Results tagged “documentary”

Holly Mosher is an award-winning filmmaker dedicated to bringing socially conscious films to the public. Her latest documentary, Bonsai: Celebrating the Work of Muhammad Yunus, focuses on the work of Nobel Prize winner Yunus and his microcredit organization Grameen Bank. Mosher will appear Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. in Santa Monica as part of Empowerment Works’ Artist in Action Series. The event will offer a sneak preview of Bonsai to raise completion funds for the film and begin outreach programs for microcredit and social business. LAist spoke to the Venice-based Mosher about her inspiring documentary and applying sustainability to capitalism.

In 2016, the National Park System will enter its second century. With that, come a new set of problems--population, development, global warming--that did not exist when the series of public lands were dedicated nearly 100 years ago.

If you like music, you're going to see a lot of familiar faces seen in this trailer for East of Sunset, which has no set release date yet. We don't believe that West Hollywood's Sunset Strip is totally dead (it's been making a nice comeback over the past year), but we can't wait to see this flick, which is still in post-production with Thrillhouse Productions (h/t web in front).

The Cinefamily regularly makes movie-going an event, with mega-rare film screenings, musical performances, crazed clip compilations & backyard barbeques. This weekend, the group goes beyond even their usual gusto for those proud souls stitching & hoisting the DIY flag. Thursday, their "Don't Knock The Rock" series features I Need That Record!, a documentary tribute to the independent record store...

Remember last year when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed taking away “traditional navigable waters" status for the Los Angeles river? That stirred some major controversy including a three-day kayak trip from the Valley to the ocean by a group of activists set out to prove the river's navigability. Heather Wiley, who works for the Army Corp and disagrees with their decision, was caught up in the mess.

I don't know if I've gotten even nerdier, or if documentaries have gotten even better, but half the films I've seen or wanted to see this year are non-fictional in nature. Which is why I'm stoked for DocuWeeks 2009, playing through the end of August at the Arclight. Sponsored by the International Documentary Association, the festival features compelling characters & stranger-than-fiction stories in first-look Academy-qualifying runs. Each week is a different program; this week features a look at ecology from the ground up, Up With People, the uphill struggle of Congolese & Nepalese refugees, and the uppest of the up, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Most of the iconic images we see - the ones that define an era or change a social tide - come without much of a footnote at all. Unless it’s in your nature or your profession, there’s a good chance that Ansel Adams or Annie Leibovitz are about as deep as you’re willing to wade into the photo pool. But there’s also a good chance that all those other photographs you don’t have a name to put with, those real images from war or those celebrities or presidents out of their element and yet so comfortable...there’s a good chance Eddie Adams did those.

For the most part, eco-documentaries follow a pretty narrow pattern; either they’re well funded and a little boring or guerrilla style and probably a bit nauseating, but either way you’re supposed to be so outraged you get out of your seat and punch the richest asshole you can find. That’s the gist. But there’s often a disconnect between the images of the film and the actions of the audience because, ecologically, problems tend to be so big any given person feels powerless.

This weekend is the return of the Dwell on Design conference and expo and one of the most exciting events on the schedule is Saturday's "A Night at the Movies." The evening includes screenings of two building-themed documentary films, and, for your tasting pleasure, the Square Meal on Wheels mobile "restaurant row."

Before Live Aid, Farm Aid & Chef Aid came The Secret Policemen's Ball - which made the mold for the benefit concert, broke it, taped it back together, and ran with it. With a wealth of British comedy (including The Pythons, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry & Rowan Atkinson) and musical virtuosos (Pete Townshend, Sting, Eric Clapton & Phil Collins in then-unheard-of "unplugged" performances) donating their talents for Amnesty International, the show & tie-in albums, films & tapes, became a phenomenon

Of all the pressing medical issues in America today, Lyme disease doesn’t usually rank very high on the list of things to worry about. That is, unless you believe the startling new documentary by Andy Abrahams Wilson, Under Our Skin. In it, the filmmaker postulates that Lyme is not only more prevalent than most people realize, it is a rapidly growing problem across our nation that leaves behind it missed diagnoses, insurmountable medical bills, crippling health issues, and sometimes death.

       

LA has a diverse cast of characters. Whether it's the characters with stirring stories or interesting occupations or the people who are just simply characters, this town has them all. In an effort to get to know some of those characters a little better, we've created "Seven Questions with..." If you have a suggestion for a future Seven Questions subject send us an email.

The city is experiencing a golden age of naughty puppet films. Hot on the trail of Black Devil Doll is Let My Puppets Come, a fuzzy-felt skeleton pulled from the closet of the late Gerard Damiano (Deep Throat, The Devil In Miss Jones) for The Not-So-Silent Theatre's "Mondo Sexo" this Saturday. If the thought of puppets feels a bit too soft, the very fleshy, very foxy Louise Brooks (Pandora's Box, Diary of a Lost Girl) appears alongside curmudgeonly comedian W.C. Fields (The Bank Dick, You Can't Cheat An Honest Man) next Wednesday at the same locale. And while you're in the neighborhood, swing by the New Beverly for a brand-spankin' new print of The Day The Earth Stood Still (the one with the robot, not Keanu; wait, that doesn't narrow it down!). Given the Bev's massive trailer collection, their accompanying "Sci-Fi and More Trailer Show" should be great fun too. You'll be frozen with terror by this 1950's extravaganz-o-rama, in earth-shattering black & white!

