We’ve dealt with many forms and genres here at the Magathèque, but if there is one that has gone neglected, it’s the documentary. There are many miniature marvels in this genre, from all over the globe, with stories accompanied by animation as well as live action photography. This month, we present ‘hot docs’:

The Lifegem – Jason Hendricksen

Little gem ‘The Lifegem’ cannot help but hypnotise and move you in just three short minutes: when Carol Sullivan tragically loses her daughter, she decides to turn her remains into a diamond. Originally filmed as part of Channel 4′s 3 Minute Wonder Series, there is something incredibly poignant about dealing with such a mighty subject in such a small amount of time.

Everything is a Remix – Kirby Ferguson

“Remixing is a folk art but the techniques involved — collecting material, combining it, transforming it — are the same ones used at any level of creation.” – so says the byline to the film. Which is kind of scary when you think about it… This well-researched and carefully-directed short film examines the history of sourcing and sampling, as well as the politics of crediting, using some fascinating and mighty subjects (most notably Led Zeppelin) to illustrate his point.

Everything is a remix is an ongoing project and this is the first of 4 planned videos. Find out more on his site, where you can also donate the fund the future videos.

I met the Walrus – Josh Raskin

In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck and a head full of questions, snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview. This was in the midst of Lennon’s “bed-in” phase, during which John and Yoko were staying in hotel beds in an effort to promote peace. 38 years later, Jerry Levitan produced and Josh Raskin directed a film about it.

The Apology Line – James Lees

Once upon a time, filmmaker James Lees placed an ad in a paper for people to call an answering machine and make anonymous confessions. Some time, and many calls later, he turned these recordings into a fascinating short film which was the talk of the festival circuit for most of 2007. The peacefulness of the images works in perfect harmony with the highly strung emotions played out in the incredible messages that form the voiceover.
Visit myspace.com/apologyline for more info.

Never Like the First Time (trailer) – Jonas Odell

Renowned Swedish animator Jonas Odell (think music videos for Goldfrapp, Franz Ferdinand, The Rolling Stones…) directed Never Like the First Time in 2006. Inspired by stories about people’s experiences of losing their virginity, he has created an exquisite visual narrative to accompany the four very different tales, ranging from the tender and romantic to a heartwrenching story of a drunken rape.

Below you can view an extract: the full version will be available to buy on DVD at the end of March but if you can’t wait then get it on Wholphin Volume 3.