Banaz - A Love Story

'Banaz - A Love Story' is a hard-hitting, terrifying and heart-wrenching piece of filmmaking that traces the story of Banaz Mahmod who was killed by her family for "bringing dishonour" on them.

As the documentary rightly points out at one point, the term "honour killing" is a misnomer as what occurs is plain and simple murder. To recount the story of Banaz in a way that does not seek to sensationalise or show disrespect to her is not something veteran filmmakers could do let alone a debutante documentary filmmaker, yet music producer Deeyah delivers a piece that is brutally honest, captivating and haunting all at once. 

We are taken on the journey of her Kurdish community without prejudice and given the background of some their tribal customs before being told via Banaz's brave sister Bekhal Mahmod how she and her sister put up with mistreatment at the hands of the men in their family. Deeyah's questioning style quickly lines up the interviewees adeptly, introducing police accounts and showing chilling footage of Banaz's statements to the authorities on the abuse she faced at the hands of her husband. The facts are presented as such with little commentary from the filmmaker to influence or bias, as the case itself is so shocking that it is impossible not to feel disheartened and disgusted by what Banaz must have had to endure.

When we are introduced by third party accounts of the young man she fell in love with, Rahmat, it is clear she is a scarred young woman who has not given up hope and refuses to let her experiences end her happiness. Although never seen on screen, Rahmat's presence is very much felt and the delicate way in which his love with Banaz is described forms the foundation of much of the information that came to light after her death and helped bring her killers to justice.

The screening room was silent throughout and every seat occupied by people of every culture and creed. They shook their heads in disbelief at what was on screen and how the authorities failed to recognise a young woman's cries for help and at the end there were tears in some's eyes. 

Banaz Mahmod didn't deserve to die or be treated the way she was. This documentary highlights a growing problem within every community and raises questions that need answering by the police, by those who hear about honour killings and keep quiet and encourages hope through the actions of those who helped bring her murderers to justice. 

With a difficult subject, groundbreaking access to information and a gripping narrative, 'Banaz - A Love Story' is simply riveting and meaningful reporting at its best. 

The film is repeated on Monday at 16:00.

The Lottery of Birth

Today was a hectic day at Raindance. Both screenings I attended were packed to the brim despite being daytime screenings. At night, Raindance films seem to take on a life of their own and the foyer are in the Apollo cinema seems barely big enough to contain the queues that form for tickets and screen entries, but the daytime too is getting busier.

'The Lottery of Birth' had a sold out premiere screening (which Alan Rickman attended) and a repeat screening today. Digesting more on a second look, the film provides a fascinating look at the world around us and questions the reasons we get to where we are. Through questioning the selective history we are taught in schools and the concept of discipline and following orders expected in educational institutes and workplaces, the documentary asks "how much freedom do we really have?"

"This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes." - Morpheus in 'The Matrix'.

George Monbiot, Howard Zinn, Vandana Shiva and others contribute to the conversation about expectation, our capacity to accept but not question the prevalent norms of society and our roles in the larger system of life. Education, employment, obedience and patriotism are all themes explored with interesting results. The film left many asking questions and has been called "life changing" by some which is a testament to its power to evoke thought.

Up for a Best Documentary award, this film is sure to make an international splash as its filmmakers Raoul Martinez and Joshua Van Praag confirmed in a Q&A session after the film that it has been accepted at other festivals and is creating a buzz online. They plan to release the film online for free to ensure it has a wide impact and talked about further episodes investigating the history or PR and role of the media in the way we perceive the world as well as another segment on economics and thought. The talented Joshua said he filmed the entire documentary on a Canon 5D and spoke about how much he loved shooting New York by night. Raindance's Elliot Grove also commented how the documentary transcended the typical format through transitions which added value aesthetically to the film and moved it beyond the "talking heads" world which occupies the documentary genre.

The two screenings of this film have been sold out to date, there is one more chance to catch it on Monday.

