Bombay Beach. Film. 2011.

A film by Alma Har'el.

Bombay Beach is one of the poorest communities in southern California located on the shores of the Salton Sea, a man-made sea stranded in the middle of the Colorado desert that was once a beautiful vacation destination. The story follows three protagonists: The trials of Benny Parrish, a young boy diagnosed with bipolar disorder whose vivid imagination create both suffering and joy for him and his complex family. The story of CeeJay Thompson, a black teenager and aspiring football player who has taken refuge in Bombay Beach hoping to avoid the same fate of his cousin who was murdered by a gang in LA; and that of Red, an ancient survivor, once an oil field worker, living on whiskey and cigarettes. Together these portraits form a triptych of manhood in America. True to her roots as a photographer, video artist, and music video director, Har'el has crafted an artistically innovative film with music by Beirut and Bob Dylan.

Grown in Detroit. A Documentary.

Cinematography by Suzan van Steenwijk. Filmmij AKA Mascha and Manfred Poppenk are the Dutch filmmakers behind this doc. They met in Africa, where they shot the wildlife film 'Serengeti Symphony'.
Grown in Detroit focuses on the urban gardening efforts managed by a public school of 300, mainly African-American, pregnant and parenting teenagers. As part of the curriculum, the girls are taught agricultural skills on the school's own farm located in what used to be the playground. The young mothers learn to become knowledgeable about the importance of nutritional foods, the process by which these foods arrive at their plates, and to become self-empowered through the process of farming. Urban farming is an effective solution for Detroit... as industrial models fail, this is a sustainable model to be replicated in other North American cities.
'Pay what you want' to watch this beautifully inspiring film and you'll have on-line access to the doc for 24hrs: grownindetroitmovie.com

We Are All Radioactive. Film Trailer. Japan.

WE ARE ALL RADIOACTIVE is a film project created by TokyoMango blogger Lisa Katayama and TED film director Jason Wishnow. It's about surfers rebuilding northern Japan after the earthquake and tsunami on 3.11.2011. In the summer of 2011, a few months after the quake, the crew went to Japan to shoot interviews with locals, anti-nuclear activists, and global experts on radiation. They also gave four video cameras to the locals so they can film their experience through their own lens while we're not there. Looks good.

AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY. Documentary.

Ai Weiwei is China's most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention. The film looks into the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait provides a nuanced exploration of contemporary China and one of its most compelling public figures.
DIRECTOR, PRODUCER & CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alison Klayman.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Andrew Cohen, Julie Goldman
CONTRIBUTING PRODUCER: Colin Jones
PRODUCER: Adam Schlesinger
EDITOR: Jen Fineran
MUSIC: Ilan Isakov
aiweiweineversorry.com

America In Pictures: The Story Of Life Magazine. Documentary. BBC 4.

As LIFE magazine reaches its 75th anniversary, in BBC Four's America in Pictures: the Story of Life Magazine, British photographer Rankin discovers how the publication became so respected. Rankin goes in search of why Life magazine had so much influence on the American people and why it was so respected. Since it launched in 1936 and through the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, the mag was seen as the last word in photojournalism, covering everything from the assassination of JFK and the Vietnam war to Hollywood stars. Looking at the work of the legendary Alfred Eisenstaedt and Margaret Bourke-White, Rankin talks to the likes of Bill Eppridge, Burk Uzzle and Harry Benson about how they pioneered new forms of photojournalism, such as living with their subjects for weeks on end.
Watch it online HERE.

Tom Ford. Designer. Photographer. Film maker. American.

Ford was born in Austin, Texas, but spent most of his childhood in Santa Fe, Ford moved to NY to study art history at NYC, but after partying too hard during the Warhol/Studio 54 era, he dropped out and moved to LA. He worked as an actor for a while before moving back to NY to study architecture at Parsons School of Design. Tom Ford then transferred to Parsons' Paris campus, and in his final year of architecture he suddenly decided to switch to fashion. In 1990, Ford moved to Milan to join Gucci as the company's women's wear designer. In 1992, he became design director and in 1994 he was appointed creative director of Gucci. He designed all product lines, and headed all advertising campaigns and store design. In 2000, following the acquisition of Yves Saint Laurent and YSL Beaute by Gucci, Ford took over as creative director of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche + YSL Beaute. Ford left Gucci in 2004 to then start his own brand, Tom Ford, in a year later with menswear and accessory collections. In 2009, Ford made his first film, A Single Man, starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. It was only after seeing this brilliant film that I fully appreciated the genius of Tom Ford. He is one of the most talented, versatile artists of our time. His vision for design and style has no boundaries-his work is both classic and trend-setting.

Mourir Auprès De Toi. Film. Spike Jonze + Simon Cahn.

Mourir Auprès de Toi is a short film by Spike Jonze and Simon Cahn, hand made with love by Olympia Le-Tan.

David Lavallée's: White Water, Black Gold. Alberta.

