Congratulations Mark Claywell, director of American Jihadist, winner of the Charleston International Film Festival Jury Award for Best Documentary.

 
Isa Abdullah Ali, the American Jihadist

American Jihadist is an independent film which takes the viewer into the turbulent yet thoughtful mind of an American-born militant jihadist. Clevin Holt, aka Isa Abdullah Ali, is especially fascinating to watch because he grew up in a ghetto of Washington D.C. He is one of us! It was here in America that he was first subjected to racism, bigotry and violence. It was here that he first learned the ugly lessons of extreme aggression.

Don't assume you know this man. Don't make any assumptions. Watch the trailer. See the film.  

http://www.americanjihadist.com/

The film is now available at Amazon

Charleston International Film Festival

It's the 4th year of the Charleston International Film Festival and the films keep getting better, especially the documentaries.
(Full disclosure - my doc Tap Out is playing at the festival on Saturday, May 21 at 5:00 p.m. at the American Theater and I'm also a jurist. And, Tap Out is not up for an award for that reason!) 

I recommend American Jihadist directed by Mark Claywell for an unusual glimpse into the mind of Isa Abdullah Ali,

an African-American Muslim from Washington, DC.  The U.S. Defense Department refers to him as "a known terrorist," but has not charged him with any crime. A fascinating doc. It's plays on Sunday, May 21 at 3:00 at Cinebarre in Mt. Pleasant.

I also was very impressed by The Price of Sex. 

A terribly sad, but important film about poor East European women sold into the sex trade in Turkey and Dubai. Bulgarian journalist Mimi Chakarova offers some surprising commentary on the demise of the Communist Soviet Bloc and present day sex trafficking. Check it out. Unfortunately, it's playing at the same time as the American Jihadist at Cinebarre in Mt. Pleasant. That's Sunday the 21st. So you will have to choose between two excellent documentaries. Either way, you will not be disappointed. 

 There is a very short doc from Pistil Films that I truly liked. It's called Diddley Bow, and is directed by Jade Sullivan.  Jade is a young documentary filmmaker living in Charleston, and a diddley bow, as I learned thanks to Jade, is a simple, easy-to-construct, stringed instrument played with a slide. It's made with found things, can, figurines - simply brilliant.  Nice work, Jade!

SOLD OUT!

What I Meant to Tell You 
Writer/Director: Ethan Dufault

(2010) 57 min.
If you have a ticket, lucky you. If not, find another way to see this story of poetry and defiance. 

Peter Kane Dufault is a contentious, political activist and poet who has been attacked for his political views in  the U.S. This is not the case in Great Britain where he is widely respected and read. 

"His embattled status as a poet and a political activist is part of his strength,” says son and director,Ethan Dufault. "He's refused to play the game, but his life has not been an easy one,” said Ethan Dufault. 

If you do nothing else, watch the trailer on the film's facebook page. 

www.facebook.com/pages/What-I-Meant-To-Tell-You-An-American-Poets-State-of-the-Union/201071033267448 

INSIDE JOB wins the Oscar

First things first, look at the film trailer!

It does two things. It makes you want to see the documentary and it makes you mad. In his acceptance speech, Charles Ferguson, the director, reminded the audiences that no one has gone to jail yet. Truly Maddening.
INSIDE JOB exposes the truth behind the global financial meltdown of 2008 that cost millions of people to lose their homes and jobs.
Director's statement:
It was a completely avoidable crisis; indeed for 40 years after the reforms following the Great Depression, the United States did not have a single financial crisis. However, the progressive deregulation of the financial sector since the 1980s gave rise to an increasingly criminal industry, whose “innovations” have produced a succession of financial crises.
Through extensive research and interviews with major financial insiders, politicians and journalists, INSIDEJOB traces the rise of a rogue industry and unveils the corrosive relationships which have corrupted politics, regulation and academia.


Narrated by Matt Damon.

The Oscars - February 27, 2011

When the 83rd Academy Awards takes place on February 27th with much glitz and glam as always, we at DocuDiary, meaning me, turn our attention to the Documentary Features category from a far less glamorous location. The shoes we wear here, when we wear shoes at all, are far more comfortable than the ones you will see on the red carpet.

This year, the nominees for BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE are:

“Exit through the Gift Shop” - Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz

The mysterious street artist known as Banksy makes a film about a filmmaker making a film about Banksy. 
trailer 

“Gasland” - Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic

Filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to sell the natural gas rights on his property, and decides to see what it entails. The photo of the man setting his tap water on fire says it all. 
trailer 

“Inside Job” - Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

The global economic crisis is over. Those responsible are still in power, many still obscenely rich. 
Trailer

“Restrepo” - Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger

The lives of soldiers of the 173rd Airborne in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. 
trailer 

“Waste Land” Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Artist, Vik Muniz, who uses trash to create art, travels to Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill, to photograph the people who make a living scavenging the mountains of garbage. 
trailer 

Let me know who you think will take home the Oscar. Vote only once; shoes not required.