Father Geek here with the charming Ms Moon Yun Choi, our lovely Islands Editor, annnd she copped a couple of interviews with some of the filmmakers attending the 2005 Cinema Paradise Independent Film Festival out in beautiful Hololulu...
The 2005 Cinema Paradise Independent Film Festival came to a close July 1 but I got to talk to two filmmakers who were on hand to show their films. The first one was a powerful and engaging documentary called FAVELA RISING. Directed by Jeff Zimbalist, the 78-minute film won the Best Documentary Filmmaker Award at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. It was so popular the first night it was shown that it was brought back for a second screening on closing night.
“Favela” is a term for the slum areas in Rio where there is much violence, drug peddling and not much hope. Zimbalist spent two and half years living in the favela filming his documentary, hoping to make a film about inspiration among the danger and neglect.
Zimbalist followed a young drug soldier named Anderson Sa. He witnesses the massacre of 22 innocent Favela citizens in the slum, including his brother. Traumatized by that event, he leaves the drug path not knowing there’s a new one waiting for him. He teaches himself how to play music after he sees the influence music has with his peers. “Armed” with Rio’s traditional music combined with the rhythms of the street, Anderson ignites an urban slum to fight against violent teenage drug outlaws and corrupt police.
As Sa’s influence grows, he gets into a terrible surfing accident that could leave him paralyzed. It was such an inspiring moment to see him walk out of that hospital.
Zimbalist has sold the documentary to HBO and it’ll be shown in February or June of next year. He also says there may be a theatrical release for all of you out there who won’t get a chance to see this film otherwise.
Now here’s my conversation with Zimbalist:
AICN: How did you come upon making this film?
Zimbalist: I was teaching at the New York Film Academy and a student of mine who had a little bit of money was looking for some good projects. I told him my idea of trying to tell stories of communities that work, particularly communities in the Third World in impoverished abandoned areas that are stricken by racism and neglect and trying to go in there and find stories of inspiration amidst the danger. Two weeks later this guy went to a philanthropy conference in Brazil and met Junior (one of the people living in the favela) at the conference. He called me up and said, “Jeff I got the story you told me about…” I had a real good job at the time. He said, “Are you willing to quit your job and come down here and make this film?” I said, “I’ll take your word for it.” I quit my job, bought a bunch of cameras and went down to Brazil.
AICN: How’s Anderson’s condition today?
Zimbalist: Anderson couldn’t be better. He doesn’t surf anymore but he’s become a mean ping-pong player. He’s in good shape. He’s a very optimistic and spirited person.
AICN: Did your film shift focus with Anderson’s accident?
Zimbalist: Initially we went down to make a film about the rich area and the poor area and their dynamic. Once Anderson’s accident happened and he started really coming into his own as this amazing hero character. It was very obvious to us that the friendship we had formed with Anderson was what was going to push the film forward. I let go of the other seven characters and focused on him. What started as a portrait of Rio became a portrait of a hero.
The documentarian is always faced with that decision…tragedy as opportunity for a film. Are you exploiting your character if you go with it? To make the decision really easy, Anderson said in his bed, “I want them to come and film me. This is part of my story.” We knew we had to go forward with his idea.
AICN: What was it like living in the favela for two and a half years?
Zimbalist: It was great. I was super inspired. Every day was a new adventure. Everyday was like a bubble of information to be popped. With access to these new friends that I had it was tapping into a whole world of experience that I otherwise would not have access to.
AICN: What was that like to win at Tribeca?
Zimbalist: It was great. It was like the push that took me out of amateur zone into professional zone. It was definitely the moment where we knew that we had something which was going to be in the running this year as a prominent piece of art. On the one hand for personal reasons it was a moment of great pride and fulfillment and reward for all of the labor that I had invested and the sacrifice that I had invested. On the other hand, it was such a joyous moment for me in terms of understanding the impact and the effect that award and that recognition would have for the AfroReggae movement and for Anderson and for the favelas and even bigger for urban slums across the world.
I hope you get to see this film. It definitely exceeded my expectations.
What tripped me out about the next film, “Riker’s High,” a documentary that takes place inside one of the largest correctional facility in the world, is that there’s a high school, an actual high school that’s part of the New York school system. I could only imagine what it’s like for the teachers who teach there and why they would want to teach in a jail. Maybe to make difference.
It took the director, Victor Buhler, three years to get permission to film inside Rikers. Once he gained access, he spent six months shooting. It houses 15,000 inmates, 2000 of whom are 18-years-old or younger. The 90-minute documentary tells the story of three of those youths. It’ll be shown on Showtime.
At the film’s Q & A, he expressed surprise that the festival wanted to show a film about the worst place in America at Cinema Paradise. “I looked at the schedule and there’s a film about a favela in Brazil and there’s a film about a jail in San Paolo and there’s a film about a Columbian salt mine so you have to maybe go through a little bit of hell to get up to paradise,” said Buhler.
AICN: How did you come upon this topic?
Buhler: I went to NYU. I wanted to do volunteer work teaching video. I looked at the high school web site and I came upon this “Island Academy.” It sounded cool and exotic. (But) there were no statistics. I did more research and found out what it was. It’s actually a New York City school. It’s part of the school system and that fascinated me.
AICN: What was it like filming in Rikers?
Buhler: We went through almost casting a fiction movie. To be honest, I love these three guys but there were about six guys that were really fascinating to me. One was a tougher guy who ran the house. And another guy who has a really interesting family. And another guy who has a kid. These three guys all had something in common which is they had a real talent. It was very evident that if they were in a different situation and different environment their talent would express themselves more fully. You could see that these guys are trapped. These three guys all seem to have that talent (where) you wonder are these guys going to ever apply their talent. Sadly, two of these guys are back in jail.
AICN: What are your thoughts after making the film?
Buhler: I feel I can’t go back to Rikers even though I was only filming there. It’s such a depressing place to spend time there. The idea of going back there is tough. I’d like to follow them in five years time. It’s really a problem for these guys to get caught up in the system and never getting out again. I don’t know how to solve that. I actually know less how to solve that now after making the film. It’s confusing. You expect to solve things when you invest in something but it was like the answer seemed to get further away.
AICN: What are you doing now?
Buhler: I created a TV show for Fox called LONE STAR. It’s like a Dallas meets the OC. Doug Liman, a pretty well known director who did MR. & MRS. SMITH, is directing the pilot episode.
Well, I hope the pilot gets picked up. I’m definitely looking forward to it. So if you don’t get a chance to see these documentaries at any of the film festival circuit, be sure to catch them on HBO and Showtime.
Moon Yun signing out…
moonyunchoi@aintitcoolmail.com
| 
