DocHouse September programme announced

After a long summer break DocHouse returns this September with three amazing documentaries. And that’s not it, the full line-up also includes filmmaker Q&A’s, panel discussions and shorts – bring on September we say!

Luckily we’ve had some top class films this month in the shape of Searching for Sugar Man, Nostalgia for the Light and the upcoming documentary The Imposter, but it is still comforting to know that from 6 September we can rely on DocHouse again to present us with great new docs on Thursday evenings.

The new season will kick off with a doc by no other than the acclaimed British director Michael Grigsby. His latest documentary, We Went To War, screened at Sheffield Doc/Fest in June and we can tell you that it is a must see for every serious documentary lover out there. Grigsby will attend the screening at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith together with co-director Rebekah Tolley, and you will get the chance to ask them whatever you like during the film’s Q&A session.

Ben Unwin reviewed the film for DocGeeks and here’s an abstract of his thoughts:

“Poetic is a most overused term when it comes to film making but We Went To War is a beautiful, meditative film about what happens to young men after their endeavours to serve their country are forgotten. What is so involving is that as the film develops it becomes clear that this is much more than a tale solely about the effects of war on its combatants. Grigsby shows how the side effects of conflict also reach out to affect family and friends, up to the point at which even the grandchildren feel the weight of the events on their shoulders.”

A week later, on 13 September, DocHouse will be screening The Mexican Suitcase. This documentary tells the story of when in 2007 three boxes are discovered in a closet in Mexico City. They had been lost in the chaos that was Europe at the beginning of World War II. Inside the boxes 4,500 negatives are found, all from pictures taken by photojournalists (and friends) Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David Seymour, who were exiled from Germany, Hungary and Poland. As committed anti-fascists they had travelled to Spain to fight the rise of Franco with their cameras. Through their work, the story of the Spanish Civil War and the exile of over 500,000 Spaniards to Europe and Mexico is revealed.

Unfortunately we haven’t been able to get you a review on the blog yet but here’s what TIME magazine thinks about the film: ”The Mexican Suitcase pays tribute to the spirit of three extraordinary photographers Capa, Tara and Seymour who passionately believed that photographs could change and shape the way we see the world.” We think it will definitely be worth the 7pm visit to the Lexi Cinema.

Then the third film announced in September is Big Boys Gone Bananas, a highly recommended feature doc by Swedish director Fredrik Gertten who will be joining the screening at the Prince Charles cinema on 18 September and answer all your questions during the post-doc Q&A.

A few years ago Gertten made a film about the successful use of illegal pesticides by giant fruit producer Dole in Nicaragua and the affects these pesticides had on the workers at the plant. When he submitted the film, entitled Bananas, to the Los Angeles Film Festival all hell broke loose. Dole threatened to sue everybody that as involved in the production, possible staging or reviewing of the film, while in the meantime starting a clever PR attack making out the film was a complete fraud. Lucky for us, Gertten was just a tat more clever and started filming all the events that unfolded. The result is a documentary outlining his fight for the basic right of freedom of speech, packed full with the most remarkable twists and turns and a lot of thrilling action.

If you like to book tickets, see trailers or know more about the films announced, then visit the DocHouse website.
Enjoy your Thursdays!