AFI PROJECT: 20/20 is an American Film Institute (AFI) international initiative designed to enhance cultural exchange, understanding and collaboration through filmmakers and their films from the US and abroad. It is an unprecedented cultural diplomacy effort that is the only international filmmaker exchange supported by all of America's cultural agencies--National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) -- and the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
Participation in AFI PROJECT: 20/20 is by invitation based on an artist's filmmaking excellence, the potential for positively interrelating with film professionals, filmmaking peers, cultural officials and audiences, particularly outside the US. AFI FEST and the other venues and countries participating in AFI PROJECT: 20/20 provide an arena for American and international cultural voices to be heard and seen, creating learning opportunities for audiences and artists alike. Through workshops, seminars and appearances at film festivals, cultural centers, museums and other community, educational and cultural venues in the US and abroad, AFI PROJECT: 20/20 filmmakers promote mutual understanding, while nurturing filmmaking excellence.
The third year of the program begins at AFI FEST 2008 present by Audi in Los Angeles, October 30 - November 9, and will include American and international filmmakers. Representing various countries, 2008 - 2009 AFI PROJECT: 20/20 introduces a multicultural roster of films signifying a universal perspective that challenges us to examine, reflect and celebrate diversity.
AFI PROJECT: 20/20 Filmmakers
Anthony Fabian (UK) SKIN Sandra was the beautiful baby of two white parents. But her skin was dark--the legacy of an unknown black ancestor whose DNA had lain dormant for generations. This biopic reveals Sandra's life as both a genetic phenomenon and a social-political one, for Sandra was born in racially divided South Africa.
Kief Davidson (US) KASSIM THE DREAM Kidnapped at age 6 and turned into a child solder--both a victim and perpetrator of war crimes -- Kassim "The Dream" Ouma has dreams of becoming a world champion boxer. His startling tale of survival and success is real-life proof that humans, against the longest odds, can turn tragedy into inspiration.
Daniel Junge (US) Siatta Scott Johnson (Liberia) IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA In January 2006, after 14 years of civil war, Liberia inaugurates the first freely elected woman head of state in Africa. Directors Daniel Junge and Siatta Scott Johnson document President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the women in her cabinet as they try to rebuild their country and prevent it from slipping back into civil war. The filmmakers skillfully capture many of the most important moments of this groundbreaking journey.
Jody Lambert (US) OF ALL THE THINGS In the 1970s, songwriter Dennis Lambert had four songs in the top 100 at once, a feat previously accomplished only by the Beatles. Now retired, and selling real estate, Lambert's discovery of an unlikely cult following--in the Philippines!!--lures him back on tour. This hilarious doc captures every note.
Richie Mehta (Canada) AMAL In chaotic New Delhi, an aged and irascible man cheats everyone he meets. When Amal, an auto-rickshaw wallah, generously allows him to dodge his fare, both are affected in a way that has far-reaching consequences.
Sascha Paladino (US) THROW DOWN YOUR HEART For many, the banjo conjures images of towns in Alabama where, as the folk song goes, men serenade women named Susannah with banjos on their knees. When others think of the banjo, their minds go immediately to banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck. THROW DOWN YOUR HEART is the result of Bela Fleck's curiosity about the origins of this beloved instrument.
Alexandra Westmeier (Russia) ALONE IN FOUR WALLS ALLEIN IN VIER WANDEN This meticulous, eye-opening and beautifully shot documentary introduces us to young teens incarcerated in a tough reform school located in the Russian Urals. Though these kids have, indeed, stolen and even killed, they also share the same dreams and passions as young people everywhere.
AFI PROJECT: 20/20 Mentors
Chris Bowman (USA) AMERICAN FORK At nearly 400 pounds, Tracy (Hubbel Palmer) is a wide target. When he sets out to pursue his dream of acting, the grocery clerk finds an assortment of people to dash his dreams: his acting coach (THE SQUID AND THE WHALE's William Baldwin), who has designs on his sister; his juvenile-delinquent friends who suck him into their petty crimes; and his God-fearing, self-loathing mother (Academy Award nominee Kathleen Quinlan). Through it all, Tracy remains irrepressibly upbeat, convinced he's destined for something big.
