Brickman Blog

International Film Festival features many award-winning documentaries! November 3-5, 2011

Look outside your window...there's a world going on! Each year, one of the most fascinating events is the International Film Festival at the Golden State Theater. Check out the array of interesting films coming up in early November...

 2011 INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL TO FEATURE PROGRAM OF 15 THOUGHT-PROVOKING INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILMS.

FILM LINE-UP INCLUDES 6 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES OR WINNERS

The Monterey Bay Chapter of the United Nations Association (UNA) will be holding its 12th Annual International Film Festival at the Golden State Theatre  located at 417 Alvarado in downtown Monterey. The 12th Annual International Film Festival will include a selection of 15 fascinating international award-winning documentary films that deal with critical global concerns. This year’s exciting festival will include 6 Academy Award nominees or winners: four short documentaries: The Warriors of Qiugang, Poster Girl, Strangers No More (won the Academy Award) and Killing in the Name and two feature documentaries: Which Way Home and Gasland.

The films will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 3rd, continue Friday evening, November 4th at 7:00 PM, and will conclude with two sessions on Saturday, November 5th, at 1:00 pm and 7:00 p.m. For more information about UNA, check out www.unamontereybay.org or contact farflung@redshift.com or 831-625-9414. The price of admission will again be just $5 per session of 3 - 5 films, with free admission for students with student ID.


This year’s festival in Monterey is made possible through the generous support of the Arts Council for Monterey County with a grant from the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, City of Monterey, Old Monterey Business Association, Monterey County Weekly, KAZU 90.3 FM Radio, KRXA 540 AM Radio, KSBW-TV, Sotheby’s International Realty, Portola Hotel & Spa, The Wild Plum Cafe and Bakery (of Monterey), Kerry Lee Remarkable Jewelry (of Carmel), Santa Catalina School and the Monterey Institute of International Studies..

According to Larry Levine, UNA Monterey Bay Chapter President, "Our Committee of 22 volunteers has been working since February to identify, preview and finally select our excellent and very diverse program of documentaries. The wide range of global issues and countries represented seems to get broader and better each year, this year with six Academy Award nominees or winners, more than ever. In 2010 the attendance at our four sessions was 2,350, and this year we hope to even surpass that.”

 The Monterey Bay Chapter of the United Nations Association (UNA) is an all-volunteer organization of about 800 members in Monterey County, currently the largest and one of the most active UNA chapters in the country. In addition to the International Film Festival and other community events, they have held two successful Adopt-a-Minefield Campaigns for Bosnia and Afghanistan, and work with student groups at various local high schools, colleges and graduate schools. The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) (national organization) is one of the country's largest grassroots foreign policy organizations, and a leading center of policy research on the United Nations. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group designed to educate Americans of every age about critical issues tackled by the U.N. With a national membership of thousands and more than 100 affiliated organizations, UNA-USA sponsors programs and events designed to encourage participation in global issues.

More information about the local 12th Annual International Film Festival is available at the website: www.unamontereybay.org under Future Events. Journalists may call Larry Levine at (831) 625-9414 or email farflung@redshift.com.


BELOW IS THE SCHEDULE AND DETAILS ABOUT SPECIFIC FILMS AND HIGH RESOLUTION JPEG PHOTOS FROM THESE FILMS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

Thursday evening, November 3, 7:00 pm

Humanity Explored – 7 min – many countries –
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentaries/watch-online/festival/openingFilm.php

The Warriors of Qiugang – 39 min – China -- www.warriorsofqiugang.com

Benghazi Rising – 53 min – Libya -- http://www.journeyman.tv/61643/documentaries/benghazi-rising.html

Triangle Returns – 9 min – US, Bangladesh -- http://www.globallabourrights.org/campaigns?id=0033

The Price of Sex – 73 min – Moldova, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Dubai -- http://priceofsex.org/



Friday evening, November 4, 7:00 pm

Poster Girl -- 38 min – US, Iraq -- www.postergirlthemovie.com

Which Way Home – 63 min – Mexico, US, Guatemala, Honduras -- http://www.whichwayhome.net

