Newburyport Documentary Film Festival 2008
Aunty Betelnut
Directed by NATASHA HENRY, 8 mins
A diverse group of Papua New Guinean women gather to partake in a timeless ritual and share memories of their homeland in Aunty Betelnut, an intimate documentary set in a suburban Sydney backyard. Five ‘Aunties’ take part in the practice of chewing betelnut, a plant s... more
The Big Read: A Conversation with Ray Bradbury
Directed by Lawrence Bridges, 23 mins
'In the dim, wavering light, a page hung open and it was like a snowy feather, the words delicately painted thereon. In all the rush and fervor, Montag had only an instant to read a line, but it blazed in his mind for the next minute as if stamped there with fiery steel.'... more
Bleeding Green
, 19 mins
On April 13, 1997 the Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League played their final game in Connecticut. The team moved to North Carolina (you know, hockey country) and changed their name to the Hurricanes. Though the team has been gone for over a decade the Hartfor... more
Coffee With The Filmmakers
, 60 minsThe Dhamma Brothers
Directed by Andrew Kukura & Jenny Phillips & Anne Marie Stein , 76 minsEast meets West in the Deep South. An overcrowded maximum-security prison-the end of the line in Alabama's correctional system-is dramatically changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program. Behind high security towers and a double row of barbed wire and electrical fen... more
Elegy for the Elswick Envoy
Directed by Nancy Willis, 24 mins
Disabled artist Nancy Willis is in search of a home for her much loved, but aging car - the Elswick Envoy. This unique small car was designed to be driven directly from a wheelchair. Launched in the early 1980’s only two hundred were ever made. Nancy’s distinctive red... more
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Directed by Andy Beversdorf, 62 mins
In 2005, the state of Wisconsin became the laughing stock of the nation as it debated a proposal to legalize the shooting of cats. 'Here, Kitty, Kitty' scratches beneath the media blitz to reveal a surprisingly nuanced tale involving ruthless cat-lovers, unapologetic cat... more
Katrina's Children
Directed by Laura Belsey, 85 mins
KATRINA'S CHILDREN is a multi-faceted portrait of nineteen children, ages 5 through 13, from different neighborhoods of New Orleans. Told entirely from the children?s point of view, the film captures with vivid poignancy the tragic ramifications of the greatest man made a... more
Killer Poet
Directed by Susan Gray, 77 mins
Killer Poet tells the story of Norman Porter, a convicted double murderer from Massachusetts who served 25 years in prison before escaping to Chicago. There he spent the next two decades living as a poet/intellectual by the name of JJ Jameson - an elaborately crafted fals... more
A Kite Tale (we fly and you watch us)
Directed by Richard Poller, 21 mins
Starting with a lazy day in Brooklyn and culminating in a festive competition at the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, A Kite Tale, introduces us to a host of offbeat and endearing characters on our journey to better understand the ancient artistry of kite flying. ... more


