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This Year’s Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts

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Short films can be good training for future filmmakers, or they can be an artform in themselves. Each year the Academy awards Oscars to three short films: Best Animated Short, Best Live Action Short, and Best Documentary Short. The nominees for these categories come from around the world and represent excellence, just as all the other films nominated for Oscars do. Each year, prior to the awards, there are programs of the short films that play in select theaters around the country. To see where you can catch one or more of these programs, check Shorts.tv.

Here is my take on the films nominated for Best Live Action Short Film this year.

Ala Kachuu (Take and Run). (38 minutes, Switzerland/Kyrgyzstan). Sezim, a 19 year old young woman, runs away from her small village in Kyrgyzstan to study in the city. There she is kidnapped off the street and taken to another village where she is forced into a marriage with her kidnapper. The villagers all seem to think this is the way things are supposed to be. Even her parents, when they find out, approve of this. Is she doomed to this life, or will she find an escape? The film, directed by Maria Brendle, reminds us that many women face this kind of marriage by kidnapping each year.

On My Mind, (18 minutes, Denmark). A somewhat disheveled man come into a bar. The curmudgeonly owner really doesn’t want to open, but the kindly bartender pours him a drink. The man sees the karaoke machine and asks for it to be turned on. He wants to sing a song for his wife. He HAS TO SING a song for his wife. Director Martin Strange-Hansen takes what seems like a bleak interaction in the bar turns into a story of tenderness and deep love.

Please Hold. (19 Minutes, USA). Director K. D. Dávila has created a Kafkaesque view of the justice system. When a young man is arrested by a drone, he finds himself in an automated and privatized jail. He doesn’t read the fine print on the terms and conditions for using the phone (who ever reads that stuff?) and ends up with no money to make any calls. His automated private defender wants him to take a plea bargain, but the guy doesn’t even know why he’s been arrested. Is there a way out?

The Dress. (30 minutes, Poland). Julia, a dwarf who works as a motel maid, yearns for love and sexuality. When she meets a truckdriver who seems interested in her, she begins to fantasize and fret over their next meeting. Director Tadeusz Łysiac takes the film through various shifts in Julia’s emotional state leading up to that meeting.

The Long Goodbye. (12 minutes, UK). As Riz and his family are preparing for a wedding celebration, their world is suddenly torn apart by the onset of a racist/nationalist group that takes them all into custody. Is it an official policy, or are the authorities just turning a blind eye to what is happening? With the rise in such nationalism and supremist movements in so many places, this film, directed by Aneil Karia, reminds us that our neighbors may often feel an insecurity because of their skin or culture.

My favorites among the group are On My Mind for the beautiful way the man expresses his love on what is one of the worst days of his life and the grace that he finds in doing so, and Please Hold, for its biting comedy.

Photos courtesy of Shorts.tv.

Slamdance 2020 – A few final films

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As I finish up my Slamdance viewing, I want to thank the festival for giving me access to all these films. I always enjoy covering Slamdance, in part because it pushes me beyond my comfort zone at times. The films here are always very diverse, just as the festival wants them to be. That means, some films won’t click with me, others I’ll appreciate because of the passion of the filmmakers, and some will bring me joy in various ways.

The films I’m finishing up with are all award winners. Some were already on my watch list, but I hadn’t gotten to them. Some were added because of the awards. Here is a link to all of the awards.

The Civil Dead, directed by Clay Tatum and Whitmer Thomas, won the Audience Award for Narrative Feature. When his wife is out of town for a few days, Clay, an unmotivated photographer encounters Whit, an old school friend, but it turns out Whit is really a ghost. Since Clay is the only person who can see or hear him, Whit sticks to Clay like glue out of loneliness, and begins a haunting relationship. This becomes a humorous horror story—with there being horrors both for Clay and Whit.

The George Starks Spirit of Sundance Prize was awarded to Sasha Levinson, who directed Sylvie of The Sunshine State. This is a documentary that Levinson made of her life with her 2nd grade daughter Sylvie. The idea was to see what their everyday life was like, but soon after they started the COVID lockdowns began. In part the film becomes a chronicle of the early months of dealing with the pandemic, but it is also about the evolving relationship between mother and daughter (and Sylvie’s father who lives elsewhere). Obviously a very personal project, but also very universal.

