2012 Documentary of the Chinese dissident was premiered at Sundance this week.

Utah is getting a lot of love from the film world this week, and one piece that caught our attention tells of the struggle of Beijing artist Ai Weiwei, who last year was detained for 81 days by the government due to his belief in (and actions of) freely expressing himself.

Ai’s story is depicted as a bold and brash artist who became somewhat cautious after his detention period in 2011. Understandably so, from some of the footage and reports unearthed; the dark edginess to the film is not just for dramatic effect, it is genuine uneasiness that manages to creep into the viewer from the shady goings on. The documentary also chronicles several years leading up to his arrest, from his childhood in Beijing, to his blossoming years in New York, to his high profile work and his growing politically-charged comments and works.

Director Alison Klayman, who lived in China from 2006 to 2010 working as a freelance journalist, says she made Never Sorry wanting to “record what happens when someone makes the choice to speak openly and provocatively and face down the consequences”, and that is exactly what Ai Weiwei has done. Crossing the line from popular artist into social activist sees him shy away from post-detention interviews, and choose his appearances wisely (Ai did not attend the premiere screening at Sundance).

Although you’re going to have to wait a little while to see the film in full, you can check out the teaser preview below.

Director / Producer & Cinematographer: Alison Klayman
Executive Producers: Julie Goldman, Andrew Cohen, Karl Katz
Contributing Producer: Colin Jones
Producer: Adam Schlesinger
Editor: Jen Fineran
Music: Illan Isakov

This video was produced by independent filmmakers supported in part by the nonprofit Sundance Institute.

For more information, head to aiweiweineversorry.com/

by Lee Jarvis.

The British music legends team up with visual collaborator Adam Smith to create a unique perspective on a live show.

On 26th January, The Chemical Brothers will start an exclusive screening of ‘Don’t Think’, their live concert film piece directed by Smith. The screenings will happen at 20 cities around the word, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Toronto. After the January screenings, a wider release will follow on February 1st.

The film was recorded at Japan’s Fuji Rock festival, back in July 2011, at which the Chems performed one of their infamous live sets. Smith used 20 different camera angles to create a piece from the perspective of the crowd. “After 18 years of working on the Chemical Brothers live show we have finally captured it on film. I wanted to capture what it is like to experience the show from right in the middle of the crowd as well as showing and combining the visuals featured in the show with the footage we captured on this one night, to see how the music and visuals emotionally affect and connect with the audience.”

‘Don’t Think’ consists of the entire headline set of The Chemical Brother’s performance in Dolby 7:1 surround sound, probably the first concert to be recorded and mixed for the big screen with such technology. The official trailer looks pretty epic, and you can watch the it here…

For more info, check out http://www.dontthinkmovie.com/

by Lee Jarvis.

Interviews with illuminating storytellers on the nature of creativity.

We take great joy in spreading the work of our members; one such recent discovery is from Media Match member Steven Fischer. Steven Fischer is a two-time Emmy nominated writer/producer whose live action and animated work includes scripted narratives, documentaries, industrials, and TV programs for Nextel, Maryland Public Television/PBS, TV Asia, AmeriCorps, and National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. He has taught storytelling at the college level and spoken nationally on creativity at Script DC, St. Thomas University, American University, Hollywood Shorts, Maryland Film Festival, Show off Your Shorts Film Fest, University of Maryland Baltimore County, and The Creative Alliance.

In 2011, Snag Films released ‘Old School, New School‘, a piece by Fischer featuring conversations with six-time Oscar nominee William Fraker, actor Brian Cox, jazz legend McCoy Tyner and Tony Award winner Emanuel Azenberg among others. A prime discussion piece for filmmakers and creative souls everywhere, ‘Old School, New School‘ is an intriguing blend of psychological topics, touching on how someone can realize their full creative potential, what kinds of environmental influences may provoke or restrict their creativity, the affects that risk has on a person’s creative progression, the fears and justifications of taking risks.

The film itself was made because Fischer wanted to learn about his own creativity and how he can become a better storyteller. It led the filmmaker on a journey to search for answers. He explained to Snag Films in a recent interview, “I made a documentary asking the question how can an artist grow creatively, because I want to know. It’s an extension of many conversations over many coffees I’ve had with artist-friends and mentors. We’d get together in a café and talk about life and art and philosophy, why things happen the way they do, why people are the way they are, and, of course, how we could achieve our dreams.”

You can watch the intro to the documentary below, and click further to watch the full 33 minutes, courtesy of Snag Films.

Written and Directed by: Steven Fischer
Producers: Steven Fischer, Diane Leigh Davison
Directors of Photography: Chris Cassidy, Phil Rosensteel, Scott Uhlfelder


by Lee Jarvis.

It’s that time of year again… Sundance Film Festival.

Each year the Sundance Film Festival selects 200 films for exhibition from more than 9,000 submissions. More than 50,000 people attend screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah. In addition to discovering filmmaking’s newest talent through the Festival’s program of documentary, dramatic, and short films, Festivalgoers experience live music performances, panel discussions with leading filmmakers and industry figures, cutting-edge media installations, parties celebrating the Festival community, and more.

If you’ve not already bought, here’s a link for tickets.

And the good Sundance people have also laid out a Survival Guide to the 2010 festival.

Can’t attend? Time magazine explain how to “Couch-Surf” the event.

More info – Sundance Film Festival.

Lee Jarvis.

I recently came across this teaser video by a chap named Liam Leahy, and found discovered that it is part of an online fundraising competition of sorts, emphasising creative fundraising ideas and other unique forms of charity donation. The proposal is that upon receiving funding, the filmakers will be able to continue with The 5th Tower, and also, profit and fundraising from the finished film will directly benefit the subjects and their community.

Life in Rome’s Gypsy camp “Tor di Quinto” (The 5th Tower) is a balance of independence from broader society, and survival. A universe of its own, and in the camp only family is the measure of wealth…and heritage is the fabric of identity.

Sisters Maria & Silvana Gorgevic have chosen very different paths. Maria, a mother of 6 (and minding 2 of her brothers daughters) is an amazingly articulate former “cat burglar”, now just off 2 years under house arrest (she was confined to her shack in the first shooting session). Illiterate, and with no formal education, she looks into her future with new found optimism, and a conquering spirit. In February of 2009 she will be free to start fresh, and undergo the quest for “normal” work. Life in the camp is hard, but Maria dreams of making her way into a home with electricity and water someday.

I thought it was a great video, and would love to see a full version, so I hoghly recommend that you go to http://www.givemeaning.com/proposal/romadocumentary and Cote for this project to receive further funding and attain completion!

Lee Jarvis.