Blood in the Mobile – 82 min – Congo, Finland -- http://www.bloodinthemobile.org

Saturday afternoon, November 5, 1:00 pm

The 10 Conditions of Love – 54 min – China, US
http://uhrp.org/articles/2344/1/THE-10-CONDITIONS-OF-LOVE/index.html

Strangers No More – 40 min – Israel -- www.strangersnomoremovie.com

Killing in the Name – 39 min – Jordan, Indonesia -- http://www.globalsn.net/content.aspx?menu=main&pageid=6

Sarabah – 60 min – Senegal, Germany -- www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c811.shtml

Saturday evening, November 5, 7:00 pm

The Dark Side of Chocolate – 46 min – Ivory Coast, Mali -- www.thedarksideofchocolate.org

Sun City Picture House – 27 min – Haiti -- www.suncitypicturehouse.com

Gasland – 106 min – US -- www.gaslandthemovie.com

Descriptions of films:

Humanity Explored  (7 min, many countries)
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentaries/watch-online/festival/openingFilm.php

In a world of many cultures, circumstances and differences, humanity still shares many common concerns and desires.


The Warriors of Qiugang  (39 min, China)       
www.warriorsofqiugang.com

Villagers in central China take on a chemical company that is poisoning their land and water. For five years they fight to transform their environment, transforming themselves as well. This film is an Academy Award nominee.


Benghazi Rising  (53 min, Libya)      
http://www.journeyman.tv/61643/documentaries/benghazi-rising.html

A revolution was born in Benghazi, Libya, in February 2011. Through personal stories told by the people of Benghazi, this film traces the conflict from its beginnings as a small protest to capture how the unarmed people of Libya rocked the police state built by Muammar Gaddafi.

Triangle Returns  (9 min, US, Bangladesh)     http://www.globallabourrights.org/campaigns?id=0033

The tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911 repeats itself a hundred years later, but this time in Bangladesh instead of New York City. Are low clothing prices worth this tragic loss?


The Price of Sex  (73 min, Moldova, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Dubai)         
www.priceofsex.org

This film tells the gritty story of young Eastern European women who seek economic opportunity far from their post-Soviet homelands, only to find themselves suffering the horrors of sex trafficking. Some of these women tell their own stories, through the lens of Bulgarian-born filmmaker Mimi Chakarova.


Poster Girl  (38 min, US, Iraq)      
www.postergirlthemovie.com

Robynn Murray was an all-American high school cheerleader who enlisted in the US Army and headed for Iraq. Returning home, she was left struggling with the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). This film is an Academy Award nominee.


Which Way Home  (63 min, Mexico, US, Guatemala, Honduras)          
www.whichwayhome.net

As the United States continues to build a wall between itself and Mexico, Which Way Home shows the personal side of immigration through the eyes of children who face harrowing dangers with courage and resourcefulness as they endeavor to make it to the United States. This film is an Academy Award nominee.


Blood in the Mobile  (82 min, Congo, Finland)         
http://bloodinthemobile.org

We all love our cell phones, but are we aware that they contain rare minerals that fund and perpetuate the on-going conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has led to millions of deaths and hundreds of thousands of rapes? Our screening will be the West Coast premiere of this film.


The 10 Conditions of Love  (54 min, China, US)        
www.10conditionsoflove.com

This film tells the story of Rebiya Kadeer, exiled leader of the Uyghur people, China’s oppressed Muslim minority of 20 million people, who has been twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.


Strangers No More  (40 min, Israel)          
www.strangersnomoremovie.com

In the heart of Tel Aviv, there is a school that brings together children escaping troubled lives in 48 different countries. This film is an Academy Award winner.


Killing in the Name  (39 min, Jordan, Indonesia)     www.globalsn.net/content.aspx?menu=main&pageid=6

Ashraf was celebrating the happiest day of his life when an Al-Qaeda suicide bomber walked into his wedding and killed his father and 26 other family members in front of his eyes. Now, he’s rising from tragedy to break the silence in the Muslim community on the taboo subject of terrorism. This film is an Academy Award nominee.


