I finally got round to watching the incredible Autoluminescent: Rowland S. Howard documentary and have been left kind of speechless. I have to admit, I had little idea of the extent of Howard’s influence on contemporary music globally. His legacy is immense, and he was prolific till the end, which makes his early passing all the more tragic. 

Autoluminescent is essential viewing, especially if you’re from Melbourne. Catch it here for the next few days, or wait for the DVD.

Incredible footage, and an amazing story of resilience from the Inuits of northern Greenland in Glen Milner and Ben Hilton’s short documentary Return Of The Sun. More info at Nowness.

Errol Morris’ incredible 1992 documentary A Brief History Of Time based on Hawking’s famous book, is now available to view in full on youtube.

According to Open Culture: ‘In 1992 Morris told the New York Times Magazine that A Brief History of Time was “less cerebral and more moving” than anything he had worked on before. “This feeling of time, of aging, of mortality combined with this search for the most basic and deep questions about the world around us and ourselves,” Morris said, “is pretty persuasive stuff.”

Hell And Back Again is photojournalist and filmmaker Danfung Dennis’ powerful and intimate account of one US soldier’s deployment in Afghanistan, and his eventual return home after being seriously injured in battle. I can’t wait to see this, in particular for it’s stunning (based on the trailer) cinematography, which has already garnered an award at Sundance - and it was shot entirely on a 5D 2. Amazing.

This documentary on Ayrton Senna is brilliant, regardless of whether or not you’re into Formula One. Constructed out of archival footage and interviews, Senna is an incredible portrait of arguably the world’s greatest Formula One driver, that feels less like a eulogy and more like the tale of a living legend.

My friend Tristan recently posted this teaser for the upcoming feature Hail on his blog, and the trailer alone was enough to completely blow me away. Directed by Amiel Courtin-Wilson (Bastardy, Catch My Disease) and cinematography by Germain McMicking, Hail is part of Courtin-Wilson’s ongoing creative relationship with ex-inmate and actor Daniel P. Jones, who is also featured in the incredibly powerful short documentary Cicada. Hopefully we’ll get the chance to see this on the big screen some time soon.

This is going to be excellent. From the Pearl Jam 20 website:

“Pearl Jam Twenty chronicles the years leading up to the band’s formation, the chaos that ensued soon-after their rise to megastardom, their step back from center stage, and the creation of a trusted circle that would surround them—giving way to a work culture that would sustain them. Told in big themes and bold colors with blistering sound, the film is carved from over 1,200 hours of rarely-seen and never-before seen footage spanning the band’s career. Pearl Jam Twenty is the definitive portrait of Pearl Jam: part concert film, part intimate insider-hang, part testimonial to the power of music and uncompromising artists.”

Can’t wait. Oh, and you can order the film’s accompanying book here.

From the outset, it’s clear that Oliver Stone has a serious agenda in his fascinating and compelling documentary on South American politics South Of The Border. And whilst it’s certainly not perfect, distinctly lacking any critique of his subjects, South Of The Border shines a much-needed light on the disparity between the reportage of South American politics in mainstream North American media, and the reality of the political situations in those countries. Focused mainly around Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, Stone traverses much of South America, also interviewing the ‘New Bolivarian’ presidents of Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Ecuador, even spending time with Cuban president, and brother of Fidel, Raul Castro. Sure it’s biased, but it’s also enlightening, and if the words of the ‘New Bolivarians’ are true, incredibly inspiring. Definitely worth a viewing.

Also on the documentary tip, if you haven’t already seen it, Inside Job is a must-see.

Check this amazing short documentary about Skateistan, Afghanistan’s first ever skate school in Kabul, set up by three amazing Aussies, Oliver Percovich, Sharna Nolan and Travis Beard. Also keep your eyes peeled for the feature length documentary, due out in early 2011.

Martin Strel, you are my kind of hero. From the Big River Man website…

“In February 2007 Martin Strel began an insane attempt to be the first person to swim the entire length of the world’s most dangerous river, the mighty Amazon. Martin is an endurance swimmer from Slovenia, who swims rivers - the Mississippi, the Danube and the Yangtze to date - to highlight their pollution to the world. Martin is also a rather overweight, horseburger loving Slovenian in his fifties who drinks two bottles of red wine a day… even when swimming.”

Dude also swigs whisky straight from the bottle while swimming. Mental. That aside, Big River Man is one of the most inspiring docos I’ve seen in a while, and is definitely worth a viewing. Thanks for the heads up Paul.

I can’t tell you how amped I am to check out Diplo’s directorial debut Favela On Blast, which, after a number of years in the making, is officially out in 9 days. In Diplo’s own words:

‘Favela on Blast documents the culture surrounding “Funk Carioca,” a musical rhythm that mixes the American electronic funk of the 1980’s with the most diverse influences of Brazilian music.  It is one of the most interesting musical movements in the world and it comes from one of the most violent and poorest places too: the slums of Rio de Janeiro.’

After finally making it to Rio last year and hitting up a baile funk in one of the favelas just outside of the city, I’m pretty curious to see how well the film will be able to capture the incredible raw energy from the parties. Either way, the funk carioca soundtrack is definitely going to be killer. You can also catch the documentary in parts here on Pitchfork TV.

I’ve just returned from India after a ten day sojourn filming a short documentary series for one of our clients at Lifelounge, and I’ve gotta say, the place works you. Hard.

Between the noise, the smells, the colour and the people – so, so many people – India invades your senses in a relentless information overload. It’s a beautiful, joyous place, but also a place of extreme poverty and harshness. Amazing - yes, but exhausting. Especially when you’re trying to film a seven part documentary series spanning over five cities, including remote Himalayan towns and bustling metropolises, in just over ten days.

But it is beautiful, one of the most colourful and lively destinations I have ever visited, and a graphic designer’s utopia. The place is literally covered with some of the most amazing weathered hand-painted sign writing I have ever seen. It’s everywhere, and it’s all incredible. Definitely worth the journey for that alone.

Anyway, check some photos from the trip above, and for more, head here.