DOCYARD ANNOUNCES SUMMER SERIES

Documentary lovers rejoice, for The DocYard, Boston’s premier documentary film screening series, has announced its program lineup for Summer 2011. Every other Monday from June 6th to August 12th, stop by the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge for screenings, Q&A’s with visiting filmmakers, panels, and other special events. They currently have completed a Kickstarter campaign up for their $50 season pass.

To convince you to pick one up, here’s a peek at what they’ve got planned:

TO BE HEARD | 6.8

Following three best friends from South Bronx over four years, To Be Heard tells a story of love, frustration, struggle, hope, and poetry. As the teens learn to unleash their creativity, they find the power—through their art and through each other—to take control of their futures.

To Be Heard: Trailer from Edwin Martinez on Vimeo.

THE KIDS GROW UP | 6.20

Doug Block, of 51 Birch Street fame, offers this intimate and moving look into his relationship with his only child, Lucy. A portrait of a girl transitioning into womanhood as well as an exploration of the clinging-and-letting-go process of parenting, The Kids Grow Up is honest, funny, and deeply moving.

The Kids Grow Up -- trailer from Copacetic Pictures on Vimeo.

HIGH RISE | 7.11

High Rise (in Portuguese Um Lugar Ao Sol) delves into the lives—and penthouses—of some of Brazil’s richest and most influential. The inhabitants of nine penthouse apartments in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Recife, discuss social inequality, politics, and matters more personal in this philosophical meditation on Brazil’s dominant class.

View trailer here

FAKE IT SO REAL | 7.25

The “costumed dreamers” of the Millennium Wrestling Federation of Lincolnton, North Carolina deal in body slams, bloody noses, and brotherhood. Fake It So Real, by director Robert Greene, zeroes in on the men behind the simulated violence in this riveting and insightful film.

FAKE IT SO REAL (teaser) from prewarcinema on Vimeo.

THE REDEMPTION OF GENERAL BUCK NAKED | 8.8

Joshua Milton Blahyi, fighting butt naked with his army of child soldiers, slaughtered thousands during Liberia’s 14-year civil war, later to renounce his violent past for a new life as a Christian evangelist. The Redemption of General Butt Naked follows Blahyi for five years as he travels through the land he once terrorized, seeking forgiveness from those whose lives he shattered.

WHERE SOLDIERS COME FROM | 8.22

Where Soldiers Come From follows the transformation of five high school friends as they leave behind their comfortable homes in northern Michigan for life in the National Guard. From Afghanistan and back, the film chronicles the unavoidable evolution of the real lives behind the war.

RAIN IN A DRY LAND | 9.12

Rain in a Dry Land is an intimate portrait of two Somali Bantu families transported by relief agencies to America, and the challenges that they face upon arrival. Through racism, poverty, and culture shock, only resilience can help them survive.

EACH SCREENING STARTS AT 8PM AT THE BRATTLE THEATRE. Season Pass $50, Day of Show $10