"La Source" to screen at Atlanta Film Festival

Last September, "La Source" struck a cord with me at the Rome International Film Festival. The impressive documentary, centered around Haitian janitor Josue Lajeunesse and his fight to make water accessible for the people of his hometown, has experienced a remarkable reception at festivals across the country. Continuing on its journey, filmmakers Patrick Shen and Brandon Vedder bring "La Source" back to Georgia next month for the Atlanta Film Festival. 

Read my review and get your tickets to see "La Source" at the Plaza Theatre on Saturday, March 16th at 11:45 AM. Check out the poster (above) and trailer (after the jump)– both of which quote yours truly!

Short Take: RIFF roundup

From top: "Life Through a Lens," "Shoot the Moon," "Douglas," "HowardCantour.com"

The two dozen shorts I saw at the Rome International Film Festival was a mixed bag. Overall, the quality was pretty good. Many of the blocks were grouped together very appropriately, and the shorts attached to features were usually there for a reason, whether it was for quality or thematic purposes. These are hardly astute, scientific observations; just thoughts on what I saw.


"The Winking Boy" - A clever Australian short. Funny, well cast. Homemade feel to it, but with skill.

"Waking Up" - One of the most affecting shorts at RIFF. A lively film about death. Moving, smooth flow. Great music by Gareth Coker.

"In Our Hands" - Very professionally shot. Dense atmosphere, thick like smoke in a tunnel. Time-lapse shots of train aren't in keeping with other aesthetics, but aren't prominent enough to detract. Good score by Sigur Rós.

"Ready to Talk" - Light where it needs to be, heavy where it needs to be. Two great leads in Andres Faucher and Tamara Arias.

"Douglas" - Filmmaker Brandon Vedder does a great job conveying the frantic anxiety of our central character and ultimately his rise above it. Andrew Makishima is a giant Joseph Gordon-Levitt (which is awesome). Received the most whispers out of any short I was in the audience for.

RIFF: "La Source" (****)

Josue Lajeunesse is featured in "La Source"

A lot of visual contrast is prominent within "La Source." In Haiti, the white sands contrast with the seemingly ever-ominous skies; while in Princeton, we see the deep grays and browns of the brick and stone frosted with thick snow and ice. Then there is the cultural contrast between the affluent students of Princeton and an immigrated janitor, working hard and still having to double as a taxi driver. Even greater, we contrast these two places against each other. They are both home to Josue Lajeunesse, a Haitian national who moved to America in 1989 seeking better opportunities to provide for his family.