Jay at Arthur Magazine pointed out a sweet muck-racking documentary film called The Coconut Revolution that you can watch free in its entirety here. Here are the first few minutes of the film:

This is an incredible modern-day story of a native people’s victory over Western globalization. Sick of seeing their environment ruined and their people exploited by the Panguna Mine, the Pacific island of Bougainville rose up against the giant mining corporation, Rio Tinto Zinc. The newly formed Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) began fighting with bows and arrows and sticks and stones against a heavily armed adversary. In an attempt to put down the rebellion the Papua New Guinean Army swiftly established a gunboat blockade around the island, backed by Australian Military personnel and equipment. With no shipments allowed in or out of the island, the People of Bougainville learned to become self-dependent and self-sustained.

The winning filmmaker will receive a ONE week theatrical run in LA complete with PR, street team and social media support, as well as a mentoring session with an established director and/or producer.

20 films will be granted the opportunity to receive a direct digital access package to outlets such as Hulu, iTunes, Netflix etc. courtesy of WBP Award partner IndieFlix.

The final films will be reviewed by a panel consisting of well-established directors, producers, actors and film critics.

While I was up at All Tomorrow’s Parties hanging out with the Criterion Collection crew and helping them run the show in the make-shift festival cinema at Kutcher’s, I had the incredible experience of getting to sit at the feet of a master: Jim Jarmusch. I was chatting with Barry, a rep for Panasonic moments before the Q&A started and as Jim walked to the front, Barry handed me a yet-to-be released brand-spankin’ new out of the box HD camera (sorry, I can’t remember the model) and said “Here, help me shoot this!” And so I did!

It was one hell of a great Q&A and I highly recommend that you click through and watch some of these vids. Wayne Coyne makes a cameo and Jim’s thoughts on cinema and art and music are some of the most eloquent I’ve heard.

Audrey and I watched the lovely film Humboldt County the other night and I have to take a minute to share how much I adored this film. It is a touching portrait of a certain subculture in America I think is too often stereotyped. Gorgeous, well acted, subtle, yet powerful. Part of my loving this film spoke to my own conflicts between urban living and ‘dropping out’ and spending my days in some far off dream land, so if you’re anything like me in that regard chance are you’ll love this film, too.

Watch the trailer below.

My pal Kasia just posted about this Criterion release of the classic experimental William Greaves film Symbiopsychotaxiplasm.

In his one-of-a-kind fiction/documentary hybrid Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One, director William Greaves presides over a beleaguered film crew in New York’s Central Park, leaving them to try to figure out what kind of movie they’re making. A couple enacts a break-up scenario over and over, a documentary crew films a crew filming the crew, locals wander casually into the frame: the project defies easy description. Yet this wildly innovative sixties counterculture landmark remains one of the most tightly focused and insightful movies ever made about making movies. Criterion presents this long-unreleased gem in a special two-disc edition, along with its sequel, Take 2 1/2, made thirty-five years later with executive producers Steven Soderbergh and Steve Buscemi.

I haven’t seen this yet, but I certainly want to soon! How gorgeous is that cover art, huh?

My friend Hudson and his brother Michael are making a documentary film about their 93-year-old grandfather Alva B. Lines. Here’s a bit of their first trailer the put together based on interviews they filmed with him recently.

I’m certainly intrigued by the film, but I’m equally interested in the way that these fellas are promoting the project using social media marketing tactics (posting updates to a Twitter account, maintaining a production blog in lieu of a ‘coming soon’ splash page, etc). I’ve long been a proponent of indie artists taking full advantage of the tools the web has to offer in building your own audience by keeping them in the loop throughout the entire creative process. I love pointing out projects that ‘get it’ and are doing it right. Another documentary that has been really hitting home runs in this realm is my friends at Project Pedal and their film For Thousands of Miles.

Thought we’re only a few steps into producing our own documentary, Mable’s Murder (working title), Audrey and I certainly aim to do the same kind of audience building and promotion once we’re further along into production. By the way, it’s a pleasent coincidence that Hud and Michael are also exploring stories from our grandparent’s generation. We hope to follow their project closely and share their successes with you in the coming months.

Audrey and I have been meaning to watch Buena Vista Social Club… and voila! Here it is:

Unsurprisingly, my fourth (and Audrey’s third) True/False Film Festival lived up to its growing reputation as one of the best documentary festivals in the country by delivering great films, new friends, engaged conversations and rousing parties. We had a blast. As always, you can see all my photos in a Flickr set here.

Some highlights:

My favorite film was Big River Man, a film I didn’t even know was in production when I blogged about it’s subject, extreme distance swimmer Martin Strel last year. I wish the trailer was up online, but alas. You’ll have to do with my over-used one word description for things I love: amazing!

A closer runner-up for me was We Live in Public the new film from Dig! director Ondi Timoner that follows the media experimentation of early Internet entrepreneur and Pesudo.com founder Josh Harris.

It was really cool to meet both Josh and Ondi at the fest and get to talk about film and the future of online video – a subject clearly close to my heart.

Other excellent films we saw and loved: Pressure Cooker (about a Philadelphia high school’s culinary class and it’s extraordinary teacher), No Impact Man (about a NYC family who famously choose to go as no-impact as possible for one year), Over the Hills and Far Away (about a Texas family who’s quest for healing of their Autistic child takes them on a spiritual quest to Mongolia).

Last but not least, how could I not mention how cool it was to get treated to a short set from avant-garde legends Pelt before just about every screening! Nothing like a little Buddha Machine and gong quartet to pep you up for a great film experience.

I’m so excited about this film! When you live in Philadelphia, Zagar’s work creeps into your consciousness with this odd iconic ubiquity. So strange, and yet so beautiful and literally found in every nook and cranny of this city. The film was made by Jeremiah’s son, so it’s sure to be an intimate family portrait which tend to be some of my favorite kind of films.

Synopsis:
Over the past four decades, Isaiah Zagar has covered more than 50,000 square feet of Philadelphia with stunning mosaic murals. In A Dream is a documentary feature film that chronicles his work and his tumultuous relationship with his wife, Julia. It follows the Zagars as their marriage implodes and a harrowing new chapter in their life unfolds.

I can’t believe I missed the theatrical showing of this film last April, but now it’s coming out on DVD(?) and I plan on seeing it asap. Maybe it’s time for a documentary film house party! Who’s in?

[UPDATE: Luckily, I was wrong about that date - it's actually going to be in the Ritz at the Bourse starting April 17, 2009! Yes! Let's all go! Who's in?]

(I’ll pause now and wait for you to run and rent/download/rip/buy/TiVo/watch it, because you simply must).

Oh, what’s this? It’s on PBS’ Independent Lens this month! Yay for us all!

Well, the chaps who brought you that have a new film coming out this spring called Objectified. Judging by the trailer, another winner.

I got to thinking about it today because my pal Hudson reblogged a link to this NY Times article about a similar (albeit more modern) subject.

Cool fanboy aside: I was given my copy of this film by Bill’s brother and frequent Richard Linklater collaborator Lee Daniel when we met at Sundance ‘07.

Who is Bozo Texino? chronicles the search for the source of a ubiquitous and mythic rail graffiti– a simple sketch of a character with an infinity-shaped hat and the scrawled moniker, “Bozo Texino”– a drawing seen on railcars for over 80 years. Daniel’s gritty black and white film uncovers a secret society and it’s underground universe of hobo and railworker graffiti, and includes interviews with legendary boxcar artists, Coaltrain, Herby, Colossus of Roads, and The Rambler. Shooting over a 16-year period, Daniel rode freights across the West carrying a Super-8 sound camera and a 16mm Bolex. During his quest he discovered the roots of a folkloric tradition that has gone mostly unnoticed for a century. Taking inspiration from Beat artists Robert Frank and Jack Kerouac, the film functions as both a sub-cultural documentary and a stylized fable on wanderlust and outsider identity.

Part One

Part Two

the first thing i’ve been wondering about is viewers. or how do we get them? and how do we get more of them? it seems to me that most people who take the time (yes, i know, they are LONG) to watch our videos generally seem to like them. so a big question mark for mike and i has always been… why don’t we have more viewers? why are our numbers so low? how come we still only have 122 subscribers???

I’ve been thinking about this a lot myself, not least of the reason being that I’m in the middle of reading Clay Shirkey’s incredible “Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations“. In this age of mass amateurization and instant world wide publication, it’s hard to remember what’s important in the quest to building an audience as an independent artist.

