SILVERDOCS Opens with Pete Seeger
The 5th annual SILVERDOCS AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival officially kicked off last night at the AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center in Silver Spring with the Washington, D.C. premiere of Jim Brown's film Pete Seeger: The Power of Song. Even though the film was playing in three separate theaters within the complex, there weren't enough seats to go around for all the invited guests who RSVP'd for the opening ceremony. Festival volunteers indicated they had been expecting a certain percentage not to show -- but everyone came.
After a predictable opening night delay and a lot of stale popcorn, the festival began with remarks from AFI CEO Jean Picker Firstenberg, who acknowledged the leadership of Montgomery County in fostering a home for AFI and SILVERDOCS in Silver Spring. Discovery Communications founder and chairman John Hendricks was also on hand to remind everyone that SILVERDOCS is the first film festival in the North America to "Go Green," and of course to plug his new 24-hour cable network devoted to the environment, Planet Green.
The film itself, which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in the spring, was a smart choice to open this year's SILVERDOCS. Jim Brown has crafted a beautiful and moving portrait of the consumate folk singer and banjo player as he struggled against the black list for having been associated with the communist party. There's some really special footage here, from intimate moments of Pete with his family in the house he built with his own hands in upstate New York, to old performances of The Weavers before they were banned from television. The film paints a loving portrait of a man who clearly never wanted to be in the spotlight for the sake of fame, but rather couldn't help but dedicate his life to spreading a message of peace, love and change for the better through his music.
But of course, any documentary about Pete Seeger is going to be focused on what you hear instead of what you see, and the music included in this film is absolutely devastating. You can't walk out of the theater without wanting to run out and purchase the folk singer's entire discography. Director Jim Brown, when introducing the film last night, encouraged the audience to sing along whenever they felt the urge, because that's the way Pete likes things to be, and many in the audience did just that throughout the screening (if slightly under their breath). It's easy to forget just how many famous songs Pete Seeger is responsible for, but this film is quick to remind us: "If I Had A Hammer", "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine", "Turn! Turn! Turn! To Everything There Is A Season", "Where Have All the Flowers Gone".
The elephant in the theater when presenting a film about the life of Pete Seeger, who has railed against war and the policies of the U.S. government all his life, is of course the Iraq War, and it's no coincidence that the ending title credits are played to Seeger's Vietnam-era song "Bring 'Em Home". The message here is clear: Pete Seeger should be an example to anyone who opposes the Bush administration's policies. Judging from the reaction from the SILVERDOCS crowd last night, this film is timely indeed.
Pete Seeger: The Power of Song is also showing on Sunday, June 17 at 4:30 p.m. at the SILVERDOCS AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Fesival.