DocuWeeks LA 2009

Floods, drought, climate change, even war are all directly related to the way we are treating dirt. DIRT! The Movie--directed and produced by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow-- tells the story of Earth's most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility--from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation. Made from the same elements as the stars, plants and animals, and us, "dirt is very much alive." DIRT! the Movie--narrated by Jaime Lee Curtis--brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact that the soil has. It shares the stories of experts from all over the world (Majora Carter, Waangari Mathai, Vandana Shiva & many more) who are able to harness the beauty and power of a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship with soil. DIRT the Movie is a call to action. What we've destroyed, we can heal.

The civil war in Congo has claimed the lives of five million people. Far from Gone is an intimate portrayal of two Congolese refugees from that war, Stephen and Boniface, who found themselves in a desolate refugee camp in Zambia after narrowly escaping from their war-torn country. For three years they were neighbors and radical preachers at their local church until Stephen was offered a new life in Europe. Far from Gone is not only a story about the breakup of a profound friendship but a rare insight into the reality facing modern-day refugees. Please note: FAR FROM GONE screens as part of Shorts Program 1 with SALT. Tickets purchased grant admission to the entire shorts program for the date indicated on the ticket.

'Garbage Dreams' is a moving story of young men searching for ways to eke out a living for their family and facing tough choices as they try to do the right thing for the planet" --AL GORE. Filmed over four years, "Garbage Dreams" follows three teenage boys born into the trash trade and growing up in the world's largest garbage village, on the outskirts of Cairo. It is the home to 60,000 Zaballeen, Arabic for "garbage people." Far ahead of any modern "Green" initiatives, the Zaballeen survive by recycling 80 percent of the garbage they collect. Face to face with an uncertain future amidst encroaching multinational corporations who seek to modernize their trade, each of the teenage boys is forced to make choices that will impact his future and the survival of his community.

Hunting Down Memory is a true story about Øyvind Aamodt, who suddenly loses 27 years of his memory. For most people, this would be a dreadful experience, an ominous and frightening event in their life. For Øyvind, it is an adventure. He is neither traumatized nor paralyzed; he is just curious. At the age of 27, he has to start learning how the world functions. He experiences the world with the consciousness of a child, is confronted with various prejudices, and must build a new identity.

Ingelore Herz Honigstein is a deaf Jewish woman born in Germany. She says her first word at age 6 and completes her first sentence at 12. She offers a unique prospective to the events leading to the Holocaust and her escape to America. Her story includes a brutal rape by Nazi cadets, a kind NYC doctor who performs an illegal abortion in 1940 and her lessons of personal freedom. Please note: INGELORE screens as part of Shorts Program 2 with SOLITARY LIFE OF CRANES and POINT OF ENTRY. Tickets purchased grant admission to the entire shorts program for the date indicated on the ticket.

Kimjongilia follows several North Korean defectors as they tell their astonishing stories of starvation, persecution and escape from the world's worst human rights violator, the so-called Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The kimjongilia is a flower that was bred to celebrate North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's 46th birthday, and is said to represent love, peace, justice and wisdom. Children sent to prison for alleged crimes of their grandfathers; refugees caught in China and deported back to North Korea for imprisonment and torture; relentless famine: These testimonies give lie to the lofty propaganda of Kim Jong Il's regime.

For the first time in its history, a film crew has been allowed access to the field operations of the world largest medical NGO—Doctors Without Borders. Filmed in the war zones of Liberia and Congo, Living in Emergency follows four volunteer doctors as they struggle to provide emergency care in extreme conditions. Amidst the chaos, each volunteer must confront the severe challenges of the work, the tough choices and the limits of their own idealism.

This is a film about family and the American Dream. Carlos illegally crossed the border when he was only 15 years old, leaving his family and loved ones behind. Now at the age of 30, he continues to help his family back home in Mexico as well as his new family here in America. Raising two children, both born in America, with his wife , who is also an illegal, Carlos struggles with a stagnant economy and a family in Mexico that still hopes that Carlos will someday return to them. This film looks to delve beyond the politics of illegal immigration and focus on the bonds of family. Please note: POINT OF ENTRY screens as part of Shorts Program 2 with SOLITARY LIFE OF CRANES and INGELORE. Tickets purchased grant admission to the entire shorts program for the date indicated on the ticket.

Racing Dreams is a vérité documentary film following the lives of three young racers as they compete in the World Karting Association’s National Pavement Series. Clocking speeds up to 70 mph, Brandon Warren (13), Josh Hobson (12) and Annabeth Barnes (11) chase the National Champion title--and take one step closer toward their dream of someday racing in NASCAR.