SNOW MONKEY proves one of the best from Australian Middle-Easterner, George Gittoes

To my knowledge there is nobody currently doing anything like what fine artist and documentarian-cum-narrative filmmaker, George Gittoes (shown at left and elsewhere below), is up to, rescuing/educating one by one citizens of lands like Pakistan and Afghanistan, teaching and helping them to understand, appreciate and even make and star in their own movies as a pathway toward bridging certain gaps -- west and east, class and religion and who knows, maybe even a few others in the process.

If you were lucky enough to see his The Miscreants of Taliwood, which gave us the kind of education into provincial Pakistan that few had seen up to then (2009), or others of his films since, you'll know you're in for an original combination of documentary about filmmaking in the middle east in which middle easterners take part in the film, learning the art and craft of the process of movie-making, even as the audience learns about them and their society.

Gittoes' work is like nothing I've seen before or since, and I believe it reaches and teaches both east and west in ways that are strange, yes, but remarkable, too. His latest film, SNOW MONKEY, is a case in point. Using a combina-tion of documen-tary and narra-tive techniques so that, finally, the viewer can't really differentiate (or maybe even care to), Gittoes documents groups of youth "gangs" in present-day Jalalabad.

His "star" is a terrifying young kid, self-christened as "Steel," the actions of whom will have you wanting to deck him, and permanently, within the first few minutes of the film. But he's the star, as well as the kind of kid that Gittoes apparently most wants to reach. That is exactly what the filmmaker does, slowly and in fits and starts, as the movie proceeds. We see how, from an early age, Steel has seen and fully digested the ways in which strength and power count for all, and any glimmer of kindness is seen as weakness. As has happened in other of his films, Gittoes reaches the boy by giving him the opportunity to act in a film.

As Steel and his gang members, as well as members of other gangs, come into focus, we learn of their lives, hopes and losses. Steel acquires a "girlfriend" (above, center) along the way, even as another boy loses his father, a police inspector, to a sudden explosion. We meet a high-level member of the Taliban who, surprisingly, allows Gittoes and his significant other, Hellen, to continue teaching and performing in the town. (Even within the Taliban, it seems, there are better and worse examples, which, by the conclusion of the movie, we will have witnessed).

Another gang sells ice cream -- which has never looked quite so tasty and wonderful as here (it's like a sudden dish of hope)  -- to support its families, The life that pulsates from this film is extraordinary, and Gittoes' command of fimmaking is such that we experience that life with increasing wonder, surprise, fear and expectation. As in other of his films, Gittoes attracts his "actors" by giving them the opportunity to fight and appear super macho on film. While this might seem to go against the wanted outcome, it also may be the only way to initially coax the would-be performers into action, as the territory here is patriarchal and fundamentalist in the extreme.

After appearing at the Melbourne International Film Festival, Snow Monkey premieres on November 20 at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).  Click here for more information.

One-of-a-kind documentarian George Gittoes is back -- with an AFA retrospective

Last year at one of MoMA's important documentary programs, a then-new film from Australian filmmaker George Gittoes made its New York debut. TrustMovies was bowled over by it (still is) and devoted his lengthiest post yet to the film and to Mr. Gittoes, who is shown in the photo above.  (You can read that post here.) Starting today at New York's Anthology Film Archives, a seven-film retrospective of Mr. Gittoes' work is being shown over three days -- November 4 -6.  If you have any interest in the middle east, the Taliban, documentary film-making of a sort that simply doesn't occur elsewhere, get to this program at least once -- preferably for THE MISCREANTS OF TALIWOOD, tonight 4 at 7:15 pm or tomorrow at at 9:00 pm

Below is the AFA's description of this series, with info on each film:
Anthology is thrilled to present a retrospective on George Gittoes, the Australian artist and filmmaker. Each of Gittoes’ utterly unique and totally gonzo films is a journey that exposes us to revelatory truths from the most unexpected angles. An Australian artist who is as highly regarded for his paintings, drawings, and epic diaries as he is for his documentaries, Gittoes is attracted to war-torn countries and peoples in strife. He has traveled to and produced work in such places as the U.S., Central America, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Somalia, the Middle East,Western Sahara, Sinai, Mozambique, South Africa, Rwanda, Congo, Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Bougainville, China, Tibet, Thailand, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Timor, Russia, Yemen, and Iraq.

Whether talking to troops about the music they play while at war or actually making low-budget, direct-to-video action/melodramas in Pakistan, Gittoes constantly amazes with the bravado of his vision and the sensitivity of his touch.

George Gittoes will be in person at selected screenings to discuss his films; please visit anthologyfilmarchives.org forupdates.

To be screened:

THE MISCREANTS OF TALIWOOD
2009, 92 minutes, video.
This film takes us on an extraordinary journey to the remote Tribal Belt of the Northwest Frontier of Pakistan. To enter thisworld, Gittoes dresses in local costume and agrees to become an actor in the low-budget Pashto Telie Movie industry. Teaming up with Pashto action and comedy stars, they make the ‘last telie movie’ – an over-the-top action drama, played out in what must be one of the craziest of film locations.
    In this unpredictable documentary-drama hybrid, the Telie Movies – with their hilarious combination of American movie culture, village storytelling traditions, and Bollywood style – are intercut with the real-life drama of Gittoes’s extreme journey into the no-go zone of the Taliban-controlled Tribal Belt.
–Friday, November 4 at 7:15 and Saturday, November 5 at 9:00.

