Sundance 2006: World Cinema Documentary Lineup
Sundance 2006: World Cinema Documentary Lineup
The Giant Buddhas by Christian Frei
5 DAYS / Israel (Director: Yoav Shamir) – On August 15, 2005, Israel began to evacuate 8,000 Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip. In a unilateral move by the Israeli government, they were removed from their homes to make way for 250,000 Palestinians. With exclusive access to the Israeli Defense Forces and the General in charge, seven film crews imultaneously follow key characters during this historic five – day event. North American Premiere.
ANGRY MONK – REFLECTIONS ON TIBET / Switzerland (Director: Luc Schaedler) – A portrait of the rebellious Tibetan monk Gendun Choephel, this film reveals a face of old & present-day Tibet that runs against popular clichés. North American Premiere.
BLACK GOLD / U.K. (Director: Marc Francis, Nick Francis) – A cinematic journey that uncovers the world of coffee and trade from the struggling Ethiopian bean grower to your coffee cup. World Premiere.
BY THE WAYS, A JOURNEY WITH WILLIAM EGGLESTON / France (Director: Cédric Laty, Vincent Gérard) – A journey through the southern United States home of William Eggleston considered "the father of color photography." Eggleston’s persistent silence defies each truth revealed about his character. North American Premiere.
DEAR PYONGYANG / Japan (Director: Yang Yonghi) – A Korean – Japanese daughter explores her father’s fierce political loyalty to North Korea – costly to the point of breaking up his family. North American Premiere.
THE GIANT BUDDHAS / Switzerland (Director: Christian Frei) – A film about the destruction of the famous Buddha statues in Afghanistan. An essay on fanaticism and faith, terror and tolerance, ignorance and identity. U.S. Premiere.
GLASTONBURY / U.K. (Director: Julian Temple) – A staggering range of music presented at England’s annual Glastonbury Festival, captures the spirit of important social changes over the last 30 years. World Premiere.
I FOR INDIA / England/Germany/Italy (Director: Sandhya Suri) – A tale of migration and belonging, told primarily through Super 8 films and audio letters sent between India and England over a period of 40 years. World Premiere.
IN THE PIT / Mexico (Director: Juan Carlos Rulfo) – According to Mexican legend, whenever a bridge is built the devil asks for one soul, in exchange for keeping the bridge standing. This film chronicles the daily lives of the workers building a second deck to Mexico City’s Periférico freeway – their hopes, dreams and struggle for survival. World Premiere.
INTO GREAT SILENCE / Germany (Director: Philip Gröning) – The first film ever to examine life inside the Grande Chartreuse, the mother house of the legendary Carthusian Order. An austere, next to silent meditation on monastic life in a very pure form. U.S. Premiere.
KZ / U.K. (Director: Rex Bloomstein) – A look at the way the town of Mauthausen, formerly the site of a German concentration camp, faces the ultimate demons of its dark past. North American Premiere.
NO ONE / Mexico (Director: Tin Dirdamal) – The story of Maria, a Central American immigrant forced to leave her family in search of a better life. On her way to the United States, she crosses Mexico where she encounters a nightmare. U.S. Premiere.
THE SHORT LIFE OF JOSÉ ANTONIO GUTIERREZ / Germany (Director: Heidi Specogna) – Behind the heroic tale of the first U.S. soldier to die in the war in Iraq, there unfolds the story of a Guatemalan street child drawn into war by the promise of a green card in a foreign country. World Premiere.
SONGBIRDS / U.K. (Director: Brian Hill) – Downview Prison in England is host to 250 women who have committed crimes ranging from drug trafficking to manslaughter, but these women are also mothers and caretakers. In a musical set in the prison, the women sing about their lives and the crimes that led to their imprisonment. North American Premiere.
UNFOLDING FLORENCE: THE MANY LIVES OF FLORENCE BROADHURST / Australia (Director: Gillian Armstrong) – Flamboyant design pioneer Florence Broadhurst lived a colorful life, but it is only now that her time has truly come, with her bold, exotic wallpaper prints in huge demand internationally. World Premiere.
VIVA ZAPATERO / Italy (Director: Sabina Guzzanti) – A critical and playful look at censorship in Italy under Berlusconi contrasted with other European nations. North American Premiere.
Sundance 2006: Documentary Lineup
Sundance 2006: Dramatic Lineup
Sundance 2006: World Cinema Dramatic Lineup
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Tags: Christian Frei, Dear Pyongyang, Film Festivals, I for India, In the Pit, Into Great Silence, Juan Carlos Rulfo, Julian Temple, Philip Gröning, Sundance Film Festival, The Giant Buddhas
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