International Spotlight section. This was actually the second documentary from Mexico on my schedule and, much like Those Who Remain, tells the colorful story of migration from poverty-stricken towns in the outlying regions of Mexico to the hope of prosperity in the north. The difference here is that, while Those Who Remain focuses on those staying behind as family members leave Mexico for the promise of riches and a better life in the United States, Rehje follows one amazing woman as she decides to leave the bustling metropolis of Mexico City and head back to her hometown in the bucolic countryside.

Directors Anais Huerta and Raul Cuesta employ a solitary voiceover technique -- Rehje narrates the film herself. There are no talking heads here, although there is a cursory examination of one of the deeper issues surrounding the loss of culture in the Mexican countryside -- the lack of water. In fact, as the filmmakers noted in the Q&A following the screening, the project actually began as a case study of the drought conditions brought on by the diversion of water to more populated areas. But Rehje's story was so compelling that it overshadowed the political implications of the water management issues and declining conditions in these now-dusty small villages. Ultimately, the point does get across, and Rehje finds out that "you can't go home again."

UPDATE 1:00 AM:

Attending the Special Screening of Bananas!* was a freaky, surreal experience. This controversial documentary from Sweden almost didn't get shown at all.

For the first time in my moviegoing history, I bore witness to an odd set of "rules" which needed to be complied with in order for the film to be exhibited. An agreement between Film Independent (sponsors of the Los Angeles Film Festival) and Dole, a corporation featured in the film, forced the Festival to do three things:

1) The movie was removed from the prestigious Documentary Competition;
2) A lengthy disclaimer was handed out to all patrons as they entered the theater;
3) Said disclaimer had to be read aloud to the audience prior to the screening.

It was made clear by the LA Film Festival representative that they "are not eager to be sued." In fact, Dole went to court to file an injunction to stop the film from being shown. The judge threw it out, saying that she "will not consider any request for prior restraint on free speech." Director Fredrik Gertten immediately declared in his impassioned introduction to the screening that he did not endorse the statement of the Festival. This elicited a huge cheer from the audience, even though nobody had yet seen the film.

So why the controversy? Bananas!* documents the history of a lawsuit brought by several Nicaraguan banana plantation workers who were allegedly made sterile by Dole's use of the pesticide DBCP. The Tellez v. Dole Food trial is considered to be a landmark case in the history of workers' rights. The lawyer representing the men, colorful Los Angeles-based attorney Juan Dominguez, was later accused of helping the plaintiffs commit fraud by lying to the jury. But that finding was made after the film had been shot, submitted, accepted, and scheduled by the Festival. Therefore, the larger question is not whether or not the farm workers were telling the truth -- but to what extent does a documentary filmmaker have a responsibility to ensure the veracity of his subjects? Is it even required? Or is simply telling the story itself worthy of documenting? There is no question that the workers' stories are moving and poignant, nor that some did tell the truth, according to the judge who made the decision that fraud had been committed (which actually emerged out of a later case).

There is no denying that Dole used the chemical in question -- their own President and CEO admitted as much in court -- even after it had been banned in many countries, and even after being taken off the market by Dow, its manufacturer, for causing sterility. The deplorable working conditions the men endured are vividly captured by Gertten. And the allegations made against Dole by the plaintiffs are truly frightening. But this Erin Brockovitch/David vs. Goliath tale is rife with issues surrounding the burden of proof.

Is it the job of a documentarian to tell the truth? Or to simply observe? That became the subject of a panel discussion after the film's screening, not whether or not the case itself was important. And that's a shame.






















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Monday began with a screening of My Dear Enemy (Meozzin Haru), a unique road movie from writer/director Lee Yoon-ki. What makes it different is that it takes place entirely within the confines of Seoul, South Korea.

This was my fifth consecutive selection from the International Showcase section, and all 10 features I've seen so far have been foreign language films. This is truly turning into a world cinema festival for me.

