By now, anyone with a newspaper in this city (apparently a disappearing demographic) knows that the annual Silverdoc Festival is happening right now at the American Film Institute in Silver Spring. So why mention it? Because it's one of the film festivals in town that actually gets and deserves international attention. With over 100 films from 60 countries, this film festival is huge. Screenings start around 11:00 a.m. each day and run until midnight so this is perfect for film nuts, people on vacation, or anyone taking a break from job-hunting.
I'm glad to see that documentaries are finally getting the publicity they deserve. Whether that's thanks to Michael Moore's films, Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," or a greater desire for an honest look at the world around us, doesn't really matter. More and more people are seeing documentaries and more of them are playing in our theaters.
Last night I saw a wonderful film called "Old Partner" at Silverdocs. This Korean film looked at the relationship between an elderly farmer, his wife, and the ox the family has used for the past 40 years to work the family farm. I know . . . on the surface this sounds corny and I was braced for a little schmaltz. But I was surprised - the film gave us a glimpse into the disappearing way of life of farmers who use work animals to support their families. As they say in the film, thanks to the ox, the farmer was able to raise his nine children and put them through college. The film also movingly showed how the aging and aching farmer (age 79), his complaining wife (age 76), and the dying ox continued to work each and every day together, as always. Just watching the farmer and his wife crawling, planting, and harvesting in the rice fields also reminded me how hard some people in this world work. Maybe that is a bit corny, but it's something I'll think about as I get up and groan after a hard day at the keyboard.
Silverdocs runs through next Monday, June 22. If you're thinking about going, order tickets in advance. Most shows sell out. http://silverdocs.com/
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