Liz Garbus Movies

Director Liz Garbus presents this intimate look at the life of volatile chess player Bobby Fischer, who stunned the world in 1958 by becoming the U.S. champion, and later shot to infamy for his increasingly erratic behavior. Frequently left alone as a child by his single, Jewish mother, Brooklyn native Fischer was proficient on the chess board by the age of six. A self-taught player, he continued mastering his game though his early teens, when he defeated such star players as Arthur Bisguier, Samuel Reshevsky, and William Lombardy to snag the top slot at the 1957-58 U.S. Championship. Later, in 1972, the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War were bumped from the headlines to make room for stories about Fischer winning the world title from defending champion Soviet Boris Spassy in Reykjavik, Iceland, though it was this game that appeared to mark a turning point in the American media darling's illustrious career. Retiring from the game and disappearing from the spotlight, Fischer was essentially all but forgotten until he reemerged in the early 1990s for the "Revenge Match of the 20th Century" against his old opponent Spassy. Unfortunately for Fischer, the game was in Yugoslavia, which at the time had been hit with strict U.S. sanctions. As a result, an arrest warrant was issued for Fischer, and he became a fugitive from the law for over a decade. On the rare occasion that he did make a public appearance, he appeared disheveled, and his comments were peppered with vicious attacks on both Jews and Americans. In January of 2008, Fischer succumbed to the effects of renal failure at a Reykjavik hospital. In this documentary vintage footage of Fischer, and conversations with the friends and family who knew him best combine to provide a compelling portrait of a tortured genius whose brilliant mind became his greatest foe. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In 1978, when he was ten years old, Chico Colvard found his father's gun and was playing with it, imitating a cowboy he'd seen on television, when he accidentally shot his sister Paula Colvard. Paula was taken to the hospital, and convinced that she was dying, Paula made a startling statement to the doctor -- that for years her father, Elijah Colvard Jr., had been sexually abusing her, as well as her sisters, Angelika and Chica. Paula survived, but Elijah was in time found guilty of child sexual abuse and spent a year in prison. Chico hadn't had any contact with his father for many years when he discovered that Elijah was invited to a family reunion he would be attending. While Chico expected the event would give everyone an opportunity to confront the father about his crimes, the reality was quite different, as Elijah seemed content to act as if he'd done nothing wrong and his sisters were similarly able to ignore their father's betrayal. Chico brought a small video camera to the reunion, and the footage he shot that day became part of his documentary Family Affair, in which he examines a shocking and tragic real-life story of abuse and its emotional consequences. Family Affair received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The first amendment of the United States Constitution clearly states that Congress will make no law "abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press," but the fact that the Bill of Rights protects free speech doesn't mean that everyone likes it. Expressing controversial or unpopular opinions has sometimes caused people to be silenced by others, and in the wake of the 9/11 terrorists attacks, some Americans have found that speech isn't always as free as they'd imagine. Shouting Fire: Stories From The Edge of Free Speech is a documentary in which filmmaker Liz Garbus explores both current and historic examples of cases in which the limits of free speech have been explored by public discourse or in a court of law. Along with such precedent-setting examples as the New York Times' legal battle to publish the Pentagon Papers and the right for American Nazis to march in a primarily Jewish neighborhood in Skokie, Illinois, Garbus presents the stories of Debbie Almontaser, the principal of a bi-lingual English-Arabic high school who lost her job after discussing the word "intifada" with students; Ward Churchill, a professor at the University of Colorado, who after sharing his views on how United States actions abroad may have led to the 9/11 attacks found himself at the center of a campaign to have him removed from the classroom; and Chase Harper, a California high school student who Christian-themed T-shirts decrying homosexuality were viewed by others as hate speech. Shouting Fire received its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