And there are, of course, some more shorts to note.

Oldboy’s Apples (seven minutes), directed by Brad Hock, received Honorable Mention among Animated Shorts. It uses stop motion puppets to create a world of magical realism in a tale about a demon, a rat, and a dog in relationship to a special apple.

Selahy (My Weapon) (14 minutes), directed by Alaa Zabara, received Honorable Mention in the Unstoppable category. It’s the story of a deaf girl in the midst of a war zone in Yemen. She sees the world in a different way through a video camera her photographer brother gave to her. When he goes out to document the war, she does her own recording of what is happening, but she doesn’t hear what is coming.

Another wonderful festival comes to a close.

Slamdance 2022 – More shorts (including some award winners)

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Yes, there are more films to cover from Slamdance, especially short films, so let’s catch up on some of them. The festival awards have been announced, and I note some of the winners here.

Little Berlin (15 minutes), directed by Kate McMullen, is based on a true story. When Germany was divided after World War II, the village of Mödlareuth was split between the East and West. This resulted in Peter, the only bull in the village, being cut off from his 40 cows. Through wonderful editing, and narration by Christopher Waltz, the story becomes a symbol of the pain of division and separation. Even after the Iron Curtain fell, there are still those separated by walls (think the southern US border, and Israel/Palestine) and political barriers. Little Berlin is part of the Department of Anarchy section.

Also from the Department of Anarchy is What’s My Name? (6 minutes), directed by Arthur Studholm. This is a nightmare for a man at a party who can’t remember the name of someone he’s met before, and the ensuing unpleasantness that just keep getting worse.

See You, Garbage! (18 minutes), directed by Romain Dumont, is the story of a trio of sanitation workers who are invited to have dinner with the Prime Minister for Christmas. The class structure of a society that supposedly believes in equality is laid bare, with humor and insight. See You, Garbage! was awarded Honorable Mention in the Narrative Short section.

South (13 minutes), directed by Patrick Case, is the story of a young man on the autism spectrum who has found his way of encountering the world in making models out of clay. His family’s home is filled with his dolls. It allows him to be creative and to share is life with others. South is part of the Unstoppable Shorts section.

Beyond Is the Day (26 minutes), directed by Damian Kocur, is the story of Pawel, a man who spends his day running a small ferry across a river in Poland. One day, he finds a man struggling in the river. While the man recovers, Pawel has companionship and the other man has safety from the immigration officers. But it is a difficult situation that can’t last.

Meat (16 minutes), directed by Asher Rosen, tells the story of a Batwa woman in Uganda. When her village is destroyed to make a conservation park for tourists, she must do what she can to provide food for her son. Even subject herself to the very tourists who have displaced her.

The Jury Prize for Narrative Short was awarded to Ratking (20 minutes), directed by Eric Colomma. A young woman and her boyfriend are having a less than perfect day as she wants to escape it all by heading to the beach.

The Jury Prize for Animated Shorts was awarded to I’m Here (15 minutes), directed by Julia Orlik. This is a look at a dying woman (who cannot speak, but who dominates the scene) and her elderly husband who is trying to care for her, with the help of their daughter. It is a contemplation of mortality and love.

 Walls Cannot Keep Us from Flying  (13 minutes), directed by Jonathan Haff Mehring, received Honorable Mention in the Short Documentary section. This is a  film about skateboarders in Palestine who find freedom through their skating, and are teaching younger children (both boys and girls) how to skate as an act of revolution amid the occupation.

Slamdance 2022 – Unstoppable lives

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Slamdance is intentional about inclusiveness. That is especially evident through their “Unstoppable” sections for both feature films and shorts. These films are built around the way people face struggles in life—often because of various disabilities—and find meaning in lives that many would find impossible. Today I’m going to look at some of the Unstoppable films. A reminder: You can still watch these films with a $10 festival pass through February 6.

Poppy, from director Linda Niccol, is the story of a young woman with Down Syndrome who wants to become an auto mechanic. Her brother, who runs a garage where she helps out, is reluctant to take her on as an apprentice. The brother is filled with guilt over the accident that killed their parents, and is spiraling into alcoholism. Meanwhile, Poppy is falling in love with a local busker. The key here is that Poppy is really a normal teenager. Certainly, Down Syndrome is a part of who she is, but that is really only one part of her, as we see. The various problems that arise in the film are cleared up a bit to easily, but it makes for a pleasing story that reminds us that there is always more to someone than how we first see them.

