Postscript to the STF Peter Davis Tribute

• by Raphaela Neihausen, May 22, 2009

Written by Hugo Perez
(Photo of Hugo Perez and Peter Davis)

Last night, STF hosted a tribute to Peter Davis, a filmmaker and a gentleman, a scholar and writer best known in documentary circles for his classic HEARTS AND MINDS that earned him the 1975 Oscar for Best Documentary.  Much less known today is his landmark television series MIDDLETOWN, a series of six verité documentaries which aspired to create a portrait of life in America by telling stories that reflected 6 different aspects of American life: Getting a Living; Making a Home; Training the Young; Using Leisure; Engaging in Religious Practice; and Engaging in Community Activities.  The series was shot entirely in Muncie, Indiana from 1979 to 1982 with a team that included Peter Davis as Executive Producer and Director, Ricky Leacock as a Director, now A-List Hollywood DP John Lindley, editor Tom Haneke and others.  Originally aired in 1982, the MIDDLETOWN series has become increasingly hard to see.** Doc geeks like myself have only had the chance to see the films from the series on blurry VHS copies passed around from doc enthusiast to doc enthusiast like Russian Samizdat literature.  (One hopes that a company like Criterion might someday step in to make the films available as a DVD box-set.)

All of this is a long way of saying that those who attended the Peter Davis Tribute last night were lucky to have a truly rare chance to see Davis film “Second Time Around” on the big screen.  An intimate portrait of divorcees David and Elaine, “Second Time Around” follows the couple in the weeks before they marry each other, an emotional rollercoaster as they face the pragmatic, financial, and personal hurdles they’ll have to clear to make a true partnership work.  Masterfully shot by John Lindley and edited by Tom Haneke, Davis film is a textbook example of how to make a great verité film. 

L to R: Members of the MIDDLETOWN series team: Susan Baum, Terry Simon, Peter Davis, Hugo Perez (guest host of STF), and E.J. Vaughn

The screening led to a lively discussion between Davis and an audience that included filmmakers Nick Broomfield, Susan Meiselas, Bill Jersey, and members of the MIDDLETOWN team Tom Haneke, Terry Simon, Susan Baum, and E.J. Vaughn.  Davis discussed the production of MIDDLETOWN for most of the Q&A; the challenges he faced not just in funding and producing the series, but also in shepherding the films (5 of the 6 anyway) to their broadcast on a nervous PBS.  Just as our time at the IFC was running out, Davis threw down the proverbial gauntlet by voicing the opinion that many filmmakers today are relying too heavily on the artifice of re-enacting or recreating scenes.  To paraphrase Davis, some filmmakers today are taking real people and turning them into actors, a process that he feels diminishes the power of the stories told.  In the last few minutes before we were forced to give up the theater, the Q&A became a genuine debate about the limits to how much a documentary filmmaker could or should “stage-manage” reality for their film. The discussion ended before we could go very far down the road of answering this question, but all of those present are certainly better off for Peter Davis’ visit with us. 

For those with educational or institutional budgets, the MIDDLETOWN series is distributed by Icarus Films.

L to R: STF regulars Alejandro Martinez, Erin Marie Osner, and Evan Schlossberg at the post-film reception at 99 Below. 

 

Related Film/Screening:
PETER DAVIS TRIBUTE by Peter Davis

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Cannes: Documentary Powerhouse Brunch

• by Raphaela Neihausen, May 18, 2009

For a second year, the Marche Du Film hosted a Documentary Brunch to bring together the documentary community attending the Cannes Film Festival.  The brunch was presented along with the National Film Board of Canada and attended by over 125 filmmakers and industry professionals from around the world.  In honor of the 70th anniversary of the National Film Board of Canada, the NFB shared a clip of their latest film CAPTURING REALITY: THE ART OF DOCUMENTARY.  (Photo: Tom Perlmutter - Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada, with Louise Blais - Director of Canadian Cultural Center.)

