Reality Film-making

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Humans love a good story, but we yearn for good and true stories with a much greater hunger. In the world of filmmaking, it’s documentaries that fill the truth niche, and for documentaries, it’s the film festival circuit that acts as a stable serving tray. Our own film fest is no different, and this year, there are more than 30 documentaries being served, including an impressive 12 world premieres and four American premieres.

Perhaps the leader in American premieres is The Killer Within, Macky Alston’s stirring, gripping piece about esteemed University of Arizona environmental psychology professor Bob Bechtel, whose hidden history as a dormitory murderer — and quick freedom after an insanity ruling — is revealed for friends, family, and colleagues before the lens. This is excellent documentary work in which a simple man’s scary story washes over the viewer as strongly as it washed over his own relatives, aided by creepy music from the Kronos Quartet and insight from confused mental health professionals.

Other American premieres include United Gates of America, a revealing, hilarious look by writer Charles Leduff and director Alex Cooke at the folks who live in gated communities in Bush country; The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema, a film geek fave best explained in D.J. Palladino’s “Premiere Vu” (page 45); and Glimpses of Heaven, a 67-minute film by Michael Oved Dayan about people from horrid pasts who’ve blossomed into great citizens.

For a glimpse at the good old days, go see the world premiere of Jack Taylor of Beverly Hills. As the style-creating tailorshop owner who dressed the Rat Pack, Monty Hall, the Duke of Windsor, Elvis Presley, and everyone since — and who’ll be in attendance for the screening — Cecile Leroy Beaulieu’s touching and meaningful portrait of Taylor, his family, coworkers, and fans also serves as a primer on male fashion and why coming generations no longer have men to look up to.

The most moving documentaries in this year’s slate deal with disease and individual attempts to live normally through physical hardships. In Adam Bardach’s Living with Lew, screenwriter and aspiring director Scott Lew battles the ravages of Lou Gherig’s disease as he directs his first feature film. As Lew’s condition worsens, his spirit remains unfettered, acting as a testament to making the most out of life. That’s the similar theme of Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life, Logan Smalley’s ode to his friend Darius Weems, a 19-year-old from Athens, Georgia, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the number-one genetic killer in the world that takes its victims’ lives by their early twenties. Weems wants MTV’s Pimp My Ride show to fix up his “raggedy wheelchair,” so his friends decide to take an RV out west to California and get the job done. Meanwhile, Weems’s raps — which served as his correspondence to MTV — are interlaced in the film between shots of the inspirational young man’s dips in the ocean, hot air balloon rides, river rafting trips, and becoming a media sensation. Both are world premieres, and both Lew and Weems will attend the screenings.

Always a hotbed for intriguing stories, Africa gets multiple treatments in this year’s fest. There’s the poignant Taking Guns from Boys, Jessie Deeter’s journalistic take on the difficult disarmament project in Liberia, where young men have waged war on each other for decades. There’s Ayamye by Eric Matthies and Tricia Todd, which is about bringing bicycles to Ghana and how much of a positive impact that project has for rural living. Both films are world premieres.

Another must-see world premiere is Quantum Hoops, Rick Greenwald’s story about the Cal Tech basketball team that lost 240 games in a row. Since Cal Tech finally won a game a couple weeks back, Greenwald is making some last-minute additions to the film, so it will be entirely updated. There’s also Finding Kraftland, the story of Richard Kraft’s quest with his son to rediscover his childhood while managing Hollywood’s biggest composers; Do It for Johnny, about trying to get a script to Johnny Depp; henry, about abortionist Henry Morgentaler, who’ll be in attendance; Season of the Samurai, about a Japanese baseball team that plays in the California minor leagues; and Swimming in Auschwitz, featuring the stories of six Holocaust survivors.

But of all the documentary premieres, Natalie Sanderson’s Lost Souls has the most people excited. Entered originally in the local filmmaker series, the doc — about the illegal trafficking of Nepalese art — was so good it was elevated to the main level.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons for seeing non-premieres as well. Worth adding to your true story list are also Crazy Love, a Sundance favorite about a truly insane relationship between a married man and young nymph. A political/war double feature will be had with Can Mr. Smith Still Get to Washington Anymore?, about a nobody’s attempt to run for Senate, which opens for The Ground Truth, a film shot by American soldiers whose director, Patricia Foulkrod, is coming to the Arlington screening. Two films already receiving much acclaim are A Very British Gangster, about an English crime boss, which premiered at Sundance, and The Trials of Darryl Hunt, an 18-year epic about a black man who was convicted of raping a white woman yet maintains his innocence. It is shortlisted for an Oscar in feature docs.

And these true stories aren’t just for show, either. There are industry judges who will be selecting the best documentary in the festival and presenting that award on closing night. And once again, the Fund for Santa Barbara will be presenting a $1,000 cash prize with its annual Social Justice Award, which honors the film that most effectively details such issues.

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