Straighten Up and Fly Right, directed by Kristen Abate and Steven Tenenbaum, shows us how much of a struggle life can sometimes be. A woman with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a crippling form of arthritis, spends her life hunched over, always looking at the ground. She is in pain that she treats with pills and weed. She walks dogs for a living. She is depressed and resentful. When she is sent to a new client, she discovers someone as bent over as she. Through this, and some other encounters with people who are kind (or learn to be), she begins to grow and to see herself as having value for who she is. This is a story that asks us to consider how the world sees people—how we see people who are different.

Among the Unstoppable shorts, I found what may be the real diamond of the festival: Freebird (6 minutes), directed by Michael Joseph McDonald, Joe Bluhm, and Nick Herd. This is an excellent example of what a short film can be. In those few minutes, this animated film shows us 45 years in the life of a man with Down Syndrome. This animated film is touching, emotionally satisfying, and challenging without being confrontational. It reminds us that people are of value not for what they can or cannot do (and as we see, many people with disabilities are capable of great things). Their real value is simply that they are. The Jordan Hart song “Freedom” that provides the music of the film serves to tie it all together.

In My Brother Is Deaf (11 minutes) by Peter Hoffman Kimball, is a brief story of a family dealing with a child who is deaf, as told by his five year old big brother. It is more than learning sign language or the idea of cochlear implants. It really boils down to that they want to be able to tell the child they love him, and they want him to be able to share himself.

Jamiesonshine (5 minutes), from Phoebe Jane Hart and Jamieson Hart¸ takes us into the world of schizophrenia. Phoebe Hart tells the story of dealing with her brother Jamieson who struggles with the dark world of schizophrenia. It is a story that is told with love, but it is a love that carries a great deal of pain.

All of these films are currently playing at Slamdance 2022.

Sunday at AFI Fest 2021

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How strange that AFI Fest 2021 is already coming to an end. But perhaps next year the festival will be able to move back to a weeklong fully in person event. Still, it is important to thank the staff and volunteers for the work they did to make this such a wonderful—and safe—experience. And of course, I’m thankful that they grant me so much access to these wonderful films.

Do you remember going to movies full of viewers that becomes a common experience? We are reminded of that experience in Zhang Yimou’s One Second. Set in the Cultural Revolution, a man who has escaped from a labor camp is desperate to see a newsreel that has a brief onscreen appearance of his daughter. In the first town he’s in, the movie is finished, and the film is to be transported to the next town. But a girl steals one of the cans of film and the man chases her down to retrieve it, since the film won’t be shown if incomplete. The first part of the film is a humorous back and forth of the two of them taking the film from each other. When The film gets to the next town, one can (the one with the newsreel) has come loose and been dragged along the road. At first the projectionist cancels the movie, but the community is heartbroken. Soon they are all working together to save the damaged reel.

This is a story that reflects our love of cinema—even if it is Party propaganda. When the film eventually play, the audience sings along. This is more than just watching the moving shadows on a wall. This is an event that touches the whole community. There is certainly something to be said for watching this film in a theater with other people rather than sitting at home. It is also a story of family—not just the basic meaning of family, but also the family we can become with others.

Clint Bentley, director of Jockey, grew up in the world of horseracing. He hadn’t seen a film that accurately captures that world, so he made one. Jackson Silva is an aging jockey whose body is beginning to betray him. He hopes for one last great horse. Ruth, a trainer with whom he’s close, has a new horse that might be great for the two of them. But Gabriel, a young rookie jockey shows up, claiming to be Jackson’s son. At first, Jackson denies it could be true, but the idea warms on him, giving him a chance of a legacy beyond racing.

I’m something of a sucker for father/son stories. This one has an interesting twist in it. But it is also something of a meditation of mortality, as seen as the end of the life that Jackson has always known. The film is filled with scenes at sunset and sunrise (mostly sunsets) with beautiful skies. We understand that this is both a sunset and a dawn for Jackson and Gabriel. Jockey won the Audience Award for narrative films and opens in US theaters December 29.

