The Circuit

by Erin Torneo
There’s nothing like a doc fest, with its unforgettable chronicles and complex characters, to revive one’s faith in cinematic storytelling. The AFI/Discovery Channel Silverdocs Festival, which wrapped today, proved the form was still alive and kicking, despite the difficult climate nonfiction filmmakers face. From the intensely personal (Cynthia Lester’s “My Mother’s Garden”), to searing indictments (Juan Manuel Sepúlveda’s “The Infinite Border”), Silverdocs showcased 108 films from over 60 countries in downtown Silver Spring, MD, home to Discovery’s Corporate Headquarters.

Highlights from the lineup included: “Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma,” (pictured above) a riveting look at a Nobel peace prize winner’s work with Doctors without Borders; “The English Surgeon,” a moving portrait of the friendship between a British and a Ukrainian doctor that won best feature in the World Doc Competition, (scenes of them performing brain surgery on an awake patient must be some of the most dramatic screen moments of late, doc or narrative); “Four Seasons Lodge,” journo-turned-helmer Andrew Jacobs’ tale of Holocaust survivors summering together in the Berkshires featuring cinematography by Al Maysles; and “Hard Times at Douglass High,” a year in the life of a Baltimore high school struggling to meet the demands of the No Child Left Behind initiative, (a surefire hit with "The Wire"’s cult following, something distributor HBO is no doubt banking on.)

While “Hard Times” represented classical verité, the fest presented a number of films that departed from the traditional doc style.

“The new generation of filmmakers are much more willing to push the boundaries of the form. They are stepping away from verité, and using narrative techniques like animation and highly styled reenactments,” said Director of Programming Sky Sitney, citing “American Teen,” “Stranded: I’ve Come From a Plane That Crashed in the Mountains,” (pictured) and “Man on Wire” as examples.

Many first-time filmmakers, like Megumi Sasaki, found themselves playing to sold-out screenings. Sasaki’s “Herb and Dorothy,” which had its world premiere at Silverdocs, nabbed the feature audience award after charming festival goers with its tale of a former postal worker and former librarian who managed to amass one of the most important modern art collections in the U.S. (and fit it into their one-bedroom, rent-controlled Manhattan apartment, no less). 

But despite the packed theaters, distributors’ acquisition reluctance in the wake of last year’s poor box office record was a constant discussion at the fest’s concurrent conference. “I finished the film. I thought that was the hard part…” said Sasaki, summing up the feelings of many award-winning filmmakers still without distributors. While consultant Peter Broderick of Paradigm Consulting and entrepreneur Slava Rubin of Indiegogo advocated new ways for filmmakers to find their niche viewers, at least last week in Maryland, documentaries had no trouble finding their audience.

Check out the Silverdocs Awards here.