DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS - 4
Another varied collection of short docs, including one narrated by Werner Herzog and a beautifully animated Oscar-nomiated short about China.
Saving Face by Junge & Obaid-Chinoy (2012) (USA/Pak) (40m)
Saving Face by Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary in 2012. It explores the many acid attacks in Pakistan, where each year hundreds of people - mostly women - have acid thrown in their face. Saving Face follows the story of several of these survivors, their fight for justice, and a Pakistani plastic surgeon who has returned to help them restore their faces and their lives. Get ready to cry!
Isle of Flowers by Jorge Furtado (1990) (Brazil) (13m)
Isle Of Flowers (Ilha das Flores) by Jorge Furtado is an acerbic look at the state of humanity and, although the focus is slightly different, it has a similar feel to the BAFTA-winning French short, Majorettes In Space. Furtado is a well-known writer/director in Brazil and recently made the multi-award winning slum-based feature length comedy, Saneamento Básico, O Filme (Sanitation, The Movie)
Peter And Ben by Pinny Grylls (2007) (10m)
Peter and Ben is a lovely, low-key documentary about a hermit (the eponymous Peter) who has hidden himself away in the Welsh countryside only to end up living with a sheep (the eponymous Ben). I find it intriguing how much like a dog a sheep will act if given the chance - so the next time you omnivores out there tuck into a lamb chop please spare a thought for Ben and how sentient an aminal he is!
Sunrise Over Tiananmen Sq. by Shui-Bo Wang ('98) (Can) (30m)
This is a visual autobiography of an artist who grew up in China during the upheavals of the late 20th century. A film from Canada, it is not surprising that it mixes animation with real life photos to present a narrative on the Cultural Revolution. For Shui-Bo Wang and his generation, the bloody scenes at Tiananmen Square were a symbol of the new China. This short, animated documentary traces Shui-Bo's roots and his own journey as he searches for the truth.