Overheard at Raindance

"This time John Wayne does not walk off into the sunset with Grace Kelly."
and
"Shoot the glass."
and
"Yippee Kay Yay!"
(From people who spotted Alan Rickman [who portrayed Die Hard villain Hans Gruber] at Raindance. We are sure he's gotten used to this).

Overheard at Raindance

"Kneel before Zod!"
(In the queue at Raindance apparently, when spotting Terence Stamp who played Zod was two persons ahead of the offender).

Day 1 at Raindance

After the massive party that was opening night and the European premiere of Here Comes the Devil, the 20th Raindance Film Festival officially opened yesterday with a great variety of films on offer that were lapped up by many.

There were international shorts, a popular screening of Ivan's Dream, a surreal showing of Errors of the Human Body in conjunction with amBX (a new system which incorporates light and sound enhancement in the film to provide a new sensory experience) and a completely packed International Film Finance panel (health and safety representatives, avert your eyes NOW) which had people sitting on the aisle, the stairs and on each other's laps to see the discussion on a film fund that is planning to provide finance for independent films.

The Lottery of Birth - an interesting film that explores whether we are the human experience we are born into  - was sold out too, and I'm hearing good things about the Vice trilogy of showings too. What was evident is that the Apollo Cinema on Piccadilly Circus was packed out with Raindancers who were voting with their wallets for a new breed of film.

Pass-holders and filmmakers from around the globe were lined up at the ticket counter vying for the last tickets to the evening films which had to refuse admission after a certain point. I read that Alan Rickman and Terence Stamp had just arrived for a Raindance screening of a film they wanted to see but didn’t dare leave the sanctity of my secured seat in the screening I was at for fear of not having one when I returned. The crowds upstairs were excited and the atmosphere reminded me of what a film festival should be. Raindance in its 20^th year is really showing the others how it’s supposed to be. They are screening debut projects including one from an 18 year old filmmaker shot for only £3000 (‘Strings’ screening tonight), highlighted work from their postgraduate class, an array of kickstarter projects including the dazzling Underwater Realm, a low budget film shot in two weeks shot entirely without permits (‘Culture Shock’), a Jennifer Lynch feature on filmmaking in India and more.

Sundance is considered an indie film festival but the choices are predictable, the parties and sponsorship saturated and it’s become a marketing ground for studios and names to plug, push and orchestrate sales, announcements and projects. That’s not to say it’s not doing a lot for the Utah economy or bring an excitement to it that has its own place, but this is true independent cinema and worth celebrating.

Sunset Strip

Sunset Strip opened with Mark Mahoney, a tattoo artist who has seen the best and the worst of the Strip over the decades he’s been there, narrating what we were about to see.

“I’m gonna tell you a story of vice and glory..” and he couldn’t have summed it up better.

The documentary has a lot to live up to. As someone who has frequented The Strip for years, it is what it is and it’s something different to each individual. One aspect that cannot be denied about this infamous LA area that began as a road to connect Hollywood Studios to Beverly Hills is that it is a magnet for talent, harnessing raw energy and bleeding with excess.

The best of the best have played on the Strip and even to date others go there to stand on the same stage as Jim Morrison and Jimmy Page, or to frequent the club where Richard Pryor used to reign and leave flowers on the sidewalk outside The Viper Room where River Phoenix died. The documentary attempts to tell the history of the Strip while highlighting the wild times it’s seen but as is expected when attempting to bottle lightning and find out what makes it so electric, the filmmakers fail to deliver any real depth to their quest.

Mark Mahoney narrates he’s going to tell us a story and that’s what the foundation of this documentary is – stories, recollections of experiences and an attempt to discover why The Strip is so sacred to a selection of the people who visit, operate and have performed there.

