UnionDocs

Edited by Emily Terkel

“Scrapertown” comes from the California is a Place series of beautifully shot short docs about the Golden State. Each is produced, directed, and shot by Drea Cooper & Zackary Canepari.

“In order to become a member of the Original Scraper Bike Team, you must: Be a resident of Oakland, CA. Be at least 7y/o or older. Retain A 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA), Create your own Scraper Bike…(It Has To Be Amazing, Or Else You Can’t Ride.) A single-file line when riding. After 10 rides The Scraper Bike King and his Captains will decide if your bike is up to standards and if you can follow simple guidelines. After your evaluation we will consider you a member and honor you with an Original Scraper Bike Team Shirt. Only worn when Mobbin’ Stay posted to our website for all upcoming Scraper Bike Rides…” — The Scraper Bike King ?

In The Revolution Will Be Animated, documentary filmmaker Marine Lormant Sebag presents multiple viewpoints on copyright in the digital age. The film’s main character is Nina Paley, an American animator who produced a feature film called Sita Sings the Blues (which we screened last September). Nina encountered many copyright issues with the songs she used, from 1920s´ singer Annette Hanshaw. These experiences made her realize that she didn’t want the same thing to happen to her film. She finally used a Creative Commons Share Alike license in order to free her work and present it to the world.

We are very excited that Marine Lormant Sebag has signed up to volunteer with UnionDocs to put together some videos using our archives of post-screening discussions with directors.

A vibrant new animation, “The Magical Classroom,” for SMART Technologies, created by former UnionDocs resident Matthew Amonson while in Argentina. Check out Matt’s studio here.

An exercise/experiment in collaborative filmmaking and soundgathering I conducted with my UnionDocs collabo compatriots William Martin and Andre Valentim Almeida. Video and audio by Will, Andre and I. Poem by Willie Wills. Cut by me. The idea was to pool all of the video/audio that was recorded, share it, and let each person come up with their own cut of the material.

Will’s poem got me to thinking about the nature of memory, and how when we are trying to recall something, we are in an almost thought-less mode of being as we try to access information buried somewhere in our grey matter.

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Thanks to Thirteen Forum for shooting, editing and posting this candid discussion with one of Brooklyn’s most influential filmmakers.

Colin Beckett moderates the discussion with the audience.

Spoiler alert… This is the revealing post-show discussion from the November 29th, 2009 screening of S&Man with the director JT Petty, actor Eric Marcisak, and journalist Jason Zinoman serving as a moderator. Thanks to Dan Byer and Brandon Tonner-Connolly from Get Ahead Films for shooting this and editing it together.

From 2006…. but worth another look.

Peggy Ahwesh

Beirut Outtakes (2007)  2007, 7:30 min, color, sound

“Fragments from movies found in an abandoned cinema in Beirut. Retrieved by Mr. Salloum. Assembled by Ms. Ahwesh.”

From UbuWeb.

Human Beings. 1-100

The first in a four part series “People In Order: 1. Age”, uniquely crafts the story of aging with remarkable humanity in just a few minutes. I love this piece so much it gives me a lump in my throat and a smile on my face every single time I come back to it. By Lenka Clayton and James Price.