by Carol Varney, Director of Development

On a chilly day back in October with snow in the forecast, a plot was hatched by a group of Mainers to make a group pilgrimage to the True/False Documentary Film Fest in Columbia, Missouri. Jon Courtney – the ever-intrepid film programmer at SPACE Gallery in Portland, Maine and long-time proselytizer of True/False for its dedication to the craft of documentary – volunteered as ring-leader/den mother and made it all happen.

Since it was the place where Producers Institute filmmakers Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet’s The Way We Get By had a “secret screening” in 2009, I wanted to be in on the action. In spite of my San Francisco address I can lay claim to being “from Maine” and not “from away,” and there was the added intrigue that one of the co-founders of True/False is  fellow Hampshire Alum, so I flew off to Missouri to meet the Maine contingent. Below is a True/False round up from the Mainers: film recommendations, festival highlights, and a few thoughts on how new media meshed with the traditional to help some films make a lasting impact.


Photo of Jon by Jones Franzel

Who are you and what do you do related to the documentary film world: Jon Courtney, Screenings Programmer for SPACE Gallery , a nonprofit exhibition and performance venue in Portland.

How many films you saw at True/False: 12 features, two shorts, one "live" multimedia/documentary presentation.

Top two films of the 15 you saw and why each was a favorite:
Just two? There are seven that would be hard for me to sort as "top" films because the programming at T/F is so strong and varied.  I'm selecting the following two films not necessarily because they are better than others but have just lingered with me a bit more.

It Felt Like A Kiss - Adam Curtis has created a decisively ominous portrait of the rise and corruption of post-War American political and cultural dominance without ever touching a camera.  His explanation of the film as the centerpiece of a truly mind-bending theatrical art installation at the Manchester International Festival suggests there are always new territories into which non-fiction film can expand.

Gasland - I deeply appreciate the value of films to educate and sensitize an audience to a pressing social or environmental issue. Gasland makes you feel that Josh Fox is an unwitting filmmaker, drawn into his role by a survival necessity and that you're along as a comrade in his crusade as the film reveals travesty upon head-spinning travesty in the use of "fracking" - hydraulic fracturing in the natural gas drilling process.  I'm not usually a fan of narration but Fox's feels personal and heartfelt, punctuated with moments of absurd humor to allow you to catch your breath.

After seeing the films, what if any additional research did you do/action did you take:
It Felt Like A Kiss - I'm now officially obsessed with Adam Curtis' work and have spent several hours poring back through his blog, online clips, reviews of the installation and the process of tracking down the other films of his that I haven't yet seen (no easy task in the US).

Gasland  - I have to confess my Adam Curtis fixation (and my three month-old daughter, Nora) are monopolizing my initial post-T/F free time but I'm interested in learning more about fracking and how to support legislation to limit it's abuses.  I'm also suggesting it as recommended viewing to at least one Congressperson and will likely program a screening at SPACE, given the opportunity.

Favorite Festival moment: Before the screening of And Everything Is Going Fine - the Steven Soderbergh ode to Spalding Gray - a man in the lower seats answered a cellphone and began talking loud enough to disrupt the man introducing the film.  Within seconds, a dozen or so people began bellowing "Get off the phone!", followed by unanimous audience applause hearty enough to shame the man into hanging up.  The introducer quipped "Wow, the Show-Me State."

Other thoughts: This was my fourth year making the pilgrimage to Columbia, Missouri to attend True/False, each year dragging larger and larger groups of friends along.  As a programmer, I almost resent the festival for being so damn good in nearly every aspect. There are dozens of things I could comment on, from impeccable, challenging film selection, to well-executed parties, panels and parades, to a gushing sense of town pride (600 volunteers?!  you're kidding me, right?) but the overriding impression is that this is truly an event with real soul.  You owe it to yourself to go.


Photo of Ben by Shoshannah White for Maine magazine

Who are you and what do you do related to the documentary film world: Ben Fowlie, Founder and Director of the Camden International Film Festival – a documentary film festival that takes place each fall along the coast of Maine. Last November the festival was recognized as one of the top 25 film festivals internationally for documentary films and filmmakers.