Holy Emy, from director Araceli Lemos, is the story of two Filipina sisters in Greece whose mother was forced to return to the Philippines. Emy, the younger, has a special ability that her mother had. At times she cries blood. And she has the power to heal. Her sister Teresa tries to keep this hidden, so Emy won’t be taken advantage of. But a pseudo-mother who lives across the hall, has her eye on them. She knows that something is going on with Emy, and believes they have to baptize her to keep the devil at bay. Teresa is also dealing with a sudden pregnancy and a boyfriend who is more interested in what Emy can do than being a father.

This is a film that is filled with the color red—often blood. It also has a good deal of religious imagery and language. Yet, for all that religious feel, I never felt the film got to the serious religious questions that such a story raises. It seems to want a humanitarian basis for the use of such an ability, but it never seems to quite fit with what we are watching.

And we finish up with a few more shorts.

Johnson Cheng gives us Only the Moon Stands Still, a story of three generations of Chinese women in a failing dance ballroom. The ballroom may be closing, but for the youngest of the three the world may be opening up—if she’s willing to let her mother push her out of the nest. Only the Moon Stand Still won the Audience Award for short films. (22 minutes)

In Motorcyclist’s Happiness Won’t Fit into His Suit, Gabriel Herrera uses a motorcyclist to create a metaphorical reenactment of the hubris of colonialists. A bit too artsy for my taste. (10 minutes)

Sales per Hour, from Michelle Uranowitz and Daniel Jaffe, is set in a retail clothing boutique. The staff works at upselling through the day. But when they discover a sexual encounter in the dressing room, they face a dilemma about what they are willing to allow to keep sales moving.

Saturday at AFI Fest 2021

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If you’re in the mood for a time-bending coming-of-age story, Petite Maman will do the trick. From director Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady On Fire, Tomboy) this is the story of eight year old Nelly, who after her grandmother’s death goes to the grandmother’s house with her parents. This is her mother’s childhood home. Nelly remembers her mother telling her about building a hut in the woods. One day her mother suddenly leaves without telling Nelly. When Nelly plays in the woods, she meets Monica, a girl her age who is building hut just as her mother described. When she goes to Monica’s house, we see it is the same house she is staying in, only many years earlier.  We (and Nelly) understand pretty quickly that she’s encountered her mother as a girl. Nelly moves back and forth between present and past houses and people. As she does so, she learns about her mother, her mother’s fears, and her own insecurities.

As in Sciamma’s previous films, Petite Maman has wonderful cinematography and brilliant character studies. It’s not so much a story of time travel per se as it is a mystical connection that will forever bond Nelly with her mother. Has it always been a bond that her mother has known?

Hit the Road is the premiere film from Iranian director Panah Panahi. This is a bizarre road trip with a loving (although it’s hard to tell sometimes) family driving across the country for some unknown reason. (It’s somewhat revealed later in the film.) The father is in the backseat with his leg in a cast. (Is it really broken?) The eldest son is driving with the mother beside him in front. The very energetic younger son seems to bounce around the car. And there’s a sick dog in the back. The chaos becomes a bit claustrophobic as we travel with them in the car.

The difficulty with the film is being not quite sure what it is about what is happening in Iran that has triggered this emergency road trip. I can conject various possibilities, but I expect the film’s Iranian audience would have a much better grasp of the situation.

And, of course, I have some shorts to share.

In Are You Still There? from directors Rayka Zehtabchi and Sam Davis, we spend a hot day with Safa when her car battery dies and she must wait in a strip mall parking lot until her mother can get off work to come jump the car. It is a long day (condensed to 15 minutes) that ends in triumph.

The documentary short Video Visit by Malika Zouhali-Worrall shows us the program at the Brooklyn Public Library that allows families of those held in New York City jails to have video call with their incarcerated families. It lets us discover the difficulties families have visiting in person, and the bureaucratic hurdles the library staff faces to try to keep this important program in place.  Libraries rule! (23 minutes)

Yoruga, directed by Federico Torrado Tobón, is a brief story of a lonely man in the not to distant future who goes to “Noah’s Ark”, a facility where some animals still survive. He can afford a one minute visit with one of these animals, and he shares a bit of his life in that short time. (7 minutes.)

