Megan Izen

Reasons to Watch the Academy Awards

The Garden

A few years back, my favorite documentary of the year (Jonestown: The Life and Death of People’s Temple) didn’t made the shortlist for best documentary but was cut in the end (it was robbed, in my humble opinion, by Al Gore’s PowerPoint presentation on film.) Needless to say, I am ecstatic that two of my favorites made it to the top of the list this year.

The Garden is an amazing film about the struggle to keep the largest community garden in the US, located in post-riot South Central LA, open despite the city’s best efforts to shut it down. Trouble the Water is an equally captivating tale of Katrina and its aftermath from the Ninth Ward. Both documentaries highlight communities of color defending and protecting themselves when the government has left them high and dry. Regardless of who wins, it’s significant that these underreported stories are garnering national attention.

Posted at 1:07 PM, Jan 22, 2009 in Music & Film | Permalink | View Comments