Woodstock Film Festival Wrap-Up

IN A DREAM This documentary by Jeremiah Zagar was quite extraordinary. The film, made over the course of several years, follows the filmmaker's father, noted artist Isaiah Zagar. Isaiah is based in Philadelphia, and over the past 40 years has decorated Philadelphia with his idiosyncratic and beautiful murals. The younger Zagar shows a equal level of care and artistry in crafting his film.

Many of the domestic scenes were shot (by Zagar himself) on miniDV, while the interviews appeared to be shot in HD. Some of the murals appeared to be captured on film, depicting the elder Zagar walking through his work in slow motion. It's an all around beautiful film. Editors Keiko Deguchi and Zagar picked up an editing award, and the film won the documentary prize at the festival.

On the narrative side, I caught the very funny comedy HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRIS MALDEN. Written, produced and directed by the comedy group Sweaty Robot (they have a great logo), the movie is best seen without any forehand knowledge of the plot. Though the central subject of the movie could have resulted in some very bad, very broad comedy, the Roboteers play it pretty close to the vest and go for subtle humor that builds over the course of the movie. They also make the most out of a very limited resources; the production design creates a whole world despite the obvious limitations of a 5 figure budget.

The best thing about the movie is the fluid and organic blocking. Every scene really flows; the group's timing both in front and behind the camera is impeccable. For a movie with 5 directors, the result is surprisingly cohesive.

Matthew Sanchez is the behind-the-camera robot who took on the group's cinematography duties. It appears to be shot on DVCpro HD with some kind of film lens adaptor (like the Red Rock filter). I was very impressed with the results. Who knows what amazing stuff these guys could accomplish on film...

Check out their website; the movie is available on DVD now.

-Dave Boyle