BEAUTIFUL JOURNEYS IN FILM NOW

We just returned from the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) 2013 abuzz with new inspiration. Here are ten beautiful films we saw there with notably beautiful sound design.

Photo: Courtesy of Song from the Forest.

1. SONG FROM THE FOREST. Directed by Michael Obert. Sound post production by: www.hammersnail.com. Marian Mentrup: sound supervisor and re-recording mixer. Location sound by Timo Selengia. Sound design by Daniel Teige. Additional Sound Design by Henrik Oppermann.

 

An American man has spent the past 25 years living amongst a pygmy tribe in the forests of central Africa. He emerges now, in a trip to the US, to introduce his half-pymgy son to his American family, friends, and culture.

Photo: Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. FAME Studios team.

2. MUSCLE SHOALS. Directed by Greg Camalier. Sound by Rick Hall.

 

Muscle Shoals is a beautiful area in rural Alabama, where sound engineering aficionado, Rick Hall, developed his artistry and founded FAME Studios. The film documents Hall’s incredible life and talent, full of personal tragedy and professional glory. Find out why the Rolling Stones, the Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, Traffic, Lynnard Skynnard, and loads more musicians, consider this place to be the best place in the world to record sound.

Photo: Courtesy of Independent Television Service.

3. SEPIDEH -- REACHING FOR THE STARS. Directed by Berit Madsen. Sound by Hassan Shabankareh.

 

A brilliant and courageous young Iranian woman dreams of becoming an astronaut. This film beautifully documents her journey.

Photo: Courtesy of IDFA. Per Persson with a member of his family.

4. DISPLACED PERRSONS. Directed by Asa Blanck and Johan Palmgren. Sound by Asa Blanck.

 

A Swedish man left his homeland 40 years ago to live in Pakistan. This film tells his story as he returns to Sweden with his Pakistani family.

Photo: Courtesy of Europe in 8 Bits. 8 Bit music being played in Valencia.

5. EUROPE IN 8 BITS. Directed by Javier Polo. Sound by Alex Bordanova.

 

Gamers who started up in the 90’s, with Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros., have resurrected their devices and repurposed them to create super-cool chip music.

Photo: Courtesy of IDFA. Enea at a club.

6. THE SPECIAL NEED. Directed by Carlo Zoratti. Sound by Andrea Blasutig.

 

A smart handsome 29 year old Italian man is a virgin who wants to change his status. The problem is, he’s autistic. This film tells his story as he goes on a road trip across Europe in search of sex.

Photo: Courtesy of Ukraine is not a Brothel. Promotional image.

7. UKRAINE IS NOT A BROTHEL. Directed by Kitty Green. Sound by Jed Palmer.

 

Sometimes you have to take your shirt off to get someone’s attention! A group of beautiful activists, protesting gender inequality in the Ukraine, write messages on their breasts and bare them for all to see as they scream out their indignations. The film is surprisingly beautiful, visually, with beautifully crafted sound.

Photo: Courtesy of Journey to Jah. Gentleman and Alborosie performing.

8. JOURNEY TO JAH. Directed by Noel Denesch. Sound by Moritz Springer.

 

Gentleman and Alborosie, a German and an Italian musician, respectively are two of the most important reggae artists in Europe. They originally traveled to Jamaica, in 1999, connected with the roots of the music and culture their, and never left. This film, seven years in the making, documents their musical and personal journeys.

 

Photo: Courtesy of My Name is Salt. Salt Miner.

 

9. MY NAME IS SALT. Directed by Farida Pacha. Sound by Sanjeev Gupta & Ramesh Birajdar.

 

Salt mining in the deserts of India is hard work done by a family of salt panners. It all has to be done before the monsoon season starts each year. This film is a gorgeous testament to the beauty of labor.

Photo: Courtesy of IDFA. Santra

10. SANTRA AND THE TALKING TREES. Directed by Miia Tervo. Sound by Yrjo Saarinen.

 

Film maker Miia Tervo explores her Finnish heritage and culture in the Karelia region, on the border of Russia. She learns from Santra, an elderly indigenous woman there, who becomes her surrogate grandmother.

 

Read more about Gratitude, as it relates Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact in our posts throughout this week, including New Ideas about Gratitude, The New Science of Gratitude, Food Gratitude, But You Did, & I Thank You, Top 10 Thanks for Travel, Gratitude Boomerangs, and Practice Makes Happiness.

 

Get busy and enter the BN Competitions, Our theme this week is Gratitude. Send in your images and ideas. Deadline is 12.01.13.

 

Photo: Courtesy of InterActiveMediaSW.

 

Also, check out our special competition: The Most Beautiful Sound in the World! We are thrilled about this effort, together with SoundCloud and The Sound Agency. And we can’t wait to hear what you’ve got!