DOC NYC 2012: Hispanic Documentary Picks
Attention all docu-nerds, Lerds (Latino nerds) and comic book Leeks (Latino geeks)! DOC NYC has lots for you to see. Running November 8 – 15, in downtown Manhattan at the IFC Center and the SVA Theatre, it’s the biggest documentary-only film festival in New York. It’s like the comic-con of docs! This year’s lineup includes films about music, guns, birds, midwives, medical marijuana, cab drivers, religion, and social justice. The lineup of Latino docs is just as varied. There’s a movie about a little known folk singer dubbed the ‘Chicano Bob Dylan’ and another film about a gringo who became a famous Flamenco guitarist (you know that Counting Crows song “Mr. Jones”? It’s about this guy). There’s even a doc thats traces the history of comic book female superheroes (Did you know what Linda Carter – star of the Wonder Woman TV show – is Mexican?!?). If you are already feeling overwhelmed with nerd-o neuroses because you don’t know what to watch, no need to worry. Here’s my Top Picks of Latino films at this year’s DOC NYC.
Searching For Sugar Man
In the late ‘60s, the Detroit singer known as Rodriguez was considered a Chicano Bob Dylan by his producers. His album “Cold Fact” never took off in the U.S., but unbeknownst to him it became massive hit in apartheid-era South Africa. Decades later, amidst rumors of Rodriguez’s suicide, dedicated South African fans search to learn what happened to their hero. This unforgettable film chronicles their quest and its extraordinary outcome.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS: First, it played Sundance and won a ton of awards. Second, we already told you that this movie is awesome when it played in theaters this past summer. In case you missed it, here’s another chance to see it. Don’t blow it this time!
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WONDER WOMEN! The Untold Story of American Superheroines
Expected to Attend: Director Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, Producer Kelcey Edwards present for a Q&A
Tracing the fascinating origins, evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman, this lively documentary takes you from the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the blockbusters of today. A look behind the scenes with Lynda Carter (TV’s Wonder Woman), Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman), comic book writers and artists, and real life superheroines such as Gloria Steinem, Kathleen Hanna and others, this film offers an enlightening and entertaining counterpoint to the male-dominated superhero genre.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS: It’s fun, informative, nerdy, and totally cool all at the same time.
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Shenandoah
Expected to Attend: Director David Turnley present for a Q&A
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, is a coal mining town with a proud immigrant heritage, once pivotal in fueling America’s industrial revolution. Now the town is on the skids, struggling to retain its identity, soul, and values—all of which were dramatically challenged when four of the town’s white, high-school football stars were charged in the beating death of an undocumented Mexican immigrant named Luis Ramirez. Pulitzer Prize-winner David Turnley creates a deeply felt portrait of a working-class community on trial.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS: It’s a story that was all over the news in sound bytes but that really can only be fully developed in a feature-length film. Plus, it’s a world premiere.
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Gypsy Davy
Expected to Attend: Director Rachel Leah Jones, Martin Jones present for a Q&A
How did a blond Californian with Alabama roots become a Spanish Flamenco guitarist in Andalucian boots? Gypsy Davy tells the story of David Jones, a.k.a. “David Serva”— of Counting Crows “Mr. Jones” fame. We hear from the perspective of five women in his life and his five children—including the director.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS: The director made this film about her dad after being estranged from him for years. Besides the joy of watching awkward family interactions, you get to find out the real origin of the song “Mr. Jones.”
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The Imposter
Expected to Attend: Director Bart Layton present for a Q&A
Unforgettable, chilling and emotional, The Imposter tells the gripping true story of a Texan boy who went missing in 1994 and was miraculously found three and a half years later thousands of miles away in southern Spain. Despite glaring inconsistencies in his physical appearance, the boy’s family brought their long-lost “son” home to restart his life in Texas. Questions soon arose: how could the Barclay’s blonde, blue-eyed son have returned with darker skin and eyes? How could his personality and even accent have changed so dramatically? Truth soon proves stranger than fiction as the real story emerges.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS: I’m not sure if this movie is real life, scripted reality, or totally fake. But, I’ve watched the trailer about five times in a row. If the movie is half as compelling as the trailer, it’s gonna be muy good.
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La Camioneta
Expected to Attend: Director Mark Kendall present for a Q&A
Every day, dozens of decommissioned school buses leave the United States and migrate to Guatemala, where they are repaired, repainted, and resurrected as the brightly-colored camionetas that bring most Guatemalans to work. This lyrical film follows the migration of one American bus as well as the personal stories of five individuals whose lives become intertwined with its transformation. What slowly emerges is a vivid and rich meditation on the universal quest for mobility.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS: If you ever wondered how a school bus gets transformed into a colorfully painted mural on wheels, then check this out. It’s kinda like ‘Pimp My Schoolbus.’
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DOC NYC, New York’s Documentary Festival, takes place Nov. 8 – 15, 2012 at the IFC Center and the SVA Theatre