FilmSplash, the educative evening programme of the Seasplash Festival, is being co-hosted this year by DORF, Documentary Rock Film Festival, which is celebrating its 10th birthday this year. Films will be screened from 8 PM until 11 PM, in the naturally climatised tunnels of fort Punta Christo. The directors of DORF have chosen four documentaries which will be the main content of the FilmSplash, and we can put them all under a common denominator R is for Reggae.
The movies are Lee Scratch Perry’s Vision of Paradise by Volker Schaner, I am the Gorgon by Diggory Kenrick, Congo Beat the Drum by Ariel Tagar, better known as Kalbata, and George Clinton – Tales of Dr. Funkenstein, from Don Letts. Visitors will have the chance of meeting the film directors Don Letts, Volker Schaner and Kalbata, and the organisers of DORF will present Don Letts with a lifetime achievement award, on Saturday, 23rd of July. The award was made by the acclaimed young sculptor Boris Sekulić. A tasty cup of movies will animate everyone for the crazy, unforgettable festival nights!
LEE SCRATCH PERRY’S VISION OF PARADISE
D: Thursday, 21 July
T: 100′
R: Volker Schaner (Njemačka)
P: Fufoo Film (2015)
A thrilling, poetic narration with the legendary Lee Scratch Perry, this movie is a unique project in many ways: it’s not a biography but rather a fairytale documentary! The director followed Lee Perry for 15 years and discovered a story that is almost impossible to believe: a revelation, told about and with one of the major protagonists of contemporary music. It is a mind-blowing encounter with “The Prophet” of the international Rastafari movement, one of the icons of the Black Power movement and “the” inventor of reggae and dub and it is also a humorous adventure of epic dimensions. The movie can be seen as a guide for how to change the world with music – with a positive attitude, mindset or, as Lee Perry calls it: “vibration”.
Official web
Trailer
CONGO BEAT THE DRUM
D: Friday, 22 July
T: 57′
R: Ariel Tagar (Izrael)
P: Jonathan Doweck (2014)
Two musicians from Tel Aviv travel to Jamaica to record an album with forgotten reggae artists from the past. The film follows Ariel Tagar (Kalbata) and Uri Wertheim (Mixmonster), from their basement studio in Tel Aviv, all the way to the Kingston ghettos, looking for their favourite singers of days gone by. In Jamaica, they encounter a strange, often challenging culture while trying to achieve their goal. A unique musical journey into the forgotten corners of reggae of the seventies and eighties, and a rare glimpse into the smoky, dusty world of Rub-a-Dub and its past champions.
Official web
Trailer
GEORGE CLINTON – TALES OF DR. FUNKENSTEIN
D: Saturday, 23 July
T: 60′
R: Don Letts (Velika Britanija)
P: Something Else, BBC (2006)
Don Letts’s hilarious and colourful profile of the godfather of funk, whose 50-year career has defined the genre. From his 1950’s days running a doo-wop group out of the back of his barber store, through the madness of the monster Parliament / Funkadelic machine of the 70’s to his late 90’s hip-hop collaborations with Dre and Snoop, George Clinton has inspired generations of imitators. Contributors include Outkast’s Andre 3000 and Macy Gray.
I AM THE GORGON
D: Sunday, 24 July
T: 85′
R: Diggory Kenrick (Velika Britanija)
P: Gorgon Films (2013)
I am the Gorgon tells the story of how Jamaican music spread from the inner city of Kingston to the furthest reaches of the globe. The principal focus is on the rise of Lee from car mechanic to a successful ’70s record producer. Five years in the making, the documentary features musicians Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Sly Dunbar, Dennis Alcapone, U-Roy, Cornell Campbell, Robbie Shakespeare, Johnny Clarke, the late John Holt, as well as Lee. Lee began his musical career in 1962 when he was first introduced to producer and sound system operator Duke Reid. He would go on to create music of his own, working with some of the pioneers in the development of the Jamaican music industry.
Official web
Trailer
