The Brighton Documentary Film Festival
This weekend I spent my Sunday down at SEE: The Brighton Documentary Film Festival. It's my first time there, and wasn't really sure what to expect - it was certainly a smaller, more intimate affair than what I was expecting, and was very, very enjoyable. There was a lot to see (there were two tracks to follow), and I opted to make the most of it and see as many things as possible.
First off was My New Home, a documentary (duh) by Daisy Asquith about 3 children who all come from different countries to live in Britain. In quite an ambitious project she's devoted 5 years to follow them around and see how they cope with living on our lovely island. It makes for fascinating, but slightly uncomfortable viewing, as you see the three kiddies (who are all insanely cute) struggle their way through the first few months. I'm dead interested to see the next part of the documentary, and to see how things pan out. The Q&A was also really interesting, as Daisy gave us some insight into what it was like plodding up and down the country each week to speak to the kids.
The second thing I went to was a panel discussion based around the question 'Can Documentaries Change the World?', which again, was top notch. The panel were generally in agreement that no, they can't really, but it's worth trying. A lot of topics were covered, from how distribution affects the issue, to whether documentarians should even be trying to change the world. A lot of food for thought.
Next up was the screening of my personal favourite piece, Garbage Warrior, which tells the story of maverick architect Michael Reynolds, and his quest to create experimental, off-grid housing. It's a brilliant bit of work, and Michael makes for a really engaging lead character. I'm looking forward to when this gets released, as it's a film well worth watching.
Finally, I checked out South Coast, a piece about the Brighton Hip Hop scene. It was touting the appearance of luminaries such as Fatboy Slim, but it was unfortunately marred by poor quality sound throughout the majority of the film, which you would think would be of the utmost importance in a film about the music scene. Still, it brought a lot of the Brighton scene to life, and I especially enjoyed the bit where they were explaining about how homophobia is strictly not allowed in any of the MC battles.
All in all it was a superb way to spend a Sunday - I'll certainly be going back next year!
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