New works from documentary filmmaker faves in Alex Gibney (Gonzo: The Life and Times of Hunter Thompson), Margaret Brown (The Order of Myths) and Patrick Creadon (I.O.U.S.A.) and many first time doc filmmakers make up the section in this year's documentary Comp lineup. I don't count many Iraq-war related items listed below, telling us that the doc vague of such films is officially D.O.A. Click on the individual links below for more info on each film (including official sites and trailers).
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
An American Soldier directed and written by Edet Belzberg (“Children Underground”), a look at one of the U.S. Army's all-time top recruiters, Sgt. 1st Class Clay Usie.
American Teen directed and written by Nanette Burstein (“On the Ropes”), an irreverent, frank account of four Indiana high school seniors.
Bigger, Faster, Stronger directed by Christopher Bell and written by Bell, Alexander Buono and Tamsin Rawady, about three brothers, one of whom is the filmmaker, who use steroids.
Fields of Fuel directed and written by Josh Tickell, who also appears as a man who takes on “big oil, big government and big soy” as he proselytizes for energy alternatives.
Flow: For Love of Water directed by Irena Salina, confronts the possibility that Earth's supply of this essential liquid is dwindling.
Gonzo: The Life and Times of Hunter Thompson directed by Alex Gibney (“Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room”), a look at the late author's prime period of 1965-75 via previously unavailable homemovies, audio recordings and unpublished manuscripts.
The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo directed and written by Lisa F. Jackson, who traveled to the war zones of the Congo to record the struggles and testimonies of rape survivors.
I.O.U.S.A directed by Patrick Creadon (“Wordplay”), an examination of the United States' precarious financial condition that also advances ideas to avoid national economic disaster.
Nerakhoon (The Betrayal), directed and written by Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath, the culmination of a 20-year project to portray the struggle of the latter's family to survive the impact of U.S. foreign policy in Laos and to understand his father's involvement in the war.
The Order of Myths directed and written by Margaret Brown, about the 2007 Mardi Gras in Mobile, Ala., where the event remains segregated.
Patti Smith: Dream of Life directed and written by Steven Sebring, a 12-year project that offers an intimate portrait of the poet-musician.
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired directed and written by Marina Zenovich, focusing on the particulars of the director's decision to flee his legal problems in the U.S.
Secrecy directed by Peter Galison and Robb Moss, an investigation of the world of government secrecy.
Slingshot Hip Hop directed by Jackie Reem Salloum, a look at Palestinian rappers.
Traces of the Trade directed by Katrina Browne, co-directed by Alla Kovgan and Jude Ray, written by Browne and Kovgan, a fresh look at personal history by descendants of the largest slave-trading family in America.
Trouble the Water directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, incorporates the video diary of a young couple and family who struggled to survive the New Orleans flooding and post-Katrina despair and difficulty.
