SPOTLIGHT FEATURE FILMS
Screening at CityArtsFactory - 5/15/08 @ 10:00pm
Where You From (2009) - 76:00 Min
Directed by: Sabrina Lee / www.whereyoufromthefilm.com
Where You From
is a story of unlikely dreams in unexpected places. A surprising
journey into rural American hip-hop, the film follows a beat far from
the urban streets where the music was born. With dense redwood forests,
rocky mountain vistas, and the dramatic rhythms of hip-hop as a
backdrop, Where You From enters the lives of three extraordinary
individuals as it chronicles their pursuit of acceptance, fame, and
even salvation. This feature length documentary is a visually
stunning, provocative portrait of young men confronting small town
life, broken families, and drug addiction-- ultimately seeking triumph
in their music.
Preceded by:
No Good Reason (2009) – 11:52 Min / *Florida Premiere
Directed by: Michael Mierendorf / www.giveusyourpoor.org
Musicians
and singers from around the country, people who have never met and who
are currently or recently homeless, gathered in Boston to record a song
written by a 15-year-old girl who was homeless when she wrote it. Natalie Merchant (formerly of 10,000 Maniacs), had less than three days to arrange and record the song - in a process that normally takes weeks or months.
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Screening at CityArtsFactory - 5/16/08 @ 7:00pm
Genghis Blues (1999) – 88:00 Min / 10th Anniversary Showcase
Directed by: Rocko Belic / Produced by: Adrian & Rocko Belic
www.genghisblues.com / www.wadirum.com
A
blind San Francisco blues singer's journey to becoming a master of
Tuvan throat singing is the subject of Roko and Adrian Belic's
Oscar-nominated documentary. Paul Pena became fascinated with the Tuvan
art form after hearing it on a Russian radio broadcast; he then met the
Mongolian masters on a U.S. tour. The Tuvans were so impressed with
Pena that they invited him to Tuva's annual singing competition; his
adventures there form the heart of Genghis Blues. Pena
gives inspired performances at the festival, composes songs in Tuvan,
washes his face in sacred rivers, expresses the disorientation of
blindness in foreign surroundings, and makes a human connection with
everyone he meets…
Preceded by:
Sam Rivers: Jazz Master of the Moment (2008) – 14:00 Min
Directed by: Stephanie Rice / www.samrivers.com
This
short documentary features recent performances of jazz
multi-instrumentalist, Sam Rivers with his RivBea Orchestra and trio;
along with interviews with musicians who played with Sam during the
"Loft Era" in New York in the 1970's. Rivers
reflects on a time of great creativity but in listening to recent
performances here of his Trio and Jazz Orchestra we are reminded Rivers
never stopped inspiring young artists and pleasing new audiences.