Here are the docs that are coming to theaters starting June 3.
Opening: June 3
Venue: Film Forum/New York City
Film: Unmistaken Child
Dir./Prod.: Nati Baratz; Prods.: Ilil Alexander, Arik Bernstein
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
http://www.oscilloscope.net/unmistakenchild/
The Buddhist concept of reincarnation, while both mysterious and enchanting, is hard for most westerners to grasp. Unmistaken Child follows the four-year search for the reincarnation of Lama Konchog, a world-renowned Tibetan master who passed away in 2001 at age 84. The Dalai Lama charges the deceased monk's devoted disciple, Tenzin Zopa (who had been in his service since the age of seven), to search for his master's reincarnation.
Tenzin sets off on this unforgettable quest on foot, mule and even helicopter, through breathtaking landscapes and remote traditional Tibetan villages. Along the way Tenzin listens to stories about young children with special characteristics, and performs rarely seen ritualistic tests designed to determine the likelihood of reincarnation. He eventually presents the child he believes to be his reincarnated master to the Dalai Lama so that he can make the final decision.
Stunningly shot, Unmistaken Child is a beguiling, surprising, touching, even humorous experience.
Opening: June 5
Venue: IFC Center/New York City
Film: 24 City
Dir.: Jia Zhang-Ke
Distributor: The Cinema Guild
http://www.cinemaguild.com/24city /
Blending fiction and documentary, Jia Zhang-ke puts a human face on the consequences of rapid industrial and economic growth in China. Shot in Chengdu, in the Sichuan province, the film documents the
development of state-owned Factory 420 from the 1950s to the present. Once booming, it was demolished in 2007 to make room for an upscale apartment complex. Grounded by interviews from former factory workers and three of the country's most important actors (Joan Chen, Lu Liping, Zhao Tao), the film
premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, just four days after a massive earthquake devastated parts of Chengdu.
Opening: June 5
Venue: Cinema Village/New York City
Film: Herb and Dorothy
Dir./Prod.: Megumi Sasaki
Distributor: Arthouse Films
http://www.herbanddorothy.com/
Herb & Dorothy tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy
Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to Minimalist and Conceptual Art, the Vogels quietly began purchasing the works of unknown artists. Devoting all of Herb's salary to purchasing art they liked, and living on Dorothy's paycheck alone, they continued collecting artworks guided by two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. Within these limitations, they proved themselves curatorial visionaries; most of those they supported and befriended went on to become world-renowned artists. Their circle includes Sol LeWitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Richard Tuttle, Chuck Close, Robert Mangold, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Lynda Benglis, Pat Steir, Robert Barry, Lucio Pozzi, and Lawrence Weiner.
Opening: June 5
Film: Kassim the Dream
Dir.: Kief Davidson
Distributor: IFC Films
http://www.kassimthedream.com/
This is the story of world champion boxer Kassim "The Dream" Ouma--born in Uganda,
kidnapped by the rebel army and trained to be a child soldier at the age of 6. When the rebels took over the government, Kassim became an army soldier who was forced to commit many horrific atrocities, making him both a victim and perpetrator. He soon discovered the army's boxing team and realized the sport was his ticket to freedom. After 12 years of warfare, Kassim defected from Africa and arrived in the United States. Homeless and culture-shocked, he quickly rose through the boxing ranks and became World Junior Middleweight Champion.
Kassim, now age 29, seems to have obtained the American Dream with his jovial nature, fame and hip-hop lifestyle. As Kassim trains for his next world title fight against Jermain Taylor in Little Rock Arkansas, keeping his demons out of the ring becomes increasingly difficult. His desires to reunite with family in Uganda intensify when Kassim's only hope for a safe return is a military pardon from the president and government responsible for his abduction.
Director Kief Davidson received unprecedented access to Kassim Ouma during a pivotal time in the boxer's career. Filmed in cinema vérité style, the documentary blends current events with brutal revelations of a stolen childhood. The parallels reveal a complex and haunted fighter surviving against incredible odds.
Opening: June 11
Venue: IFC Center/New York City
Film: Blast!
Dir./Prod.: Paul Devlin; Prod.: Claire Missanelli
http://blastthemovie.com/
Filmmaker Paul Devlin follows the story of his brother, Mark Devlin PhD, as he leads a tenacious team of scientists hoping to figure out how all the galaxies formed by launching a revolutionary new telescope under a NASA high-altitude balloon.
Their adventure takes them from Arctic Sweden to Inuit polar bear country in Canada, where catastrophic failure forces the team to try all over again on the desolate ice in Antarctica. No less than the understanding of the evolution and origins of our Universe is at stake on this exciting escapade that seeks to answer humankind's most basic question, How did we get here?