“The Strip is where you leave and where you come back.” – Keanu Reeves

Beginning with what Sunset Strip is, it’s origin in the 1920s and moving onto how it became a sacred place of cultural significance to musicians providing a haven that was much-needed and absent for Western artistes, the movie touches on many aspects of its history but doesn’t provide an insight into why this no-man’s land outside of Los Angeles city limits has the aura that it does. Through interviews with inhabitants of places that used to be there (The Garden of Allah), remain there (The Chateau Marmont) and businesses that have helped it thrive (The Whiskey A Go Go, The Viper Room, Sunset Tower), stories are told of mobsters, rock stars and Hollywood A-listers who have lived and died on the Strip. There are opportunities to probe further into comments that describe it as a stability factor in artists’ lives, with Keanu Reeves, Johnny Depp and others stating how part of its attraction is that you can go there and experience a slice of life that will bring you back again and again.

Johnny Depp’s formation of The Viper Room receives a great segment that details his hopes for the place as a retreat which would accommodate few but provide exclusive events with performers he had always wanted to see, but we’re not shown footage of how it’s changed over the years. The décor is different from what it used to be, there are no clips of the lines there used to be round the block or excerpts from some of the parties the Viper Room hosted that are now legendary. In doing so, they retain it’s mystique but for fresh viewers who may never go to The Strip or its clubs a walkthrough of the places highlighted would have been a great addition which also shows the journey of the area over the past few decades.

“Your journey will begin there and end there. You can see your dream ending right there on that sidewalk.” – Mickey Rourke

Parties that never end are talked about and Led Zeppelin’s now infamous groupie sessions where they’d degrade and put out cigarettes on the women that frequented them are recounted as is the mobsters rule over the Strip, some of the performances (Jimi Hendrix, Sammy Davis Jr, Robin Williams and John Belushi), the penthouse residents of the Sunset Tower, the burlesque houses and the music. Ironically, Mark Mahoney’s tattoo parlour doesn’t get a big look in which is a shame given the stories you hear when you walk into it of who has visited it, what they got and what state they were in when there.

Mickey Rourke fondly recalls Schwabs, a pharmacy that used to exist with an old-style soda fountain and nostalgic decorations that represented the time it was born in, as well as the greats that had been there. His recollections are interesting especially given how much time he’s spent there and the impact it’s had on him.

Overall ‘Sunset Strip’ provides a unique and confident insight into what has become one of the most significant venues of our time. Complete with history, excerpts mostly from the Sunset Strip Music Festival 2010 and interviews that describe the highs, the excesses and the deaths that have occurred there, this documentary is a great starting point for the uninitiated into the magic and mystique of The Strip. I was left longing for more though, which I hope will be included on the bluray as extra footage because you get the sense that filmmaker Hans Fjellestad edited a lot out that would have made this a real opus that celebrated the reputation Sunset Strip has.

But as stated when I began writing this, The Strip is something different to everyone and your experiences are what binds you to this road of dreams. I would’ve personally liked to see more on the Chateau Marmont, The Whiskey A Go Go and from those who have witnessed legends rise and fall rather than stories of who was there, but then any attempt to cover a magical mystical place that attracts the best, locks the door, leaves you changed and wanting more was never going to satisfy everyone.

Sunset Strip screened yesterday and will have a repeat showing on Monday at 20:45.

Here Comes the Devil

Raindance's opening night is always special. 

Guests of note turn up, the premiere is usually a swish event with goodie bags laid on the red velvety chairs (that aptly tonight matched the colour of the devil) and everyone's dressed up in the latest fashion - you know, REAL fashion that real normal people wear compared to the kind that elite designers showcase at shows and glitzy events that no one would ever really practically be able to wear; and of course Raindance founder Elliot Grove gets up in front of an audience and proudly introduces the festival. His lovely wife Suzanne is in the audience and has already said hello to guests as they arrived and the energy is full of enthusiasm for what's to come. 

