I saw Tony Kaye’s Lake of Fire at SILVERDOCS this year. The film had actually premiered at Toronto 2006 and I was surprised that it hadn’t had a better festival run (between September and June), as there were sporadic comments from those who attended Toronto that it was a must-see. I presumed that tackling abortion was a topic that American festivals just didn’t want on their program, having to consider sponsors and legislators, etc. So, I made sure to catch the one 11 AM screening of the nearly 3 hour film when it played in Silver Spring. It seemed like a “must see” because one never knows when the next opportunity might be. It is a truly artistic film. Whatever stance you take on abortion, after watching this film you will absolutely have to face the opposite point of view. Notice, I’m not saying which side, I’m saying “whatever stance.” Kaye has crafted a film that elegantly constructs most common approaches to this issue and slays them, then leaves the choice to the viewer as to what to believe. His “witnesses” are everyday Americans but they are not fanatics. They are people who have carefully considered thoughts, they are educated and they have experience and occasionally evidence (which is sometimes shown – thank God for the B&W!) to help illustrate their perspective.

It’s astonishing to watch a film and have it place me so squarely in another perspective and really understanding where it comes from. I walked out of the theater with many more questions than answers and seriously questioning my own ideas about abortion. What better compliment can be paid to a piece of art? Isn’t that the highest achievement? It should be no surprise that this film is on the Academy Awards shortlist of potential nominees for 2007.

What sparks my comments? My friend and colleague Danielle Digiacomo posted her thoughts about the shortlist:

The Academy only sometimes (seemingly begrudgingly) recognizes that documentary filmmaking is not limited to reconstructions – dry, sentimental, whatever – of historic events – but is truly an artform that illuminates and questions the truths and experiences of everyday life.

Lake of Fire could do no more to illuminate a current struggle, as far as I’m concerned, so I can emphatically disagree with Danielle about this particular film and her comment. But, I also reacted strongly to criticism of Billy the Kid (Danielle was credited as associate producer on it). It is a film that sparked discussion among those who saw it and to my mind also illuminates the human experience in a profound way. This is where my reaction to the Oscar list stumps me because I understand that what moves and excites me is not necessarily what will move or excite Academy voters. They are of a certain socio-economic group that wants to not only recognize good film but have the right people at their cocktail parties, so what excites them is going to be different.

I don’t want to minimize the work of those on the shortlist. When I said “uninspiring” in a previous post, it was unfair because it was about the totality of the list as opposed to a critique of the films. I think this boils down to naivete about what this award is. To think that it is democratic or fair in any way is to be disappointed. It is guided by the hands of a select few. AJ might just have convinced me over the course of the year that all one had to do was to qualify to be on equal footing, and I too had hopes that some of these outstanding works might be accepted by the establishment. But those who comprise the establishment aren’t ready, and maybe never will be. They gravitate toward a certain kind of film (big issue-oriented, traditional styling). Maybe it will take a turnover in members to change the course, and that will be more than a few years. If Richard Robbins (Operation Homecoming) were to win, he would be on the voting body and might place his vote for a film like Manda Bala, for example.

I hope that Tricia Regan’s comment (Autism: The Musical) that if today’s filmmakers keep at it that they will someday become the majority of Academy voters, and will have the opportunity to make their imprint on the “best” docs, comes true but will the younger folks then be saying about our generation that we have our heads up our ass? Probably.