OK, in the interest of full disclosure let me state categorically: I think banjo genius Béla Fleck is the tops.¹ That said, my mind still would have been blown by Throw Down Your Heart even if it wasn’t Bela Fleck.²

Filmmaker Sascha Paladino has created a delight of a film as he joins his brother Fleck on a trip to Africa to explore the roots of the banjo.³ Their multi-country trip brings Fleck together with many talented musicians and remarkable collaborations result. The energy of the musicians is infectious, the music joyous to behold, and Paladino gives you the experience of being right in the mix.

Following the screening, the audience got an opportunity to hear Fleck play, joined by Cheick Hamala Diabaté, a terrific n’goni player and star in his own right (see photo below). For the second night in a row, SILVERDOCS hits it out of the park.⁴

1. I’m not exaggerating. I had the guy sign my mandolin today. How pathetically fanboy is that?
2. That it is Béla Fleck? Awesome! See footnote one re: my pathetic-ness.
3. I had a chance to hear the two speak at length earlier in the day about the process of making the film, and hopefully I will get a chance to write up those comments soon.
4. Look! A sports analogy! How did that happen? Answer: it’s a baseball analogy. Even I know from baseball.

Am excitedly waiting to go see Stages, a film made by Meerkat Media, a collaborative, non-hierarchical media collective. Am hoping to catch up with one or more of the filmmakers for an interview about their process.

UPDATE: I had to leave after about 45 minutes due to a scheduling conflict, but was really impressed by what I saw and I look forward to seeing the final version. Not only was the rough cut remarkably coherent (remember, collaborative collective!), but it was quite moving. In addition, the energy and passion of the filmmakers themselves is enough to get me to go see everything they do. I am filled with regret that I wasn’t there for the discussion following the screening.

The festival kicked off last night with a brilliant film by Adrian Wills chronicling the development of an equally brilliant show by Cirque Du Soleil. All Together Now follows Cirque’s development of a show, LOVE, based on and inspired by the music of The Beatles. LOVE’s director, Dominic Champagne, is not only charged with getting this show to the stage, but must also satisfy Paul, Ringo, and the widows of John and George¹.

The drama of All Together Now is rooted in the difficult development and staging of LOVE, but also the interpersonal and creative tension arising from any collaboration that involves the Beatles’ music. Fortunately, Dominic has musical intermediary support by George Martin and his son Giles, who have been jointly charged by Cirque and The Beatles with developing and producing the music for the show while protecting The Beatles’ musical integrity.

While Paul and Ringo seem quite open to letting Cirque have its lead, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison have the tougher task of protecting and interpreting the work of their husbands. The independent and plain-spoken Yoko perhaps has the most obvious criticism of the process in the film, but when Cirque starts to deliver on their own vision, the results are visually and emotionally stunning, to everyone’s apparent satisfaction.

What came through strongly in this film is the playful, joyous and intense creativity of the Cirque company and its directors, and how closely that process resembles the early process of The Beatles. Coupling the backstage peek at Cirque with the appearances of Paul, Ringo, the Martins, Olivia and Yoko, the film pulls on the viewer at many levels and delivers on all its promises.

Following the screening, an all-star panel of the film’s director, Adrian Wills, LOVE’s director Dominic Champagne, Apple Corps’ Jonathan Clyde and MTV’s Bill Flanagan spent a few minutes discussing the process of making the film, the show and the impact of seeing Paul McCartney declare his own amazement at having been a Beatle. Dominic reassured the audience that while it seemed like Yoko and Olivia made it difficult for him, he actually felt very supported in the process and that he didn’t feel as if he had any constraints. This was echoed by Jonathan Clyde, speaking for Apple Corps, who have historically been ferocious and inflexible in protecting The Beatles’ musical legacy and have rarely shown willingness to cede any creative control, but were quite open in this particular case. All parties seemed to feel quite moved by George Harrison’s desire to see this collaboration succeed. In addition, Clyde spoke quite eloquently about Neil Aspinall, close friend of The Beatles and Apple Corps guru, who died only a few months ago.

Warning: once you see this film, you may feel compelled to fly to Vegas and see LOVE in person. brentgarland.com is not responsible for your plane fares, nor your losses at the gaming tables.

* * *

As always, the disclaimer applies: This is a festival to which I have a substantial connection. I have volunteered for the past two years and sat on this year’s Selection Committee. I wrote for the festival catalog and will likely be introducing some of the filmmakers and subjects at the festival. Feel free to adjust for my bias. My blog reportage and opinions, however, do not represent the views of AFI or the SILVERDOCS festival, the Selection Committee, or of any of their staff. No one should construe anything expressed on this site as being endorsed or supported by AFI, SILVERDOCS or anybody other than me.

1. Harrison was the spark for the creation of this show, but did not live to see its beautiful fruition.

When the revolution comes, Brothers and Sisters, the first bastards up against the wall will be those in a Che Guevara t-shirt!

And judging from Chevolution, that will be one long line of people.

Alberto Korda’s photos of Che (and perhaps even more widely known, the stencil/pop art images of Che by artist Jim Fitzpatrick ) are among the most memorable and ubiquitous images of the twentieth century. Chevolution gives us a look at who Che was, what he means to different people, and the complicated history of the use of Korda’s images by artists, activists, politics, and commerce. Even if you are familiar with the life of Che, the story of his image (and the questions the film asks about the meaning of its use) will give you plenty to think about.

* * *

As always, the disclaimer applies: This is a festival to which I have a substantial connection. I have volunteered for the past two years and sat on this year’s Selection Committee. I wrote for the festival catalog and will likely be introducing some of the filmmakers and subjects at the festival. Feel free to adjust for my bias. My blog reportage and opinions, however, do not represent the views of AFI or the SILVERDOCS festival, the Selection Committee, or of any of their staff. No one should construe anything expressed on this site as being endorsed or supported by AFI, SILVERDOCS or anybody other than me.

Werner Herzog brings his unique perspective–and his cameras–to one of the most isolated places on earth, the McMurdo station, Antartica. From the unusual characters who choose to live at the South Pole to the miraculous life in the ocean under the ice (hence the title), Herzog pursues his own idiosyncratic interests in Encounters at the End of the World.

Herzog’s questions lead to cinematic meditations on human extinction, on community and isolation, and on the wonders of the natural world–all with images that amaze, amuse, and inform. Simply stunning, this film is work from a master filmmaker and was a privilege to watch.

* * *

As always, the disclaimer applies: This is a festival to which I have a substantial connection. I have volunteered for the past two years and sat on this year’s Selection Committee. I wrote for the festival catalog and will likely be introducing some of the filmmakers and subjects at the festival. Feel free to adjust for my bias. My blog reportage and opinions, however, do not represent the views of AFI or the SILVERDOCS festival, the Selection Committee, or of any of their staff. No one should construe anything expressed on this site as being endorsed or supported by AFI, SILVERDOCS or anybody other than me.