In Competition: Documentaries at the London Film Festival

by Sean McGovern

The end of summer is an annual tragedy, but at least it means that you don't have to go to the cinema just for the air conditioning. With Venice ongoing and TIFF beginning tomorrow (Chris & Nathaniel are already on the ground), Film Festival Season (and by extension, Awards Season!) is well and truly upon us. Arrving in early October for the 62nd time is the London Film Festival, the biggest one on my calendar and the one closest to my house. Amongst the glitzy galas and special presentations is a stellar programme and not just because I played a small part in programming the shorts this year.

Something that excites me in particular is the impressive lineup of the films in the Documentary Competition. And since I haven't got to see them yet, join in my excitement in a preview of some the titles, some of which are opening soon in the USA...

BISBEE '17 (dir. Robert Greene, USA) [Glenn's Review]
[Opening today in NYC] From the director of Kate Plays Christine, Robert Greene investigates the mysterious tragedy of a small American mining town, which one hundred years previously, had 1200 migrant workers rounded up and left to die in the desert...

DREAM AWAY (dirs. Marouan Omara, Johanna Domke; Germany-Egypt-Qatar)
A hybrid documentary set in the formerly popular Egyptian holiday destination of Sharm El Sheikh, which examines a country living well in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Holiday workers hang around, DJs play to empty clubs. And the workers reveal their feelings to a monkey that travels around by truck?

THE RAFT (dir. Marcus Lindeen, Sweden)
The story of a 1970s social experiment, referred to with some salacious dismissal as "The Sex Raft." Five men and six women drifted across the Atlantic for three months, where only women would occupy the positions of power and decision-making onboard. If social engineering is your thing (and it may be mine) then this one will definitely pique your interest.

PUTIN'S WITNESSES (dir. Vitaly Mansky, Latvia-Switzerland-Czech Republic)
A very me documentary. Rare footage from the 1999 Russian election campaign, as Boris Yeltsin makes his way out and a relatively unknown former KGB agent named Vladimir Putin becomes Prime Minister. Featuring interviews and personal testaments from the people who watched Putin's ascendance, as well as reflections from the director on this time of tremendous change and the then-unknown consequences.

WHAT YOU GONNA DO WHEN THE WORLD'S ON FIRE? (dir. Roberto Minervini, Italy-USA-France)
Timely, relevant and painfully familiar story of a community in pain, following the killing of unarmed black man Alton Sterling at the hands of two white police officers. Director Minervini focuses his lens on members of Sterling's community, united in their anger, processing a tragedy that repeats over and over in contemporary America.

The BFI London Film Festival runs from October 11-21 Have a look at the full line-up of titles in the Documentary Competition.

Comments

[Peggy Sue]

I'm very interested in Theatre of War.