DAY TEN November 12, 2005

by Brent Simon

Michael Moore--with his blustery, bigger-than-life personality--helped change that, first with BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE and then FAHRENHEIT 9/11. Meanwhile, films like WINGED MIGRATION and this summer's MURDERBALL and the smash hit MARCH OF THE PENGUINS--now the second highest-grossing documentary feature of all time--proved that there was a mainstream, non-fiction audience outside of colorful agitprop. As reel life has come more and more to embrace real life, documentaries have moved out of the arthouses and into the cineplexes--a heartening trend for fans of moving screen stories no matter their subject. AFI FEST 2005 hopes to do its part in continuing to enable this trend with an International Documentary Competition slate that is one of its strongest in years. Rife with first looks (including two North American Premieres and a staggering eight World Premieres), the dozen-film lineup includes any number of movies that could break out, from Steve Anderson's FUCK--a look at America's complex relationship with its most fascinatingly versatile expletive--to THE REFUGEE ALL STARS, Zach Niles and Banker White's examination of a group of six Sierra Leonean musicians who come to form a band while living in a refugee camp in West Africa.

"I like having a diverse documentary program, so that there's subject matter for every taste, every culture, every issue. Diversity makes it more interesting, and gives a broader view of what's going on in the world--what people are doing and thinking and what they should be paying attention to," says Natalie McMenemy, AFI FEST Director of Operations and Documentary Programmer. "I don't want the Documentary Competition section to (ever) be characterized or themed," she continues. "Just as Los Angeles is home to so many diverse cultures, people, styles and mindsets, so should be the film choices they are given in this section. There are films that make you laugh, films that are a call to action, films that make you cry, films that take you on a spiritual journey--like PABLO: THE POET'S LIVES--and films that show you the other side of the world, be it Bosnia, Egypt or Africa. We have films that educate and films that rock. They are all important."

Important--and reflective of a growing tradecraft, as more and more aspirant filmmakers warm to the notion that they can fashion a long-term career outside of the folds of Hollywood narrative filmmaking. Anderson, for instance, went from the narrative feature THE BIG EMPTY in 2003 to the documentary format with his latest movie.

While the Festival still currently fields mostly fiction features, McMenemy says that the number of non-fiction submissions rises every year, and that over her programming tenure, she's seen a marked increase not only in quality of the documentaries submitted, but a broader diversity of subject matter as well. "People think anyone can pick up a camera and make a documentary because it reflects life, but the truth is you still have to be a very good storyteller as a director to piece together something that audiences want to take the time to watch," McMenemy points out.

Anecdotal signs point toward the current renaissance continuing. "Documentary attendance increases every year," says McMenemy, "and we've had a number of sold-out or near sold-out documentary screenings, including BURNING MAN: BEYOND BLACK ROCK, FUCK, BUCKLE BROTHERS, SCREAMING MASTERPIECE, BACK TO BOSNIA and THE REFUGEE ALL STARS."

Post-Festival, McMenemy and the rest of the AFI FEST programmers get right back to work. "Well, to be honest, once the Festival is over we start programming for our Music Documentary series that runs Wednesdays in April and May," says McMenemy. "Plus, our call for entries for AFI FEST 2006 will go out in March, and we will start screening again for the Festival in May." As in life, there's little time for a break when it comes to sifting through films to find the best the documentary world has to offer.

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