FilmClick

An interview with director Melody Gilbert about the film “Urban Explorers” at DocFest in San Francisco.

See it in HD here.

See it in SD here.

For more info on Docfest go to: www.sfindie.com

Melody Gilbert’s new film Urban Explorers captures a facet of life and adventure that I never really ever considered. I must admit that it was a complete surprise to me, I had no prep and I’d heard nothing about this film when I saw it.

The film takes a look at a new breed of explorer.  These explorers investigate the urban landscape; abandoned places and underground infrastructure throughout the world.  It’s interesting as a piece about something you’ve most likely never heard of before, and something you might not ever have tried, yet.  Often, the explorers are climbing fences and breaking the law to explore, but doing the illegal isn’t their goal.  Many are deeply interested in this history and function of these places beyond the chaos and danger of their current state.  There is a perspective which they garner from the entropy they seek out.  Gilbert takes a voyeuristic look at their mini-culture, in which they often meet other urban explorers for foreign adventures after connecting on the internet.  There’s even a convention.

This film is engrossing and doesn’t try hard to be anything but a film about some people with an unique hobby.

See Urban Explorers this weekend in San Francisco at DocFest:

Fri. Oct 24 2008, 7:15 pm at Roxie Cinema
Sun. Oct 26 2008, 12:30 pm at Roxie Cinema

by Christopher Potter, FilmClick.com

For more info, check out http://www.sfindie.com

Independent documentary filmmaker Melody Gilbert receives her much deserved attention at this years SFIndie DocFest. Gilbert has directed and produced for film and television for over 20 years and is a six-year veteran of both IndieFest, DocFest, and a participant many other festivals including Sundance. This year, SF DocFest will showcase five of her films from the past six years:

MARRIED AT THE MALL (2002) captures an assortment of lovebirds who decide to get married at the Chapel of Love in the Mall of America, the largest shopping mall in the U.S. While they exchange their most intimate vows, everyone else is busy exercising their capitalistic power to purchase.

Fri. Oct 24 2008 5:00 PM at Roxie Cinema

WHOLE (2003) explores the world of physically healthy people who are obsessed with becoming amputee. Gilbert traveled all over the world to investigate the impact that obsession has on loved ones, and the way that medical professionals are dealing with the growing worldwide network of amputee wannabes. The mysterious psychiatric condition is so new it does not have a name, but Gilbert’s pursuit produces a courageous film that dares to ask questions without obvious answers, questions about body image, cosmetic surgery, relationships, the Hippocratic oath, love, identity and the lengths people will go to in order to complete themselves. Robert Koehler (Variety) explains: “The pic’s great achievement is being able to shine light on this ultra-dark corner of the medical avant-garde, and draw out undoubtedly reluctant subjects to talk on camera”. The provocative subject alone is no surprise that WHOLE was the “jawdropper” of IndieFest 2004.

Fri. Oct 24 2008 5:00 PM Roxie Cinema

A LIFE WITHOUT PAIN (2005) What happens when a person can’t feel pain? This doc is a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of three children who literally feel no pain. Three-year-old Gabby from Minnesota, 7-year-old Miriam from Norwa, and 10-year-old Jamilah from Germany have a genetic defect so rare that it only one hundred people in the world have it. Their parents must watch their every move, but even their vigilance hasn’t shielded the girls from many serious, life-altering injuries. As the film follow the families who cope with this enormous challenge, we learn that pain is really a gift that no one wants, but none of us can do without.

Saturday, October 25 at 2:45 PM Roxie Cinema

URBAN EXPLORERS: INTO THE DARKNESS (2007) won best feature at the 2007 Boston Undergroud Film Fest. It dives into the world of urban exploration, a growing sub-culture of adventure-seekers from around the globe who explore where most “normal people” would never go. The film follows these fearless thrill-seekers search for the useen treasures of modern civilization, below manholes and through abandoned buildings.

Friday, OCtober 24 at 7:15 PM Roxie Cinema

Sunday, Octber 26 at  12:30PM Roxie Cinema

DISCONNECTED (2008) follows three Carleton  College students who unplug from the internet and learn about things like typewriters.   Taking on the challenge “disconnect”, we see how their academic, social, and work lives are affected.  bHow will they get their work done? Will they cheat? This film follows Andrew, Caitlin and Chel as they learn to interact with themselves and others in ways we have largely forgotten.

Saturday, October 25 at 5:00PM Roxie Cinema

Also on Saturday, Oct 25, at 12:30 PM at Roxie Cinema, DocFest will host “A Chat With Melody Gilbert.” Gilbert will screen clips from her films and talk about her top 10 docmaking tips.  After that, she’ll show a sneak peek of her top secret documentary-in-progress. In return for your feedback, you can see what Gilbert’s working on before it hits the film fest circuit.