Sarabah  (60 min, Senegal, Germany)      
www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c811.shtml

Rapper, singer and activist Sister Fa is a hero to young women in her native Senegal. She uses her art and her fame to take on a struggle against destructive traditions in her country.


The Dark Side of Chocolate  (46 min, Ivory Coast, Mali)      
www.thedarksideofchocolate.org

We love our chocolate, but do we realize it is produced with the use of child labor and trafficked children? Danish investigative filmmaker Miki Mistrati takes us to Mali and the Ivory Coast in search of the real story.


Sun City Picture House  (27 min, Haiti)     
www.suncitypicturehouse.com

Haiti’s devastating earthquake of January 2010 left Port Au Prince without any standing cinema theaters, until Haitian Raphael Louigene and a team of volunteers set out to build a new picture house, on a hill overlooking a tent city housing thousands of displaced people.


Gasland  (106 min, US)        
www.gaslandthemovie.com

Fracking is a means of natural gas and oil extraction employed in deep well drilling. Horizontal hydrofracking taps shale deposits previously inaccessible, using a mixture of 596 chemicals and millions of gallons of water. The water becomes contaminated, must be cleaned and disposed of, but can leave toxic wastewater which appears to be damaging the health of many throughout the US. Gasland tells this story, and is an Academy Award nominee.

-- 

 

A Celtic Musical Bouquet at the 44th Annual Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival

Just reflecting on the past two days at the 44th Annual Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival. I hated for the festival to end! We had gorgeous cool weather and the festival ran smoothly and professionally. Great dancers, musicians, crafts, clans, pipers, drummers and much, much more. I enjoyed every moment!

This year, the combination of entertainment was exceptional...a true musical cornucopia that featured Seamus Kennedy, Brother, Sligo Rags, Scott McDonald and Shannon Miller. All were outstanding and I enjoyed hearing Seamus' new cowboy songs, too.

The special musical surprise for me this year was the Australian band, Brother. I had heard of them over the years as I have attended dozens of Celtic festivals here and throughout the Bay Area. As someone who has handled the PR for the Monterey Games for over a decade and as a wanna-be-nearly made it bagpiper (well, I actually could play the pipes a bit but then got injured ... still love the sound)...anyhow, I am especially partial to bands that feature a talented bagpiper.

It's been that way for years! I love Aaron's piping in the Wicked Tinkers, John Allen's in Stand Easy, David Brewer's in Molly's Revenge, Lorne Cousin, Finlay McDonald, and others, and even just recently discovered the pipes in AC DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top" (thank you, You Tube ). For me, bagpipes add something so special to a group - they should be in every great band, don't you think? Also, when I helped to launch a bagipe school in Pebble Beach for several years, it brought me closer to gold medal pipers who I continue to admire.

But as a true longtime lover of rock music, for me, seeing a band blend a skilled piper and an electric guitarist successfully applied to interesting original music is such a complete musical treat! 

After hearing Brother's four performances this past weekend with many friends and fans, I simply want to urge everyone to go out and catch a live performance of Brother - or just obtain their CDs and get a feel for what they're doing. They're creative, intuitive and best of all, feature some bagpiping prowess. I love their blend of didgeridoo and bagpipes which are two "exciting" instruments that don't always meld well together. 

Here's more information about the Brother...

Chances are you’ve seen BROTHER on NBC’s ‘ER’, maybe heard their music on the classic ‘Baraka’ soundtrack. The band has shared stages with Joe Walsh, John Entwhistle, Linkin Park, and Alicia Keys and are the only independent band to have played the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fusing signature vocals, guitar and keyboards with the deep pulse of the didgeridoo, the soaring highs of the bagpipes and tribal percussion, BROTHER is wholly original. The band’s powerhouse live performances are an energetic celebration, captivating and engaging the audience from the first song to the last. BROTHERmusic.com

Check them out!

Check it out! "The Wrecking Crew" Music Documentary to Screen Here on Oct. 16th

For anyone who loves music, the "The Wrecking Crew" is a music documentary that shouldn't be missed! It will screen at the National Steinbeck Center on Saturday, October 16th at 7 PM followed by a Q&A with director Denny Tedesco, followed by a Mixer, Music and Cash Bar. The award-winning film will continue to have screenings around the country if you can't attend this one on Saturday night.

