The following films screened as part of Sled Island 2008:
The Devil and Daniel Johnston * Heavy Metal in Baghdad * Indie Music Video Festival * The Pied Piper of Hutzovina * Wild Combination – A Portrait of Arthur Russell
THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON (110 minutes)
Sunday, June 29th @ 1:30pm
Plaza Theatre (1133 Kensington Road NW)
$5
Daniel Johnston is a manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist, revealed in this portrait of madness, creativity and love. The Devil and Daniel Johnston is a stunning portrait of a musical and artistic genius who nearly slipped away. The Devil and Daniel Johnston artfully melds current footage, vintage performances, home movies, and dozens of recorded audiotapes from Daniel's life. Testimony from supportive friends and a deeply committed family add a rich layer to his personal history, but it is Daniel's poetic songs interwoven throughout the film, that tell their own passionate, haunting, and truly unforgettable story.
HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD (84 minutes) – ALBERTA PREMIERE!
Wednesday, June 25th @ 9pm
Plaza Theatre (1133 Kensington Road NW)
$5
Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a feature film documentary that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition but after Saddam's regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible. That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency. From 2003-2006, Iraq disintegrated around them while Acrassicauda struggled to stay together and stay alive, always refusing to let their heavy metal dreams die. Their story echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis.
INDIE MUSIC VIDEO FESTIVAL
Wednesday, June 25th @ 5pm
Broken City (613 11 Avenue SW)
FREE.
Fantastic showcase of international independent music videos.
From 21st century visions of dystopia to tikistylefingerlickinfruit and everything in between...even a pink spandex danceoff!
THE AVEONICS " Perfect" AUSTRALIA
THE BEANGROWERS "Not In a Million Lovers" MALTA
THE FEMINISTS "21st Century Ghosts" CANADA
THE FUTUREHEADS "The Beginning of the Twist" U.K.
GOOD CITY LIE STILL "Unruly Man" USA
THE HERMIT "Better Time" CANADA
MALAJUBE "Ton Plat Favori" CANADA
MASFALDAS "Quiero Saber" MEXICO
MATES OF STATE " Fraud in the 80's" USA
SCREAM CLUB "Toi Et Moi" USA
STATIC OF THE GODS "Peluche" USA
STRANGEFATES '" Two Minute Tornado" U.K.
SERJ TANKIAN " Lie,Lie,Lie" USA
TEN MINUTE TURNS '"Long Night Drone" USA
TRICOT MACHINE "Les Peaux De Lievres" CANADA
WE ARE WOLVES "Fight & Kiss" CANADA
THE WETSPOTS "Labia Limbo" CANADA
THE PIED PIPER OF HUTZOVINA (65 minutes)
Sunday, June 29th @ Noon
Plaza Theatre (1133 Kensington Road NW)
$5
In the summer of 2004, on a car journey in Eastern Europe, Pavla Fleischer met and fell in love with Eugene Hutz, lead singer of New York's Gypsy Punk band Gogol Bordello. Captivated by his energy and his musical verve, and desperate to get to know him better, she decided to make a film about him. The Pied Piper of Hutzovina follows Eugene and Pavla on their subsequent road trip through Eugene's home country, Ukraine. It is the story of two people traveling together on two very different courses. Her aim is to rediscover a forgotten romance; his is to rediscover his roots. She hopes to find love on the road; he hopes to find musical inspiration from the gypsy culture he is determined to preserve. This is an intimate portrait of a filmmaker with a passion for her subject, and a punk musician with a longing to revisit his past.
WILD COMBINATION - A PORTRAIT OF ARTHUR RUSSELL (71 minutes)
Wednesday, June 25th @ 11pm
Plaza Theatre (1133 Kensington Road NW)
$5
Wild Combination is director Matt Wolf's visually absorbing portrait of the seminal avant-garde composer, singer-songwriter, cellist, and disco producer Arthur Russell. Before his untimely death from AIDS in 1992, Arthur prolifically created music that spanned both pop and the transcendent possibilities of abstract art. Now, over fifteen years since his passing, Arthur's work is finally finding its audience. Wolf incorporates rare archival footage and commentary from Arthur's family, friends, and closest collaborators—including Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg—to tell this poignant and important story.