Perks

To celebrate the release of their latest DVD - Gaea Girls / Shinjuku Boys: Two films by Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams - Second Run are offering two copies to DFG Members.

Renowned for creating extraordinarily intimate portraits of women on the fringes of society, the films of Kim Longinotto tackle controversial topics with sensitivity and compassion. These two award-winning documentaries explore perceptions – and complexities - of female sexuality in modern Japan. 

Shinjuku Boys introduces three 'onnabes' (Japanese women who live as men) who work as hosts at the New Marilyn Club in Tokyo. Following them at home and at work, all three talk frankly about their lives, their families, women and sexuality.

Gaea Girls follows the gruelling training regime of a group of would-be Japanese women wrestlers. Defying perception and convention, these women prove themselves as tough - and as aggressive  - as their male counterparts. Featuring legendary female pro-wrestler superstar Chigusa Nagayo, this is a fascinating insider’s account of this closely guarded universe in a country where women are usually regarded as docile and subservient.

To enter the competition for free copy, email members@dfgdocs.com with the subject 'Second Run DVD' and including your name and postal address by next Friday, 5th February.

In the meantime, read Olivia Humphreys' recent interview with Kim Longinotto here.

Only When I Dance, directed by Beadi Finzi, opens this Friday at the Barbican in London and runs until Thursday 10th December.

It's a classic narrative documentary following two young teenagers, Isabela and Irlan as they strive to realise an extraordinary dream. One girl, one boy; both black and poor, and living in one of the most violent favelas on the outskirts of Rio. Irlan and Isabela both want to dance – to dance ballet and their ambition is to leave Brazil to join one of the great companies in the North. For them, dance is the way out, an escape, and on stage, an ecstasy, that is rarely found in their day to day lives. The question is, can they make it? Only When I Dance follows these two gifted teenagers during the year that will make or break all their future dreams. Find out more here.

DFG has a pair of free tickets to give away for a screening at the film's run at London's Barbican. To enter, simply email members@dfgdocs.com with your preferred screening date and time, and a daytime telephone number, by 1pm on Friday 4th December.

1 July - 31 July
This July the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landings on 20 July 1969 will be remembered by people across the world. This year will also mark the 400 years since the invention of the telescope and happens to be the International Year of Astronomy. To celebrate these cosmic events BFI Southbank is collaborating with the Science Museum in hosting a season of documentaries, feature films, television and artworks focusing on the dream and reality of space travel, the Cold War space race and the American space programme of the 1960s and 1970s.

You can find out more about the season here, or read on for more details of the docs on offer.

DFG Members can purchase tickets at the member price of £7.60 (normally £9) when quoting 'Documentary Filmmakers Group'. NB. This only applies to tickets bought in person at the box office.

PLUS we have three pairs of tickets to give away to three lucky members. Simply email members@dfgdocs.com with your daytime telephone number and your first and second choice screenings by the end of the day on Tuesday 7th July.

One Giant Leap Docs

TV Preview: Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 + Q&A
A fine new TV docu-fiction, Moonshot interweaves cinematic drama with hi-definition NASA footage in presenting glimpses of life behind the scenes in Houston alongside edge-of- your-seat moments in space. We welcome Richard Dale, head of research Dan Parry and (hopefully) cast members for a Q&A.
Dangerous Films for ITV 2009 Dir Richard Dale With Daniel Lapaine, James Marsters, Andrew Lincoln 69min
Fri 3 July 20:45 NFT1

Was the Moon Landing Faked?
In 1961 John F Kennedy gave NASA until the end of the decade to land a man on the moon. Join the discussion, led by esteemed King’s College academics Dr Mark Miodownik, Head of the KCL Materials Research Group and Prof Simon Wessely of the KCL Institute of Psychiatry, could it be that this impossible mission was faked for television?
Sat 18 July 13:00 NFT1 Tickets £5

Moonwalk One
We are delighted to premiere this newly remastered Director’s Cut in high definition. Theo Kamecke’s vision for the film – commissioned by NASA to cover their historic Apollo 11 moonshot – was to create something which would mark the historic, philosophical and epic nature of this greatest of endeavours. We hope to welcome the director for a post-screening Q&A.
USA 1970 Dir Theo Kamecke 110min.
Sun 19 July 18:20

American Experience: Race to the Moon - The Daring Adventure of Apollo 8
We all know about Apollo's 11 and 13, but in 1968 the entire history of the moon programme hinged on the success of Apollo 8. This wonderfully lucid TV doc features the recollections of Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, the former fighter pilots whose determination and bravery united a nation divided, and explores how a bold decision by NASA enabled US astronauts to reach the moon before the Soviet Union could launch its own manned attempt.
Dir Kevin Michael Kertscher, USA 2005, 60min
Fri 24 Jul 20:30

Everyone's Gone To The Moon + Horizon: Beyond The Moon
Everyone's Gone to the Moon
A fascinating documentary looking at the life and training of astronauts in the Houston Manned Spacecraft Centre.