Director David Lavallee began climbing and ski mountaineering in the Canadian Rockies over 20 years ago, and has been an avid mountain lover ever since. In 2006, David became a climate change activist and conservationist. He succeeded in creating an environmental stewardship committee for the ACMG. When David worked as a hiking guide in the Columbia Icefields, he saw profound changes to the mountain landscape as Alberta ramped up growth in the extremely water-intensive industry downstream. For three years he travelled across Western Canada to find out more about the Tar Sands environmental destruction. He says, “Most people do not know that the Tar Sands’ impacts actually span half the country. By watching this film they will see what we are consenting to by allowing this industry to go on unchecked.”

Manhattan. Film. Woody Allen. 1979.

Re-watched Manhattan last night and was inspired by the film's overall stylishness... Mariel Hemmingway and Meryl Streep are absolutely gorgeous in this flick.

White Men Can't Jump. A Tribute. 1992.

Written + directed by Ron Shelton this flick is a not so guilty pleasure of mine... awesome casing... wicked styling-from Rosie's badass outfits to Wesley Snipes' caps... the cheesy 90s lines and entertaining B-ball jams make for a real fun watch.

Tout va bien.

The recent looting/rioting in London reminded me of this scene in Jean-Luc Godard's Tout va bien (1972) which depicts the French riots of the 1960s-mostly by youth/students-in connection to class struggle...
The visual of this scene made me think of Manufactured Landscapes by Edward Burtynsky...

Splitscreen: A Love Story. By JW Griffiths.

JW Griffiths is a London based writer, director, editor, and winner of Nokia N8 Short Shorts 2011.
Wonderful slices of both London and Paris.... beautiful piece of music by Lennert Busch... well done. jwgriffiths.com

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The History of A Tribe Called Quest. Documentary. 2011.

By Michael Rapaport.
PUMPED for this.

Project Nim. Doc. 2011.

From the Oscar-winning team behind MAN ON WIRE comes Project Nim, about the chimp who became the focus of a landmark experiment in the '70s which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised like a human child. Following Nim's journey through human society, and the enduring impact he makes on the people he meets along the way, we learn about his true nature and our own... entertaining, revealing and deeply upsetting. The film opens this summer in theaters-I'm there with a box of tissues.

Pizza Verdi. A short film by Gary Nadeau. 2011.

Written & Directed by Gary Nadeau. Starring Marie Zamora + Norm Lewis. Produced by Alain Boublil & Gary Nadeau. Director of Photography Ben Jacks. Soundtrack by Giuseppe Verdi. HEROIC PICTURES, INC.
Beautifully shot.

PressPausePlay. Documentary. Sweden.

Sneak Peek - Seth Godin.
Directed by David Dworsky + Victor Köhler. Produced by Einar Bodström, Philip Mathinsen, Adam Svanell.



The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent of people in an unprecedented way, unleashing unlimited creative opportunities. But does democratized culture mean better art, film, music and literature or is true talent instead flooded and drowned in the vast digital ocean of mass culture? Is it cultural democracy or mediocrity? This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary containing interviews with some of the world’s most influential creators of the digital era.
presspauseplay.com

Training Session. Film by Christian Lalumière. Quebec.

“Through evocative gestures and movements, we discover five different athletes in training. What at first appears to be a simple training routine evolves into a ballet, where the athletes play the role of notes on a musical score. Together, they create a symphonic movement in which the notes interact — integrating rhythm, singular movements, and harmony in an intricate choreography." Produced by Emilie Heckmann and created in collaboration with choreographer Helene Blackburn & composer Nicolas Bernier, this project, written and directed by Christian Lalumière.

On Any Sunday. A Bruce Brown Film. Starring Steve McQueen. 1971.

Happy Sunday.

Better This World. Documentary. 2011. US.

Directed by Kelly Duane and Katie Galloway,
David McKay and Bradley Crowder two boyhood friends known as the "Texas Two" - fall under the sway of an older charismatic 'revolutionary'. At the volatile 2008 Republican Convention the boys cross a line that radically changes their lives. The result: eight homemade bombs, multiple domestic terrorism charges and a high stakes entrapment defense hinging on the actions of a controversial FBI informant. BETTER THIS WORLD goes to the heart of the War on Terror and its impact on civil liberties and political dissent in post-9/11 America.

St-Henri, the 26th of August. Film. Montreal.

A Parabola Films production. Directed by Shannon Walsh in collaboration with 16 other montreal-based doc filmmakers. Shot over 24-hours, the film shows a day-in-the-life of a famous neighbourhood in Montreal. St-Henri pays homage to the 1962 Hubert Aquin classic À Saint-Henri le cinq septembre.
I just saw the movie at Hot Docs (Toronto) and was blown away. I connected with the film on a personal level being that I'm so familiar with St.Henri-I knew a few 'characters' in the film and of course recognized most of the locations around the hood. While following the chosen St.Henri residents/characters in the film, there were many comical, moving, and also powerful moments. The film was beautifully shot and the soundtrack was incredible-composed by (my fave) Patrick Watson (Montreal)-each tune matched each scene perfectly. I cannot say enough about this one-please do seek it out.
st-henri.parabolafilms.ca