screen shot may 13-18
joycity’s premiere documentary film festival
Editor-in-Chief / Publisher Joy Ogunmuyiwa, Pop Mart Media
joyo@self-titledmag.com
Art Director / Deputy Editor Joy Ogunmuyiwa (M.R.S.)
another@self-titledmag.com Managing Editor Joy Ogunmuyiwa
andyetanother@self-titledmag.com Staff Photographer Joy Ogunmuyiwa
Advertising, Submissions & Other Inquiries Joy Ogunmuyiwa / self-titled 631 Metro Ave. #1 Brooklyn, NY 11211 123-555-3983
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Cover photography Isa Parez
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BUY TICKETS. Tickets are available from the SCREENSHOT website: www.screenshot.com May 13-21, $12 Session tickets can be bought at the door but are subject to availability. Take advantage of the discounts available to Screenshot Festival ticket holders at our website’s recommended places to eat and drink!
* B al dwi n A u di t o ri um 345 Fo rd ham C ret St . Jo yci t y , I l
* a l l d i r e ct o r t a l ks a n d d i s c us si o n s w i l l b e h el d h er e
welcome to SCREEN
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f r o m t h e e d i t o r. “Our reality is always changing. In order to represent it our modes of capture have too.”
shortcut. Don’t have time to catch all the films playing at the festival? Check out a quick list of must sees!*
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“talk is cheap!” Our writers interview Morgan Spurlock, director of Supersize Me, on how documentaries are evolving
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NSHOT film festival.
Scene from “The Colours of Spring: A documentary on Holi�. May 15.
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our critic staff picks Our staff picks out their favorites from the SCREENSHOT documentary line-up.
s tr ee t b ea t Find out what out what other fest-goers are talking about when we ask them on the street!
*visit our website for a complete calendar
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from the editor …
Now in our tenth year, SCREENSHOT is well and truly established on the festival calendar as Chicago’s one-stop event for all things documentary.
editors
We are delighted this year by our fascinating theme, ‘the human condition’, and by our line-up which includes films and filmmakers at the climax of their creativity such as ’Donor Unknown’ by Jerry Rothwell and Hilary Durman— and powerful films of our past such as Frederick Wiseman’s ‘Titicut Follies’. We chose this simple theme because we are of the belief that there are times in each of our lives where we must play the tourist. Whether our lack of experience dictates it or our outward appearance commands it, we will at one point find ourselves as an outsider looking in, trying to understand, all the while trying to be understood in return. I believe that this challenge is faced head-on in all of the films that we have selected. This year SCREENSHOT is the home of powerful glimpses of the human condition, both young and old, from filmmakers that broke ground in their craft. Our reality is always changing. In order to represent it our modes of capture have too. We hope you enjoy the five days in Joycity as much as we will, and that you grab the opportunity to speak to the directors and producers on hand at the many discussions being held over the weekend. Help make SCREENSHOT one of the most exciting weekends in the world of documentaries. Enjoy!
joy ogunmuyiwa
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words from our editor “documentaries that have earned a spot on my must-see list”
Titicut Follies, May 13
inmates of Bridgewater State Hospital for the crimia Massachusetts Correctional Institution.
he Future of Food*, May 19
an in-depth look into the troubling truth behind patented, genetically engineered foods that ed our grocery stores.
nutes that Changed America, May 14
icts, in real time, the 9/11 attacks primarily using otage from mostly amateur citizen journalists. * requires ticket for entry
“s hort cut”
d o n ’ t h a v e t i me t o w a t c h e v e r y t h i n g ? h e r e ’ s a q u i c k l i s t of t he m u s t - se e s a t J o y c i t y
IN THE END is a beautiful and profound film about medical technology, end of life decision-making, death and dying, and the importance of advanced care planning. It follows the journey of patients, their families and their doctor dealing with a modern-day dilemma of our own making. May 13
THE MAGIC LIFE is a documentary that chronicles three aspiring magicians trying to turn their passion into a career. May 15
SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN is a new film that attempts to find the true story behind the mysterious career of American singersongwriter Rodriguez. May 14
MARLEY is a powerful new documentary on the life, music, and legacy of Bob Marley. May 18
proud sponsor of
SCREENSHOT film fest.
s i k l ta p! a e h c
By J
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Morga n Spur way of lock talks viewing about docum the “new ” entarie s
First things first, what do you mean when you talk about a “new” way of looking at documentaries?
What is your favorite documentary? I’d say it has to be ‘Gimme Shelter’. It chronicles the last weeks
For the first time in history, you’re seeing documentaries on the
of The Rolling Stones' 1969 US tour and the Altamount Free
big screen, making the type of profits that before was only
Concert. What is fascinating about it is one of the many
reserved for your typical Hollywood blockbusters. You have
cameramen in the film, caught Meredith Hunter's horrifc
these highly successful films like ‘Bowling for Columbine’, ‘An
stabbing on film. To this day it is the most haunting text book
Inconvenient Truth’ and even ‘Inside Job’ that fill out theaters
example of direct cinema.
across America. Documentaries, dare I say it, are sort of “en
Are you working on any new projects?
vogue”. So now, we’re starting to view documentaries in a new light. Rather, than academic, stuffy, educational, we see them as interesting, investigative, revealing. I mean, they’re still educational. They still teach us about things we didn't know before. But the way it’s delivered, both cinematographically and commercially, that has definitely changed.
Right not I am working on a television series rather than a documentary. However, it still follows a documentary format. It’s called ‘A Day in the Life’ and I what I try to do is get the viewer to immerse themselves into the lives of the individuals I follow. It’s very unlike ‘Supersize Me’ in that I play a minimal role in it. I am not on screen, and the series instead takes a fly-on-the-wall
How do you think people view your documentaries?
approach to documenting relatively typical days for its
I would hope they see my films as a way to look deeper into
subjects. Subjects include a professional ballerina, a musician,
the world around us. The only agenda I have when making a
a salesman, a surgeon, etc. I really try to explore all the options
documentary is relaying information—relaying a truth. And I will out there. do anything to do that. I mean in ‘Supersize Me’, I literally put
Any film suggestions for SCREENSHOT fest goers?
my life on the line! [laughs] All of them!
proud sponsor of
SCREENSHOT film fest.
o u r c r i t i c s t a f f p i c k s. . . WAITING FOR SUPERMAN looks in great detail at the disturbing failures of the American public education system by following several students as they strive to be accepted into a charter school. While not exhaustive in its critique, it both consistently inspiring and entertaining. May 13.
DONOR UNKNOWN follows the story of JoEllen Marsh as she goes in search of the sperm donor father she only knows as Donor 150. This film is a is a uniquely modern story that raises intriguing questions about identity, family, fatherhood - and the strange power of genetic connections. May 16
KHUL is a poignant and powerful film that examines how the ancient Egyptian divorce law of khul’ is helping women in modern day Cairo escape from abusive marriages. May 17.
HIGH ON HOPE uses a mix of archive, interview, animation and actual footage of warehouse parties, also known as Acid House, the last British youth movement to threaten the “establishment”. May 15.
sound off:
street beat. “what are you looking for in a documentary film?” “I think a documentary should act like a mirror of society—a reflection.”
“It should tell me something I don’t know. I should learn something.”
“That ‘fly on the wall’ feeling. That is why I’ve always been a fan of direct cinema.” “A documentary should feel like an investigation of the human condition.”
“I don't think a documentary always has to tell a fascinating story. it should just tell any story it in a fascinating way.