A few snapshots from brunch:

Swiss Documentary filmmaker Christian Frei, renowned for WAR PHOTOGRAPHER (2002 Academy Award Nominee) and THE GIANT BUDDHAS (2005).  His new documentary to be released in the summer is SPACE TOURISTS (about billionaires traveling to outer space for fun).

Nancy Gerstman (co-founder and co-president of New York-based distribution company Zeitgeist Films) and Marian Masone (Director of Festival and Associate Director of Programming for New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center).

Christian Vesper - head of acquisitions for the Sundance Channel since 2002 (now part of IFC/Sundance Channel since 2007).  He and his team acquire ~250 features and documentaries a year for the two networks. 

Distribution consultant Peter Broderick joined by Ally Derks - director of the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) and of the Jean Vrijman Fund that supports international filmmakers from developing countries.

Filmmaker Jean-Marie Teno, whose films include CHEF! (1999), A TRIP TO THE COUNTRY (2000), THE COLONIAL MISUNDERSTANDING (2004), LE MARIAGE D’ALEX (2002) and LIEUX SAINTS (2009).

Filmmaker Ron Mann, whose documentaries focus on alternative and dissent culture and include IMAGINE THE SOUND (1981), POETRY IN MOTION (1982), COMIC BOOK CONFIDENTIAL (1988), TWIST (1991), DREAM TOWER (1994), GRASS (1999), GO FURTHER (2003) and his latest KNOW YOUR MUSHROOMS (2009).

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Cannes: Irish Film Board gathering

• by Raphaela Neihausen, May 18, 2009

Among all the tents in Cannes International Village, my favorite is the Irish Pavilion where coffee, Guiness and Jameson’s are poured for free. On Saturday, Mr & Mrs Stranger attended the Irish Film Board’s beach side party where the country’s reputation for a good time was upheld. Here are some photos:

Irish Producer Andrew Freedman (UNDRESSING MY MOTHER)  with Grainne Humphreys - Festival Director of the Dublin International Film Festival.

Bulgarian directors Andrey Paounov (THE MOSQUITO EFFECT which played at Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight in 2007) and Boris Depodov (CORRIDOR 8) who are seeking funds for a new animated film.

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Cannes: TIFF party

• by Raphaela Neihausen, May 16, 2009

Although Friday was a tad on the rainy side, people came out in full force to celebrate the Toronto International Film Festival and OMDC.  Luckily, the heavens were kind and the drizzle stopped just long enough for us all to have a great time.

xoxo,
Riviera Gossip Girl

Our very own Thom Powers with Noah Cowan (head of TIFF Bell Lightbox).

John Cooper and Trevor Groth of the Sundance Film Festival.

Tom Bernard of Sony Pictures Classics with James D. Stern (codirector of EVERY LITTLE STEP that’s in theaters right now).

Marc Francis and Nick Francis, directors of BLACK GOLD - the acclaimed coffee documentary.

 

Janet Pierson, director of SXSW Film Festival.

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Cannes Ingenue: Opening Night

• by Raphaela Neihausen, May 16, 2009

It has been an absolute whirlwind two days ever since I landed 48 hours ago.  My head is spinning from all the movies, parties, and blue magic of the Mediterranean! Below are some fun snapshots from the Opening Night Party for the March du Film, held at the Majestic Beach.  More entries to follow as soon as I get a bit more time!

xoxo, Riviera Gossip Girl

L to R: Yours truly, Phillipa Kowarsky (sales agent of Cinephil), Wielend Speck (director of Berlinale Panorama) and Peter Broderick (distribution consultant - see peterbroderick.com).

L to R: Nicole Guillemet (consultant with the Cannes Producers Network), Anne Aghion (director of MY NEIGHBOR, MY KILLER - documentary about Rwanda screening in Cannes competition and coming to NY Human Rights Watch Film Festival next month) and Vincent Melilli (director of Visual Arts School of Marrakesh).

Later on in the night, there was a crazy light / film projection using gushing water fountains as the screen, courtesy of the Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi.

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