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Based on a Japanese short story, My Dear Enemy follows a young couple through the gritty streets of the city as they attempt to settle an old debt. Each surreal stop along the way yields a few more dollars for Byeong-woon to pass on to his ex-lover Hee-su.

The film is exquisitely shot, using one of my favorite cinematic devices -- images filmed through and reflected by glass. The many windows, mirrors, and building facades serve to make Seoul itself a third character. With a 1920s-30s jazz soundtrack wailing behind long tracking shots, the viewer simply cannot turn away from the beauty of this film. In the Q&A following the screening, Lee Yoon-ki pointed out that the entire movie was actually shot in the few blocks surrounding his own small neighborhood, a curious fact which would elude the viewer. His novel shooting style in the many car scenes is particularly notable.

UPDATE 7:00 PM:

Next up was another feature in the Narrative Competition section, Harmony & Me, an American entry from writer/director Bob Byington. Yes, you heard right, finally an English language film from the US. It took me four days and 12 films to find one and I'm excited about the titles coming up on my schedule. Could this be my Holy Grail -- the "sweet little American indie" I search for at festivals?

Shot in awesome Austin, Texas, birthplace of the "mumblecore" style of unscripted cinema, this film is essentially a one-man show for singer/songwriter Justin Rice as the lovable loser Harmony. Shot on video with all handheld camera, the movie is basically a sketch comedy with a series of hilarious vignettes as we observe his days a la reality television. An accomplished rock musician, the songs Rice performs in the film provide its quirky soundtrack. Harmony & Me (yes, the title is taken from the Elton John song) is mostly scripted but definitely has an improv feel. There are some real laugh out loud moments although the over-the-top ending seems out of place. Still, the film is thoroughly entertaining.

The director was delayed and didn't make it to the Q&A, but producer Kristen Tucker provided a great deal of insight into the making of the movie. Filmmakers, cast, and crew were all friends from previous projects, and the part of Harmony was written especially for Rice. The film should do well on the art house circuit.

UPDATE 12:00 AM:

I passed on an early evening screening to attend the FIND (Film Independent) Member Party at the ZonePerfect live.create.lounge. Film Independent is the organization which puts on the Spirit Awards every year as well as the Los Angeles Film Festival. They are my heroes.

Speaking of heroes, I'd mentioned earlier that my dining routine has included a meal a day from the countries whose films I'm seeing. For today, since I just saw my first American film, the sub sandwiches being served up here seemed appropriate enough. This was a terrific opportunity for networking with fellow journalists as well as industry insiders and film fans. I was particularly thrilled to meet some independent film distributors with whom I share a common language.

My day ended with the North American Premiere of Call If You Need Me, in the International Showcase section. This is writer/director James Lee's gritty portrayal of life for a young extended family in Malaysia. In Mandarin, Cantonese, and Hokkien with English subtitles, the film is as dark and dank as its lower working class setting. Shot with all natural light and stationary camera, the pace is agonizingly slow at times with some of the longest takes I've ever seen on film. There was no Q&A but I would assume most of the movie was unscripted. There is a narrative here involving gangs, drugs, and crime, but it's somewhat lost amidst the extended scenes of the family at the dinner table, serving ecstacy and pot for dessert. The trippy scenes are somewhat humorous nonetheless.

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My schedule today is maxed out with four screenings. That's the way to "do a festival" and at this rate I should be able to see 25 films when all is said and done.

Continuing the trend of eating the foods from the nations whose films I'm seeing, with two movies from Argentina on my schedule today, we had lunch at Lala's in Studio City. My friend J.D. pointed out that it was not authentic Argentinian food, but I wouldn't have known the difference. It was better than energy bars.

