video i Season 13
#1309 - Original Airdate: Mon, March 17 at 11pm
UNSUNG ARTISTS
Featuring 2 documentaries highlighting the work of artists under the radar of mainstream media.
BROADCAST COWBOY (DIR. DAVID WASHBURN)
Features an interview with the filmmaker
Dude Martin was one of California's most successful singing cowboys, performing on radio, television, and stage. But was his cowboy image real or imagined? Can such a distinction be made? Using brilliant film footage from the 1930s and 40s, Broadcast Cowboy looks at the personal life and career of Stephen McSwain, aka Dude Martin, and will change your perception of America's most iconic image - the cowboy. For more about the film and the filmmaker, visit: broadcastcowboy.com.
Filmmaker Bio
David Washburn began producing documentary films after years of conducting oral histories on topics relating to California's cultural history. He shapes his films' narratives around the unique stories told by his interview subjects, allowing their memories to give direction to his films, rather than the other way around. His latest film, Broadcast Cowboy, has screened at film festivals throughout the Bay Area.
WRITINGS ON THE WALL (DIR. ANGAD BHALLA)
Features an interview with the filmmaker
With infectious optimism, three young men seek out a living in India's largest cities using public art to express their hopes and dreams. In Delhi, Azad paints film billboards as an escape from the destruction of his home and personal art by government bulldozers. In Bombay, Ashok paints traditional images to keep alive his Warli tribal heritage even though he's abandoned his rural life or the opportunities of the city. Throughout Madras, G Mani puts his name on posters idolizing a film star, gaining power and prestige at odds with his job selling peanuts. For some the public walls hold the most private hopes. For more about this film, go to: newday.com/films.
Filmmaker Bio
Angad Bhalla likes to work on films that mean something to him. As his thesis project at Stanford University, he documented the case of Canadian company Alcan displacing indigenous peoples in India. After graduating, he spent two years in India assisting Canadian documentary filmmaker Ali Kazimi on the Gemini Award winning Runaway Grooms and directing a short documentary on the lives of street artists entitled Writings on the Wall, currently on the festival circuit. Drawn to film for the medium's ability to communicate complex ideas on an emotional level he tries to chose projects that highlight marginalized voices. He has since worked on videos for groups including Human Rights Watch and the Global March Against Child Labor. He now resides in New York where he is a community organizer for immigrant rights and is developing a feature documentary.
