Oh, I was there and I was glad that I went. One of the reasons you go to Sundance is to expose yourself to films that you might never would have seen otherwise. Below are the two films I saw this year.
Family Portrait in Black and White
In a Ukrainian village, big-hearted, formidable Olga Nenya single-handedly raises 23 foster children. Sixteen are the biracial offspring of visiting African students and Ukrainian women, who, living in a country of blue-eyed blondes that’s racked with endemic racism, often see no choice but to abandon their babies. And that’s where Olga comes in.
Family Portrait in Black and White charts the rhythms of Olga’s hectic household, rife with rambunctious kids and goats. As diverse dramas unfold among the brood—a high-schooler struggling to transcend his plight through education, a boy longing to reunite with his Ugandan father, and a child courted for Italian adoption—Olga reveals herself to be loving and protective, but also narrow-minded and controlling. A product of communist ideology, she favors collective duty over individual freedom. It’s this philosophy that gives the orphans the rich sense of belonging they ache for, as well as cause for rebellion and distrust, in this lyrical, sometimes gut-wrenching tale about the meaning of “Mama,” “family,” and “nation.”
This film made me very grateful to be born and raised in America to a loving family and to have such luxuries like indoor plumbing. It broke my heart that Olga would not let her children be adopted to the loving host families that wanted them or let her children pursue their college education even though the government would pay for it. You wanted to reach out and help these children. The thought then brings me back to what am I doing to help those in my community? I can help here even though I might not be able to help there.
These Amazing Shadows
From Dorothy’s entrance into Oz to the pizza delivery at Ridgemont High, cinematic moments take on iconic levels of meaning in a film lover’s life. As the government-appointed protector of our cinematic legacy, the National Film Registry selects culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant works for preservation in the Library of Congress.
Guided by a true cinephile’s love of the medium and a treasure trove of archival footage, These Amazing Shadows molds a cultural history from pieces of film, offering a microcosm of the work of the National Film Registry and making a powerful case for film preservation.
I am so glad that AJ found this film at the last minute for us to watch. If I had my dream job, I would become a film historian so I really enjoyed this film. I knew the majority of the films they talked about (minus the unknown documentaries and some of the silent films) and it was interesting to hear why they chose these films to be preserved. I could talk about this film for hours because it is a subject that I am passionate about. One thing I do want to share is that did you know that anyone can submit a nomination for a film to be preserved? I’ve been contemplating which film not already preserved should be on that list. Which one would you preserve?
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