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Sunday began with the North American Premiere of High-Rise (Um Lugar ao Sol), a documentary in the International Showcase section. In Portuguese with English subtitles, this cleverly nuanced film from Brazil peeks into the lives of those fortunate enough to be able to live in the lavish penthouses overlooking the Atlantic ocean in the coastal cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

The filmmakers first approached 125 wealthy Brazilians listed in a "secret" guide. Eight agreed to participate in the film. While their attitudes may come across as selfish and obnoxious, some are a bit remorseful and even reject the sense of entitlement that would be evident to the casual observer. In his detached style, director Gabriel Mascaro isn't heavy-handed in his analysis. As he explained in the lively Q&A following the screening, his approach was meant to capture both the lives of his subjects as well as their elegant surroundings. In fact, this film is as much about the spectacular architecture of these multicultural cities, as well as the beauty of sea and sky.

UPDATE 6:00 PM:

Elementary Training for Actors (Entrenamiento Elemental Para Actores) was next on my schedule. It was no surprise that the Regent in Westwood Village was relatively empty since this was, in fact, a movie. No doubt many looked at the title and assumed this was some sort of workshop. In Spanish with English subtitles, the US Premiere of this narrative feature from Argentina was another entry in the International Showcase section.

Shot completely on video with stage lighting, this odd mockumentary (hard to tell it was even a narrative, let alone a workshop) was slightly puzzling but curiously compelling nonetheless. Sergio is a prominent acting coach whose classes are tough and equally hard to get into. The group of eager, innocent youngsters who do (ages nine to twelve) are treated to a rigorous set of lessons that would rival Strasberg and Stanislavski. The film's theatrical style, slow pacing, and almost exclusive use of still camera actually does serve as a primer on acting for children and I really did learn quite a bit about the craft.

UPDATE 9:00 PM:

Today's second film in a row from Argentina was A Week Alone (Una Semana Solos), another International Showcase selection, in Spanish with English subtitles. What's fascinating about attending film festivals is how trends begin to emerge after seeing dozens of films. One recurring theme is the idea of kids being left to their own devices, either by choice or lack of adult supervision, and the inevitable ensuing spiral into mayhem.

Three of my favorite coming-of-age films of the past five years are the 2004 indie classic Mean Creek, Alexis Dos Santos' Glue (also from Argentina), which was my #1 Top Pick from the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, and Still Green, the Jon Artigo indie from 2007. Mean Creek took a group of kids and set them loose on a boating excursion with dire consequences.Glue was an unscripted film featuring three teens in the Argentinian countryside, in a touching story of self-discovery. Still Green was set on the Gulf Coast of Florida with a group of college-bound friends, with a dark turn that changes their lives forever.

A Week Alone combines elements of all the above, with a slightly bigger budget, a larger group of actors (with a wider age range), and a mostly scripted story (although it felt improvised), set in a posh gated suburban community. When the adults leave for a vacation, an assorted set of sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, nephews, cousins, and friends take over the house (and neighborhood) with, initially, good intentions. With long takes and tracking shots, viewing the kids as observers with a deliberate, slow pace, A Week Alone pays homage to the films of Gus Van Sant and Larry Clark. The awkwardness of adolescence, the pangs of first love, and the playfulness of children without supervision are colorfully captured by writer/director Celina Murga, who was present for a Q&A afterward.

UPDATE 12:00 AM:

City of Borders was the last of four films I saw today, all featured in the International Showcase section. That this powerful documentary is in English, Hebrew, and Arabic speaks volumes about the oftentimes sad story itself. Writer/director Yun Suh focuses a spotlight on what it's like to be gay in Israel. Congregating at Jerusalem's only gay bar, marching in a pride parade, and fighting the religious right in both the Jewish and Muslim worlds, the heroes of this film teach us that our humanity transcends the boundaries of race, religion, and culture.

Whether Jewish or Christian or Muslim, Palestinian or Israeli, man or woman, people of every stripe can come together when there is a greater bond which unites them -- in this case it's sexual preference. Political, social, and religious barriers are broken down when the cause of achieving human rights for gay people and the basic right to love whom one chooses is at stake. The larger and more powerful message in City of Borders is quite simple: people are the same all over the world. Common interests bring us together and, in the desire to express one's sexuality, no wall can get in the way.


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