THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK

Directed by Rob Epstein
Narrated by Harvey Fierstein
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Premiere date: October 26, 1984
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A devastatingly skillful and emotionally compelling documentary, The Times of Harvey Milk charts the political rise and brutal slaying of the first openly gay city official in the United States, Harvey Milk. Ironically, the same election that brought Milk to the board of city supervisors of San Francisco also elected the man who killed him, a former police officer and fireman named Dan White. After White shot both Mayor George Moscone and Milk, his defense lawyers convinced the jury that White's judgment was impaired by depression and junk food, resulting in a conviction for manslaughter instead of murder - a verdict that prompted riots. With care and conviction, The Times of Harvey Milk captures not only Milk himself, but also the political and social landscape in which these events took place. The interviews - with friends, politicians, and journalists - are articulate and heartfelt, expressing the impact that Milk had upon this historical movement.

Sundance Film Festival
Special Jury Prize - Documentary
Grand Jury Prize - Documentary
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1 Academy Award Nomination, 1 Win
Best Documentary Feature

BORN INTO BROTHELS

Directed by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman

Premiere date: January 17, 2004 (Sundance Film Festival)
R for some sequences of strong language.

A tribute to the resiliency of childhoos and the restorative power of art, Born Into Brothels is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta where their mothers work as prostitutes. Zana Briski, a New York based photographer, gives each of these youngsters a camera and teaches them how to take pictures, simultaneously causing them to look at their world with new eyes. Together with Ross Kauffman, Briski captures the magical way in which beauty can be found in the most unlikely of places and how a bright and promising future becomes a possibility for children who previously had no future at all.

Sundance Film Festival
Audience Award - Documentary
Grand Jury Prize Nominee

National Board of Review
Best Documentary

1 Academy Award Nomination, 1 Win
Best Documentary Feature

Michael Moore's Latest

It's been a busy day for trailers. Now we have the full-lenth trailer for Michael Moore's new documentary Capitalism: A Love Story. Whatever your personal opinion of Moore, you can't deny the man knows how to make a stir and draw attention to his causes.

With ten Best Picture slots this year, will he finally slide one of his films into the top race? Maybe not, but I think it's safe to say Capitalism: A Love Story is a contender for Best Documentary Feature.