Following this year’s celebration of documentary filmmaking, Mark Perkins rounds up five of the best from the 30th edition of DocFest…
The Gullspang Miracle
Do whatever it takes to see this remarkable film. If ever a true story could be called stranger-than-fiction, this is it. It begins when two sisters happen upon someone who they are convinced is their older sister, who they were told had taken her own life decades earlier. At this point, the two of them recruit filmmaker Maria Fredriksson to help unravel what on earth is going on. What follows is a strange, often hilarious family drama. There is true crime, deception and loss, with a narrative that never once goes in the direction in which it seems to be heading.
20 Days In Mariupol
Ukrainian filmmaker and journalist Mstyslav Chernov joined us live from Ukraine at the start of this film, reporting from the war zone, wearing body armour, to urge us to spread the word about the contents of this film. That in itself was remarkable, and what followed was not an easy film to watch. Several people in the audience felt they had to leave. One fainted. Quite simply, it shows the brutal, barbaric and senseless siege and invasion of the city of Mariupol, filmed by a crew who refused to leave with all the other journalists. Sheltering in a hospital, with no idea if they will survive, they continue to film, hoping their witness to this war atrocity will be seen by the world.
Your Fat Friend
A worthy Audience Prize winner, Jeanie Finlay filmed writer Aubrey Gordon over six years as she finally revealed herself publicly after writing and posting essays about fatness, hate and discrimination directed toward fat people. It is a masterclass in gentle documentary storytelling, which charms and seduces us throughout the film.
The Greatest Show Never Made
We only got to see part one of this three-part Prime documentary, but I am desperate to see more. In 2002, reality TV was relatively new and incredibly popular. Six young people were recruited to take part in a reality TV show, with £100,000 on offer as the prize. They left jobs, homes and partners, and travelled to film the show, without knowing that it was all a hoax. The show didn’t exist. The participants are still searching for answers, and we can only guess at the reluctance they must have felt to agree to become involved in Ashley Francis-Roy’s film, after being so hurt and deceived previously. What really happened we can only guess for now, until the remaining episodes are streamed on Prime.
The Greatest Show Never Made
Hummingbirds
This was the first film I saw at this year’s DocFest, and it remained a firm favourite throughout. Two friends hang out over one summer in the border town of Laredo, Texas. They talk as the weeks and months ahead seem aimless and uncertain. In terms of a story, that’s pretty much it. But over the course of the film, we learn about their lives, their fears, their immigration and right-to-work status, sexuality, gender identity – in short, everything that shapes their lives. The film slowly becomes a testament to the power of friendship and the uncertainty of youth.
Hummingbirds Q&A
Click here to read about Mark’s full review of DocFest
