Now it can be told! A good friend has a film premiering at the Tribeca film festival. If you’ve read that “about” page, and wondered what my non-writing career is like, here’s a very good sample… I created the trailer for his film, which is available both below and at the Tribeca Film Festival website.
The link to the trailer is right there on the main page. Comments are welcome.
This is an incredible documentary which, due to a heavy personal bias, I can’t really review… but I will shamelessly plug the film because it’s spectacular. It’s the story of Kassim Ouma, a kidnapped child soldier who deserted the Ugandan army, fled to America with nothing, and became a champion boxer. The film is a reflection on his path to success, and documents his struggle to return home to visit his family in Uganda. Because of his status as a deserter, he has to fight for a military pardon from the President of Uganda in order to return.
It’s a heavy and moving story, yet the storytelling is deceptively simple. The broad strokes of Kassim’s life are laid out cleanly and quickly, but this isn’t a triumphant Rocky or a weepy tale of overcoming tragedy. The film never drifts away on sentiment or boxing-movie cliche. Director Kief Davidson resists the temptation to sensationalize it – Kassim’s story is almost unbelievable as it is – and instead he gradually peels back the layers of Kassim’s personality. Victory and defeat are easy to grasp, but far more elusive is knowing what’s it like to survive the unthinkable.
Kassim did more than survive, he flourished. He arrived in America speaking no English, stayed in a crack hotel (which was a huge step up for him), and found salvation in a boxing gym. He is an irrepressible, constant joker, but in the lulls, the nightmares of his childhood are never far away. Kassim’s childhood was stolen, so he remains a perpetual adolescent, joking and needy at the same time. The specifics of his story are searing, and Davidson watches with an unblinking camera eye.
The cinematography is stunning. Shot on high-definition video using a Varicam – a video camera that approximates the beauty of rich film stock, cinematographer Tony Malina, Jr. captures some breathtaking and epic imagery. The real achievement, though, is keeping the on-the-fly, verite footage on the same level as the picturesque beauty shots. Whether Kassim is working out, hanging out in a crowded kitchen, or posed in the gym, nothing feels out of place. The film is intent on looking at Kassim clearly, and the precise camerawork pays off handsomely.
I first watched Kassim The Dream in a small window on a laptop editing program, and I was riveted. For those of you in New York City, attending the Tribeca Film Festival, this is the screening schedule… this is a truly unique and beautiful film, you won’t be disappointed:
| Fri, Apr 25, 6:00PM | Village East Cinema 1 (Map) |  |
||
| Sat, Apr 26, 3:00PM | AMC 19th St. East Theater 2 (Map) | |
||
| Sun, Apr 27, 4:30PM | AMC Village VII Theater 5 (Map) | |
||
| Sun, Apr 27, 10:30PM | AMC Village VII Theater 5 (Map) | |
||
| Tue, Apr 29, 6:30PM | AMC Village VII Theater 3 (Map) | |
||
| Sat, May 03, 6:30PM | AMC 19th St. East Theater 3 (Map) | |
Leave a Reply