These are the Documentaries that are in screening at the LA Femme International Film Festival 2011.
A JOURNEY IN MY MOTHER’S FOOTSTEPS
OCT 14, 10-12 NOON
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
DINA ROSENMEIER
RT: 77 MIN
CAST: Dina Rosenmeier, Jessie Rosenmeier (Voice)
SYNOPSIS: For every person who dedicates their life to a cause, their family makes a collective sacrifice.
ATOMIC MOM
OCT 14, 4-6 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
M.T. SILVIA
RT: 80 MIN
SYNOPSIS: Atomic Mom is a documentary about two women, both mothers, who have very different experiences of the atom bomb. After decades of silence, a daughter’s quest for truth leads to the exchange of an olive branch between an American Scientist and a Hiroshima Survivor.
BANGLADESH: A CLIMATE TRAP
OCT 13, 12-2 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
Ami Vitale
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Sanjeev Chatterjee
RT: 27 MIN
SYNOPSIS: In Dhaka, climate change refugees are moving from the countryside and into squalid slums due to environmental degradation. Like millions of others, Alam Mia has been forced to make the teeming capital of Dhaka his home. We follow his journey as he leaves his homestead in search of a livelihood in the city. Dhaka feels more like a foreign country than home. For the family, it is a struggle for survival. Alam Mia is trapped. His move to the city is not a beginning full of possibilities. Korial, Dhaka’s largest slum signifies the bitter culmination of his dreams.
BONSAI PEOPLE – THE VISION of MUHAMMAD YUNUS
OCT 13, 4-6 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
HOLLY MOSHER
RT: 82 MIN
SYNOPSIS: What if you could harness the power of the free market to solve the problems of poverty, hunger, and inequality? To some, it sounds impossible. But Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus is doing exactly that. Yunus did his part to fight poverty by micro-lending $27 to 42 people, an effort which has now grown to 8 million women and 8 billion dollars. But he didn’t stop there; whenever he sees a problem he starts a social business – showing the world that complex problems sometimes do have simple answers. It’s not about handouts, it’s about a hand up.
BREAKING THROUGH THE CLOUDS: THE FIRST WOMEN’S NATIONAL AIR DERBY
OCT 16, 4-6 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
HEATHER TAYLOR
RT: 90 MIN
CAST: Molly Moores (Voice)
SYNOPSIS: The inspiring story of 20 women who raced across America in 1929. Amelia Earhart and 19 other women defied convention by racing across the sky to compete in the first Women’s National Air Derby. With just a compass and road map to guide them, they navigated through rough weather, mechanical failures, public scrutiny and rumors of sabotage.
CARTOGRAPHY OF LONELINESS
OCT 15, 12-2 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
NOCEM COLLADO
RT: 69 MIN
SYNOPSIS: The documentary is akin to a map tracing the emotions and feelings of women in three countries, India, Nepal and Afghanistan. India is the country with the most widows in the world, 45 million. In Nepal, half of the female population is widowed. Afghanistan has the highest proportion of widows in the world after 30 years of war. Tradition, society and religion have determined the course of their lives following their husbands’ deaths. Many widows are abandoned by their families, or victim of women trafficking, or condemned to social ostracism. I lived with them 4 months and they told me their amazing stories.
FAST TALK
OCT 15, 10-12 NOON
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR
DEBRA TOLCHINSKY
PRODUCERS
DEBRA TOLCHINSKY, DAVID TOLCHINSKY, RON WARD
RT: 56 MIN
SYNOPSIS: College debaters now speak at unintelligible speeds. Some claim the benefits are clear: More arguments per minute that an opposing team needs to rebut. But is there a dark side to fast talk? To answer this question, filmmaker Debra Tolchinsky spends a year following the Northwestern University debate team, as the students try to fast talk their way to another championship. A documentary that will make you question the speed of your own life and keep you talking.
FOR THE NEXT 7 GENERATIONS
OCT 14, 12-2 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTORS
Carole Hart, Bruce Hart
PRODUCERS
Carole Hart, Bruce Hart
RT: 85 MIN
CAST: Grandmother Flordemayo, Aama Bombo, Agnes Baker Pilgrim
SYNOPSIS: 13 Indigenous Grandmothers, shamans and medicine women from around the world, have been called together to share their wisdom and practices. Can they light the way for us to a peaceful and sustainable planet?
FROM OUR STRENGTH: TWO BIRTHS AND INDIGENOUS IDENTITY IN CANAR, ECUADOR
OCT 13, 2-4 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS
Patricia Keith, Suzanne Morrissey
RT: 36 MIN
SYNOPSIS: Ecuador is a country of extraordinary beauty and diversity, captured in this stunning film about a group of indigenous women in the Andean Highlands. Documentary footage of two childbirths and intimate interviews disrupt assumptions about ‘traditional’ and ‘modern.’ The stories of mothers, midwives, and nurses trace the complex relationships between indigenous politics, social change, and health care choices. Why in spite of a strong resurgence of native midwifery in the past decade are women like Lucinda, Veronica, and Rosa choosing to give birth in hospitals rather than at home, electing pain medications and epidurals while respecting and desiring traditional practices? How does Mama Mariana, revered midwife and Ministry of Health nurse, convince the State to allow midwives to assist in births at the public hospitals?
