Deborah Dickson Movies

The Sahrawi are native peoples of the Western Sahara who have been involved in a political struggle for control of the nation since it was invaded by Morocco in the 1970s. Most of the Sahrawi are in exile, and one such refugee is Faitim Sellami, who lives in a camp for displaced persons in Algeria. Filmmakers Violeta Ayala and Daniel Fallshaw originally set out to tell a true life story of Sahrawi rights by documenting a meeting between Sellami and her mother in Algeria -- the first time the two had seen one another in thirty years. But while shooting footage of Sellami, they become aware of an intrusive presence -- Deido, an elderly white Arab woman who Sellami's teenage daughter claims is her grandmother. Research by the filmmakers suggested another, more troubling scenario; slavery was once common in the Western Sahara, and Sellami's family may once have been the property of Deido's family. Is Sellami a victim of a slave trade that is still going on in this part of the world? Stolen is a documentary that examines the troubled history of the Sahrawi people, the legacy of slavery in the Western Sahara, and what can be done in parts of the world where it is still practiced in defiance of the law. Stolen was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In a small village in the Kurdistan region of Northern Iraq, a woman dressed in Western-style clothes -- jeans and high heels -- is found shot to death by the side of the road, and the preliminary investigation suggests that the victim knew her killers . . . and that whoever pulled the trigger several times took no chances on the victim surviving. Before long, police have come to suspect that this was an "honor killing," in which a woman is murdered by a relative who believes she's brought shame in some way to the family name. "Honor killings" are still considered acceptable in many parts of the Middle East, and while they may be against the law, police rarely spend much time and energy on such cases. Filmmaker Mary Ann Smothers Bruni uses this murder as a springboard for examining the grim phenomena of "honor killings" in the documentary Quest For Honor, which features interviews with members of Sulaimaniyah's Women's Media and Education Center, police officers who investigate honor killings, family members of honor killing victims (and some suspected killers) and others who have become a part of this grim abuse of justice. Quest For Honor was an official selection at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Douglas Brinkley's best-selling novel Tour of Duty follows 2004 presidential hopeful John Kerry's years in Vietnam and goes on to illustrate his contribution to peace advocacy groups after being honorably discharged from the Navy. Both of these events, according to George Butler, Tour of Duty director and long-time friend of Senator Kerry, had a profound impact on the politician's personal ideologies, and provided the foundation for Kerry's career. Kerry, who hired Butler as his press secretary during his 1969 congressional campaign, agreed to be interviewed for the film. Tour of Duty, in addition to a series of interviews, features an array of archival footage of Kerry dating from the 1960s to his presidential run. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Always his own best audience, celebrated author, social critic, and self-described political "nag" Gore Vidal also proves the ideal master of ceremonies (via film clips from an extended interview) for this biographical documentary. From the vantage point of his villa in Ravello, Italy, Vidal recalls his own tempestuous life and career, all the while dispensing caustic barbs aimed at the country of his birth, "The United States of Amnesia." The author's most famous literary works are touched upon, notably his Broadway plays Visit to a Small Planet and The Best Man; his iconoclastic historical novels Burr and Lincoln; and, of course, his once-scandalous best-seller Myra Breckenridge. Also given ample airspace are Vidal's many plunges into the political arena (a natural outgrowth of his heritage, coming as he did from a long line of Tennessee public servants), including his unsuccessful run for office; his ceaseless verbal assaults on the nation's Founding Fathers ("hucksters who were posing for history"); his shocking comments on the Kennedy clan during a 1973 telecast of The Dick Cavett Show; and his notorious 1968 TV confrontation with William F. Buckley, which degenerated into a vicious name-calling session, a lawsuit, and a public apology from Buckley. Several of Vidal's friends, associates, and admirers appear on camera, notably actors Eli Wallach, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon, all of whom read passages from his novels. All in all, this is a fascinating glimpse into the psyche of a man described by one associate as a "nasty, witty, shrewd, contemptible fellow," and by other acquaintances as a warm, personable, caring gentleman. Previewed at the Sundance Film Festival January 20, 2003, The Education of Gore Vidal made its TV debut six months later as part of PBS' American Masters anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The cotton-growing industry has long had a tight hold on the political and economic lives of many people in the Mississippi Delta, and this documentary -- directed in part by Albert Maysles -- explores the toll King Cotton has taken on one woman and her family. Laura Lee Wallace, known to friends and family as LaLee, has spent all her life in Mississippi's Tallahatchie County. The product of a long line of cotton farmers, LaLee has grown up in dire poverty, and her children and grandchildren are poor prospects for a better life, given the region's failing school systems. At the urging of the major cotton firms, Tallahatchie County's schools used to routinely shut down during the harvest season so children could join their parents in the fields, and conditions have gotten only marginally better, with the county's ill-funded school system facing a possible takeover by the state government unless scores improve on the next round of standardized aptitude tests. With both money and job opportunities scarce, LaLee faces an uphill struggle to support her extended family, which now includes several grandchildren left to her care by sons and daughters unable to care for their offspring themselves. LeLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton was produced for the premium cable television network HBO; prior to it's HBO debut, the film was presented at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Accent on the Offbeat documents how musician Wynton Marsalis and choreographer Peter Martins collaborated on the creation of the ballet titled "Jazz." In addition to offering up footage from the performances, the filmmakers show how both men, who each possess very different work methods, learn to coexist. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Co-directors Deborah Dickson and Anne Belle were nominated for an Oscar for this documentary about the life and career of the great ballet dancer Suzanne Farrell. The film frankly explores the ballerina's intense professional and personal relationship with her choreographer, the renowned George Balanchine, who was 42 years older than her. Farrell's own remembrances form the bulk of the movie, but also interviewed are dance partners Jacques d'Amboise, Arthur Mitchell, Edward Villella, and husband Paul Mejia. Rare archival footage of Farrell performing in Balanchine's works -- such as Apollo, Meditation, Don Quixote, and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue -- is also included. Farrell began dancing at an early age and performed for more than 20 years with the New York City Ballet. Her intimate friendship with Balanchine eventually strained their working relationship, especially after Farrell's marriage in 1969. For five years, she performed away from New York before being reunited professionally with Balanchine and the New York City Ballet. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

The Gotham Book Mart in New York City has been considered a center for avant-garde literature for years. At the heart of this cultural gem is Frances Steloff, who at the time of the film was 100 years old. This documentary, narrated by Marian Seldes, tells the story of a woman and her dream to bring people together. She began with only $100 in 1920 at a time when e.e. cummings, Gertrude Stein, and others were in need of an outlet for their art. The Gotham Book Mart provided a venue for creativity and can certainly be viewed as an important historical landmark. ~ Cara Saposnik, All Movie Guide