I caught up with Amy Jenkins and her extremely personal non-fiction film, “Instructions On Parting“, at the Montclair Film Festival this past Spring. Jenkins’ film weaves breathtaking artistic footage with cinema vérité to tell an elegiac story about transformation, grief, and the essential nature of the collective human journey. Told in an unconventional visual style, the story evolves from the viewpoint of director Amy Jenkins, whose first child is born while she negotiates the cancer diagnoses and transits toward death of three of her closest family members. By chronicling with her camera to interrogate loss, the filmmaker leads us to a bold and daring acceptance of our inevitable end. The film is still in the festival circuit and we’ll keep listeners updated as it makes its way to you.
Then, filmmaker Joe Tropea and editor Robert A. Emmons with their documentary “Sickies Making Films“. A love letter to the movies, the film looks at our urge to censor films and asks why? We find reasons both absurd and surprisingly understandable. Using the Maryland Board of Censors (1916-1981) as a lens, as well as archival materials, classic film segments, and interviews with filmmakers and exhibitors who were subjected to censorship, this documentary examines the recurring problem of censorship in America. “Sickies Making Movies” will screen at the Sidewalk Film Festival later this month.