So to Amanda: I think you might want to consider re-adjusting your questions. Why? Because at the moment, you’re not selling advertising against your media. Since you’re not looking to make money off them in that way, it doesn’t matter how many people watch your videos, but rather, the quality of the folks who watch. I think a lot about that when I see ‘famous’ YouTubers and the kind of garbage stuff that they generate purely for the sake of an audience. You guys are aiming higher.

I think it’s important to establish and recognize your true goals in that light. Are you trying to become ‘internet famous’? Probably not. Project Pedal is probably too sincere and heartfelt to go ‘viral’. But is your goal to become a financially viable filmmaking team who gets hired to develop and direct projects for people or organizations with money? Well, dang, you guys are getting close! I think you should set your eyes on a higher prize – like maybe getting this puppy into an awesome film festival or two, and figuring out a way to distribute (independently or via a film distro company), and then getting someone to put up the money for you to make the next film or web series.

Also, do keep in mind that the way you guys are running your project is super cutting edge. In fact, I often point to your project as one of the thought leaders in this space, and even hope to emulate you with our own project. That in and of itself is valuable – again, to the right audience. I firmly believe that in the future, everyone is going to want to know how to do this stuff. How to leverage these web tools. You’ll be able to teach this stuff at a university, if you can’t find a program already. We’re not moving backwards. The world isn’t going to ever become less digitized or less interconnected or less mobile. Those of us who know how to make stuff happen now – we’re ahead of the game.

Don’t be discouraged. You’re on the right track.

To anyone else who’s interested in this kind of nerdy stuff… and you’d like to read more on the subject (I sure seem to meet a lot of you lately), I also highly recommend reading Ask a Ninja creator Kent Nicols’ blog where he’s always posting sage insights into the changing world of media and The Workbook Project, which is a great resource for content creators of all kinds.

Kelly Reichardt made a film a couple years ago, Old Joy, that, after watching it I called “one of my all time favorite films,” a sentiment that still stands today.

I’m very excited to learn of her new project (thanks NYTimes), Wendy and Lucy that is making the rounds of indie theaters. It’s slated for a run at the Ritz here in Philly starting January 23, and you know I will be there. If you haven’t yet been exposed to Kelly’s work, I highly recommend that you do. Here’s the trailer for the film:

Coincidentally, I read a piece in ReadyMade Magazine profiling Beastie Boy Adam “MCA” Yauch and his new venture Oscilloscope Pictures. Several times in the last week I have read a review or seen a trailer for an amazing looking film, including the documentary Dear Zachary, and they have been the producers/distributors. I’m very proud of the innovative work they’re doing and hope they keep putting out these fantastic films.

Scenes from Shadow World from David S Kessler on Vimeo.

My grandmother was a striking 39-year-old mother of two who was murdered in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1967. Her death dramatically changed the lives of generations that followed, yet was unsolved and forgotten at the time. This film follows my mother’s search for truth in a past clouded by chaotic events, mysterious characters and deep family secrets.

Mable Ashley was found dead in her white Thunderbird, two bullet holes in her chest, cigarette burns on her face and upholstery of her car, and her belongings strewn in struggle. The coroner’s report quickly called it a suicide. Her family suspected otherwise and hired a private eye, but after the P.I. was escorted to the county line by Hot Springs officials and told, “if you ever come sticking your nose in someone else’s business again, you’ll leave Hot Springs in a box,” the trail went cold.

My mother Mary, only 13 at the time, was forced to join the adult world, raising her younger sister. Within seven years, she was starting her own family and pushing the past aside. There was a great silence as no one in Mable’s family spoke of the murder.

Now forty years later, my mother can hardly speak about Mable without tears. But we return to Hot Springs together to find the end of this painful story. What could Mable have done to deserve this fate? Who were the last people she spoke to? Who remembers this occurrence? Who killed her? Why was a young single mother the target of this heinous crime, and what made Mable’s family forget about her and her children until now?

In the 1960’s illegal gambling and prostitution ran amuck in the small resort town of Hot Springs, Arkansas. Bookies and casino owners corrupted a significant part of the local government. When Winthrop Rockefeller became governor in 1967, he made it his mission to clean up the culture of corruption.

