While Memphis ’69 doesn’t break any new ground in the documentary, there’s nothing wrong with being allowed to just sit back and enjoy the music. During the late 1960s, the Memphis Country Blues Society held an annual blues festival. As implied in the film’s title, the concert footage is taken from the June 1969 music festival. These blues musicians gathered together at the Overton Park Shell for three days in celebration of Memphis’ 150th birthday. …
"Slamdance 2019: Memphis ’69"Month: January 2019
Aquarela is a visually stunning and immersive experience that needs to be experienced on the biggest screen possible with the best sound system. This is a film that captures H20 in both its liquid form of water and solid form of ice. It also captures idiots driving on the ice and thinking that they can get away with it. These people are extremely lucky that there are people out there willing to dig your car…
"Sundance 2019: Aquarela"
MERATA: How Mum Decolonised The Screen profiles filmmaker Merata Mita and the influential role she played in being a pioneer of Indigenous cinema. Despite my being a film buff, I was very unfamiliar with the filmmaker’s story going into the film. This changed upon viewing the documentary–which runs under 90 minutes. After her death in 2010, her son, Hepi, wanted to find out what it was that led her to champion Indigenous cinema. Without her,…
"Sundance 2019: MERATA: How Mum Decolonised The Screen"
Sea of Shadows puts the spotlight on the mission to save the Vaquita while battling poachers over their bid to catch Votoaba for their swim bladders. I don’t know how much of the American population is familiar with what’s happening below the border but it’s awful. It’s been some time since I’ve watched an environmental documentary but wow, Sea of Shadows is truly horrifying. “It’s a fucking disgrace that we are letting a species go…
"Sundance 2019: Sea of Shadows"
The Ochoa family gets profiled in Midnight Family as a result of the EMT service that they provide for patients with medical needs in Mexico City. Like any family, they have their own financial issues. In spite of this, they still keep doing what they love because it means helping those with a medical need. Things may be different below the border than they are in the US where certified volunteers run their own EMT…
"Sundance 2019: Midnight Family"
A tribute to the cultural melting pot, Abe is about a 12-year-old kid known as Abraham, Avram, and Ibrahim but he’d rather simply be known as Abe. “I don’t think he’ll ever be Jewish or Muslim enough for these people,” Amir (Arian Moayed) tells Rebecca (Dagmara Domińczyk) of their son, Abe (Noah Schnapp). Both of Abe’s parents are both agnostic. One can seemingly guess that this doesn’t sit well with either of their families. He’s…
"Sundance 2019: Abe"
Midnight Traveler is an important documentary and captures the overseas immigration battle that Muslim immigrants are facing. Midnight Traveler tells the story of Hassan Fazili, Fatima Hussaini, and their family. This is not a fun story by any means nor is it easy. If not for filmmakers willing to help them, it’s quite possible that their story might not be out there. In any event, this is a documentary that takes the Muslim immigration story beyond just…
"Sundance 2019: Midnight Traveler"
These six titles are among several narrative and documentary shorts selected to screen during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Fran This Summer comes from writer-director Mary Evangelista. The film takes place during the summer when Fran begins her gender transition. This is one of those short films where we can probably learn more about the characters if expanded into a narrative. But for a short film, it gets straight to the…
"Sundance 2019: The Shorts Program"
Spiral Farm‘s indie film budget may constrain the filmmaking decisions by writer-director Alec Tibaldi but doesn’t take away from the film. Anahita (Piper de Palma), a teenager, lives on this Southern California commune that looks like it was taken out of the 1960s. Everyone in this commune has to work together in order to survive on the farm. Anahita’s dreams of being a professional dancer keep tugging at her. Even though the farm has been her…
"Slamdance 2019: Spiral Farm"
Stefanie Abel Horowitz spoke with Solzy at the Movies about her short film, sometimes, i think about dying, holding its world premiere during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. The short held its world premiere this evening. Congrats on the world premiere of sometimes, i think about dying during Sundance! How excited are you to bring your short film to the mountain? Stefanie Abel Horowitz: Out of my mind excited. It’s the most exciting thing to…
"Sundance 2019: Stefanie Abel Horowitz talks sometimes, i think about dying"