UofG Documentary Society

Heyhey DocSoc'ers!
Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying summer so far! We got an email recently about a documentary on Pakistan's feminist movement, that I really wanted to share with everyone!
"This Stained Dawn" ( Daagh Daagh Ujala) follows feminists in Karachi as they organise a woman's march, with fierce opposition from Pakistan's radical right. The documentary is going to be showing on the Sheffield Doc fest from tomorrow 10th of June for 72 hours. https://selects.sheffdocfest.com/film/this-stained-dawn/

Here's a brief description from Anam Abbas, the director and producer, about the documentary:
"The 'Aurat March', a movement that I myself have been a party of since 2018 is a resurgence of a highly visible feminist politics in pakistan after decades. The film follows the march’s organisers as they negotiate a deeply surveilled, paranoia-inducing, and often physically violent space in the hopes of spurring a revolution. This Stained Dawn is not just about the Aurat March, but about the act of political organising itself. I would love if feminists, organizers and youth in the UK from south asian and muslim backgrounds have a chance to view this film and learn more about leftist and feminist resistance in Pakistan, from an intimate insider lens."
For more info : https://othermemorymedia.com/thisstaineddawn/

Hope everyone enjoys the doc and maybe someday soon we can all be in the pub chatting about it!
Tunvii ☺️☺️

~ ¡ DocSoc Recommends ! ~

Hey docsoc fans,

If you are as hungry for quality documentary content as we are, don't miss the Document Human Rights Film Festival happening online this week! Their program is not just full of amazing documentaries but also events that are not to be missed such as the documentary filmmaking masterclass with Iryna Tsilyk, the director of 'The Earth Is Blue as an Orange' (2020).

To help you navigate the film choices, here are some of my personal favorites:

Bottled Songs -- a fascinating, intimate, reflexive, and thought-provoking experience. It works extremely well in the virtual screening format, and, through its open dialogue form, creates a space of interaction between the spectator and images on the screen.

The Tree House -- an extremely touching, poetic, and multi-layered film. Truong Minh Qu? invites you on a journey through worlds that are both strangely familiar yet still undiscovered, lingering over the idea of home.

INFINITY Minus Infinity -- a groundbreaking piece of filmmaking both in its form and content. Situated somewhere between theatre, performance, and film INFINITY Minus Infinity vocalizes stories of Britain's hostile environment that are long overdue.

Enjoy,
Milda

18th edition - Document Film Festival

DocSoc is back! Our first screening will be announced tomorrow, but in the meantime we'll be in the West Quad today for the Fresher's Fair to meet all ye young bloods with hope still glimmering in your eyes! So be sure to pop your head down to say hi and sign up for another year of brilliant documentaries, good laughs, and fun times!

As well as our first screening being revealed tomorrow, we will also be announcing our new Covid guidelines -- but as a piece of good news for all you wondering: Yes, we will be having our screenings in-person (with social distancing), so no more dreaded Zoom-calls to add to your schedules!

Cannie wait to see all the new and old faces and make this year the best one yet.

Much love,
Mark
xx

~ ¡ DocSoc Recommends ! ~

Hey docsoc peeps,

Hope you're all enjoying the summer sunshine! In the likely event of you missing some docs in your life, Sheffield Doc Fest is offering a free online program Doc/Fest Exchange* reflecting on the diversity of the indigenous communities living in Brazilian territories.

As the festival writes: "The destruction of the planet, the current threats to our health and lives, come from a specific world vision, which promotes the individual human, gendered, subject. And, it’s this idea that can be deconstructed, through a collective, convivial spirit. The crisis of the individual gaze, where every ‘unknown’, every ‘other’, is perceived in binary terms, as a threat, can perhaps dissolve, when we look anew."

Happy watching!
Milda

*Available to stream only in the UK until the 10th of July.

Doc/Fest Selects Doc/Fest Exchange

Dear everyone,
There doesn't seem any other words to describe the current state of the world than a severely f**ked-up nightmare. And so this is not a usual DocSoc post, but rather a plea. It's a privilege of our ignorance to assume that this world has been progressing to the point of true acceptance and the total elimination of racism; however, as the horrendous case of George Floyd has undeniably proved, such notions are still too far from Truth. It is this same kindling of ignorance and misinformation which forces people to the point of fear, resulting in a hatred for that which they don't understand - or see as different; or challenging; or any such misconstrued anxiety from which prejudice spawns. I'm not saying anything here that hasn't been said before, so why is it that it's still not heard? Because Truth is at stake, more-so now than ever before. We cannot not let the narrative be made by those who win power from hate. We cannot let Truth fall on deafened ears. Our voices, all of us, are now more important than ever: to speak Truth and so make the world a place in which all of us may live together. The alternative is to be stuck in this nightmare forever.

In respect of Truth, here is a selection of documentaries across platforms pertaining to the Black Lives Matter movement, please feel free to recommend further viewing in the comments.
- Mark

NETFLIX:
"13th" (2016) - dir. by Ava DuVernay

AMAZON:
"I Am Not Your Negro" (2017) - dir. by Raoul Peck

KANOPY:
"The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975" (2011) - dir. by Goran Olsson

YOUTUBE:
"Black Sheep" (2018) - dir. by Ed Perkins

~ ¡ DocSoc Recommends ! ~

Hey doc fam,
As we continue to exist online there are some exciting docs coming up worldwide! If you haven't heard, some of the biggest film festivals united to create a global digital film festival that starts tomorrow, here are some interesting docs for you to keep an eye on:

"The Epic Of Everest" - a recently restored footage of the 1924 expedition aka the third attempt to climb the mountain Everest resulting in the death of two of the finest climbers.

"Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records" - featuring Jamaican reggae and ska legends like Lee “Scratch” Perry and Marcia Griffiths, chronicles a multicultural revolution on the dancefloors of late ’60s and early ’70s Britain.

"Bridges of Sarajevo" - a collaboration of thirteen European directors exploring the theme of Sarajevo; what this city has represented in European history over the past hundred years, and what Sarajevo stands for today in Europe.

"Beautiful Things" - a symphonic journey into our obsessive consumption of things.

All films are free and available to stream during the scheduled screening or after, throughout the duration of the festival (MAY 29 -JUNE 7).

Stay safe and enjoy!
Milda x

Festival Schedule | We Are One: A Global Film Festival