Latest news with #HowtoBuildaLibrary
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Barry Levinson on Capturing America's Political Divide in Doc Series ‘Bucks County': ‘This Is Not a Series About Heroes and Villains'
In late 2021, Barry Levinson and Robert May knew that they wanted to make a documentary about America's deep political divide. After listening to an episode of the New York Times podcast 'The Daily,' which focused on school board wars in Bucks County, Pa., the directing duo decided to visit the once-idyllic swing county located in the country's largest swing state. There, they found plenty of political discord as well as two 14-year-olds — Evi and Vanessa — who are best friends despite their opposing political beliefs. The teenagers would eventually become the main subjects of Levinson and May's five-part docuseries 'Bucks County, USA,' which explores whether a community can follow Evi and Vanessa's abilities to find humanity in 'the other side.' More from Variety Ira Sachs on Getting Dumped by His Manager, Working With Ben Whishaw and His Intimate Sundance Drama 'Peter Hujar's Day' Maia Lekow and Christopher King on Sundance Doc 'How to Build a Library' and How the Story of Saving One Nairobi Library 'Can Be the Blueprint' for All of Africa - and the World 'The Legend of Ochi' Director Isaiah Saxon Mixed Puppetry, Animatronics and CG to Create One of the Most Nostalgic and Endearing Worlds at This Year's Sundance The first two episodes of the series will screen on Jan. 28 at the Sundance Film Festival. According to both filmmakers, the docuseries is an unbiased, impartial human exploration of a painfully divided community. The directors made a point not to editorialize either side. 'This is not [a series] about heroes and villains,'' says Levinson. 'It's about what happened. Why this is such a conflict, and why it's become so difficult that rational people can't come to some kind of a consensus.' Variety spoke to Levinson and May about 'Bucks County, USA' ahead of the series' Sundance did you decide to focus the series around two teenagers?May: We started out talking to adults because adults are the ones that can't get along. We were focusing on school boards because so much of the vitriol was coming out of these school board meetings and then would spill over into the community. But we realized the adults were all fighting over their children, so eventually, we thought we should consider talking to kids. Evi and Vanessa's parents, who participated in the series, don't get along due to their opposing political beliefs. How did you convince them to let you film their children for the last three years? May: At first, Vanessa's dad was not interested in involving anybody but himself because he was acting as the family's spokesperson. Eventually, both parents agreed to allow their two children to be in the film. The thing about both of those families is that they are already ahead of the curve, and they don't even know it because they are allowing their kids to be best friends. They were parenting as if they were friendly families, yet the parents absolutely did not get along. But that didn't stop their kids from having their friendship, and they didn't stop their kids from being a part of the project either, which I think is pretty remarkable. You started filming in 2022. When did the production conclude? May: We still have a number of production days. The rest of the series is still under construction. It will be done in the spring. Barry, you have made a few other documentaries. What drew you to this one? Levinson: When I was growing up, my first cousin lived a block away from me. We were very close, almost like brothers. When Kennedy was running against Nixon, [my cousin] was in support of Nixon. I was in favor of Kennedy, but that did not affect anything. It wasn't suddenly a conflict that somehow pulled us apart. When you apply it to this [film] in a way, obviously, it's different [circumstances], but there are elements of it that are the same. Why is it that we now we can't have different points of view without becoming enemies?. … With this series, we wanted to explore that issue without trying to take any side. We are just trying to show how a one-time tight-knit community can become at odds with itself. We are not trying to paint any picture other than this is what happened, and this is where it's going. Plenty of drama happens during the first two episodes of the series. Did you ever consider turning the story into a narrative? Levinson: The documentary format seemed the best way to address this story. If you are doing a narrative, you are slanting something in one way or another because you are creating drama as opposed to this [series], which is showing behavior and how people deal with one another. So it never occurred to me to make this a feature. It was more of an exploration. Robert, you called Sundance director Eugene Hernandez last summer to discuss the series. What was that conversation about? May: We thought collectively that Sundance would be a perfect place for this project because [the festival] tends to [attract] a more liberal audience, but we thought this might be a great opportunity for folks to see and hear people that they may not normally hear from. But we didn't think we could make the Sundance deadline. I decided to call Eugene anyway and say, 'Hey, we have this project. It might be a feature. It could be a series. We really don't know.' He was very intrigued that we were telling the story from both sides without editorializing. So the story to Eugene sounded good, but he had to see it. You are looking for distribution for the series. Did you look for a deal before Sundance? May: If this project were set out to be sold prior to anybody seeing it, we figured people were just going to say, 'Oh, no. We don't want a political documentary. It's not the right time.' We felt like it wouldn't sell based on us talking about it. Our strategy was to get a couple of episodes done and then lead by what we've created. I'm glad we did that because we internally do not see this as a political documentary at all. We feel that this is a story about humanity and the way that we look at someone who has a different point of view from our own. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in February 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in January 2025
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘How to Build a Library' Review: Two Nairobi Women Confront Colonialism's Lasting Impact
