Day 2 of Sheffield Doc/Fest brought a heap more films including UK and European premieres and documentaries about subjects as far ranging as the use of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address on modern day education to the evacuation of South Vietnamese refugees in the last days of Vietnam. Here are THN’s highlights from the second day of the festival:
STOP AT NOTHING: THE LANCE ARMSTRONG STORY
One of the strands of this years’ festival is ‘Hell on Wheels’ – the best cycling stories straight from hell. Of course one of the biggest names in cycling across the globe is Lance Armstrong; 7 time Tour De France winner who, in 2013, admitted that years of rumours about doping in the sport were true and had all his Tour medals stripped from him. STOP AT NOTHING: THE LANCE ARMSTRONG STORY from Australian director Alex Holmes paints a portrait of a liar from those who knew Lance well; members of the tour teams, press and enemies. The film covers Lance’s rise from just a kid in the sport to a world-renown winner; not just for his cycling achievements but also for surviving testicular cancer early in his career. It’s a well constructed look at the single-mindedness and utter determination of one man to cover his tracks by fabricating almost an entire separate timeline of events. Clips of tour wins, court-room testimonies and press conferences create a mix of perspectives on the fraudster but ultimately what the documentary is missing is an interview with the man himself. It’s the portrait of a liar from the perspective of others and whilst it allows for the story to be told on one level; the sense that a more intricate picture could only be gained by experiencing the Lance Armstrong fraud through the words of the fraudster himself is never far away.
A second Lance Armstrong documentary, THE ARMSTRONG LIE from Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, will also screen later in the festival and it will be interesting to see the differences between the two; Gibney’s film perhaps able to paint a deeper and more immersive portrait of the Lance Armstrong story and lie thanks to access to the cyclist from 2009 through to the revelations in 2013.
THE INTERNET’S OWN BOY: THE STORY OF AARON SWARTZ
Aaron Swartz was one of the Internet’s most gifted pioneers as a young teenager. He helped found RSS feeds, was one of the pioneers of Reddit and Creative Commons intiative and was intent on making sure that public knowledge should remain in the public domain. Aaron Swartz probably impacted your life and you don’t even realise it. Remember when Wikipedia went dark for a day? Swartz was behind the masterminding of the bringing down of the Government bill SOPA that Wikipedia went dark to protest against. That law, if passed, would have broken the freedom of speech constitutional rights in the eyes of many. Swartz was a fierce protector of the internet and wanted to make the world a better place through his vision. Unfortunately, the U.S justice system saw what he was doing as against the law and charged him with multiple felonies. Swartz, unable to handle the pressure, committed suicide in 2013. Brian Knappenberger’s documentary looks back at Aaron’s life through home videos, interviews with family and friends and how the case unfolded against the internet genius. It’s a focused argument that condemns the U.S Government and its’ legal systems; which many believe never should have been involved in Aaron’s case and that he was made an example of. Fact-driven with a useful array of interviewees; THE INTERNET’S OWN BOY: THE STORY OF AARON SWARTZ is a compelling tale of this young man’s impact on the internet and the world.
LIFE ITSELF
Roger Ebert, a world-renowned film critic and social commentator, died in April 2013 during the filming of an adaption of his 2011 memoir Life Itself. After deciding to finish the film, the filmmakers launched an Indiegogo campaign and raised over $150,000 for their project. Let this be a small insight into how popular Ebert was; how much he meant to so many people and how his words inspired a generation. LIFE ITSELF, from director Steve James (HOOP DREAMS), is that finished film; a passionate and deeply moving portrait of a life well-lived. It covers Ebert’s early life, his first forays into the newspaper world, his long-running television career with fellow film critic Gene Siskel and the illness that eventually claimed his life.
LIFE ITSELF is a funny, witty, heart-warming, heart-breaking, thoughtful and poignant look at the life of Ebert. All these qualities stem from Ebert himself who is silly, funny, self-deprecating and humorous even in the face of drawn-out ill health. His strength and determination are mirrored in his wife Chaz who by any standards is a remarkable woman and the enduring relationship they share is a testament to both; and filmed with utter love and respect by James.
Featuring input from those who inspired, and have been inspired, by Ebert including Martin Scorcese, Werner Herzog, Errol Morris, Ava DuVernay and Ramin Bahrani; it’s clear Ebert led a beautiful life that is befitting of this achingly beautiful piece of filmmaking which could well turn out to be out favourite of the festival.
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