David Modigliani’s Crawford is a feature-length doc about a small town in Texas that is turned upside down by George W Bush’s politically-motivated decision to move there. A baffling choice, at first, you’d think – until we learn that Bush wants a bit of the town to rub off on his newly-announced presidential campaign. Bush needs us to see him as a more folksy, down- to-earth character and Crawford, he’s hoping, will give him all that. But what does he give the resident population? For some, his asso- ciation with their hometown is a massive boom and especially good for tourism. For others, his living there creates big problems. Bush’s war in Iraq is splitting the residents into patriots and traitors and soon, this once-sleepy town is the scene of much unrest. Modigliani moves swiftly from character to character, and gives us an insight into both sides of the left/right divide. We meet protesting students, willful teachers and CRAWFORD scarily Republican pastors. One of the most explosive elements in the film WEDNESDAY 8 OCTOBER AT 5PM is the sentiment stirred up by anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, who lost Country USA Running Time 73 mins Format HDV SCREENING SPONSOR her son who had been stationed in Iraq during the ‘war against terror’. And Director/Producer David Modigliani DoP Cary McClelland Print Source David Modigliani E [email protected] it is on this terrain that director Modigliani really excels, by being careful Playing with Looking up Dresses 12 mins to treat all his interviewees with respect and not taking the all-too-easy option of ridiculing those with (seemingly) reactionary points of view. GB Nicola Collins’ directorial debut explores the violent history of her father, infamous criminal Les ‘I thought I was a Robin Hood, everyone else thought I was a robbin’ bastard’ Falco and his friends – renowned in the East End for being amongst some of London’s most notorious gangsters. As she grew up a member of an infamous criminal underworld family, Nicola’s position within the inner circle provided her with unique access to docu- ment their lives. She is a witness to their revelations of a bloody history and extracts confessions from the ‘Old Boys’ in a direct and honest man- ner never seen before. Discovering their ‘code of honour’ she reveals their explanations for their crimes. Despite their violent past, the men emerge as charming, even likeable, abiding by their own strict moral code. Each character is as intriguing as the next, as they air their views on a variety of topics ranging from religious encounters to barred bank accounts and THE END how they ended up in a life of crime while growing up in a poverty-stricken WEDNESDAY 8 OCTOBER AT 7PM & THURSDAY 9 OCTOBER AT 2:30PM East End. Ultimately The End makes for compelling viewing, with its bone- Country USA/UK Running Time 70 mins Format DV Director/Screenplay/DoP Nicola chilling tales of extreme violence contrasted with these apparently good Collins Producer Teena Collins P/S Duckin & Divin Productions E [email protected] humoured men full of humorous anecdotes and displaying profound sad- Playing with Little Whispers 10 mins ness at the loss of the ‘real’ East End. AB Rucker Park is known across the US as the court at which the great bas- ketball players of the next generation make their names known, where great talents meet and play ball, where sponsorship is immaterial. Gunnin’ for That No. 1 Spot follows the chosen young men, all from different walks of life, as they prepare for the stepping stone towards superstardom. Adam Yauch, of the Beastie Boys, litters his doc with interviews with the young players, their relatives and an array of experts whose testimony chal- lenges the idealised view of celebrity and highlights both the advantages and disadvantages of mass media attention. One of the film’s strengths is the likeability of the boys around which it is based including one whose mother passed when he was young and inspired him to dedicate himself to his passion, was asked who his favorite basketball player in the entire world, NBA included. He responded, completely earnest, ‘My brother’. GUNNIN’ FOR THAT NO. 1 SPOT Yauch indulges the spectacle of the tricks and skills done by the young SATURDAY 4 OCTOBER AT 7:15PM men. When the match is shown it is a exhilarating stunt-fest of cleverly Country USA Running Time 90 mins Director Adam Yauch Producers Jon Doran, Adam accentuated absurdly over-the-top commentary and a whole mess of bril- Yauch DoP Chris Ekstein liant tunes. This is a treat for all. ZB Adam Yauch will be present for a Q&A after the screening. SIXTEENTH RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 71 In 1914, Fritz Haber is Germany’s greatest