Directors Mona Eldaief and Jehane Noujaim discuss the twists and turns of RAFEA: SOLAR MAMA
It’s unclear whether the titular character in Rafea: Solar Mama would personally identify as a “feminist.” Still, the women in Jehane Noujaim and Mona Eldaief’s documentary are certainly committed to advancing the roles of women in otherwise male-dominated cultures. The film follows Rafea and her aunt, Umm Badr, as they leave their families in Jordan and travel to The Barefoot College in India to study solar engineering alongside women from Kenya and Colombia. They are determined to develop skills that will allow them to better their own lives and the lives of those in their village, but the men at home remain unconvinced that this is the correct goal for women to pursue. The challenges that Rafea and Umm Badr face are ongoing, well past the narrative depicted in the film, but their ambition and desire for a better, more sustainable future is clear. Rafea: Solar Mama, which won the Audience Award at DOC NYC last fall, demonstrates that while no advancement in gender equality comes quickly and easily, hope and perseverance is what makes change possible.
After Tuesday’s screening, STF’s Thom Powers led a discussion with Noujaim, Eldaief, and a special guest.
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Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel, directors of the film LEVIATHAN, are set to be honored at True/False this year.
This week the True/False Film Fest, set to run Feb. 28 – March 3 in Columbia, Missouri, announced the lineup for this year’s incarnation of the festival. Adam Benzine of Realscreen reported the news. The festival this week also announced that directors Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel would receive the True Vision Award for their body of work. The festival also said its True Life Fund would recognize Sebastian Junger’s doc WHICH WAY IS THE FRONT LINE FROM HERE? THE LIFE & TIME OF TIM HETHERINGTON.
Across the Atlantic, the Berlin International Film Festival kicked off on Feb. 7 and is slated to conclude on Feb. 17. On his What (Not) to Doc blog, Basil Tsiokos provided an overview of the docs screening at the Berlinale this year. Adam Dawtrey of Variety took a look at the business side of the festival. And Tom Christie, writing for Indiewire, had a review of THE ACT OF KILLING from director Joshua Oppenheimer.
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Amy Nicholson shares her passion for the ride that inspired ZIPPER.
When Amy Nicholson set out to produce Zipper: Coney Island’s Last Wild Ride, she planned to make a short film about the titular amusement park ride. After decades of providing fun and excitement to Coney Island’s visitors, the Zipper was set to retire. It was only after Nicholson began to question the reasons why the ride was leaving that she expanded the scope of the documentary to tell the story of Coney Island’s controversial development plans and the fight to preserve the neighborhood’s history and character. Zipper takes viewers inside the corridors of City Hall and along the boardwalk to explore the various perspectives on Coney Island’s evolving identity. If you’ve ever wondered how buildings and neighborhoods change so quickly, Zipper can serve as a primer.
The screening was packed with STF regulars and Zipper’s cast and crew. When the film ended, Nicholson joined STF’s Thom Powers for a discussion.
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THESE BIRDS WALK from filmmakers Omar Mullick and Bassam Tariq was one of the feature docs selected to screen at SXSW this year.
The South by Southwest Film Festival this week announced the lineup of its feature films, both documentary and narrative. At Realscreen, Kelly Anderson took a look at some of the docs that made the cut, as did Basil Tsiokos on his What (Not) to Doc blog.
Sundance news continued to make its way out of Park City this week as well. Writing for Indiewire, Jon Fougner examined the Sundance Institute’s Artists Services Program, which provides filmmakers with different means of getting their work to audiences. The hive mind of Indiewire’s Criticwire Network anointed AFTER TILLER by Lana Wilson and Martha Shane as the most highly rated feature doc to come out of Sundance. And Julie Fischer of MIT’s Open Doc Lab reviewed GOOGLE AND THE WORLD BRAIN by Ben Lewis.
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Neil Barsky discusses Ed Koch's life and legacy. Photo by Cathryne Czubek.
Toward the end of Koch’s post-screening Q&A on Tuesday, an audience member asked director Neil Barsky about Edward Koch’s health. Barsky revealed that the former mayor of New York City and subject of his film had been hospitalized and was being treated for congestive heart failure. Early this morning, only days after the screening, Koch passed away at 88 years old.
It is a fitting memorial that Koch, a documentary about the mayor’s life and career, screened at Stranger Than Fiction on Tuesday and opens in limited theatrical release today. The film is filled with recent interviews and archival footage of Koch, underscoring the fact that he lived for the camera. In addition to the unflinching exploration of Koch’s celebrated and controversial political career, the film offers a rare glimpse into the personal life of the famously private mayor. Koch was masterful in his ability to construct his public image, and the documentary highlights the stark differences between the man’s public persona and private reality, exposing the nuances that have made him a fascinating figure for over 30 years.
Below is the full conversation between Barsky and STF’s Thom Powers.
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