folk and film

Last Saturday night, Larry and I drove over to Unison Arts Center in New Paltz to hear Michael Smith - an extraordinary songwriter who Larry played with more than 30 years ago. Michael's most well-known for The Dutchman, which was recorded by Steve Goodman who is best known for City of New Orleans. I suppose all of this means little if you're not a folk fan. And I have to admit, without Larry providing all the details, I wouldn't have known any of this. But I was raised on Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, Sandy and Caroline Paton. My sisters and I used to sing 3 part harmony on long trips in the car. So while my musical tastes have broadened quite a bit, I am and always will be a folkie at heart. I still have the long hair to prove it. And I think I've said here before, I'm pretty sure my love of chanting is rooted in singing round the campfire and belting out 500 Miles.



Just today, I had the good fortune to take in two films at the Tribeca Film Festival. It's their 5th year and my first. And I really lucked out with two fabulous foreign films. One from Iran, the other from Lebanon. And given our country's current politics, they were both all the more poignant.
Men at Work struck me for the similarities in human beings around the world. A Perfect Day for the politics and personal loss experienced elsewhere in the world, though not so frequently here in the USA.
I'm not very well versed in film, I just know what I like, know when I'm moved, and transported to worlds I'm not as familiar with as my own. That is one of the great gifts of foreign films I think. On one hand to see how similar we are to one another, all around the globe. On the other, to see how different.
Both film makers were available after the screening for Q&A, which was fascinating. You can read more about Joana Hadjithomas and Kahilil Joreige, here.
I highly recommend each of these films when they hopefully make it to your indie movie house. Neither is uplifting, but each is expansive in its own way.
And expansion is what's it's all about, isn't it?