This was my Writers Group Column in the Spectrum on October 5, 2011
Wow!! DOCUTAH was a wonderful treat this year. Southern Utah’s International Documentary Film Festival was well organized and presented a broad range of films that showcased the talents and skills of those involved in the creation and production of 100 professional screenings and 30 student films.
After viewing more than twenty of the offerings I was left with feelings of gratitude for those who had the vision to bring this event to this area and for the efforts of the many volunteers who shared that vision and devoted untold hours to selecting films and manning the multiple venues making this experience possible.
The films evoked a spectrum of emotions from intense joy and laughter to great pain and sadness. Some films (a term that seems a bit archaic to me since film is seldom used today) were entertaining while being informative. In The Baton the director communicated the complexity of the process by which someone achieves success as a symphony orchestra conductor by creatively blending graphics and cartoon figures with images of conductors and musicians at work creating wonderful music. One question that stayed with me is “Can you hold sounds in your hands?”
Other films showed the challenges faced by so many less fortunate than us. Some of the images from Generation Kunduz are seared into my memory particularly those of young children with the same aspirations as my own grandchildren but who were born into circumstances where their future is severely limited by war, violence, and lack of freedom. I recall the image of the face and bright eyes of a young 10 to 12 year old boy in Afghanistan spending his days shining shoes for a pittance hoping to get an education and become a productive adult.
Images from Fambul Tok (Family Talk) show villagers in Sierra Leone gathered around a bonfire in the years after the end of the civil war. Family values and a foundation of genuine community concern for others are at the heart of the culture. The rebels literally attacked the culture inflicting unspeakable atrocities and brutalities upon other members of the same village and sometimes even other family members. After the war these resilient people gather around the ritual bonfire, victims and perpetrators facing each other seeking understanding, redemption, forgiveness, and healing.
In addition to the movies, there were opportunities to engage in seminars and meet some of the filmmakers and other artists who created this body of work.
Director Gina Belafonte was at the Coyote Gulch Art Village in Kayenta to present and answer questions about Sing Your Song, a tribute to the work of her father Harry Belafonte with Dr. Martin Luther King and other leaders in the struggle for justice and civil rights. Mr. Belafonte remains involved in humanitarian causes today focusing on the need to reform our prison system.
My experience during the second annual DOCUTAH Festival gave me a much greater appreciation of the value of documentary films and a resolve to join the volunteers next year hopefully screening films and helping in whatever other capacity needed.
Bravo!