Andreas M. Dalsgaard (Denmark) AFGHAN MUSCLES Men's bodybuilding is one Afghanistan's most popular public sports, a source of local and national pride in a society where there is too often little reason to be proud. We follow the Afghan national team as its members qualify and travel to compete in the "Mr. Asia" bodybuilding championship. This unusual backdrop allows for a documentary about Islamic culture that has absolutely nothing to do with politics, religion or American imperialism.
Doug Pray (USA) BIG RIG From documentarian Doug Pray comes this lyrical voyage through the world of long-haul trucking. Like a funky country tune, the film rolls down the road while following a diverse cast of characters who literally drive the shipping and supply lines of America.
Salif Traoré (Mali) FARO - GODDESS OF THE WATER Zanga, the village bastard, comes back to his rural town after studying engineering in the city. He finds his village is still bound to the old beliefs of the river Faro that is the god of their world. Soon the old traditions begin to clash with his new knowledge.
2008 AFI PROJECT: 20/20 Alumni
Alberto Arvelo (Venezuela) CYRANO FERNANDEZ From the slums of Venezuela comes this outrageously original adaptation of Cyrano De Bergerac. Can a woman see past a man's scarred face and find true romantic happiness? The gloriously gritty backdrop pumps up the stakes for this tale of tough love.
Weijun Chen (China) PLEASE VOTE FOR ME How do you build democracy in the world's largest communist community? Start small ... very small. This charming film follows the intense politicking to become class monitor of a third-grade class in Wahun Province.
Jeffery Schwarz (USA) SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY This documentary chronicles the last great American showman. A master of ballyhoo who became a brand name in movie horror with his outrageous audience participation gimmicks, Castle treated delighted moviegoers to buzzing seats, flying skeletons, luminescent ghosts and life insurance policies against "death by fright." Director Jeffrey Schwarz relates Castle's rags-to-riches tale with appropriate brio, including a wealth of entertaining archival footage and numerous interviews with the impresario's friends, family and fans.
2007 AFI PROJECT: 20/20 Alumni
Jay Craven (USA) DISAPPEARANCES Set in the Prohibition-era, this whiskey-running adventure based on the award-winning novel by Howard Frank Mosher, takes place along the Vermont-Canadian border. With a unique style influenced by magical realism, the film features a standout performance from cinematic legend Kris Kristofferson.
Mohammed Naqvi (Canada/Pakistan) SHAME In 2002, following the tribal custom of "honor for honor," a young woman, Mukhtar Mai, was gang-raped and then publicly paraded for a crime her younger brother committed. Mai set out to seek justice. SHAME is her transformative journey from a simple peasant woman into a world human rights icon - who gave the village that shamed her two schools and a women's crisis center.
J.B. Rutagarama (Rwanda/UK) BACK HOME BACK HOME is the first film about the Rwandan genocide made by an actual survivor. The true story of director J.B. Rutagarama, who was adopted by reporters as he fled the killings and given a new life, Rutagarama takes us along as he returns to his homeland to confront what happened there.
Amie Williams (USA) NO SWEAT An all-American tale about an all-American garment - the T-shirt - this documentary takes a wild ride into the bowels of the Los Angeles garment industry. Mostly undocumented workers at American Apparel and SweatX are offered better wages, benefits, even a shot at worker-ownership. But what's really behind the label?
AFI PROJECT: 20/20 is an American Film Institute (AFI) international initiative designed to enhance cultural exchange, understanding and collaboration through filmmakers and their films from the US and abroad. It is an unprecedented cultural diplomacy effort that is the only international filmmaker exchange supported by all of America's cultural agencies--National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) -- and the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