This year a comedy group, The Real MacGuffins entertain the seated audience before the feature by doing a fantastic skit on Hitchcock's films and another which bizarrely (but hilariously) takes us back to old London with Jack the Rapper doing a graphically violent rendition of "Slice Slice Baby" to the tune and flow of Vanilla Ice. It seriously has to be seen to be believed and even then you'll gape jaw-to-the-ground at how a rap of dismemberment can be so carefully constructed while retaining so much of the original song's lyrics. 

Here Comes the Devil is Adrian Garcia Bogliano's horror feature and has just won rave reviews and accolades at Fantastic Fest, TIFF and beyond. Many in the audience were feeding off the internet buzz surrounding the film and were looking forward to it.

The film itself is a classic horror that moves the genre firmly away from the slasher flick oeuvre made so popular in the 80s and the excessively violent trend that emerged in the 90s, returning to the roots of suspense which play on family dynamics.

The set up is clear when the film opens with a lesbian scene, then a discussion between parents about being caught having sex by their children, followed by a sexual encounter while their children (a boy and girl) disappear and their teenage daughter's first period. Every scene screams transgression but not in the obvious stereotypical 'Cabin in the Woods' way. Guilt follows every transgression including all the above incidents by participants and horror fans know to take this as an omen that death is coming. The Big Bad knocking on the door this time arrives in a seemingly sinister series of events where we are trying to piece together what happened to the children when they disappeared, while their parents were making love.

Child molestation is explored, brutal revenge a la Last House on the Left is executed but where another horror movie would end this one delves deeper and probes the unanswered question of the effect of the incident on the two children. Strange behaviour and stranger earthquakes with strobe-light effects complete an all out eerie experience which ups the suspense and begins to unravel what happens when characters undergo mental blackouts. A scene with a babysitter is particularly disturbing, powerfully using the tool of suggestion to support the on-screen narration of what she experiences.

The world the characters occupy is rooted in ours but also one where limits are breached, remorse is seen as a weakened response and violence clings on to every look and action even if it's following a scene showing love between two people (two women, a married couple and a sibling bond respectively). The notion that this world is one where transgression has already occurred opening the door for evil to also reign and push things further creating disturbing imagery and situations is one that's treated with credibility, told through a suspense-laden series of plot expositions and brings a new meaning to the word "horror" in this genre.

'Here Comes the Devil' makes for uneasy viewing that is not dabbed with a fresh coat of red paint every few minutes but fuels a quiet nervousness within the viewer leading up to the film's shocking climax which brings the game of death full circle.

The audience was grimacing one moment and peeking through their fingers the next, creating an experience that has not been achieved by any horror movie of recent times. Bogliano's bold credits and loud finale ensured the film ended (and Raindance started) with a real bang that echoed well into the night which continued at Cafe De Paris.

Raindance picked this film before any of the praise it has received in recent days adding to their testament of true indie programming that discovers the next big thing before you've even heard of it. Tonight was a celebration of twenty years (and counting) of the hippest, indie-est and most culturally relevant film festival in London that truly celebrates world cinema and sets the bar higher for the next generation of independent filmmakers.

Long may it rain, and here's to the continued dance to get more films made, seen and noticed.

'Here Comes the Devil' will be released by Metrodome in the future.

Let the Mayhem Begin...

Let me begin with this statement: there’s no business like the movies.

You see people put their hard earned money down to invest in something someone else has created and you hope to get something back. That’s the position shared by investors and moviegoers alike. A name you recognise or a promotional presentation may sway your decision to part with the money but at the end of the day it’s your money putting someone else’s vision up on screen.

In recent times, independent filmmakers have found it more difficult to get funds for their projects unless they go low budget or promise big returns – one challenges them artistically and the other is a lie whichever way it’s sold. No film can guarantee big returns in today’s climate.

