2011 Films
Thirty marvelous and bracing documentaries comprise the 2011 Salem Film Fest, presented at CinemaSalem in Salem, Massachusetts, which makes Salem the largest documentary festival in New England. Two-thirds of the films will likely have representatives attending and dialoging before and after their films, making for a truly unique and powerful cinematic experience. Browse through the film descriptions below to find films to match your passions or open up new windows on the world. You can also download the official 2011 Fest Program (pdf) or a two-page printable schedule (pdf).
There are two venues for most screenings, the MAIN THEATER (capacity 160), and the SCREENING ROOM (capacity 18). This year, three of the films will be presented at the nearby Peabody Essex Museum and an additional screening will take place at the National Park Service Visitor Center.
indicates that the filmmaker will be attending
indicates that the film is a premiere
Click [+ticket] to purchase tickets for a film, or Purchase Tickets by Date.
90 min - USA
Directed by David Mueller and Lynn Salt (Choctaw)
"A wonderful, sorrowful, compelling film. From classrooms of fear and force assimilation, to the climactic stand-off at Wounded Knee, it is an essential chapter in the all-too-infrequently-told tale of those who can truly call this continent home." Ken Burns, filmmaker
[MORE]
68 min - Washington, DC / Bosnia
Directed/Produced by Mark Claywell
Isa Abdullah Ali grew up in the ghettos of America's capitol surrounded by violence. A provocative look at militant Islam through the eyes of an American who fought for it.
[MORE]
94 min - Germany
Directed by Jan Tenhaven
MAIN THEATER
SCREENING ROOM
With warmth and good humor AUTUMN GOLD follows the life-affirming story of five athletes, ages 80 thru 100, in their preparation for the Track and Field World Championships.
[MORE]
93 min - Pacific Northwest, USA
Directed by Kaleo La Belle
SCREENING ROOM
Cloud Rock LaBelle has been stoned for the last 40 years. Drugs and absolute freedom are, for him, religious beliefs. Long estranged from his son, the two reconnect for a grueling 500-miles bike tour in the Pacific Northwest.
[MORE]
90 min - USA, France
Directed by Richard Press
For 50 years Bill Cunningham has been obsessively interested in one thing - the pictures he takes that document the way people dress - and their layout in the New York Times Sunday Style section.
[MORE]
88 min - USA
Directed by Benjamin Fingerhut
Breaking world records is a seductive tradition - inspiring, reckless, and bizarre. A "joggler," grape catcher and a man who cycles nowhere battle the odds - and their respective nemeses - in pursuit of global dominance.
[MORE]
60 min - Laos
Directed by Malcolm Murray
SCREENING ROOM
Laos through the fascination and confusion of a traveler's lens. The film quietly calls upon viewers to ponder the multifaceted and often ambiguous impacts of travel and photography on citizens of two worlds.
[MORE]
75 min - Mexico
Directed/Produced by Aaron Schock
MAIN THEATER
SCREENING ROOM
Gorgeously filmed along the back roads of rural Mexico, CIRCO follows the Ponce family's hardscrabble circus as it struggles to stay together despite mounting debt, dwindling audiences, and a simmering family conflict.
[MORE]
87 min - USA, Italy
Directed/Produced by Michael Sladek
Is an artist still an artist if others conceive and create his work? A
dark comedy excavating America's craving for fame and fortune via one of
its most outrageous addicts, "business artist" Mark Kostabi.
[MORE]
88 min - Austin, TX
Directed/Produced by Nathan Christ
The struggles of several talented musicians from Austin Texas trying to balance art and the industry. Meanwhile, as Austin's music club scene builds, so does its downtown skyline - where new residents complain about the noise!
[MORE]
60 min - Detroit, MI
Directed/Produced by Mascha & Manfred Poppenk
NATIONAL PARK VISIT CENTER
SCREENING ROOM
Vacant lots in the heart of Detroit are being returned to fertile land. In a public school, girls learn through farming to become more independent and knowledgeable about good nutrition.
[MORE]
95 min - Congo
Directed/Produced by Claus Wischmann & Martin Baer
People living in one of the most chaotic cities in the world forge one of the most complex systems of human cooperation ever invented: a symphony orchestra. A film about the Congo, about the people of Kinshasa and about music.
[MORE]
75 min - Columbia
Directed by Eduardo Carrillo
A beautifully animated depiction of displaced Colombian children who have grown up surrounded by guerrillas that uses their voices and animates their drawings. A journey filled with hopes and dreams against all odds.
[MORE]
99 min - Chicago, IL
Directed/Produced by Greg Jacobs & Jon Siskel
High school poets from Chicago compete in the world's largest youth slam. This is not about "poetry" as we think of it but about language as a joyful release, and some irrepressibly talented teenagers who make words dance.
[MORE]
95 min - New York, NY
Directed by Jill Andresevic
A witty, poignant and humorous exploration about the universal stages of love, depicted through five couples (ages 18 to 89) over the course of one year in New York City. An honest look at life's most challenging pursuit.
[MORE]
