Documentary at SXSW Part One

Posted by Robert Samardick on March 12, 2009 under Documentary, Film Festival | Comments are off for this article

Here’s a look at some of the documentaries premiering at South By Southwest Film Festival. Also, one of them is online so be sure to check it out if you’re not making the trip to Austin.

GARBAGE DREAMS

Three teenage boys living in Cairo have Garbage Dreams. Born into the trash collection business, the boys and their families make a living off of other people’s waste. When foreigners are brought in to clean up Cairo’s garbage, they fight to keep their business from being outsourced. WATCH IT ONLINE FOR FREE!

45365

45365 is a documentary about that area code, a intimate look into small town Sydney Ohio. The film covers broad events like a mayor going for re-election, a town fair and the goings on of a barber shop. It also gets more personal and looks at the relationship between a father and a son, a young couple and a man awaiting a jail sentence. The film seeks to capture the essence of this place, a modern look at small town America.

MINE

The millions of pets left homeless after Hurricane Katrina were not forgotten. MINE is the story of the personal guardians, rescue workers and adoptive parents who fought to protect the victims without a voice. The film also looks at a custody battle over a dog, arousing questions as to who has the rightful ownership to a pet when the owner lives in poverty. 

SEVERE CLEAR

No Reporters. No Politics. No Censors. These are the factors that separate Severe Clear from the slew of Iraq War docs being made today. Shot on a handheld camcorder by First Leuintanant Mike Scotti, it’s a first person historical account of the troops serving on the front line during the seizure of Baghdad. Never intended to be a film, Scotti’s footage captures the most realistic vision of what it means to be a US soldier in Iraq.