The star system has been realigned and A-list names don’t pull in the audiences like they used to, and popcorn flicks don’t sell any confectionary let alone seats. Big box office disasters are cited as bringing in the death of cinema while children’s films endure as financially stable franchises and big-screen adaptations even when not receiving the highest of ratings (Hugo, Top Cat). Harry Potter had succeeded in bringing children of a younger age once again to the darkened halls that sell dreams. And they wanted more. Even Tim Burton has moved from the gothic macabre to the ‘dark family’ comedy targeted at a younger audience (Dark Shadows, Frankenweenie).

The children who saw their first Harry Potter film when it came out evolved into teenagers who wanted superhero films with heart as well as explosions and a love story. The Avengers crossed the billion dollar mark as did Avatar, both screened in 3D and were considered by many reviews a triumph of style over substance. Chris Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy broke new ground as a Batman for adults set in a very dark world that would give your children nightmares.

Horror films transitioned to torture porn to descents into darkness that were an allegory on a country’s political situation or flicks with kids who were either scary or scared. Genre boundaries have certainly been moved.

One of the best things about the movies is that they cater to everybody. Whoever you are, there’s a film for you. In the prime of your life and in love? They have something for you. Want to experience the horror of war without opening a newspaper? Covered. Reaching the golden age and want to inject some youth into your life and see people of the same age bracket behaving badly but come out good in the end? That’s a whole new profitable segment for the industry.

Films get pigeon-holed into genres and types, sometimes even by budget. Low budget thriller, big budget blockbuster and no budget horror are always films which have people ready to give them a chance. But a zero budget comedy? That’s not funny. So even the categories are a little twisted because films, like people, don’t fit neatly into boxes that represent them.

And there are always movies which are independent. Ones that stand out from the crowd, have got made outside the studio system and deserve our attention but you may miss them because they never get the benefit of the massive marketing machine that accompanies a cinema release. Nearly every cinema release is reviewed in national press but not every DVD/Bluray/Digital release. What of those that go straight to DVD? Well if the film has a name, a good distributor or something that screams news then it has a chance.

So we may not be getting the full picture where talent and films are concerned because we’re missing a whole pile of movies that get made and don’t get the release they deserve.

This is one of the reasons I love Raindance.

They often shout about having been the first to screen ‘Who’s Eating Gilbert Grape?’ in Europe or ‘The Blair Witch Project’ in the UK but it’s what they screen and don’t go onto cult status that have a more lasting impact.

I’ve been attending the Raindance Film Festival for a good number of years and increasingly meet people who recall obscure films they saw at the festival and are trying to hunt down. Some of them are features, others are shorts and documentaries, and these film fans will pay top dollar for a copy of the movie that had an impact on them at the festival. I’ve met someone who obsessed over Corey Feldman for years then near-collapsed when they met him at Raindance’s screening of ‘The Birthday’ a few years back – an unusual film which went on to gain its own cult following despite never crossing over to a mainstream release. I’ve seen Gareth Edwards (Raindance-trained and director of low budget hit ‘Monsters’) interview the director of Sundance hit Another Earth at the opening of the festival last year, only to overtake him this year in terms of frenzy through screening a teaser of his new Godzilla film at San Diego Comic Con and becoming tipped for great things once again after effectively being “taken off the shelf” for a while.

This year’s festival opens tonight with the fresh hit from Toronto ‘Here Comes the Devil’. The next ten days sees the best of the independent filmmaking community and beyond descend to the heart of London to walk into a darkened room in Piccadilly Circus to catch a film they may not ever get the chance to see again.

This year, as always, there are names attached to some projects – Jeremy Irons, Chuck Palahniuk, Jennifer Lopez, Daisy Lowe, Juliet Landau etc some of which have already stated they’ll be attending Raindance to see their work premiere to an audience that is open to cinema that’s reflects all that’s on offer rather than the choice menu served up that’s decided heavily by a marketing campaign.

Let the mayhem begin.

The 20^th Raindance Film Festival begins tonight at 6pm and runs til October 7.

For more information visit www.raindance.org and watch this space for updates on films we’re seeing.