How many films you saw at True/False: 10

Top two films of the 10 you saw and why each was a favorite:
On The Other Side of Life -  The access/intimacy between director and their subjects is incredible.  It’s an extremely moving portrait of the intense bond between two brothers.

Gasland  - An artistic approach to an activist film, unique, compelling and informative. This film may be one of the most horrifying exposés I’ve seen in quite some time but it is counterbalanced by Fox's calming narration and beautiful stylization.

I expect great things for both films along the festival circuit.

After seeing the films, what if any additional research did you do/action did you take: I think Gasland  is definitely the type of film that makes you want to do something proactive after viewing it, especially since Fox does such a wonderful job of sharing his story through a number of individuals’ experiences.  It makes you realize that no one is safe and if it’s not your own backyard they (natural gas companies) are drilling...it may be one day soon.  This is such an important issue that so little is known about.  I think Gasland could be a major catalyst for conversation on this topic.

Favorite Festival moment: Too many to recall...running into familiar faces and meeting new ones!  I think my favorite thing at True / False each year is sharing a moment with filmmakers and discussing festival offerings over coffee at the Ragtag Cinema .  You'd be hard pressed to find a better centralized meeting ground at any other festival.


Photo of Jason by Hannah Pingree

Who are you and what do you do related to the documentary film world: Jason Mann, I work with Cecily Pingree at our production company, Pull-Start Pictures , in Rockland, Maine. We are in production on a feature-length documentary called Betting The Farm, about ten dairy farmers in Maine attempting to save their farms by starting their own milk company. I also work at Compass Light , based in Camden, Maine. A film I shot, Lost Souls (Animas Perdidas) , directed and produced by Monika Navarro, will air on Independent Lens on March 23rd, 2010.

How many films you saw at True/False: 11

Top two films of the 11 you saw and why each was a favorite:
Um, that's really hard. Here goes nothing:

On The Other Side of Life - A gorgeous portrait of two young men being thrust into adulthood in a beautiful place, tempered by the harsh, violent reality of life in the Darwinian society of a slum.

The Oath - Setting aside for a second the astounding bravery it must have taken for Laura Poitras to shoot this film, The Oath confronts the audience with the complicated and contradictory puzzles of jihad, American relations with the Islamic world, and terrorism.

After seeing the films, what if any additional research did you do/action did you take: Given the films I chose, I don't think so. But Gasland, which I have trouble leaving out of the top two, led me to go directly home and write an email to a friend at the Sierra Club and my member of Congress.

Favorite Festival moment: I loved staying up into the early morning, drinking bourbon, discussing documentaries and public radio in a dingy hotel room. Possibly the geekiest (recent) event in what is a profoundly geeky life.

Other thoughts: I can't leave out the following excellent films: I have to give a special nod to Circo , which was beautiful. If I ever make such a well-shot, well-edited, moving film, I'll die happy. (Probably.)


Photo of Cecily by Jason Mann

Who are you and what do you do related to the documentary film world: Cecily Pingree,  I work for a small production company based in Maine called Pull-Start Pictures, we do commissioned and independent documentary film work.

How many films you saw at True/False: 13

Top two films of the 13 you saw and why each was a favorite: Circo was a beautifully told story about a traveling Mexican circus, the family behind it and the heartbreaks of such a life. A well shot story about a life full of excitement, love and painful family dynamics.

The Oath brought a world, a way of life, a religion and an intense personal story into your lap for 95 minutes. The dynamic life and portrait of a taxi driver from Yemen that once was Osama bin Laden former bodyguard makes me really appreciate the depths of documentary film and Laura Poitras’s ability to tell a story.

After seeing the films, what if any additional research did you do/action did you take: The Oath made me very interested in Guantanamo and sent me researching the current state of the place and how trials are being dealt with currently.

Gasland - another excellent film at the festival, has sent me into a frenzy of Googling the topic of natural gas and “fracking” now - completely fascinating and worthy of spreading the word around to everyone I know to learn more about it.
 
Favorite Festival moment: Closing night, a packed theater of local folks and us from away, a great film about human migration in China , a standing ovation for the whole True/False team, followed by a buskers last stand musical event. A perfect four hours that describes the heart, dedication and ideals that are put into True/False year after year and the appreciation the crowds, filmmakers and musicians have for this event. Truly awesome.