Friday at AFI Fest 2021

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“We are responsible for the community we build and the stories we tell.” This is the tagline for AFI Fest 2021. That phrase appears on various promotional materials. It reflects the idea that films are more than just entertainment; they help to shape the way people see the world. That understanding is very appropriate for the features I watched on Friday.

In Orit Fouks Rotem’s Cinema Sabaya, a group of Jewish and Arab women take part in a class to learn how to make videos. The women vary in age and background. Week after week, as they share their assignments, they begin to learn of each other’s lives and dreams. At times the differences seem stark, yet there are also many ways that they discover common fears and concerns. Their time together sometimes crosses lines of intimacy before they know it. In some ways they all have dreams fulfilled through this class. This is an exploration of both community and stories.

This was a scripted film (with a very documentary feel) that gave the actors a great deal of freedom as they delivered their lines. It was based on a number of real women’s stories. One of the interesting bits, for me, is that the film director teacher never really shared her own life the way these women did. She really is a bit separated from the group as a whole. Perhaps a sign that sometimes when filmmakers stand a bit outside looking at others, there is a wariness.

Ali & Ava from Clio Barnard is the story of a South Asian man and an Irish woman who are both dealing with loss and loneliness. Ali’s marriage is breaking up following his wife’s loss of a pregnancy. He is keeping their separation a secret from his close-knit family. Ava has been widowed about a year, but there were issues in the marriage before her husband died. When the two meet, a connection develops and grows over a lunar month. Ava’s adult son is none too happy to have any man in Mom’s life, let alone a man of color. As the two people begin to share their lives and secrets, they have to struggle with the question of if they are ready to find new happiness.

This film feels very much like a Ken Loach film—in large part because of the Yorkshire setting and working-class characters. (I hope if the director reads this, she takes that as the compliment I intend.) We get the feeling of real people as they struggle with the real trials of life.

Today’s shorts included:

Enviar y Recbir (Shipping and Receiving) from director Cosmo Collins Salovaara. A warehouse worker is told to do what he wants with a damaged dress. He tries to give it to his daughter who is uninterested. A neighbor doesn’t think it’s appropriate for his daughter. Yet the man won’t let it go to waste. (9 minutes)

New Abnormal from director Sorayos Prapapan. A look at what life has become during the COVID-19 pandemic, with temperature checks, masks sold out at a drugstore, washing hands, and all the other things that are so common now. It’s done with a touch of humor. (14 minutes)

Mon Amie qui Brille dans le Nuit (My Friend Who Shines in the Night) is an animated film from Grégoire de Bernouis, Jawed Boudaoud, Simon Cadilhac, and Hélène Ledevin. A ghost on its way to whatever the hereafter might be is struck by lightening and falls to earth with no memory. A man helps it find its way back to where it needs to be. (9 minutes)

Your Street from director Güzin Kar. A look at a short road in an industrial area in Germany that has been named after a four year old victim of a Neo-Nazi attack. Is using such a road as a memorial a good way to be reminded of the past? (8 minutes)

Sandstorm from Seemab Gul. Zora, a Pakistani schoolgirl, sends a dance video to a virtual boyfriend, who blackmails her with it. It is a struggle as Zora faces the patriarchal society she lives in. (20 minutes)

Thursday at AFIFest 2021

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Welcome to the 2021 edition of AFI Fest. Last year, the festival was all done virtually. This year is a hybrid with some films being available virtually and others only shown in the theaters at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood. The festival is abbreviated from pre-pandemic years only covering 4+ days instead of the usual 7+. But there are still some exciting films coming here. My first day was a virtual day.

Paris, 13th District (Les Olympiades, Paris 13e) is the latest film from Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, Rust and Bone, and The Sister Brothers). His films are often intense and challenging. Paris, 13th District is a look at the Millennial world of relationship that seem to be a mash up of friendship, lack of commitment, and sex (lots of it).

We open when Camille shows up at Emilie’s apartment to answer an ad for a roommate. Emilie was hoping for a woman, but after some talking, spark begin between them. But when Emilie is more committed to the relationship than Camille, they break it off. Nora, a second year law student is mistaken by friends as an internet porn star. In time Nora works with Camille at a real estate agency, and they connect. Nora also contacts the porn star and they begin an online friendship. There are various turns along the way, but it all ends up with people finding something special.