GLOBAL VILLAGE PROJECT, THE
OCT 16, 2-4 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTORS
ELLA JANE NEW & DAVID REY
PRODUCERS
ELLA JANE NEW & DAVID REY
RT: 60 MIN
CAST: Matthew Lillard (Voice)
SYNOPSIS: There are 70,000 refugees legally relocated to the United States every year in hope for a better future. They arrive in America after having fled war and surviving in refugee camps facing starvation, sickness, and no education for the children. In Decatur GA thirty refugee girls have the opportunity to attend the unique, Global Village School. Told through the eyes of the girls, join their journey of survival, friendship and hope for an education, for a promising future in reaching their dreams.
GRAY SEASONS, THE
OCT 13, 12-2 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR
ROBERT HERRERA
PRODUCERS
RICHARD WEIL, ANDREA WALL, DAVID ROCCO
RT: 86 MIN
SYNOPSIS: Facing overwhelming odds and difficult competition, a newly hired, up-and-coming coach and her new recruits attempt to build a winning Division I Women’s basketball program. Over the course of 4 years, things begin to unravel, but the players that remain continue to fight for success.
I BELIEVE YOU: FAITHS’ RESPONSE TO INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
OCT 14, 2-4 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTORS
DEBRA GONSHER VINIK & DAVID VINIK
PRODUCER
DEBRA GONSHER VINIK
RT: 59 MIN
SYNOPSIS: 1 in every four women experience intimate partner violence in her lifetime. An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of abuse by an intimate partner each year, yet only 12% of victims turn to clergy for support. For women of faith, the specter of intimate partner violence has been a double edged sword- since historically, their faith, normally a source of comfort, has taken holy texts out of context and told women they must not break their marriage vows. But today, there is a change. Faith groups are believing the stories that women are telling. ‘I have come to understand that when I cried. God cried. When I laughed, God laughed. And when I found my way through it was because God was leading the way.
KINGS & QUEENS
OCT 15, 12-2 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
DEANA COBLE
RT: 24 MIN
CAST: Tia Chanella, Bella Jade, T-Money Ross
SYNOPSIS: Drag queens explore the meaning of being moms and dads while still staying true to themselves.
KING’S GARDEN, THE
OCT 14, 10-12 NOON
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
PHOEBE FRONISTA
RT: 26 MIN
SYNOPSIS: ‘The King’s Garden’ is a half-hour documentary that has one foot in the Bible and the other in the ‘volcanic core’ of the Middle East conflict: the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. In Silwan, the apple of discord is the City of David, an archaeological site where the oldest finds in Jerusalem have been unearthed. Whoever controls the site controls the village; more importantly, they also control its history. Through the words of Palestinian residents, archaeologists, Jewish settlers, the Mayor, and a child orphaned by the conflict, ‘The King’s Garden’ chronicles the uneasy – and often bloody – relationship between archaeology, history and nationalism in present-day Jerusalem.
LAUGHING WITH PIGMIES
OCT 16, 2-4 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
HEATHER GOODWIN
RT: 40 MIN
CAST: Heather Goodwin (Voice), Elaine Leavitt
SYNOPSIS: Amidst the backdrop of Irian Jaya, Indonesia’s most remote isle; two adventure seeking American women with 20 years of friendship and a passion for exploration set out in search of a world apart from their own. Laughing with Pigmies is a heartwarming documentary that reveals the unexpected truths of what they discover along the way about their relationships, themselves, and the meaning of life. Join in the adventure!
LIFE MODEL
OCT 16, 10-12 NOON
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
LORI PETCHERS
RT: 6 MIN
SYNOPSIS:
A 75-year-old nude figure model learns to love her body through the art she inspires.
MILA’S JOURNEY
OCT 13, 2-4 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR
ANNIE PERKINS
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
CHRISTINA JANSEN
RT: 60 MIN
SYNOPSIS: What do you do when the man you loved lies dying of cancer and hands you a suitcase containing reels of undeveloped 8mm film? It’s footage of an amazing trek made in 1976, high up in the Himalayas that turned out to be a life-changing journey with irrevocable consequences. Mila’s Journey follows Mila & her decision to return to India after more than 30 years. The film juxtaposes modern images with the old 8mm footage & pays homage to romance, adventure, spirituality, freedom and female independence.
MOTHER: CARING FOR 7 BILLION
OCT 14, 6-8 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR
CHRISTOPHE FAUCHERE
PRODUCERS
CHRISTOPHE FAUCHERE & JOYCE JOHNSON
RT: 55 MIN
SYNOPSIS: Mother, the film, breaks a 40-year taboo by bringing to light an issue that silently fuels our most pressing environmental, humanitarian and social crises – population growth.
