Fest Pt. 3 (International)

I've been trying to add more international doc films and festivals into my screening repertoire; luckily the Los Angeles area is chock full of opportunities to see fantastic documentaries from around the globe.

Recently, I attended the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, where I screened Beijing Taxi, a documentary by Miao Wang. The film is a fascinating study of a city on the move, examined eloquently, intimately and metaphorically through the changing lives of three area taxi drivers. As Beijing prepared to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, it experienced not only a rapid rise in development and activity, but a society that was morphing from ancient to modern, an economy shifting from communist to capitalist, and a population that was struggling to adapt to it all against the global spotlight of the Olympic games. After seeing the Beijing Olympics successfully come to life (remember the pageantry of their opening and closing ceremonies), it was interesting to get a look at how transformational such an event can be.

I unfortunately missed Last Train Home at this festival and a few others recently, but also want to see this acclaimed doc on Chinese migrant workers' annual pilgrimages home for the Chinese New Year.

Finally, I am hoping to make my first trip to the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival next month for a dynamic line-up of films from this country. Like all of the other international doc festivals, I am sure it will make me even more eager to soak up the culture of other lands.

I've got the whole world in my (doc) hands.

Fest Pt. 2 (Art)

More from my film festival files, in which our heroine - me - screens more recent documentaries here, there and everywhere.

While at the Newport Beach Film Festival last month, I screened The Great Contemporary Art Bubble, which follows London art critic Ben Lewis as he investigates the activities that led to the art market collapse in tandem with the world econmonic crisis. He suggests that the credit boom, along with artificial inflation of auction prices and backroom deals by galleries, auction houses, artists and collectors, sent prices into the stratosphere at record levels in the last ten years - and they had nowhere to go but down. This intriguing yet sometimes quirky film explores the habits of the uber-rich art community and how their activities affected the markets as a whole. It's like a very special episode of "Dynasty" from the '80s.

It's also not the only recent documentary suggesting that the art world is actually kind of creepy. I recently screened Don Argott's The Art of the Steal, which I missed at the Palm Springs International Film Festival earlier this year (only because I couldn't drag myself out of bed in time to drive down there), but caught at a local theater last month.

This provocative film chronicles one the most long-standing art world controversies, concerning the priceless art collection cherished (or held captive, depending on which side you fall on) within the walls of the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania. The self-made Dr. Albert C. Barnes collected an unbelievable trove of master works in his lifetime, with the intent that they be used for intimate study - not mass public exhibition, the likes of which he abhorred in the nearby Philadelphia Museum of Art with its elite Main Line benefactors. Unfortunately, Dr. Barnes didn't have the best foresight and between his sudden death, restrictive estate instructions, revolving door of governance issues, and ultimately some suggested high-stakes collusion, his beloved art collection is now set to end up exactly the way he didn't want - in the hands of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The film is heavily skewed but serves as another compelling reminder that while money can't buy you love, it can buy you some art.

And support your (my) documentary film habit.

Fest Pt. 1 (Earth)

I try to catch as many docs as I can at film festivals throughout the year but most slip through the cracks. Luckily, there are still premier broadcast outlets who devote key programming hours to the documentary form. In commemoration of Earth Day this past week, I am highlighting a few earth-friendly docs of note.

I enjoyed a leisurely trip down to Newport Beach yesterday for their annual festival, where I checked out Miranda Bailey's humorous Greenlit, a new documentary about the noble attempts of one film crew to go green. Attempt is the key word, as the film industry - despite its reputation as being liberal and environmentally friendly - is actually one of the chief polluters around and green doesn't seem to fit into any production budget line item yet. Despite the presence of an environmental consultant on set to oversee the greening, struggles ensue between idealism and the reality of Hollywood (oxymoron alert).

I also missed a few other docs in the past several months despite multiple attempts to catch them around town. Fortunately, my fav series PBS Independent Lens is featuring them this month. Dirt! The Movie explores the Earth's living, breathing skin and how we need to build a more sustainable relationship with this critical natural resource. It's a cool look at an unlikely subject. My favorite segment is a discussion with Harvard researchers about microbial fuel cells in dirt which can be used to power ground lighting in developing countries.

I am also excited to finally see Garbage Dreams, which is premiering tomorrow evening. It chronicles the remarkable story of a village in Cairo, Egypt which manages to recycle 80% of its waste, and the children who are born into the trade of collecting trash. The introduction of corporate trash collection service threatens their way of life and the efficiencies of the recycling system as a whole.

It's not so easy being green, but give it a try this month in honor of Mother Earth.