BLAST! is about the crazy life of scientists. Their professional obsessions, personal and
family sacrifices, and philosophical and religious questioning all give emotional resonance to a spectacular and suspenseful story of space exploration.
Opening: June 12
Film: Food Inc.
Dir./Prod.: Robert Kenner
Distributor: Participant Media/Magnolia Pictures
http://www.foodincmovie.com/
In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli-the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.
Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma; In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward-thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising-and often shocking truths-about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.
Opening: June 12
Venue: Quad Cinema/New York City
Film: Sex Positive
Distributor: Regent Releasing
Dir.: Daryl Wein
http://www.sexpositive-themovie.com/
Sex Positive explores the life of Richard Berkowitz, a revolutionary gay S&M- hustler-turned-AIDS activist in the 1980s, whose incomparable contribution to the invention of safe sex has never been aptly credited. Berkowitz emerged from the epicenter of the epidemic as a community leader, demanding a solution to the problem before anyone else would pay attention. However, it was not Berkowitz' voice alone that sparked contention.
Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, a controversial virologist and AIDS doctor, postulated that AIDS was more complicated than just a new virus. With Sonnabend's theory in tow, Berkowitz fought, alongside beloved activist and musician Michael Callen, for safer sex practices without giving up on sex altogether.
Sex Positive explores the explicit bravery of this unrecognized triumvirate, and their dire quest to save lives in the midst of unwavering dissent. Now destitute and alone, Berkowitz
tells his story to a world who never wanted to listen.
Through the eyes of Berkowitz, the audience is made witness to a graphic testimony of sex, death and betrayal, while placing the invention of "safe sex" in a fresh and compelling context.
Opening: June 12
Venue: IFC Center/New York City
Film: Youssou NDour: I Bring What I Love
Dir./Prod.: Elizabeth Chai Vasahelyi
Distributor: Shadow Distribution
http://www.ibringwhatilove.com/
The bestselling African pop musician of all time, Youssou N'Dour was named one of Time's 100 most influential people and called "the rare rock star whose music matters." In 2005, he produced his most personal album, Egypt, which presented his Islamic faith as peaceable and tolerant. But while the record won international acclaim, it was also denounced as blasphemous. Filmed over three years and featuring original music by N'Dour, this intimate portrait follows the artist on tour abroad and at home in Senegal as he wins back his public.
Opening: June 19
Venue: Cinema Village/New York City
Film: The End of the Line
Dir.: Rupert Murray
Prods.: Claire Lewis, George Duffield
Distributor: Shadow Distribution
http://endoftheline.com/
Fresh from its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, The End of the Line is the first major documentary about the imminent peril facing the world's oceans.
Narrated by Ted Danson and based on the book by Charles Clover, The End Of The Line explores the devastating effect that overfishing is having on fish stocks and the health of our oceans. Scientists predict that if we continue fishing at the current rate, the planet will completely run out of fish by
2048.
Endorsed by and with major marketing support from National Geographic, Greenpeace, and the Natural
Resources Defense Fund (NRDC), The End Of The Line is the definitive film of 2009 for those who care about the environment, the safety of our food supply, and the preservation of endangered
species.
More than just a doomsday warning, The End Of The Line offers real, practical solutions that are simple and doable, including advocating for controlled fishing of engendered species, protecting networks of marine reserves off-limits to fishing, and educating consumers that they have a choice by purchasing fish from sustainable fisheries.
Opening: June 19
Venue: IFC Center/New York City
Film: Under Our Skin
Dir./Prod.: Andy Abraham Wilson
Distributor: Shadow Distribution
http://www.underourskin.com/
Under Our Skin investigates the untold story of Lyme disease, an emerging epidemic with staggering ramifications. Each year thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, told that their symptoms are "all in their head." Following the stories of patients and physicians fighting the disease, the film brings into focus a haunting picture of our health care system and its inability to cope with a silent and growing terror, and of a medical establishment all too willing to put profits ahead of patients.
Opening: June 26
Venue: Cinema Village/New York City
Film: Afghan Star
Dir.: Havana Marking
Distributor: Zeitgeist Films
http://www.afghanstardocumentary.com/
After 30 years of war and Taliban rule, pop Idol has come to Afghanistan. Millions are watching the TV series ‘Afghan Star' and voting for their favorite singers by mobile phone. For many this is their first encounter with democracy. This timely film follows the dramatic stories of four contestants as they risk all to become the nation's favorite singer. But will they attain the freedom they hope for in this vulnerable and traditional nation?