Horizon: Beyond the Moon
Using archive footage, James Burke looks back at the moon landing and discusses the current US space programme.
BBC, 1984, 65 mins
Tue 21 Jul 18:20

First on the Moon
A group of journalists are investigating a highly secret document when they uncover a sensational story: that the first rocket was built in the USSR in 1938 and that Soviet scientists were planning to send a spacecraft to the moon and back. A witty and mostly convincing mock-documentary, Aleksei Fedorchenko's debut feature film has won numerous awards and proves beyond doubt that Russia was the first nation to land a man on the moon.
Dir Aleksei Fedorchenko, Russia 2005, 75 mins

For All Mankind
For All Mankind was released on the 20th anniversary of the first moon landing in 1989. Set to a specially commissioned score by Brian Eno, it purports to show a single moon shot, although it is in fact a collage of NASA material from various missions. Reinert's film won several prizes and was Oscar-nominated in 1990. Of all the works of space fiction that have ever been made only the ground-breaking shorts by Georges Méliès, Woman in the Moon and 2001: A Space Odyssey exert anything like the same artistic, intellectual and emotional hold.
Dir Al Reinert, USA, 80 mins
Sat 18 Jul 20:45
Fri 24 Jul 18:10

In The Shadow of The Moon
The 12 Apollo astronauts who walked on the moon between 1968 and 1972 are the only human beings in history to have stood on another celestial body. With the exception of Neil Armstrong, In the Shadow of the Moon brings together all the surviving moon walkers and allows them to tell their story in their own words. This riveting testimony is interwoven with visually stunning archive material re-mastered from the original NASA footage, and the result is an intimate epic, vividly depicting an extraordinary era in American history.
Dir David Sington, UK 2006, 100 mins
Sun 19 Jul 20:45
Sat 25 Jul 20:30
Thu 30 Jul 17:50

The Planets: Moon + Stranger Than Fiction: The Truth Behind The Moon Landings
The Planets: Moon
A meditation on the bewildering range of theories about the origins of the moon, and a look at a ground-breaking new theory from the United States.
Stranger Than Fiction: The Truth Behind the Moon Landings
A documentary examining the conspiracy theory that the moon landings were in fact staged. Experts from either side of the debate put their view, including conspiracy theorist Bill Kaysing and former aerospace engineer Jay Windley.
Dir Virginia Quinn, 2004, 60 mins
Mon 6 Jul 18:15 NFT2

Race to the Moon: Failure is Not an Option
Wed 22 Jul 18:20 NFT1
DeNooyer's gripping documentary for the History Channel was produced to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the first moon landing and explores how the extraordinary exploits of the astronauts in space were only made possible by the unsung efforts of the mission control engineers on the ground. The film focuses on NASA flight director Gene Krantz and takes the lead from his engaging, behind-the-scenes memoir and New York Times bestseller of the same name.
Dir Rushmore DeNooyer, USA 2005, 90 mins

The Red Stuff
Between 1957 and 1965, the Russians had one success after another in their space programme, including the first artificial satellite, the first living creature in space, the first man in space, the first woman in space and the first space walk. They were streets ahead of their American rivals, but these successes were overshadowed when Neil Armstrong became the first human being to set foot on the moon. The Soviet foil to In the Shadow of the Moon, The Red Stuff is a lyrical and beautifully crafted film that tells the story of the engineers and cosmonauts who led the way in space exploration.
Dir Leo De Boer, Netherlands 2000, 79 mins

The Space Movie
Made at the request of NASA to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Apollo 11 and featuring a commissioned soundtrack by Mike Oldfield, Tony Palmer's groundbreaking documentary features never previously released film footage provided by NASA and the United States National Archive, and audio records of the electrifying conversations between the astronauts and mission control in Houston. The Space Movie went out on ITV at 7.30pm on 20 July 1979 and the Evening Standard critic Alexander Walker described it as the best British film screened at Cannes that year.
Dir Tony Palmer, UK-USA 1979, 80 mins
Tue 28 Jul 18:20
Wed 29 Jul 17:50

The End of the Line is the first major feature documentary film revealing the impact of overfishing on our oceans.