However, if you can make it, it will be a very special event at the museum this weekend! Talking with Denny today, I was just so impressed by what he's doing to complete the documentary. His process and story illustrates a fabulous fundraising strategy to raise funds to finish the film so it can be commercially released. I salute filmmaker, Denny Tenesco, for his perseverance in producing this important film! And, I applaud his creative marketing and publicity strategies to generate the funds to pay for the many music clip licenses. I am confident that he's going to finish the job soon and hope you can help!

 Here's some background information...

 

What the Funk Brothers did for Motown…The Wrecking Crew did, only bigger, for the West Coast Sound. Six years in a row in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, the Grammy for “Record of the Year” went to Wrecking Crew member recordings. The Wrecking Crew played the Soundtrack behind the Dating Years of 38 plus million American Baby-Boomers…

  

 

And now, The Wrecking Crew film tells the story in pictures and oh, so glorious sound. All the favorite songs and the people who made them for you.

  

 

The Wrecking Crew is a documentary film that tells the story of the unsung musicians that provided the backbeat, the bottom and the swinging melody that drove many of the number one hits of the 1960’s. It didn’t matter if it was Frank Sinatra or Nancy Sinatra, The Monkees, The Byrds or The Beach Boys, these dedicated musicians brought the flair and musicianship that made The West Coast sound and American music the dominant cultural force not only here, but around the world. The film is fun, it is touching and it is a moving tribute to the music, to the times and to these secret power hitters of the West Coast recording scene.

 

 The film is a labor of love by director, Denny Tedesco. His father, Tommy Tedesco was one of the guitarists in this group of musicians. When his father was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he made it his goal to record the history of his father and friends.

 

The only reason the film has not yet been released is the cost of licensing of the music. It features one of the biggest soundtracks ever for a 90 minute documentary. The next mission is to raise the final funds to help pay for the licensing of the music. Quitting was never an option so the only thing left to do was to take donations to help pay off the $300,000.

  
The Wrecking Crew is eligible for funding through the International Documentary Foundation, a California non-profit, tax-exempt corporation. IDA's Fiscal Sponsorship Program has provided the 501c3 non-profit umbrella to more than 300 film/video projects, many of which have gone on to success at festivals and film markets, getting distribution and/or broadcast, or even garnering prestigious awards from the film community.

Great testimonials, too! Here's just a few... 

 

“’The Wrecking Crew' is the best documentary yet about the recording scene.  I loved it.”

Steve Miller, Gangster of Love         

“A wonderful, touching and… hilarious film about the unsung stars of so many records that you carry in your heart.”

Elvis Costello 

And a few of the numerous reviews...



Tedesco captures their tumultuous, raucous world in interviews (with participants such as Brian Wilson, Herb Alpert, Campbell and other surviving sidemen), a staggering soundtrack of 130 recordings featuring the musicians and Blaine's voluminous collection of session snapshots. 

 The San Francisco Chronicle Joel Selvin

 

Watching Denny Tedesco's labor-of-love documentary, The Wrecking Crew, one begins to acquire a new sense of the interconnectedness of American pop music from the 1960s. That this common thread, which ties Dean Martin to The Beach Boys, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, and Alvin and the Chipmunks, arises from the fact that the hit songs by all these disparate artists were played by the same extended group of musicians might be cause to see the pop music industry as even more regulated, market-tested and homogenized than we already knew it was. But in the context of this warm, personal and revealing film, it becomes something to celebrate and a reason to enjoy the songs on a new, and richer, level.

 

It's unexpectedly moving in the end when, inevitably, I suppose, the film becomes a meditation on the ethereal nature of celebrity and the fleetingness of success. Immortality—touchingly, when bestowed by a devoted son—is in the eye of the beholder. Flagpole-Athens Georgia

 

I give it four stars out of four -- and it deserves an extra one.

- Honolulu Star

    (out of 4)