The Chosen One (CHOSEN by Brian Woods – 2008)

A masterpiece so perfectly done, with so much art, dignity and compassion, that it commands attention – The Telegraph

Courtesy of britdoc.org

In case you hadn’t already heard, last night’s BAFTA for Best Single Documentary was won by Brian Woods‘ Chosen, which was produced by True Vision.

Testament to the power of a compelling story, simply told, the film deals with a subject often whispered but rarely spoken about – the sexual abuse of boys by teachers in Britain’s private schools.

The award for Best Single Documentary is given in honour of one of the founding fathers of documentary film-making Robert Flaherty, and was this year awarded by Louis Theroux. 

Click here to watch the trailer and find out more.

The Movies that Matter Festival 2009 – [formerly known as the Amnesty International Film Festival]

 

Courtesy of Amnesty Film Festival

The words film and festival, when uttered in the same sentence usually conjure images of glitz and glamour with a few A-listers thrown in for good measure. Unsurprisingly, pangs of extreme jealousy soon follow. Do not fear, however, as I am not here to dangle such an event before your yearning eyes, rather, to tell you about the Movies That Matter Festival 2009. First things first, put April 2nd in your diaries… Now that’s done I can tell you why this is an event not be sniffed at…

An initiative of the Dutch section of Amnesty International, the Movies That Matter Festival will be offering up features, documentaries, shorts on human rights and human dignity.

Using cinema to move and alert the public, opinion leaders and policy makers to human rights and situations in which these rights and human dignity are at issue, this could not be further from what we have come to expect from a film festival, even if it tried.

The festival is running from April 2nd until April 8th, at the Hague, and is open to the public. Hoorah!

For information on film festivals near you simply click here.

Ooh What a Lady! (LADY KUL EL-ARAB, Ibtisam Salh Mara’na: 2008) at the ZagrebDox

 

Courtesy of ZagrebDox

The Israeli documentary Lady Kul El-Arab by Ibtisam Salh Mara’na last week won best international film at this year’s Croation documentary festival, ZagrebDox.

Angelina, the first Druze woman to attempt significant steps in the Israeli fashion world, finds herself in the middle of a complicated conflict in which the tradition and values of her society clash with her brave efforts to choose her own way in life. Duah Fares, a young woman from the Druze village of Sagur in the Galilee, was one of the 12 finalists in the beauty pageant for Israeli-Arab women – ‘Lady Kul El-Arab.’ While preparing for the pageant, a special relationship develops between Duah and fashion designer Jack Yaakob. Together they go to Tel Aviv to register Duah for the general Israeli beauty contest as well. Duah breezes through the preliminary selections for the contest and changes her name to Angelina.

Lady Kul El-Arab, which set out as a glamorous film about a beauty pageant, turned into a moving story of a family caught between cultures. In her fifth film, director Ibtisam Mara’ana succeeds in delicately drawing the dramatic and touching portrait of a young woman who finds herself at the heart of a struggle which fascinates the whole country.

Click here to find out more.

SMILE PINKI (Megan Mylan: 2008)

 

Courtesy of the BBC

The big names don’t always take the prize at award ceremonies, and today may well be no exception. The unlikeliest of winners – an eight-year old Indian girl named Pinki, born with a cleft lip might just surprise us all.

Competing against three other shorts (in the category of best short documentary at the Oscars), Smile Pinki charts one girl’s journey from exclusion to acceptance – albeit a short one – with just 39 minutes running time.

It isn’t long to go before the winners are announced, but I’ve got a feeling that whichever way the results go, Pinki will be smiling all the same.

Check out the BBC for the full story.