In Megan Mylan’s documentary Simple as Water, we meet various Syrian refugee families struggling to find a place in the world as they are separated from others. A mother with four children in Athens, hoping to be able to be reunited with her husband in Germany. Another mother in Turkey considering putting her five children in an orphanage because she cannot care for them. A man in the U.S. with a 9th grade brother who lost a leg in a bombing. A woman still in Syria hoping to get word of a son missing in Raqqa. All are in a kind of limbo. They have hope for reunification and a future better than they are living, but nothing is assured for them. Simple as Water will be available on HBOMax on November 16.

And let’s look at some shorts while we’re here.

In the Israeli film Her Dance from Bar Cohen, Aya shows up at her sister’s wedding Sabbath dinner uninvited. She hasn’t been invited because she is estranged from her Orthodox family because she is a trans woman. Her mother is afraid someone will recognize her and the groom’s family will cancel the marriage. Some terrible things are said (especially by Aya’s mother), but there is a touch of grace, even if we are left in an emotional emptiness. (22 minutes)

For H.A.G.S. by Sean Wang, the filmmaker was going through his eighth grade yearbook and decided to contact some of his friends from that time to touch base and see how everyone was coping with adult life. It is a rather phrenetic mix of edited conversations with yearbook pictures of the various speakers. They seem to be in one of those cusp periods of aging—not yet middle age, but no longer young adults. (9 minutes)

Day 4 at AFI Docs

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Today’s films range from the mundane to the worlds of power and money. Documentaries are ways to mark points in time, to see life in new ways, and to broaden our knowledge. That happens in these films.

The HBO Documentary Series Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union premiered the first two episodes at AFI Docs. Directed by Peter Kunhardt, this series focuses on President Obama’s life with special emphasis on the role race played in shaping his life and his politics. Part One of the series covers his early life through his election to the U.S. Senate. Part Two overs his run for the Presidency in 2007-08. The film relies on archival footage and selected interviews with people who have known him.

This is a very conventional telling of the President’s story. It lacks an intimacy and personal understanding of the events in his life. The first part never really asks questions about the events in his life. In the second part, as he runs for the presidency, there are more insightful comments made about the tightrope of being a Black candidate and being a candidate for all the people. Questions of too Black or not Black enough come up. There are times that Black commentators critique some of the things he said in speeches as not resonating with the Black experience. The series will add another perspective for those seeking to understand the historic nature oif Obama’s election.

We (Nous) from filmmaker Alice Diop is a look at life in the Paris suburbs. There is no through story, just looks at the mundane world. We see a mechanic as he works on a car and gets a phone call from his mother in Mali. We see the filmmaker’s sister as she makes her rounds as a visiting nurse to elderly patients. We see kids in a park. We visit a Holocaust museum. There are no contexts given, we simply observe.

A title card at the end of the film the filmmaker mentions having learned “to see and love what is before my eyes.” That is very much what this film is about. It’s not about the narrative. It is about seeing these little bits of life as they happen.

Never mind “Antique Roadshow”. Suppose that old painting you have is really a Leonardo DaVinci. That is the crux of The Lost Leonardo by Andreas Koefoed. It traces the history of a painting found at an obscure auction in New Orleans, that was later restored and attributed to (not without controversy) Leonardo. The price paid at the New Orleans auction: $1175. The Price eventually paid at a Christies auction: $450,000,000. And, oh, by the way, you can’t see it because the current owner, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, refuses to exhibit it.

The painting, “Salvator Mundi”, becomes the focal point for looking at the art world and how it operates. It’s not just about art and collectors, but about finance and even global politics. The film brings in many of those who were involved in the story of the painting as it advanced through the art world, but also some outside people, who add knowledge about other aspects, including a former CIA operative. There is a sense in which what the film is about is truth. What makes truth? Can we know the truth? Does truth become just a matter of belief? Or does $450,000,000 buy truth? The Lost Leonardo will arrive in theaters in August.

