With Academy Award insanity upon us, it's a good week to catch up with several highly-acclaimed films that display the true independent spirit. Moolaadé was the last film completed by African master filmmaker Ousmane Sembene. Roger Ebert felt it was the best picture he saw at Cannes in 2004 and programmed it for his Overlooked Film Festival last year, where our own Kim Voynar caught a screening and said it was "perhaps one of of the most socially relevant films of the decade." The DVD from New Yorker Films was originally scheduled for release in December, but was delayed until this week. The two-disk edition includes a "making of" feature, a portrait of the filmmaker, interviews, a 16-page booklet, and more.

A very different type of music documentary, Kurt Cobain: About a Son, also premieres on DVD today, which makes me happy because I've heard so many good things about it but haven't had an opportunity to see it. A. J. Schnack constructed his film based on 25 hours of audio interviews with the late musician. You can read more about the release at Schnack's blog, All these wonderful things. The DVD from Shout! Factory includes selected scene commentary, a "making of" feature, and more from the Cobain interviews.

Ready to explore the wonderful world of indie films you've heard about but haven't seen? Me too! Though I haven't seen these particular titles, the first two come well recommended by others, starting with Moolaadé, the last film by the esteemed director Ousmane Sembene, who passed away earlier this year. Cinematical's Kim Voynar described it as "a film about courage, survival, and the strength of the human spirit ... perhaps one of the most socially relevant" of the decade. The DVD from New Yorker Video includes a "making of" feature, interviews and additional material, and a deluxe collector's booklet.

Whisky Romeo Zulu is an Argentinean film that dates back to 2004, when it debuted at the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival. My curiosity was piqued at the time by Deborah Young's review in Variety, which described the intriguing premise revolving around an airplane accident: "Former pilot and whistleblower Enrique Pineyro expertly recounts a crash in full behind-the-scenes detail in his double role as director and main actor (playing himself)." Andrew Wright of The Stranger also had a positive reaction when it played at the Seattle film festival. The film was never picked up for US distribution, but Home Vision has now released it on a bare bones DVD, evidently with just a trailer, that sounds worth seeking out.

Both Interview and The Rocket received mixed critical notices. Our own Ryan Stewart said Interview "turns out to be a mediocre 'night to remember' film in which the half-intrigued, half-bored actress [Sienna Miller] and the caustic journalist [Steve Buscemi, who also directed] try to get the best of each other." The Sony Classics DVD includes an audio commentary by Buscemi and a feature on Dutch director Theo Van Gogh, who directed the film that served as the source material.

The Rocket tells the true story of legendary ice hockey star Maurice Richard, played by Roy Dupuis. I heard good things about the film when it played at the AFI Dallas festival earlier this year; it may be a good bet if you're looking for an inspirational sports story -- or if you're Canadian. The DVD from Palm Pictures features deleted scenes and a tribute to the great Richard.

When the film Moolaadé was introduced at Ebertfest, the woman taking on introduction duties on Roger Ebert's behalf said that she had asked Ebert if there was anything in particular he wanted her to say about the film. "Best film at Cannes in 2004," was his reply, and after seeing the film it's easy to see why.

Moolaadé certainly tackled one of the hardest subjects addressed at Cannes that year -- the controversial issue of female genital mutilation. The film, set in a small African village, opens with four young girls running into a village compound and seeking protection from Coolé, one of the women there. The girls have run away from the "Purification" ceremony -- a brutal ritual in which female priestesses mutilate the genitalia of young girls.

The "cutting," as it is euphemistically called, generally involves cutting away the external female genitalia, and sometimes sewing shut the vaginal opening -- a surgical procedure performed in non-sterile conditions with no anethesia or antibiotics. If a girl is lucky, the procedure will be horribly painful and leave her maimed for life, with future sexual relations with her husband causing tearing and intense pain, and childbirth made more difficult and dangerous. Those who aren't so lucky will die from the procedure, either from loss of blood, shock, or infection.