Photo of Lindsay by Carol Varney

Who are you and what do you do related to the documentary film world:  Lindsay Mann, Director/Cinematographer for Beechwood Film .

How many films you saw at True/False: 11

Top two films of the 11 you saw and why each was a favorite: On The On The Other Side of Life - A perfect film about brotherhood and growing up. Patient and fair.

The British in Bed - The British aren't as reserved as I thought when it comes to their relationships. Some of the most brutally honest interviews I've ever seen.

After seeing the films, what if any additional research did you do/action did you take: Um, no. But I did come home and watch Food, Inc. for the third time and now I'm reading about Monsanto.

Favorite Festival moment: Colin Gulley of The Toughcats standing on a chair in the middle of 100 people soloing on his banjo.


Photo of Colin Carol Varney

Who are you and what do you do related to the documentary film world: Colin Gulley, watching… and sometimes soundtracks.

How many films you saw at True/False: Maybe 5 or 6? (ed: his band had to play multiple shows prior to screenings)

Top two films of the 5/6 you saw and why each was a favorite: Gasland - incredibly eye-opening and scary.

Mr. Hypnotism -  Funny and honest.

After seeing the films, what if any additional research did you do/action did you take: After seeing Gasland , I gave the director my Congressional Rep’s info and told him to track her down and say I sent her.

Favorite Festival moment: Whenever the Toughcats played. They were amazing!

Photo of Christopher by Maggie Carey

Who are you and what do you do related to the documentary film world: Christopher Gray, I work for the Portland Phoenix alt-weekly in Maine, where I mostly suggest fun things for people to do but regularly freelance as a music, book, and film critic, with a budding specialty in documentaries.

How many films you saw at True/False: 12 1/3

Top two films of the 12 1/3 you saw and why each was a favorite: Deliberately skipping a couple favorites - It Felt Like A Kiss, On The Other Side of Life - I suspect others will cover, so …

The Red Chapel - A Danish filmmaker takes two baldly unfunny young comedians (one a spastic) to North Korea, where the trio both succeed at and fail to expose the tyranny of the governing regime in sometimes poignant, sometimes subversive, but mostly hilarious ways.

Kati With an I - Three days in the life of a teenager about to graduate high school in rural Alabama, made into a pure and nuanced film about young love - mostly how teens express it, but the mystery of "the future" (Will college and a new home change Kati? How committed is her boyfriend? Will he follow her? Does he really love her?) hangs over this film like a pall.
 
After seeing the films, what if any additional research did you do/action did you take: As my picks might indicate, I have to sheepishly admit that my tastes lean toward character studies more than issue-based documentaries. Aside from The Oath, a dense and fascinating documentary about Osama bin Laden's former bodyguard, I never found myself that eager to dig up news about the topics of the films I saw.

Favorite Festival moment: So-good-he-was-creepy Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow impersonator. Learning that I could eat a pound of rice and vegetables in three minutes twice a day and watch six consecutive films on three hours sleep without nodding off through any of them. And The Quarry, an effervescent archival short that screened before one film, about teenagers hanging out a Massachusetts swimming hole in the '60s that I want projected onto a wall in my home, on a loop, for the rest of my life.


Photo of Nat by Maeve O’Regan

Who are you and what do you do related to the documentary film world:  Nat May, Executive Director at SPACE Gallery, a nonprofit art space that, among other things, screens documentary and art house films.

How many films you saw at True/False: 12

Top two films of the 12 you saw and why each was a favorite: Utopia in Four Movements -This was one of the most innovative and compelling presentations I've ever seen because of the live image cues, narration and soundtrack performance.

It Felt Like A Kiss - Adam Curtis meticulously culled through archives of news, film and more to create this beautifully curated collage of images and ideas about what's happened with contemporary society.

After seeing the films, what if any additional research did you do/action did you take: I did some really cursory Googling about Vik Muniz, Spalding Gray, Guangzhou, Utopia, and water supply sources. I really haven't had time to sit at a computer and do much browsing.

Favorite Festival moment: Saturday night 2 am group reflection at the hotel with the Maine crew about the day’s events.

Other thoughts: Special nod to Chinese director Huang Weikai for his beautiful and thought provoking film, Disorder, about events in Guangzhou, China.

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