AFI Fest Day 3 – 2 more docs…
After the impressive turnout of Burning Man-ites at the Friday night screening of Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock I thought I should arrive early on Saturday to ensure myself a seat. Saturday’s show didn’t sell out – but looked close to full. Producer Mike Wilson introduced the film saying, “We made the movie for the people that have never gone and probably will never go. So you can have some of the pride that this happens in America.â€
I first became aware of Burning Man in 1994 when one of my friends was talking excitedly about attending. Over the past 5 years I think I’ve seen 4 or 5 documentaries about the annual desert art festival. And really, not a one was that great. So I think it’s safe to say this is the best documentary I have ever seen on the topic, but really, that’s not saying much. However, instead of just focusing on the attendees and their participation in Burning Man, Beyond Black Rock uses clever titles (364 Days Until the Man Burns), followed a few participating artists (David Best creates a new temple for the event every year and then burns it to the ground…whoa) and interviewed the creators and people that make the organization run year round. It does make the film more interesting to people who have never been, and according to Wilson, that’s the point, so it’s good. I guess I am always looking for a human-interest story and this just didn’t quite have it.
I always think it’s interesting what a festival catalog says about a film, what the reader (me) decides that means and then how that compares to actually seeing the film. Screaming Masterpiece (Gargandi Snilld) is a perfect example of how this works. The AFI Quick Guide said, “Iceland is a small country with a huge music scene: from Bjork to Sigur Ros, Mum, Bang Gang, Mugison, Minus and Slowblow, this amazing documentary uncovers a treasure chest of sound that is 1,000 years in the making.†Now having seen the film I think this description is pretty darn great. But, when I was reading the catalog I thought it sounded like a survey of Icelandic music and that if I missed it I wouldn’t be missing much. But, from the first scene of the film I knew I was in for a real treat. It was loud. And the music was amazing. The images were powerful and the sheer love these people have for their music is addictive.
At 88 minutes the film is a bit meandering, according to producer Sigurjon Sighvatsson this is about the 20th version of the film, so chances are more editing will come. The DVD and soundtrack are sure to be fleshed out and will pop up in the states sometime in 2006. Looking forward to it!! In the meantime the soundtrack is available on iTunes.