chemist. His Nobel prize-winning fertilizers have saved the world from mass starvation. But as World War I breaks out across Europe, slaughtering millions of young soldiers, the desperate German military asks Haber to invent an entirely new kind of weapon. Already having sacrificed his Jewish identity and his wife’s career to achieve success, Haber’s decision not only unleashes weapons of mass destruction for the first time in human history, but threatens to destroy his family as well. JG Running With Mum tells the story of how 12,000 citizens of the German town of Darmstadt were burnt to death by British bombs on 11 September, 62 years ago. Accompanied by her filmmaker son, director Martin Greave’s German mother walks the same route and speaks about the catastroph- HABER + RUNNING WITH MUM ic damage caused by the phosphorus bombs. Together they try to piece SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER AT MIDDAY together the exact events of that night, a subject that she has never really Country USA Running Time 34 mins Format 35 mm Director Daniel Ragussis Producers come to terms with. As well as commenting on their patriotism and the jin- Daniel Ragussis, Shannon Factor, Brian Hwang, Chris Spanos DoP Carlos Veron Cast Christian Berkel, Juliane Köhler Print Source Shannon Factor Email [email protected] goistic behaviour that accompanied the Second World War, Running With Country UK RT 53 mins Format HDV Director/Producer Martin Greaves DoP Susi Arnott Mum is also about the relationship between a mother and son. This is an Featuring Aloisia Greaves, Berthold Kopf P/S Martin Greaves Email [email protected] educational, thought provoking and very moving film. GB Many musicians tell of escaping the ghetto, but for most their ghetto is not institutional care. Heavy Load tells the story of a punk band of the same name whose members include some with learning disabilities. Referred to as ‘Lewes answer to The Ramones’, the usual clash of egos and desires of the touring band mix with a world of day centres and social workers. Beginning with playing at disability club nights, the film watches the band break out into the mainstream and record their first album, and pro- duces a comedy of conflict and dreams that never once becomes preachy. The band members’ disabilities are never the focus of the story, but simply another facet of their struggle to ‘make it’. The music itself shows a joy in the pleasure to be had from making a noise, from the frenzied anarchy with which they imbue Kylie’s Can’t Get You Out Of My Head to a punk hymn to Eastenders’ Frank Butcher. HEAVY LOAD The film also deals with the effect of the film itself on the band with what THURSDAY 2 OCTOBER AT 6:30PM were once hidden dreams of fame and fortune rising to the surface and Country UK Running Time 91 mins Format HDV Director Jerry Rothwell Producers All threatening the future of the band. Director Jerry Rothwell, whose previous Morrow, Jonny Persey DoP Stephanie Hardt Print Source MetFilm Email [email protected] Website www.heavyloadthemovie.com work has explored mental illness such as the story of Donald Crowhurst in Deep Water, is not afraid to turn the camera on himself and recognise how his film’s intrusion is itself a part of the documentary. AStJ Michael Wanguhu’s lively documentary celebrates the recent emergence of hip hop culture in Kenya, a nation still emerging from the hangover of British colonial rule. It introduces us to the movers and shakers of the scene, such as the new wave of record producers like Tedd Josiah of Bluezebra records and Steve Ominde of Soul Child records and artists such as Nazizi, Big Mike and DJ John. Originally inspired by the fashions and musical styles of the American scene, Kenyan hip hop has quickly established its own voice, with its artists rapping in both Swahili and English and dealing with topics relevant to their everyday lives. Wanguhu’s camera follows his subjects from their homes in the ghet- toes and suburbs of Nairobi through their producers’ studios all the way up to their live performances in front of thousands of avid fans, giving us a unique access to the broader picture of the culture and society of this HIP HOP COLONY vibrant country than we’re usually afforded. As Tedd Josiah says, ‘Kenya THURSDAY 2 OCTOBER AT 10PM is not just about lions, giraffes and fast-running men.’ Once considered a Country Kenya Running Time 93 mins Format DV-Cam Director/Producer/DoP Michael passing fad, local hip hop artists are now giving their foreign rivals a run for Wanguhu Featuring Bamboo, Harry Kimani, Tedd Josiah Email [email protected] Website www.hiphopcolony.com their money, and are now a phenomenal presence on Kenya’s TV and radio airwaves.