Salem Film Fest 2013

Do you like to be in on the very beginning of something big?  This might be the last year that the idea of "new" will apply to the Salem Film Fest, now in its sixth year, as its popularity continues to grow by leaps and bounds.  This year one of the films is already sold out!!

Excellent article in the Salem News

and another Excellent article in the Boston Globe

Salem Film Fest is a leading all-documentary film fest showcasing a rich and diverse roster of films from around the globe. Come to Salem. See the World.

March 7-14, 2013

Film roster

Bay of All Saints

Friday, March 8 at 5pm / Saturday, March 9 at 12:30pm
Sunday, March 10 at 7:15pm / Tue, March 12 at 6:30pm
A lyrical portrait of families living in shacks built upon stilts in the water slums of Brazil.

Big Easy Express

Saturday, March 9 at 7:15pm

Edward Sharpe &; the Magnetic Zeros, Mumford and Sons, and The Old Crow Medicine Show climb aboard a vintage train on a thousand mile musical tour of dreams.

Buzkashi!

Friday, March 8 at 6pm

In Tajikastan, 200 horsemen compete to drag a goat carcass across a goal line in an ancient form of soccer.

Call Me Kuchu

Tue, March 12 at 8:15pm

Uganda’s first openly gay man dares to publicly protest state-sanctioned homophobia.

La Camioneta

Tue, March 12 at 6pm

Yellow school buses journey southward to Guatemala for a brightly colored reinvention.

Charles Bradley: Soul of America
Sunday, March 10 at 2:30pm
The late-in-life rise of a 62-year-old soul singer—from life in a housing project to Rolling Stone’s top 50.

Dreams of a Life

Sunday, March 10 at 4:45pm

For three years a young woman lies dead and unnoticed in her London apartment. Who was she and how could this happen?

The Fade

Saturday, March 9 at 10:30am / Saturday, March 9 at 7:15pm Sunday, March 10 at 2:45pm / Wednesday, March 13 at 8:15pm 

A revealing portrait of the lives of four barbers in Jamaica, Ghana, the United States, and England.

The Ghost Army

Thursday, March 7 at 7pm at Peabody Essex Museum

A top-secret WWII unit uses inflatable tanks, sound trucks and impersonation to con Hitler’s legions.

In No Great hurry - 13 lessons in Life With Saul Leiter
Saturday, March 9 at 1pm at Peabody Essex Museum
In his late 80s, photographer Saul Leiter deals with clearing his apartment, becoming world famous and fending off a pesky filmmaker.

Informant

Wednesday, March 13 at 6pm

Both venerated and vilified by the American Left, Brandon Darby is a reluctant anti-hero ready to advance his agenda by any means.

Kind Hearted Woman

Sunday, March 10 at 1pm at Peabody Essex Museum

PBS’ FRONTLINE premieres the first of a two-part film by David Sutherland—a deeply intimate look at an Oglala Sioux woman’s struggle to survive abuse and save her family.

The Missing Piece: The Truth About The Man Who Stole The Mona Lisa
Saturday, March 9 at 12 noon

An unlikely thief. An unthinkable theft. An unsolved mystery. Until now.

The Mosuo Sisters

Wednesday, March 13 at 8:15pm

In a changing China, two sisters struggle to maintain their traditional roots while yearning to succeed in an urban culture.

Mr. Cao Goes to Washington

Saturday, March 9 at 4:45pm

An idealist Republican Congressman is confronted with racial politics in the American South and partisan tussles in Washington, DC.

Poetry of Resilience

Saturday, March 9 at 7:30pm at Peabody Essex Museum

This intimate look into the language of the soul shows how art will flourish, in spite of any obstacle.

Portrait of Wally

Thursday, March 14 at 6pm

A painting seized by the Nazis surfaces on the walls of the Museum of Modern Art, triggering an historic court case.

The Punk Syndrome

Thursday, March 14 at 8:30pm

The essence of punk told through a group of mentally challenged punk rockers who push past a combustible band chemistry to unleash a rebellious kick-ass sound.

Radio Unnameable

Friday, March 8 at 10pm / Saturday, March 9 at 5:15pm
Sunday, March 10 at 10:30am / Monday, March 11 at 6pm Thursday, March 14 at 8pm
In 1963, New York disc jockey Bob Fass helps transform the radio dial.

Scarlet Road

Friday, March 8 at 6:45pm / Saturday, March 9 at 2:30pm
Sunday, March 10 at 12:45pm / Wednesday, March 13 at 6:30pm 

Australian sex worker Rachel Wotton specializes in a long overlooked clientele—people with disability.

Seeking Asian Female

Monday, March 11 at 6pm

A quirky, intimate, captivating story about love, marriage, “yellow fever”... and documentary filmmaking.

SFF 2013 Sneak peek: Furever

Sunday, March 10 at 12:15pm

A SFF 2013 sneak peek at a film about people, pets and preservation.

Town of Runners

Sunday, March 10 at 10am

Two young girls in an Ethiopian town try to run their way to a different life as professional athletes.

Trash Dance

Saturday, March 9 at 10am

A choreographer creates a dance spectacle performed by trash collectors and their trucks.

Water Children

Friday, March 8 at 8:20pm / Saturday, March 9 at 9:45pm Sunday, March 10 at 5pm / Tue, March 12 at 8:15pm Thursday, March 14 at 6:15pm
A film about fertility—an ode to womanhood and the body.

Welcome to the Machine

Saturday, March 9 at 9:15pm

Upon fathering triplets a filmmaker explores the nature of technology, seeking what it means to be human.

West of Memphis

Friday, March 8 at 8:30pm

The story of new Salem, MA, resident Damien Echols’ extraordinary and desperate fight to escape death row.

Where Heaven Meets Hell

Monday, March 11 at 8:30pm

A beautifully photographed look at four Indonesian sulfur miners working for a better life.

Women with Cows

Sunday, March 10 at 7:20pm

Two elderly women in a lifelong struggle over a dozen cows, stunningly filmed and tenderly told.

The World Before Her

Saturday, March 9 at 5:30pm at Peabody Essex Museum

The Miss India pageant’s beauty “bootcamp” contrasts with a militant Hindu fundamentalist camp for young girls.

The World’s Most Fashionable Prison
Saturday, March 9 at 3:30pm at Peabody Essex Museum.  Hardcore convicts find redemption through a high fashion designer.

Zipper: Coney Island’s Last Wild ride
Saturday, March 9 at 2:30pm
A small-time ride operator and his beloved carnival contraption become casualties in the battle over the future of Coney Island.

Mass Reality Check

Saturday, March 9 at 11am at National Park Service Visitor Center
A college documentary shorts showcase for Massachusetts college and university students working in the documentary form.

SFF special events

Check out salemfilmfest.com for our special events highlighted by a fun Saturday night music party, fantastic forums, and a filmmaker breakfast.

Frontline Forum

Sunday, March 10 at 4pm at Peabody Essex Museum

An exclusive Sunday forum with producers from PBS’ FRONTLINE.

Unless otherwise noted, all films are screened at CinemaSalem, One East India Square, Salem, MA.

Don't forget that the Tavern at the Hawthorne Hotel serves meals from 11 am to 11 pm daily, so if you get into a situation where the "normal" meal times do not work for you because you are immersed in films, stop over here to have a bite to eat.

I hope to see you here, or there.

Juli