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Documentary Features Competition

Chasing Ice

Directed by: Jeff Orlowski, USA, 74 minutes, Rating: TN

One of the most visually stunning films made about global climate change, Chasing Ice demonstrates how renowned photographer James Balog’s Extreme Ice Survey has captured incontrovertible proof of vanishing glaciers across the Arctic. With astounding time-lapse photography, this film gives a visual face to this dire problem.  Director to be in attendance for all three screenings

Detropia

Directed by: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, USA, 90 minutes, Rating: MT

The city of Detroit has felt the collapse of US manufacturing probably more than any other American city and the effects are borne in a multitude of ways by the city’s inhabitants.  This film is a visual tapestry of a city desperately trying to reclaim their sense of home.

Ethel

Directed by: Rory Kennedy, USA, 97 minutes, Rating: TN

Who better to tell the life story of Ethel Kennedy (widow of the late Bobby Kennedy) than her youngest daughter, Rory.  Incorporating stories told by all eleven of the Kennedy children, this film is a truly intimate, personal and deeply moving portrait of one of the greatest American political families.

Indie Game: The Movie

Directed by: Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky, Canada, 103 minutes, Rating: MT

Ever wondered what kinds of minds are behind those flashy, exhilarating video games?  This documentary gets in-depth and personal with the creators of a number of the newest, most highly anticipated video games on the market today.  Will it be high scores or game over for these artists?

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Directed by: David Gelb, USA, 81 minutes, Rating: TN

One wouldn’t expect to find the finest sushi restaurant in the world in the basement of a nondescript Tokyo office building, but that’s where Sukiyabaski Jiro has worked for a majority of his 85 years.  Now, facing retirement, his son Yoshikazu must take over from this sushi master.

Love Free or Die

Directed by: Macky Alston, USA, 82 minutes, Rating: MT

Gene Robinson has become a well-known name in the past decade, having ignited a firestorm of controversy as the first openly gay person to become a bishop.  Through this very personal story audiences will become privy to the toll it has taken on Robinson in weathering the storm.  Director to be in attendance for 4/15 and 4/16 screenings

Queen of Versailles

Directed by: Lauren Greenfield,
USA/Denmark/Netherlands/UK
, 100 minutes, Rating: MT

Queen of Versailles is a character-driven documentary about a billionaire family and their financial challenges in the wake of the economic crisis. With epic proportions of Shakespearean tragedy, the film follows two unique characters, whose rags-to-riches success stories reveal the innate virtues and flaws of the American Dream. The film begins with the family triumphantly constructing the biggest house in America, a 90,000 sq. ft. palace. Over the next two years, their sprawling empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic crisis.

The Boy Who Was a King

Directed by: Andrey Paounov,
Bulgaria/Germany
, 90 minutes, Rating: MT

Paounov’s film tells the fascinating story of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who at the age of six became the Tsar of Bulgaria, only to then be overthrown by communist dissenters at the age of nine.  The film presents Gotha’s harrowing and complicated return after 50 years in exile.  Director to be in attendance for all three screenings

The Island President

Directed by: Jon Shenk, USA, 101 minutes, Rating: PG

President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives is credited with bringing democracy to his country.  His next challenge is combating a threat that is much harder to control, the possibility of the entire country slowly disappearing under the sea. 

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