BULLETS OF THE POETS
1986, 65 minutes, 16mm-to-video.
Filmed on location in Nicaragua, this film focuses on six women who recount their struggles during the Sandinista Revolution and their reliance on writing poetry in order to cope.
“This is a salute to the women and poetry of Nicaragua – a toast to the power of verse and the indomitable courage of the female fighters who, throughout their country’s history, have in many cases, fought their battles with the lyrical pen until they were able to do it by force of arms.” –David Leser, WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN
–Friday, November 4 at 9:15.

SOUNDTRACK TO WAR
2004, 95 minutes, video.
The war in Iraq continues to be explored and dissected from many different angles, but in this film Gittoes ventures into the war-torn country to explore firsthand how music plays a part in the lives of the soldiers involved in the conflict. The film showcases spontaneous musical performances by a cast of battle-weary soldiers, with the sounds ofgunfire and bursting mortar shells forming a frightening backdrop. Americanculture came to Iraq wired into its tanks and helicopters, a live soundtrack to war with songs such as “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor”, “Round Out”, “The Tank”, and “Bombs over Baghdad” memorized by every soldier and forever linked to the violent events that accompany them.
     “Music, often pumped through tank and Humvee sound systems into individual helmets, has become a soldier’s chief means of personalizing, justifying, heightening, and denying the experience of war. Mr. Gittoes hasmade a strong movie about [this subject].” –NEW YORK TIMES
–Saturday, November 5 at 4:15.

RAMPAGE
2006, 103 minutes, video.
In the follow-up to SOUNDTRACK TO WAR, his film about music and war in Iraq, Gittoes turns to the murky underbelly of the Land of the Free. RAMPAGE is another journey into the forbidden zone, this time addressing America’s war in Iraq via its own backyard: a tough Miami ‘hood.
     “Gittoes draws together musical ambition, family ties, and several definitions of war in this vital package. … A sobering reflection on U.S. domestic affairs threaded through the story of hip-hopping brothers in an ultra-dangerous Florida ‘hood.” –Richard Kuipers, VARIETY
–Saturday, November 5 at 6:30.


PASHTO TRILOGY
This interconnected trilogy of Pashto love stories was made in Jalalabad, the second largest city in Afghanistan. The only Westerner involved in their production, Gittoes collaborated with an entirely Afghan and Pashtun cast and crew.

LOVE CITY
2011, 125 minutes, video. In Pashto with English subtitles.
In Afghanistan the most dangerous thing you can do is to fall in love. In this society of strictly arranged marriages more lovers are murdered by their own families than soldiers killed in the war.
     A young filmmaker, Hamza, falls in love with Jasmin, the daughter of the owner of Love City, a lavish Wedding Hall. The owner is very rich and protective of his daughter. He tells Hamza that he must give up his career as an actor and director before he can even be considered for Jasmin’s hand. When Jasmin is promised to a cousin and a wedding arranged with short notice, the two lovers decide to have their own secret wedding…
–Sunday, November 6 at 3:15.

TALK SHOW
2011, 127 minutes, video. In Pashto with English subtitles.
Asma, the eldest daughter of a Wedding Hall owner is coming home to Afghanistan from her University in Peshawar, Pakistan when she and her girlfriend Ghuty are kidnapped. They are saved by two men: Asma’s cousin Ikram, who has always loved her, and a playboy, Karim. Karim is the owner of a fancy restaurant and has a reputation as a gangster. Asma falls for Karim while she is creating a Talk Show based on the Oprah Winfrey model. She soon discovers Karim is a fake and a criminal and realizes she has made a big mistake. Ikram forgives her and helps her to use her Talk Show to bring Karim and his corrupt gangster network down.
–Sunday, November 6 at 6:00.

THE TAILOR’S STORY
2011, 125 minutes, video. In Pashto with English subtitles.
Ghuty, an American girl brought up by Afghan parents who have fled as refugees and made good in the U.S., returns to Afghanistan and creates a love song dedication show on local Jalalabad radio. A mysterious woman, Shandana, calls in to tell her sad love story, and as a result she and her former lover, a tailor named Khan, are reunited. At the same time, talk show host Asma falls in love with Zaki, an Afghan translator for the U.S. forces. Soon Asma’s mother arrives to force her daughter to return to Ohio, only to discover that Zaki is the son of a man she was in love with until they were separated by the war with the Russians. When these characters return to their native village they find that all their pasts are interconnected.
–Sunday, November 6 at 8:45.

Several of Mr. Gittoes'  films are now available via download at the following links: SOUNDTRACK TO WAR : http://mubi.com/films/33089 THE MISCREANTS OF TALLIWOOD : http://mubi.com/films/20628 RAMPAGE: http://mubi.com/films/33090

For more info on George Gittoes, simply click here.

For more information on Anthology Film Archives, click here; to purchase tickets, here; and for direction to AFA, here.