This documentary deals with buried pasts, and how one event can change the lives of several generations. It will evoke the nostalgia and romance of the past through use of archival footage and photographs from the time period, and contrast this sense of dangerous romance with the reality of a violent murder, and the powerful effect of a mother’s life taken. It will excavate details of Mable’s life and her struggle to make ends meet, and the history of the people and culture of this notorious yet alluring Southern town. It will use an array of sources, including interviews with people involved in the illegal gambling operations in Hot Springs and area historians, newspaper articles and books on the era. We’ll shoot footage of our journey as we search for information and hope for a resolution to this painful mystery.

The subject matter of this film will appeal to a broad audience, tapping public fascination with mystery, organized crime, and murder. It will hold appeal to an audience that will be interested in its personal look into the life of a family affected by a tragic loss. The film will speak to those in search of their roots, to women who struggle to provide for their families, and to those with a curiosity for forgotten stories from the past.

I’ve been reading a lot about the upcoming release of the new camera set-ups from RED on Stu Maschwitz’ always excellent ProLost blog. I must say, this thing is one heck of a drool-inducing machine. What I’ve been waiting for is a camera that shoots still frames in the same way a Bolex 16mm camera might – at 24 frames a second, continuously. The Nikon D90 is pretty awesome as one of the first DSLRs to shoot in HD, but what I really want is a digital film-like solution. It looks like this is the might be one.

Audrey and her classmate Jesse are shooting a short film on 16mm this month and we all went out location scouting on the banks of the Delaware River just north of Port Richmond in Philly, nearly under the Betsy Ross Bridge. We just happened to stumble upon this fabulous little old overgrown jetty that was simply magical.

See the whole set here:

Just returned from another fantastic festival. I met several great people, as usual, as this festival is one of the best ones for meeting filmmakers. Though I shook his hand, I didn’t actually get to speak with Jeff Goldblum other than the few seconds before taking this gratuitous photo for my blog. Yeah, I’m a fan boy. I admit it.

One of my favorite conversations was the 45-minute long chat I had in front of the coffee shop on Sunday morning with Godfrey Reggio, the director of one of my favorite films of all time, Koyaanisquatsi. I had the chance to really pick his brain about his films, his hometown New Orleans, the direction of digital media and the implications of the ubiquity of digital cameras on privacy and society. Fun!

I’m happy that I finally got to meet Karina Longworth, the blogger for Spout.com, after being Internet buddies for a couple years. And though usually a chore, my trips into and out of town were both great. On the way in, I met and had a fantastic conversation with Lee Kline of the Criterion Collection, who subsequently invited me to project video at their cinema at All Tomorrow’s Party (more on that later). And then, on my way out of town I spoke with the talented animator Matthew Talbot-Kelly about blogging, animation, business and family. Great stuff. If you have the chance, I also highly recommend his short, Blind Man’s Eye.

You might notice that I haven’t yet written about the films I saw. Honestly, there weren’t any that totally blew me away. Maybe I’m getting jaded. Or media-saturated. Or filmed-out. Not sure. But in any case, my favorite feature-length films I caught were:

• Waltz with Bashir – an animated documentary about a soldier trying to piece together traumatic events during his experience in war
• Happy-Go-Lucky – Mike Leigh’s humorous look at a girl who thinks the can save everyone around her through sheer will and humor
• O’Horten – a quiet but cute film about a Norwegian train conductor who doesn’t know what to do with himself after retiring
• Pirosmani – a 1969 film I was lucky enough to project about one of the most famous painters from the Republic of Georgia. It only ran once because the print didn’t come until the last possible minute and wasn’t included in the program. Unfortunately, not many people came to the screening.

Lastly, allow me to speak about one of the best things that happened during the festival: gondola karaoke. Whilst riding a fully loaded gondola with my friends up to the end-of-fest staff party at the Chuck Jones theater in Mountain Village, Beth says, “Say, what are your favorite songs? Let’s sing them!” which we proceeded to do with reckless, tipsy abandon at top ear-splitting volume. I think there were moments of Queen to Elvis Costello to Madonna. And then we did it again on the way down. Even drunker. Oh yeah.