aj schnack Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Back in January, we wrote about director AJ Schnack's (Kurt Cobain: About a Son) efforts to create awards for non-fiction filmmaking that would be ... somewhat more relevant than the Academy Awards. Back when the Oscar shortlist for docs came out, Schnack wrote an angry diatribe about the process and the films selected (and, more importantly, those that were not selected) that echoed the sentiments of many of us who write about, or make, documentary films.

Although I'm not at all displeased that Alex Gibney ultimately won the Oscar for Taxi to the Dark Side, and would have been equally happy if No End in Sight had won, there were some glaring omissions in the Oscar shortlist that were truly appalling, most notably In the Shadow of the Moon and King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

The 11th annual DocuWeek showcase kicks off tomorrow night, Friday, August 17 continuing through August 23 at two locations in Los Angeles before traveling to other parts of the country. Presented by the International Documentary Association (IDA), the program has featured 21 films that were eventually nominated for Academy Awards, with five capturing the little gold man. One of the goals of the showcase is to help filmmakers meet the AMPAS rules for Academy Award consideration, which requires that a doc play for one week in Los Angeles or Manhattan by August 31. (A multi-state theatrical roll-out is also required by November 15.) Another is to encourage exhibitors "to dedicate more screens to nonfiction films," according to a statement by IDA Executive Director Sandra Ruch.

The 12 feature-length docs include War/Dance, a tale of children in a refugee camp in Uganda, which moved our own Kim Voynar to write: "I can't imagine anyone could watch War/Dance without feeling heart-wrenched over these kids' stories and being touched by their heart and courage." She also liked Nanking, about Japan's invasion of China's capital city in 1937, describing it as "deeply affecting." Chops looks at high school jazz musicians; Erik Davis said "you're overcome by this overwhelming feeling to hug each one" during the film's best moments. In the Shadow of the Moon, Hear and Now, Larry Flynt: The Right to Be Left Alone, A Promise to the Dead, The Price of Sugar, Protagonist, Taxi to the Darkside and We Are Together will also be screened. The IDA site has complete information.

AJ Schnack's Kurt Cobain About a Son will also play during DocuWeek. At his blog, Schnack notes that "somewhat secretly, the opening round of competition for this year's Oscar for Documentary Feature is about to play out in theaters all around Los Angeles," as films attempt to meet the AMPAS criteria. Schnack has a detailed list and information about where the docs are playing, as well as his comments on a number of them.

I've now missed seeing A.J. Schnack's film Kurt Cobain About a Son at least three times -- last year at Toronto, and this year at both AFI Dallas and Seattle. But now, thank goodness and all things flannel and depressing, I'll have another chance to see it, and so will you. Over at indieWIRE, Eugene Hernandez posted the other day that Balcony Releasing will debut the film at the IFC Center in New York City on October 3, followed by a Los Angeles opening at the Nuart a few days later. The film will play Seattle, Cobain's hometown, at The Varsity on October 12, and will get a DVD release early next year.

If you're not familiar with the film (read more about it on its official website) it's based on some 25 hours of previously unheard audio interviews with Cobain conducted about a year before Cobain's suicide by Michael Azerrad as research and background for his book Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. In the interviews, Cobain discusses everything from his childhood, to music, to dealing with fame. I was a little old when Nivrana's album Nevermind came out to start dressing in flannel shirts and ripped jeans, but I've always loved Nirvana's music. Cobain's angst, no doubt, felt very personal to him, but his music conveyed those emotions universally; anyone who's been an adolescent and felt isolated from the status quo could find comfort and commonality in Nirvana's music.

October seems a long way off at the moment, but here's a roundup of write-ups of the film, which is currently sitting at 83% with a smattering of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, to get you excited about it in the meantime. Oh, and when you're done with that, you can check out Schnacks' blog, All these wonderful things, where his latest post takes on the issue that's been taking the film and book blogging worlds by storm this week: embargoes. It's a well-written piece, so check it out.

"In 'Kurt Cobain About a Son,' Director AJ Schnack takes a fresh approach to non-fiction storytelling, turning the idea of the traditional music doc on its head ..." -- Jonny Leahan for indieWIRE


"It's clear almost immediately that Kurt Cobain: About a Son has little to offer detractors of the deceased Nirvana singer, though AJ Schnack's directorial choices admittedly lend the proceedings a surprisingly artful sort of vibe."
-- Reel Film's Toronto 2006 Update

"This film is not a typical rockumentary full of celebrity and friendly talking heads, archival concert footage or anecdotes and pictures from Kurt's past. What this is, simply, is Kurt Cobain's voice, carrying on an extended conversation." -- Mark Bell, Film Threat


"Impressionistic docu "Kurt Cobain About a Son" is a counterpoint to the iconic late Nirvana rocker's legacy." -- Dennis Harvey, Variety