Maia Lekow and Christopher King's 'How to Build a Library' may be more aptly titled, 'How to Game the System.' This is not meant as derisive, but simply the reality faced as the documentary's central figures, Angela Wachuka and Wanjiru 'Shiro' Koinange, work to raise money, gladhand, and reshape traditional library practices in order to create a de-colonized space for Africans young and old to grow, learn, and connect. Noble as their pursuit may seem, after five years making inroads with politicians, many of the values they held at the beginning of the film don't necessarily remain intact by its conclusion. 'How to Build a Library' begins in 2017. Shiro and Wachuka are a writer/publisher duo who team up to form Book Bunk, a 'social impact firm' built on the mission of revitalizing the McMillan Library in the downtown area of Kenya's capital city, Nairobi, as well as neighboring branches in Makadara and Kaloleni. While the latter two libraries and their transformations are showcased throughout the film, McMillan remains the main focus, both for its size and central location, but also because of the history it holds. More from IndieWire 'Hal and Harper' Review: A Stellar Lili Reinhart Steadies Cooper Raiff's Tender, Turbulent TV Series 'Dead Lover' Interview: Grace Glowicki and Team Share Their Embrace of 'Feelings and Stink' Built in 1931 by white settlers, McMillan was not allowed to be used by Africans until 1958. The County Government of Nairobi had operated the large, stone-columned building since then, but over time, let it fall into decline. As Shiro and Wachuka tour it at the beginning of the film, they notice bookshelves held up with tree trunks, newspapers, chairs, and desks stacked everywhere, no toilets, but more than anything else, a complete lack of Kenyan culture and history. Instead, relics of colonialism adorn every wall. Most of the books lining the shelves are from white authors and many feature dated references to the African population. The entire space serves as a perfect metaphor for a forgotten interest in education, but also the hold of empire on generations. Being Black women in the literary world, Shiro and Wachucka have a vested interest in changing this and turning McMillan into a premiere venue for African historical and cultural exchange, but as they get into the nitty gritty of getting contracts signed and commitments made, the act of building a library becomes more about making others feel like they're in charge. 'They don't look at the bigger picture of developing minds,' the chief librarian says at one point during a meeting with Shiro and Wachuka to discuss how they should work with the government. With this knowledge, the two intrepid young women realize their strategy has to revolve around making people in power think giving this library a new life was their idea entirely. At gala events hosted at McMillan to raise funds, they make sure to place the spotlight on individuals in the government, from an executive council member for education to the governor of Nairobi himself, all of whom clearly enjoy taking credit, but are really only in it for the fancy parties and photo opportunities. What is simultaneously impressive and disheartening is how good Shiro and Wachuka become at playing the game. Perhaps it only comes as a result of the many delays lawyers and others create for them or the general what's-in-it-for-me attitude both are forced to contend with, but as their journey progresses and the fruits of their labor begin to flourish, it's clear this would've been impossible were it not for their willingness and ability to work within an incredibly self-involved system. Often this work comes at the detriment of their own health and ultimately their entire values, as the work they do to enliven the neighboring branches proves so successful, it garners the attention of the British royals. King Charles himself ends up visiting one of the libraries during his visit to Kenya and while many on staff wish to draw a line in the sand to stop this event, Shiro and Wachuka know doing so could threaten their ultimate goals. Despite the initial intent of their mission, the empire's continued grasp on not only this institution, but on the individuals trying to care for it proves a troubling juxtaposition. Even librarians who are supposed to be working with Shiro and Wachuka to modernize how the libraries will organize their collection can't help but feel bound to the Dewey Decimal System, which prioritizes European perspectives over Africans. As ironic as their defense of this system and struggle to adapt to a new one may seem, it also speaks to the thematic nature of change the film as a whole aims to capture. By the time we see what Shiro and Wachuka have managed to create — a home for African stories to be told by Africans — it's hard to be concerned about how this came to be more than simply being moved it managed to happen at all. Not only do children now see themselves reflected in where they come to learn, but adults too are given the opportunity to come share their history and add to the archives Book Bunk is working to reshape. In terms of how the story is told, Lekow and King work hard to stay as objective as possible while still centering Shiro and Wachuka's personal journeys as well. At times, the presentation is reminiscent of Spike Lee documentaries like 'When the Levees Broke' and 'NYC Epicenters 9/11 -> 2021 1/2,' both in its use of a horn score that evokes Terence Blanchard and how it lays in archival footage and imagery to extend what is being told in the present. Ultimately, while Kaloleni and Makadara complete its constructions, McMillan's renovations remains unfinished by the close of 'How to Build a Library,' though funds were being raised and the governor did approve plans. At the same time, in 2024, major protests erupted in Kenya over rising taxes and corruption. Ending the film in this way, with no resolution and another conflict potentially blocking Shiro and Wachuka from seeing their vision through, mixed with the complicated undertones around Shiro and Wachuka being part of the very system their countrypeople are protesting, tragically leaves viewers in murky territory that muddles the overall intention of the documentary. 'How to Build a Library' premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution. Want to stay up to date on IndieWire's film and critical thoughts? to our newly launched newsletter, In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers. Best of IndieWire The 25 Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies, Ranked Every IndieWire TV Review from 2020, Ranked by Grade from Best to Worst