Metallica. Slayer. Megadeth. These local boys gone legends are always worth a good mosh, but it's their lesser-known Canadian counterparts, Anvil, who have grabbed the city's heart by the horns. Continuing their residency at the Landmark, where documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil has rocked audiences for a month and counting, Anvil appears alongside film director Sacha Gervasi for two special Q&A sessions tonight, May 6th, at the 7:50 & 9:55 shows. And the rock doesn't stop there! Renegade punk-a-billy outlet Devil's Night fires up the Angel City Drive-In with Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly & derby girls. Yowza!

Not too long ago, LAist tried to turn you on to an absolutely wonderful documentary that hits closer to home than it ever should. It is engaging, enraging and honest. And like all documentaries, it deals with the actions and responsibilities of those around us, for better or (often) worse. It is The Garden.

       

"We're not a travelogue, we're not a nature fim, we're not a recomendation on which lodge to stay in. It's the story how this place got started," a zealous Ken Burns said of his upcoming twelve hour documentary on the National Parks. He and his crew have spent what many dream about: six years of traveling the country from National Park to National Park exploring some of the country's most beautiful and historically and culturally significant places.

In 2004 the documentary buzz was all about Born Into Brothels, a stark look at the Calcutta prostitution ghettos that are a part of daily life for eight unassuming and wonderful children. The level of humanity, depth, and sorrow found in the crowded streets and scenes inside Born Into Brothels earned it the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in the year’s awards, not to mention global notoriety. Well, as one might imagine the producers of such a groundbreaking and charitable film weren’t content to sit around and shine their accolades, so they went out and worked on a project that hits much closer to home: misogyny in the art world.

RIght NOW on CNN (11a PST), you can check out a condensed version of the hit documentary I.O.U.S.A., about the growing national debt crisis that we all face. In these tough economic times, one way to stay on top is to stay informed, and I.O.U.S.A. is a great way to do just that.

If you're not into watching the Rose Bowl parade or game and are more of the 20th Century classical music type, KCRW 89.9 FM has been airing a marathon broadcast and live webstream simulcast of an 11-hour documentary series, Leonard Bernstein: An American Life. It started at 9 a.m. and goes 'til 5 p.m., then continues for two hours at 7 p.m. Bernstein is one of America's iconic composers--you might recognize his work from West Side Story, Candide or On The Town. Today's schedule is below...

If $75 is too rich for your blood to see the Wu-Tang Clan tonight at the House of Blues, and most likely it is, consider the recently relesed Wu: The Story of the Wu-Tang Clan DVD as a much cheaper alternative to getting your fix of the 36 Chambers.

The Republic of Liberia, tucked warmly between Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast on the African-Atlantic seaboard, is supposed to be a success story. Loosely founded in 1822 by freed American slaves in search of hope, homogeny, and a life of freedom, Liberia immediately became a West African beacon of choice and political change. By 1847 they had established independence, relying heavily on U.S.-educated leaders and the deeply entrenched social norms of the great American South; they even spoke English.

FILM: There’s a special screening of The Gits tonight at the Egyptian. The documentary explores the Seattle punk rock band and the rape/murder of the band's singer Mia Zapata.”It was a crime unsolved when director Kerri O'Kane began shooting her debut feature. In the interim, however, fans, friends and celebrities like Joan Jett (interviewed here) and Nirvana helped raise money to reopen what had become a cold case file. Mia's death had reverberated throughout the music community, and unexpectedly Mia's killer was brought to justice as the cameras rolled.” The movie screens at 7:30. There’s a discussion following with O'Kane and producer Jessica Bender.

Tucked secretly away amongst residential condos and too-snug street parking sits The Schindler House, a small artistic enclave that is part of the larger Mak Center. The unobtrusive works of modern beauty blend seamlessly with the grass and garden that occupy a worthy portion of the smallish plot. And perhaps it is here, on the oblong lawn as the sun sets over consistently progressive West Hollywood, that films like The Garden truly deserve to be screened.

Progressive author, cultural critic and feminist Naomi Wolf is in Los Angeles tonight and tomorrow promoting her book Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries. Wolf, who blogs at the Huffington Post, also wrote The End of America which was recently turned into a documentary. There are no screenings scheduled in Los Angeles at the moment, but we thought the trailer was interesting enough to share.

The Governator. Gubenador. Ahhnold. The Schwarz. If you ask some Democrats in Sacramento, I’m sure our Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger could be called a lot worse, too. There is one little bit of nomenclature, however, that I am sure our state’s man in charge would rather not hear: steroid user.

Los Angeles, as a culture, lives by it’s own standards and plays by as many (or as few) rules as money can buy. But with that is the tacit understanding that, on many occasions, it will also die by it’s own shortcomings. As a result, Southern California is and will be the birthplace of many things, but those things will often leave their home to experience greater and more profound success elsewhere.

Maybe a learnt lesson from when SiCKO was leaked on Google Video last year, Michael Moore is giving away free downloads of his latest documentary Slacker Uprising, his get out the younger person vote flick.

Cable network Current TV has recently launched this pod that features the LA Times' Homicide Report, which happens to be the only blog of its kind in the country. Although the Times is struggling these days, the Homicide Report is one of the best things about our city's biggest newspaper. The documentary focuses on reporter Ruben Vives, who believes the victims are people who deserve to have their stories told.

Last night at Zune LA, located on Beverly, the eagerly anticipated documentary on Joy Division premiered to an audience that included co-founder and bassist Peter Hook. Hook kicked off the evening DJ'ing to everyone while they were served cocktails and appetizers prior to the film, and generously answered questions after the the film.

          

Earlier we did an interview with director Jon Reiss about his graffiti documentary, Bomb It. Here we offer a gallery of photos featuring some of the work and artists featured in the film from all over the world. If you really want to get your graffiti fix on, check out the Bomb It Flickr site.