This month’s slate of films explores the idea of resilience: Individual, communal, ideological and immunological. How humans summon the power to resist oppressive forces, and why they make decisions in the face of overwhelming odds are at the core of the films that we’re recommending this month.
Beyond The Edge
Leanne Pooley’s account of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 is told with restraint and accuracy, allowing Hillary's achievements to speak for themselves. Blending archival footage and reenactments, Pooley explores this towering achievement of endurance in the dying days of the British Empire and its impact on Hillary, Norgay and their families.
When Giants Fall
The plight of Africa’s elephant population, once numbering over ten million and now fewer than 500,000, is the subject of Leslie Griffith’s acclaimed film. Following anti-poaching campaigners and those risking their lives to defend the herds from criminal syndicates, autocratic governments and those profiting from the ivory trade, When Giants Fall also explores the poverty that drives locals to become poachers.
Yohji Yamamoto - Dressmaker
Iconic and reclusive atelier Yohji Yamamoto discusses his long career in fashion, from post World War II Japan to the heights of the European fashion industry in this surprisingly forthcoming documentary. Describing himself as “always angry, always sad” yet too polite to show it, the man best known for creating “clothes as armour” expounds on what keeps him working as he approaches 80 years of age.
Martha & Niki
Director Tora Mårtens tells the unusual story of how African-Swedish dancing duo Martha Nabwire and Niki Tsaposs became the first women to win the auspicious Hip Hop New Style category at Juste Debout in Paris, France. Overcoming misogyny, racism, homophobia and jealous rivalries, Martha & Niki explores what it takes not only to be a pioneer, but how to manage unexpected success.
Fish Out Of Water
What drives two burned out businessmen with no nautical experience to row across the North Atlantic Ocean? It’s a question worth asking and one that drives Israel Cannan’s engaging documentary. The commitment of the two men, Tom Hudson and Pete Fletcher, allows the viewer to see character forged and tested almost in real time as challenge follows challenge.