PATH TO GLORY
OCT 13, 8-10 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS
JEN MILLER & SOPHIE PELGRUM
RT: 90 MIN
SYNOPSIS: It can be said that the history of man is the history of the horse. Nowhere is that more true than in Poland with their beloved Arabian horse. This is the strange, unexpected story of far-flung lands as disparate as Egypt and the long-suffering Slavic kingdom of Poland coming together in war and in peace and influencing one another through the living history written on the backs of centuries of horses. This breathtaking film documents the unlikely, triumphant story of Poland’s entrance onto the world stage via their worldwide influence on the breeding of one animal; how a beleaguered nation rose up to become the pinnacle of Arabian horse breeding, coming full circle from desert sands to the hallowed halls of Europe.
PINK SKIES
OCT 15, 3-5 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
GULCIN GILBERT
RT: 82 MIN
CAST: Gulcin Gilbert (Voice)
SYNOPSIS: Pink Skies is an inspirational documentary about the empowerment of women. It’s about overcoming obstacles as athletes and as human beings. The film covers an extraordinary event ‘Jump for the Cause’. Last year, JFTC brought together 181 women from 31 countries to create a World Record All-Women’s Skydiving Formation. They also raised almost $1 million dollars for breast cancer research! Along with phenomenal skydivers, the film features breast cancer survivors, cutting edge researchers, doctors and healers. It reveals breakthroughs that have not been widely publicized, explores whats working and what needs to be changed and the seismic shift towards prevention.
RACING TOWARDS RED HOOK
OCT 15, 10-12 NOON
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR
JESSICA SCOTT
PRODUCER
JESSICA SCOTT
RT: 22 MIN
SYNOPSIS: A film documenting an underground, nighttime, fixed gear bike race in Brooklyn. The Red Hook Criterium is quickly becoming a ‘must-see’ event in the cycling world and the race is the first-ever fixed gear criterium race in the world. It is an event that is expanding to cities across America and around the world and has a huge and passionate following. We follow three very different riders on their journey towards the race as they prepare for one of the biggest events of the year.
SLIP CUE
OCT 14, 2-4 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR
ROBIN KUPFERMAN
PRODUCERS
ROBIN KUPFERMAN, JAMES LAUER, SAVIO FERRAO, SCOTT ANDERSEN
RT: 26 MIN
CAST: Aston Harvey, Carlos Sosa, Darlene Jackson, Josh Eustis
SYNOPSIS: ‘Slip Cue’ is an engaging glimpse into the electronic music industry and scene, serving as a catalyst for aspiring DJs and producers to transform a passion into a career — but is it about the people or the process of what they do and how they do it?
TWO SPIRITS
OCT 16, 12-2 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR
LYDIA NIBLEY
PRODUCERS
RUSSELL MARTIN & LYDIA NIBLEY
RT: 62 MIN
SYNOPSIS: Two Spirits explores the life and death of a boy who was also a girl and the essentially spiritual nature of gender and sexuality. Between tradition and controversy, between sex and spirit, between freedom and fear, lies the truth that the bravest choice you can make is to be yourself.
WASTE NOT
OCT 13, 10-12 NOON
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/WRITER
RUTH HESSEY
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
JEFF ANGEL
PRODUCER
SOPHIE ALSTERGREN
RT: 95 MIN
SYNOPSIS: What keeps a 21st Century metropolis clean and sparkling? Even as we hover on the brink of an eco-crisis, an army of truck drivers, scientists, environmentalists, gardeners, and even a famous chef areworking to transform the mountains of stuff we throw away into something valuable again.
WOMEN IN THE DIRT
OCT 13, 6-8 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
CAROLANN STONEY
RT: 74 MINUTES
CAST: Andrea Cochran, Carolann Stoney (Voice)
SYNOPSIS: Landscape frames our days: trees or flowers, sidewalks and walls, city parks or private gardens. But who envisions this framework for our daily lives? Women in the Dirt is a documentary about seven groundbreaking landscape architects. Their work ranges from intimate, jewel-like gardens to vast urban projects. Artists and scientists, the women bring to their work awareness of sustainability, function, and beauty. Women in the Dirt reveals how these self-described, masters of the obvious create the sublime.
YOGAWOMAN
OCT 16, 10-12 NOON
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTORS
KATE CLERE MCINTYRE & SARASWATI CLERE
PRODUCERS
KATE CLERE MCINTYRE, MICHAEL MCINTYRE, SARASWATI CLERE
RT: 84 MIN
CAST: Annette Bening (Voice)
SYNOPSIS: Yoga was brought to the west from India by a lineage of male teachers. Now there’s a generation of women who are leading the way. They’re strong, they’re inspiring, and they’re radically changing people’s lives. From the busy streets of Manhattan to the dusty slums of Kenya, from the golden beaches of Australia to the serene piazzas of Italy, YOGAWOMAN uncovers a global phenomenon that has changed the face of yoga forever.