As I am typing away,"Stick & Pound" is probably screening right now in Kosovo at
Dokufest! I do really wish that I was there. Many thought that I was crazy when I announced that I was going to fly to this eastern European nation known for inter-ethnic tensions for the screening. I see it differently. This would have been an experience that not many could say that they've had. Anybody can go to Paris, London, or New York, but how many can say that they made it all the way over to Kosovo for a film festival? I've always been an off the beaten path kinda guy, and this trip would have given me unusual material to blog about. Unfortunately, flying out to Kosovo would have cost me an arm, a leg, and a few internal organs, so I had to decline the adventure. I stand behind every IDOM production, and I want to be there for every screening of our work. For this very reason, I am bummed. However, there will be more film festivals in the future, and hopefully, these will be at venues where I can afford to go to!
Synopsis
Within the last few years documentaries have entered into a renaissance period. Filmmaking tools are now so affordable that anyone willing to invest the time and energy to tell a story can do so. Audiences have finally realized that some of the most compelling stories come from the truest form of drama—documentary films.
It has become obvious that there is no shortage of engaging stories, aspiring artists wanting to tell them, places to screen them, and people to view them. With that in mind, and after seeing the impact the 48 Hour Film Project has had on the independent fiction filmmaking scene across the country, Doug Whyte, Director of Media Arts Programs for KDHX, developed the International Documentary Challenge. A documentary filmmaker himself, Whyte saw the potential an event like this could have on the documentary filmmaking community.
An event like the Doc Challenge is a great opportunity for up-and coming documentary filmmakers to broaden their skills. It is a somewhat ridiculous notion to think of completing a film in just 5 days, especially a documentary, which often can take years to finish. But that, in essence, is the point of this competition—to encourage documentary filmmakers to work straight from their instinct, make quick decisions and finish a creative project under pressure. When making a film in 5 days, one learns a lot about what is and isn’t important in filmmaking—lessons that will never be forgotten.
In addition, an event such as the Doc Challenge can strengthen the documentary community as a whole. To have throngs of filmmakers out in their communities making films at the same time has several impacts:
1) Many short documentaries for viewers to watch at public screenings, on TV and on the internet;
2) More press and exposure for documentary filmmaking as an art form;
3) The filmmakers, all under the same restraints, will bond with each other by sharing war stories from their week of intense filming and editing; and
4) The community in which the filmmakers live will recognize the presence of documentarians in their area.
The Doc Challenge is an event that appeals to both novice and professional filmmakers alike. Novice filmmakers have the opportunity to go through the whole filmmaking process in less than a week, learning the art of documentary production in a trial by fire situation, and professionals have the opportunity to work on a creative, personal project without having to commit years of their life. In the end, the International Documentary Challenge is just plain fun, for the filmmakers, the subjects and the viewers.
FILMS
All The Eights, 88
City/Country: Sydney, Australia
Genre: Biography/Character Study
88 year old Betty Van Acker, champion bingo player, shares her secrets to finding luck in life.
Ars Magna
City/Country: Seattle, WA, USA
Genre: Biography/Character Study
Cory Calhoun, creator of the famous Hamlet anagram, is an average guy with an obsession for finding meaning in jumbled phrases.
The Art of Balance
City/Country: New York, NY, USA
Genre: Sports
In a society where singular dedication to a career seems like the only way, Gary Synder struggles to balance two lives and thrive as both an art dealer and an Aikido instructor.
Beholder
City/Country: Brooklyn, NY, USAGenre: First Person
An autobiographical film about a photographer's evolving perspective of New York City.
Bend & Bow
City/Country: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Genre: Experimental
Natalia Paruz reveals the moment that changed her life and how she became known as the "Saw Lady" to millions of New York subway riders.
Click Whoosh
City/Country: Seattle, WA, USA
Genre: Historical
An homage to a familiar fixture of popular culture that now teeters on obsolescence.
Ghost Bike
City/Country: Toronto, ON, Canada
Genre: Art
This documentary explores the grassroots "ghost bike" movement - why are these mysterious white bikes being placed in cities all over the world?
I=me2
City/Country: Sherman Oaks, CA, USA
Genre: Experimental
The parallels and divergences of twins Chris and Kevin--twice the documentary in the same low running time.
Ice Fishing
City/Country: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genre: Sports
As the ice fishing season comes to a close, families and friends drive to their huts on the frozen lake to get away from the city, breathe fresh air, drink a few beers and fish one last time before the surface of the lake melts away.
Jetty
City/Country: Portland, OR, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
A "Mom and Pop" fishery on the Oregon Coast is threatened by an ecologically unsustainable crabbing policy.
Meet The Freegans
City/Country: Portland, OR, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Steve is an educated man. A school teacher. A homeowner. He also enjoys eating food from dumpsters.
Pennywise: The Changing Face of Change
City/Country: Silver Spring, MD, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Reflections on the cultural value and economic insignificance of the American one-cent coin.
Red Light Blues
City/Country: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Could this be the Swan Song of the world’s oldest profession?
Stick and PoundCity/Country: Foster City, CA, USA
Genre: Art
A documentary that explores the rhythmic language of the Gullah people.
