I feel cheated somewhat with the speed the Documentary Edge Festival has crept up on me. I missed the walk through and missed the Awards last night…
Best New Zealand Feature: Erebus: Operation Overdue (NZ, Charlotte Purdy/Peter Burger)
Best International Feature: God Loves Uganda (USA, Roger Ross Williams)
Best New Zealand Short: Close to Home (NZ, Bertie Plaatsman)
Best International Short: Junior (Belgium, Sien Versteyhe)Best World Cinema: The Devil’s Lair (South Africa, Riaan Hendricks)
Best Sign of the Times: Happiness (France/Finland, Thomas Balmes)
Best Game On: Pole, Dancer, Movie (Israel, Isri Halpern)
Best Human Rights: Kids for Cash (USA, Robert May)
Best Generation Next: Rich Hill (USA, Andrew Droz Palermo/Tracy Droz Tragos)
Best The American Dream: American Promise (USA, Joe Brewster/Michele Stephenson)
Best Culture Vultures: Life Itself (USA, Steve James)
…and I’m annoyed because in the mass media world devoid of any actual critiquing of the society around us, we need the Documentary Edge Festival more than ever before. When Seven Sharp and The Paul Henry Show are the bench marks for public discourse in nZ, we need intelligent documentaries and everyone should make an effort to support this incredible collection of brilliant work.
It’s a far less political line up of films this year, with a wider focus on culture than conflict. Here are The Daily Blog picks for the 2014 Documentary Edge Festival…
Helen – Documentary on the life of Helen Clark
#chicagogirl – Documentary on the role of social media in the Syrian conflict.
The Immortalists – Documentary on the bio ethics of immortality.
The trials of Muhammad Ali – Documentary profiling Ali’s political and legal struggles.
The Devil’s Lair – Behind the scenes reality of a gangsters life in South Africa.
Nelson Mandela:The Myth & Me – profiling life and times of Mandela through the political leaders who knew him.
Ne Me Quitte Pas – real life drama of a beaten down village in Belgium.
Nuclear Savage – Looking at the impacts and effects of America’s nuclear testing in the Pacific.
Sickfuckpeople – The reality of being homeless in the Ukraine.
Farewell to Hollwyood – fascinating documentary on the final wish of a dying teenager.
Kids for Cash – Doco on the farce that is justice in America.
