A Competitive Edge

The Documentary Edge Festival is delighted to announce that the awards night will be held on March 3rd, the shortlist of “Best Documentary” films have already been decided in both the International and New Zealand competition.  Although there can only be one winner in each category, the shortlist itself is a testament to the strength of this year’s festival.

The International Competition contains an array of subjects  from the quirky to the outright provocative; Stolen (Australia) perhaps the most provoking of the group, as it questions whether slavery still exists today in Africa – the movie so powerful it caused controversy wherever it was premiered. An Israeli filmmaker dares to ask the meaning of anti-Semitism in today’s world in Defamation (Australia/Denmark, Israel, USA), no doubt another strong contender for the most through-provoking film of the festival.

A stolen Porsche mysteriously spotted in the streets of Belgrade at the very same time each evening, prompts a rallying cry of the lower class as The Phantom of Belgrade (Bulgaria/Hungary/Serbia-Montenegro) shows how a underdog legend was born, while Earnest Hemingway doppelgangers preparing for the annual “look-alike” contest are documented in the quirky-yet-heart-warming Notes On The Other (Spain).

A number of documentaries in the International competition also raise a number of interesting questions  The Solitary Life of Cranes (UK) asks what is life like for Crane drivers, the unsung chroniclers of society’s ever-changing metropolis? When The World Breaks (USA) looks at what happens to arts and culture during an economic downturn, while Last Train Home (Canada/China/UK) looks on as millions of migrant workers catch the train home for Chinese New Year. In Smile Pinki (India), the dreams of an eight-year-old girl who dreams of being able to smile properly becomes a reality.

The New Zealand Competition sees some of the strongest efforts from the country’s talent in the documentary filmmaking field whose subjects are equally as stimulating as their international counterparts. This year’s highlights include an older generation of New Zealanders –  be it two 89 year old peace activists in Kit and Maynie: Tea, Scones and Nuclear Disarmament, the lives of marching grannies showing they can still keep up with the youngest of them in Marching On, or the lives of pioneering post-war troupe The New Dance Group, who sought to make NZ “modern at last” in Shirley Horrock’s inspiring documentary Dance Of The Instant.

Art noveau architect Antoni Gaudi’s style of architecture and diverse art techniques are investigated with Liquid Stone: Unlocking Gaudi’s Secrets and one woman fights to keep her language alive in He Wawata Whaea: The Dream of an Elder.  A pregnant woman’s brave and moving decision is profiled in Five Hours with Raja.

Finally, the sex life of a Kakapo (or lack of sex that should be) is explored in The Unnatural History of… The Kakapo and a New Yorker questions the meaning of home within our global community in You Are Here.

For a synopsis of each movie in the International and NZ Competition or for more on the films on show at this year’s festival, visit www.documentaryedge.org.nz