'The Wonder Year' (above) and 'We Were Here' will be featured at the 2011 RiverRun International Film Festival, which begins Friday in Winston-Salem
We Were Here; Directors: David Weissman & Bill Weber; Run time: 90 minutes; Screenings: April 15, 3:30 p.m., A/perture Cinema; April 16, 12:30 p.m., UNCSA-Main Theatre; April 17, 10 a.m., A/perture Cinema.
We Were Here, a chronicle of the outbreak of HIV-AIDS epidemic in the San Francisco gay community in the early 1980s, offers a harrowing, heartbreaking yet life-affirming snapshot of America. Directors David Weissman and Bill Weber talk extensively with the survivors of the epidemic, which swept through San Francisco's Castro District in a few short years, taking the lives of thousands. The phenomenon of a mysterious epidemic centered in a relatively small geographic area that was contracted mostly by gay people led to a lack of sympathy and understanding for those who were struggling with the disease. However, the scourge of AIDS united San Francisco's gay community and as time passed, brought together millions from across the nation. The film shows how the initial outbreak baffled physicians and health care professionals. Interviews with survivors bring to light the emotional weight of being in the Castro community at that time. The personal stories gay men who survived are riveting and Weissman and Weber give their interview subjects an opportunity to build an oral history of San Francisco in the early 1980s. The development of AIDS vaccines, both successful and unsuccessful, and the subsequent reduction in the number of deaths due to AIDS in the 1990s does not take away the pain and sorrow of the previous decade of suffering. The film’s tone is heavy and sorrowful, but ultimately, We Were Here weaves a beautiful tapestry - a tribute to the fallen as well as the survivors of the epidemic. Like the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the film offers a moving memorial to those whose lives ended too soon and the brave individuals who helped them die with dignity.
The Wonder Year; Director: Kenneth Price; Run time: 78 minutes; Screenings: April 10, 3:30 p.m., UNC School of the Arts Main Theatre; April 13, 2 p.m., A/perture Cinema
Grammy Award-winning producer and Winston-Salem native 9th Wonder is the subject of Kenneth Price’s documentary, The Wonder Year, which will screen at the 13th annual RiverRun International Film Festival on April 10. The film offers an insightful look at a year in the life of 9th Wonder, aka Patrick Douthit. 9th Wonder takes the reins as the film’s narrator. He speaks directly to the camera about his love of music and what inspired him to pursue a career as a hip hop producer, DJ, lecturer and rapper. Documentary films of the personal profile variety are challenging to pull off due in large part to the fact that it’s very familiar ground for most audiences. However, Price has found a fascinating and eloquent subject in 9th Wonder, who generously opens every part of his life to the camera. The calendar year provides the structure for the film and Price seems to prefer the cinema verité approach of letting the camera roll, which leads to fun and insightful moments of spontaneity. The editing is seamless. Price is not trying to necessarily construct a narrative. The narrative comes from the words and lyrics of 9th Wonder, who offers audiences a window into the world of hip hop record production, and how obscure vinyl records from the 1970s can be transformed into beats, which can then be developed into arrangements and ultimately, Grammy Award-winning songs. The Wonder Year is a wonder in its own right, and a glorious testament to the hip hop and independent film scene right here in the Piedmont Triad.
For full story, visit: http://www.yesweekly.com/triad/article-11874-riverrun-international-film-festival-comes-of-age-with-13th-winston-salem-event.html
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