ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

12 years, 8 months ago - cath le couteur

Oh Oh... YES. Nostalgia for the Light - my gawd. Stunning, stunning doc. An incredible story... told in such a smart, imaginative, gripping way. Cinema at its veryyyyy best.

12 years, 8 months ago - cath le couteur

Marina Marina Marina... If you've ever been skeptical about performance art, this film will change your mind!

12 years, 8 months ago - DocHouse

This isn't really the whole of DocHouse, just jenny, with a totally personal, biased, subjective list of docs that made me go a bit goose pimply. Oh, and to make this conversation as non-scientific as possible, I'm squeezing in a couple that I saw in 2011 but got a UK release in 2012... Yep.

Nostalgia For The Light - I felt my brain creaking when I watched this for the first time, it was mind-expanding. Beautiful, tragic, fascinating, poetic, humane... and it's got stardust in it. Come on. Best doc of the century so far. Yeah, I went there.

We Went To War - So important, showing the devastating legacy that combat can have for soldiers, and it's exquisitely made - a combination of amazing visual storytelling and giving a huge amount of time and space to the characters and to the viewer.

Two Years At Sea - Crackly 16mm film that pulses and vibrates over the slow, isolated life of a hermit. It looks like you can feel its texture, if that makes any sense. It's incredibly slow, but mesmerising, and funny, and warm (even when it's cold). I love this for the experience of watching it - maybe better on a big screen than a small one though.

5 Broken Cameras - don't think I've ever seen a film that shows a conflict so personally and with so much courage, honesty and dignity. It floored me.

This Is Not A Film - okay, not the most lively doc of the year, but one of the cleverest and one of the most important. (Particularly as since Jafar Panahi made this film while under house arrest he was subsequently jailed. For making films.) It's a quiet, thoughtful, deceptively clever film about creative expression. It also prompted me to go back and watch some of Panahi's fiction films which I hadn't seen - unbelievably good.

12 years, 8 months ago - Ingrid Kopp

I loved "Searching for Sugarman" - it's not a perfect film but it makes me grin like an idiot every time I watch it and I'm delighted that Rodriguez is getting more recognition because of it.

"Only The Young" is a lovely portrait of young love, skateboarding, friendship, hope, boredom and other good teenage themes. I loved the way the filmmakers captured the feeling of being that age and I love that it is premiering in NYC alongside "Tchoupitoulas". Hooray for Oscilloscope for picking them both up.

Saw "Going Up The Stairs" twice at True/False and loved it both times. Hope more people get to see it.

Seeing the 35mm print of "¡Vivan las antipodas!" was an amazing experience. Doing a Q&A with Victor Kossakovsky was totally intimidating. I am now obsessed with antipodes.

Finally, I haven't seen it yet but the film I most want to see is "The Act of Killing" - it doesn't sound like an easy watch but I am really curious to it.

12 years, 8 months ago - charlie phillips

My faves would be:

5 Broken Cameras - Even more poignant now than when it did the festival run earlier in the year, these are the on-the-ground real lives of Palestinians being invaded by settlers and army officers, never losing their heart and humour despite repeated deaths and harassment. Everyone should see this, not least everyone in the US government - who can fail to watch this and call for real justice in the region?

Planet of Snail - Two people in love, both with disabilities. Dreamy, gorgeous, moving. I love this SO MUCH - a love letter to love.

The Bastard Sings The Sweetest Song - one of the lesser-chatted-about films from Doc/Fest 2012, but what a film. The love between an alcoholic mother and her son in the Caribbean - it sounds depressing but it's weirdly life-affirming. Amazing access.

From the Sea To The Land Beyond - ok so we at Doc/Fest did make it with Penny W and The Space, but regardless people love it, so nominating it here. Beautiful coastal archive, amazing music from British Sea Power. It makes people cry. So pretty.

The Imposter - some people were sniffy about it but come on, it's really exciting! And it makes you scared that everyone you know is faking it.

Call Me Kuchu - another one even more prescient now with Uganda's attempts to criminalise promotion of homosexuality again. The on-the-ground story of gay activists in the worst place in the world for it is even more incredible because the filmmakers were first-timers and retained their nerve to tell this story.

And a couple of mentions for docs not "from" this year but which were on telly, so more people saw them - "Sound it Out", the definitive record shop doc, and "You've Been Trumped", which took Donald down a peg and was a triumph of the political indie filmmaker over funder indifference

12 years, 8 months ago - Stephanie Walton

I loved:
Beware of Ginger Baker, I'm sure this will be on everyones lists next year because it's not officially out yet. It's just so entertaining, Ginger Baker is totally and utterly mad which you learn in the first 2 minutes of the film. Which has clips of everyone in his life comparing him to the devil himself.

Going up the Stairs, Akram is one of the most complex and interesting characters in any documentary I watched last year. The film also allows glimpses into a 'traditional' iranian marriage, and I love her artwork. Incredible lady, brilliant film.

5 Broken Cameras - This is the most powerful and moving documentary I've ever seen. Be-warned, don't watch this if you're feeling a bit fragile.

Not so much:
There was a really naff Price documentary on the BBC as part of their icons series earlier this year. The actual documentary was good (because it was about Prince) but because they had no archive footage of him as a teenager they just got someone with an afro to mime playing guitar or plugging in amps then made it blurry. So lame.

Also I'm not in the I Love Searching for Sugarman - club, I love Rodriguez and the story but I didn't like some parts. Why wasn't the story told when he first went on tour around SA in 2008?
Also, what's with all the panning shots of South Africa that had absolutely nothing to do with the story. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was an indie film.
Saying that, I would definitely watch it again and have told friends to go and see it. Maybe because the story is so great I want the film to be perfect too.

THANKsssss
Stephanie

12 years, 8 months ago - Helen Jack

Two Years at Sea was lovely - nice reminder, Jenny. And Marina was great - what a cool lady.

12 years, 8 months ago - Helen Jack

I'm going to kick things off with a response to myself (thanks, me).

Ok, so, starting with perhaps a rather obvious choice - but one that is totally heartfelt - I would like to declare my love for 'Searching for Sugarman'. I first saw this film at the opening night of Doc/Fest, and it took my breath away with it's beauty, storytelling brilliance, and amazing soundtrack. I've seen this film three times now, and still feel soaring emotions on multiple viewings. A really brilliant film, one which I thought was better than the much-hyped 'The Imposter' (both produced by Simon Chinn).

Another intriguing, South African-focussed doc I saw this year was 'Under African Skies' about the social and historical context of Paul Simon's legendary 1986 album, Graceland. The film looks at the controversy that arose over Simon's decision to ignore the international boycott of S.Africa's goods, and cultural output, instead, going in, and recording a record. This doc was an interesting exploration of the intersection of art and politics, and ultimately, which one wins out. I remain undecided.

12 years, 8 months ago - charlie phillips

Sugarman was good, but it wasn't the best of the year and it overshadowed a lot of stuff cos people got so excited about it.

I second "Vivan las antipodas!" and Marina Abramovich.

Also, "Act of Killing" is for me one of the greatest documentaries of the last decade. It's incredible. But it's probably a film of 2013 technically.