Reading Film Festival Highlights

Art and Environmental Documentaries

Last weekend I attended the Reading Film Festival and I want to highlight two documentary shorts that stood out. This annual festival in Reading, Pennsylvania, showcases independent shorts of different genres and celebrated its tenth anniversary. My documentary One World is Writing was screened in the Creative Arts Documentary Shorts program.

Nothing Left Undone: The Art of G

Director Matthew Ober’s Nothing Left Undone: The Art of G is an engaging and thoughtful profile of Philadelphia artist Glenn Kellum, who goes by the name G. G’s work is a colorful combination of collage, sculpture, and painting. Throughout the film G reflects on the meaning of his art, but also opens up about the challenges he has faced.

G has found it difficult to make a living off his art, but is persistent and has created a large body of work. He speaks about how he and other Black artists are just beginning to gain recognition in the art world, but he also thinks that change is not coming fast enough. At age 74 he still feels he hasn’t yet “made it” despite some recognition and success. This sense of insecurity is most prominent when he is setting up for a gallery exhibition and is worried that his artist bio is not good enough. He is sharing an exhibition with a professor and feels out of place at times.

The cinematography, subtle score, and pacing capture G’s unique style and fit the rhythm of his thoughts. Unlike other artist profiles, this is not merely a promotional piece for an artist’s work. The documentary stands out for its intimacy and grace in capturing G in moments of reflection and vulnerability.

Watch for free on YouTube.

Coral Gardeners

This cinematic and inspirational documentary directed by Jon Bowermaster is a beautiful portrait of coral reefs in The Maldives and their protectors. The Republic of Maldives is an independent nation that consists of roughly 1,200 small islands in the north-central Indian Ocean. It is highly vulnerable to sea-level rise and increasing ocean temperatures. The documentary focuses on The Sovena Foundation in collaboration with local officials as they work to restore coral reefs. A team of scuba divers known as coral gardeners grow a strain of heat resistant coral in labs and then replant them in ocean areas that are struggling. Breathtaking scenes of colorful fish swimming amongst coral reefs are intercut with informative and passionate interviews. There are interviews with former President Mohamed Nasheed and several leaders of the Sovena Foundation, but the most memorable moments were with the young divers who voiced having a new sense of hope and purpose from their work.

Watching this film was an important reminder of the thousands of creative solutions that are available right now to tackle climate change. It is easy to become discouraged in the face of climate catastrophes and government inaction, but Coral Gardeners is an important reminder that citizens can still take meaningful action in their communities.

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Upcoming Screenings

I have an international readership, but I know a handful of readers reside in New England, so I wanted to recommend some upcoming screenings and releases.

Recovery City

Saturday, October 26 at 4:30 PM
Brattle Theatre, Cambridge MA

Recovery City directed by Lisa Olivieri is an empowering documentary about women recovering from addiction in Worcester, Massachusetts. It will be screening in the Globe Docs Film Festival. If you haven’t already, then read my review of Recovery City from when it screened at The Shawna Shea Film Festival in July 2024.

Silent Scary Movies

Nosferatu (1922) directed by F.W. Murnua

Now through October 30^th
Multiple Events
For the next few weeks Jeff Rapsis will be performing live piano accompaniment to scary silent film classics like Nosferatu and Phantom of the Opera across New England. Click here for the complete schedule. Over the years I have attended many of Rapsis’s screenings; they are always lively and memorable! I plan to see the Lon Chaney Halloween Creepfest special on October 30^th at 7 PM at The Rex Theatre in Manchester, NH.

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

Friday October 25
Stream on Netflix

Director Benjamin Ree uses animation to convey the complex inner life of Norwegian gamer Mats Steen in the World of Warcraft. If you haven’t already, then check out my review of the film from when it screened at IFFBoston in May.