Filmed over two years, we see firsthand the effects of our global love affair with fish as food. The film examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, brought on by increasing western demand for sushi; the impact on marine life resulting in huge overpopulation of jellyfish; and the profound implications of a future world with no fish that would bring certain mass starvation.

DFG has two free tickets two tickets for a preview screening of your choice in any of the UK cinemas screening this film on June 8th - World Oceans Day. To enter, simply email members@dfgdocs.com by 5pm on Wednesday 3rd June with your name, daytime contact number and preferred cinema - for a full list click here.

For more details see www.endoftheline.com

The Intelligent Factual Festival 2009 (IF ’09) takes place at Gibson Hall – near Liverpool Street and Bank, London, EC2 - on the 14th and 15th July. Now in its forth year, IF’09 stands to have the best line up and content to date.

http://www.televisual.com/festival

DFG have negotiated a 10% discount for you lucky members. To claim your discount on one and two day passes simply follow this link and sign up for the festival online. Your discount will be made automatically.

Two Day Pass has been held at £224 (plus VAT) and represents unprecedented value for such a valuable and comprehensive festival in the heart of London. (No lunch bills or hotel bills for most of you, while central London is easy to reach…)  

IF ’09 is a valuable, informed and stimulating two-day festival not to be missed – we look forward to seeing you all there.

Werner Herzog's latest film, Encounters At The End Of The World is released in cinemas on the 24th April.

In this visually stunning exploration, Herzog travels to the Antarctic community of McMurdo Station, headquarters of the National Science Foundation and home to eleven hundred people during the austral summer (Oct-Feb).  Over the course of his journey, Herzog examines human nature and Mother nature, juxtaposing breathtaking locations with the profound, surreal, and sometimes absurd experiences of the marine biologists, physicists, plumbers, and truck drivers who choose to form a society as far away from society as one can get.

To celebrate the release, Revolver are offering 3 copies of his earlier film, Grizzly Man, on DVD to three lucky DFG members who email members@dfgdocs.com with their full name and postal address by 5pm Monday 20th April.

See www.encountersfilm.co.uk for more details.

Our chums at the BFI Southank are offering two tickets for the price of one on selected screenings at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival that they think will be of interest to doc-types in the next few days.

Fig Trees 4 April, 18.30

Burn the Bridges 6 April, 13.50

To take advantage of this offer, simply book in person at the BFI Southbank (box office open daily 11:30-20:30), quoting "DFG Ticket Offer"

Metrodome are releasing a new anthology of works by the celebrated photographer and documentary film maker Bruce Weber. To celebrate this they are offering a free DVD copy of Chop Suey to the first person to email members@dfgdocs.com with their name and postal address. (Full members only, as per.)

For over four years Bruce Weber photographed one subject: Peter Johnson. What began as a photographic journey to document Peter’s transition from boyhood into manhood led to the making of the film Chop Suey. A deeply personal film, feeling very much like a film journal or a scrapbook, Chop Suey is an homage to all things the filmmaker loves most. Mixing film, archival footage, still photography and a rich and expansive soundtrack boasting over 65 songs, Chop Suey is the third film in the trilogy, which begins with Backyard Movie.

The release is a collection of films and shorts by the legendary Bruce Weber (released Nov 3rd). The collection celebrates Bruce Weber’s diversity as an artist, photographer and film maker.
 
The 5 disc boxset includes over 8 hours of features and extra material:
 
Documentary
Broken Noses, 1987
Let’s Get Lost, 1988
Chop Suey, 2000
A Letter to True, 2003

Short Films
The Beauty Brothers, 1987
1: Junk Food Conversation
II: Bedroom Bongos
III: Dream Wheels
IV: Poolhopping
V: Runaway
The Teddy Boys of the
    Edwardian Drape Society, 1996
Red Flag Day, 1999
Tough Guys Wear Pink, 2004
True: The Dog of a Million Kisses, 2005
You Feel Me?, 2006
Looking For Chet Again
    In All The Familiar Places, 2008
The Boy Artist, 2008

Music Videos
Chet Baker: Almost Blue, 1988
Chet Baker: So Hard To Know, 1988
Pet Shop Boys: Being Boring, 1990
Chris Issak: Blue Spanish Sky, 1991
Pet Shop Boys: Se a vida é, 1996
Pet Shop Boys: I Get Along/Email, 2002