While the subject of brain injury is challenging and sometimes frightening for doctors as well patients and their families, few such maladies are as misunderstood as the coma. Many factors come into play when a patient falls into a coma, and it's often difficult to predict what will happen if and when they regain consciousness. Filmmaker Liz Garbus explores the human side of a difficult medical situation in Coma, a documentary that follows four patients at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center's Center for Head Injuries. Each has suffered a coma following an accident of some sort, and as each struggles to regain the life they knew before, their doctors and loved ones must wrestle with tough choices and unhappy realities. Produced for the premium cable television network HBO, Coma was screened in competition at the 2007 Silverdocs Film Festival, a competition founded by the American Film Institute and The Discovery Channel. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Actress Rosie Perez makes her directorial debut with this documentary about her heritage, Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'Que Tu Lo Sepas! (I'm Puerto Rican, Just So You Know!), which she co-directed with acclaimed documentarian Liz Garbus (The Farm: Angola, USA). Starting with the focal point of New York City's famed Puerto Rican Day Parade, Perez examines her culture, both from a deeply personal perspective, interviewing her sister and cousin about their sense of pride in their background and exploring the journey of her own family from the island to New York City, and from a broader perspective, looking at the island's rich, neglected history. The film explains how Spanish conquistadors nearly wiped out the island's indigenous population, and made Spanish the official language and Catholicism the official religion. The U.S. eventually took over the island during the Spanish-American War, making it a commonwealth, in which residents pay taxes and can serve in the military, but can't vote in national elections. The U.S. prized the island for its sugar plantations and its strategic proximity to the Panama Canal, but a vast percentage of its residents live in poverty to this day. The documentary takes an honest look at how residents of the island were used as guinea pigs by pharmaceutical companies, at how the U.S. government utilized forced sterilization in an effort to control the island's population, and at the bloody struggle for independence led by Pedro Albiza Campos. Operation Bootstrap, a government program to move islanders to the mainland, is also explored. Perez also celebrates the Puerto Rican poets, artists, and musicians that have impacted American culture, along with the island's unique influence on our language. The film had its New York premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Shanae was arrested for murder at the age of 12, after stabbing a friend to death. Megan's mother was a drug-addled prostitute, and after being placed in, and escaping from, nearly a dozen foster homes, Megan committed a violent crime. These girls are the subjects of Liz Garbus' documentary, Girlhood. Garbus encountered the girls at the Waxter Juvenile Facility in Baltimore while making a television documentary about the boys incarcerated there. Garbus, director of the acclaimed prison documentary, The Farm: Angola, USA, examines the disparate fates of these girls and their very different treatment at the hands of the juvenile justice system. While Shanae, the victim of a horrendous violent crime herself as a child, has difficulty coming to grips with the murder she's committed, she's clearly an intelligent, charismatic, and, most importantly, motivated girl. The juvenile justice system serves her well, because she's deeply involved in forging her own path. Megan, a pretty girl with a devilish gleam in her eye, tries to get by on charm, but she doesn't have Shanae's focus. Having been abandoned by her mother, with whom she has a very complicated relationship, Megan is desperate for attention and affection. While Shanae sublimates her anger and hurt and moves on with life, for Megan everything is right on the surface. The system essentially gives up on trying to control her and turns her loose to fend for herself. Girlhood was shown at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival and at the South by Southwest Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Liz Garbus (The Farm: Angola, USA) directed this documentary that takes a close look at death row inmate Wanda Jean Allen. What sets this film apart from the average examination of a death row appeal is that the convicted killer is a lesbian African-American. If the state of Oklahoma goes through with the sentence, she will become the first black woman to be killed by the state in almost a half century. Garbus interviews both Allen's legal team, as well as the parents of the victim. Since Allen certainly committed the act she has been convicted of, the legal drama hangs on if new evidence concerning Allen's mental state will sway the clemency board. This film was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

This ambitious, multipart cable documentary series detailed five different stories, from five different parts of the world, of how individuals dealt with HIV. Episodes included "Thailand," set in a Buddhist monastery that had been converted into an AIDS hospice; "Uganda," in which music therapy was used to comfort AIDS orphans; "Russia," wherein a drug-using couple tried to regain custody of their son; "Brazil," documenting that country's free AIDS drug-therapy program; and "India," in which an infected couple worry about transmitting the HIV virus to the wife's unborn child. The guiding force behind the series was Rory Kennedy, youngest daughter of the late senator Robert F. Kennedy. Narrated by Elton John, Pandemic: Facing Aids debuted June 15, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi