I would be lying if I didn’t admit that today has been long and emotional! As you know, I enjoy a good cry and I have already shed my fair amount of tears at this years Sheffield Documentary Film Festival. The day’s viewing experience has taken me all over the globe from the likes of Mexico to The Philippines, to China and Brazil. Each documentary has been an eye-opening experience exploring the world beyond the headlines.
The first film was ”Soleils Noirs” (Dark Suns) by Julien Elie who was present for a live Q&A session after the film. ”Dark Suns” is an epic investigation into countless murders in Mexico. The film is presented in six chapters, an unfolds methodically through unsettling testimonials, which help portray a country struggle to cope with the on-going drug war and the hundreds (if not thousands) of cases of missing people. Shot in black and white photography and 1:33 aspect ratio, ”Dark Suns” helps to show another side to Mexico and give a voice to those who have lost their loved ones. A very powerful documentary that tells a very important side to the story, and shows how deeply affected this country is by the drug cartel and corruption in the government.
From one corrupt government to the next. ”On the President’s Orders” (directed by James Jones and Olivier Sarbil) focuses on President Duterte’s bloody campaign against drug dealers and addicts in the Philippines. The filmmakers were able to get unprecedented and intimate access to both sides of the war, by following the Manila police, and an ordinary family from the slum affected by the clamp-down on drugs. The film is very much shot like a political thriller, but this is pure fact rather than glamourized Hollywood fiction, which makes it even more disturbing and hard-hitting. The documentary shows what happens when we give too much power to those in charge and how the situation in the Philippines is less about drugs and more to do with two classes at war with each other.
Moving onto a slightly lighter film. ”Queen of Lapa” is a fly-on-the-wall documentary from filmmaking husband and wife duo Theodore Collatos, Carolina Monnerat. It follows the larger-than-life actress, cabaret performer, activist, and proud sex professional since the age of eleven, Luana Muniz. She is considered one of Brazil’s most famous transgender personalities, after appearing on TV. Luana help to shape a new reality in her hostel by providing a safe working environment for generations of young transgendered girls in the neighborhood of Lapa in Rio de Janeiro.
”Queen of Lapa” explores the women’s everyday lives, detailing their search for love and the housemate rivalries, all under matriarch Muniz’s guidance. This was a very amusing film, but the subjects were all treated with respect and allowed to talk for themselves. Certainly, it would be a joy to have a follow-up feature on these women who all shined.
The last film I managed to catch today was ”One Child Nation” directed by Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang. After becoming a mother, Nanfu decided to uncover the untold history of China’s one-child policy and the generations of parents and children forever shaped by this social experiment. What she found was a deeply troubling truth about the adoption program by Westerns, who were told that the babies they were adopting were orphans where in fact the babies had been abandoned by their families. The filmmakers also discover how women were forced to have abortions and to become sterilized as part of the ‘one-child policy’.
Certainly a very powerful documentary, ”One Child Nation” is one that I strongly urge people to seek out. This has been a great day, but I was glad that I brought plenty of tissues with me! There will be full reviews on all the films mentioned here and more to come!