Shorts for today include The Game, directed by Roman Hodel, that shows a bit of a soccer game. We see the crowds in the stand, the TV control room, everything is ready to go. But it’s not the game we watch, but the referee. Having officiated high school football in the past, I know that no one goes to the game to watch the referee, but he (or sometimes these days, she) is a key part of what happens. Another of the shorts is Eagles (Águilas), directed by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and Maite Zubiaurra. That film chronicles the work of volunteers who search the Arizona desert for immigrants who get lost, or to find their remains to bring peace of mind for their families.

Photos courtesy of AFI.

Day 2 at AFI Docs

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The films I’ve chosen for today are very much focused on issues that touch the lives of many people. These are films that in many ways are “ripped from headlines”. It’s worth noting that two of the films include coverage of issues dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, even though that is not the main point of the films.

Pray Away, the feature debut from documentarian Kristine Stolakis, looks at the history for the “pray the gay away” movement in the church (mostly the evangelical church) over the last several decades. The film focuses on some of the founders and leaders in the movement who have now denounced that approach because of the injury they saw they had inflicted on so many people. These are people who were very visible on TV and active politically. Those that we hear tell their stories have now all discovered fulfillment by embracing their sexuality, but they also deal with guilt over the pain they created through their actions over the years. The film also includes a look at a current ex-gay leader, but those sections are a bit less engaging, in part because it is hard to give credence to his story.

More than 700,000 people have undergone conversion therapy seeking to change their sexual orientation. That process has been nearly universally rejected by the medical and psychiatric fields. This film allows us to see how that became so popular within many churches. It also shows how that has harmed not only the happiness, but the spiritual life of many LGBTQ people. Pray Away is a Netflix Original Documentary and will be available to stream later this summer.

Journalism is recognized as a key element of a democratic society. Yet in many places around the country there are huge “news deserts”, places with no local news source. Beth Levison’s and Jerry Risius’s Storm Lake shows a little over a year in the life of the Storm Lake Times, a twice-a-week newspaper in rural Iowa with a circulation of about 3000. The editor of the family run paper, Tom Cullen, won a Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing in 2017. The paper covers local life in this rural, but increasingly diverse community. It covers high school sports, city council meetings, and hosts Presidential Forums ahead of the Iowa Caucuses. The film continues into the paper’s coverage of COVID-19 and the financial difficulty that brought.

While the film is a very personal portrait of the Cullen family as they strive with deadlines and looking for advertising, it is really about the ways journalism touches the lives of the community and what is lost when there is no local journalism. In the last fifteen years one out of four newspapers has closed. There are over 300 news deserts with communities of 20,000 or more with no newspaper. While there are regional news outlets, they pay little if any attention to life in smaller communities. In the Q&A following, Tom Cullen noted that they were having to find a new paradigm that was reader support rather than advertising support. That is true of many newspapers. Storm Lake will be in the upcoming season of “Independent Lens” on PBS.

White Coat Rebels, from Greg Barker, seeks to make the case (and does so very well) that the for-profit health care system, especially as manifested in Big Pharma, has not provided good care for many people. The film begins with a group of medical students in a White Coat ceremony as they take the Hippocratic Oath, promising to put their patients’ needs first always. Much of the film looks at the work of medical students who are part of Universities Allied for Essential Medicine, which seeks to have schools make ethical commitments about the drugs they help develop. There are also practicing doctors who make the point that the medical care that many people need is not available to them because of the way the US health care system is structured.

The conflict that comes up frequently in the film is if the system should be about patients or profits. The film began in the fall of 2019 and continued into the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, which only served to exacerbate and illustrate the rich/poor and racial dichotomies involved in health care. The film seems to circle around on itself from time to time, but it is an important and highly timely examination of key issue.

For today’s shorts, I have put together something of a double feature. Under the Lemon Tree, from Noor Fawzi Alasswad, shows us an older Palestinian woman living in exile as she makes a simple breakfast under a lemon tree and lovingly remembers her lost home and land after she has been away for many decades. A companion piece is Mission: Hebron, from Rona Segal. This film has interviews with six former Israeli soldiers as they talk about their tours in Hebron, a town of about 30,000 Palestinians and 1000 Israeli settlers. The soldier’s job is to protect the Jewish citizens. All speak with a bit of guilt for the things they did (and didn’t do).

Photos curtesy of AFI