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Press Clippings"Docs seek Oscar Heat ... Sans 9/11, Oscar picks 12 faves" "...on the documentary short list were Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman's Born into Brothels ... " "...The best documentary award (National Board of Review) went to Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman's Born into Brothels, a look at the children of prostitutes in Calcutta. ...Its top five documentaries, in descending order, are "Born into Brothels," "Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession," "Paper Clips," "Supersize Me" and "The Story of the Weeping Camel."" "Fahrenheit, Brothels Top IDA" "Although ineligible for this year's documentary Oscar, Fahrenheit 9/11 shares this year's IDA top feature prize with Born into Brothels. ... " "...Born into Brothels gives us intimate access to a world we've never seen before. It's an artful film about, among many other things, the power of art to transform lives ... a remarkable and moving story." "Fahrenheit, Born share top IDA kudos. Docu awards to be presented Dec. 10. The Intl. Documentary Assn. has selected Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 and Briski and Ross Kauffman's Born into Brothels to share its top feature award. The org will present the kudos Dec. 10 at its 20th annual IDA Awards Gala Benefit at the Directors Guild of America Theater in Hollywood." "BORN INTO BROTHELS and FAHRENHEIT 9/11 Take Top Honors. The International Documentary Association (IDA) announced today that BORN INTO BROTHELS, FAHRENHEIT 9/11, MIGHTY TIMES VOL. 2: THE CHILDREN'S MARCH, THE NEW AMERICANS, AMERICAN MASTERS, OIL ON ICE, and IMELDA took top honors in the 20th annual IDA Distinguished Documentary Achievement Awards competition." "Calcutta's Red Light Kids contends for the Oscars. Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman's Born into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids, an upbeat documentary about children of prostitutes in Kolkata who try to start a new life, is a contender for Oscar nominations. ...Given the intense competition, the Briski film's success is commendable." "Two other Docudays highlights will be the opening and closing night films. Born into Brothels, by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, is set in Calcutta's notorious red light district of Sonagchi and follows the lives of children of the prostitutes who work there. 'I'm following this year's American documentaries,' says Mohamad Hashem (founder of DocuDays Film Festival, Beirut), 'and Born into Brothels is likely to win an Oscar. It goes beyond the story. It wants to improve the lives of its subjects - street kids in Calcutta - through photography.' "Born into Brothels (4 Stars) is a likely Oscar prospect, a touching story of street kids in Calcutta's red-light district..." "Nominees Announced for 20th Annual International Documentary Association Awards. Two winners will be chosen out of the 14 documentaries vying for top honors in the Feature length competition. The nominated films are AILEEN: LIFE AND DEATH OF A SERIAL KILLER, BEING DOROTHY, BORN INTO BROTHELS, CONTROL ROOM, ..." "IDA (International Documentary Association) Announces Jury Selections for 2004 InFACT" "The documentary (Born into Brothels), which has the emotional power of, say, "Oliver Twist" but without the sentimentality of Dickens, has been garnering accolades and awards from day one." "THINKFilm has added Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski's Born into Brothels to a roster of new docs to be released by the company." "Film by kids in brothels funds their futures...'The whole idea behind the Amnesty International film program is about the human struggles and there are many,' said Salt Lake City Film Center director Geralyn Dreyfous, who also produced Born into Brothels. 'But being involved with a project like this, once it reaches its commercial release is going to be keeping their voices alive. You can't easily forget these kids.' The (Chicago Film) festival's documentary jury gave its top award to fest circuit favorite Born into Brothels, Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman's stirring chronicle of a unique group of photographers, the children of prostitutes in Calcutta's Red Light District." "If you obsessively attend just one film festival this fall (there are five of 'em in a six-week span), it should be the Get Real: City Pages Documentary fest. Born into Brothels: If you were to pick up a book of dramatic photos, think, "Gosh, I'd like to know more about how this came together" and have a genie grant your wish, the impressionistic Born into Brothels might be the result. "Anyone who has ever thought that documentaries lack the emotional impact, drama or sheer movie-going pleasure of fiction films will likely change their mind after seeing Born into Brothels ... this is a work of art so deep and resonant that it puts most narrative films to shame." "An emotionally exquisite, irresistibly moving and visually elegant movie." "Born into Brothels, a documentary that looks at the lives of the children of Calcutta prostitutes, made a big impression. In a word, it was 'amazing'..." "You could turn the sound off and Born into Brothels would still bring down the house; its images are that revealing and moving ... "A documentary about the children of Sonagachi red light district in Kolkata city of India that has garnered award after award at film festivals is set for theatrical release in the US. ...Rather than a grim portrait of their hardscrabble lives, "Born into Brothels" is a look at the power of art to bring light into blighted lives." "This film won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2004, and I can confirm that it deserves every gong there is. In this case, the children born into the red light district of Calcutta make captivating subjects, and the result is something as beautiful as it is desperate." "It is not an experience that will allow you to just switch the channel. And as time passes, I'm sure you will see more from both of these filmmakers, each improving the world in their own way." "...the story of the children is resonating with filmgoers. "Born into Brothels" won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival (despite having been completed the day before its screening) and has won awards at festivals in Seattle, Bermuda and North Carolina." "...(Zana Briski) has a compelling story and beautiful elements to work with. She makes the most of India's stunning colors and the watchful, beautiful eyes of the women 'on the line.'...It's hard to see how this film can miss being an Oscar contender." "Born into Brothels filmmakers turn a difficult subject into a stunning film." "Juror Mark Salisbury summed it up well in a statement: "Seeing the film is a life-changing experience. It has re-set my life's barometer. The things I moan about now pale into insignificance." "The most popular documentary at the State Theatre (Sydney Film Festival) was Born into Brothels, which looked at how photography classes were helping children escape prostitution in Calcutta." "The other items on the program are just as interesting, though." "... Zana Briski and Ross Kaufman's Born into Brothels was intended to simply chronicle the lives of children of Calcutta prostitutes, but turned into a tribute ..." "Ultimately, Born into Brothels is both beautifully crafted and powerfully shot, but even more than this, it's a stunning document on the brutality of poverty and the miraculous endurance of the creative spirit." "Going beyond the maudlin infomercials that prey upon audience sympathies, the film educates as well as inspires, and sincerely represents social activism in the best ways. Just as Ikiru's Kanji desires to do one notable deed to make his life meaningful, filmmakers Briski and Kauffman have crafted a generous portrait of humanity that also responsibly makes a positive difference." "Born into Brothels is the rare Sundance film attracting unanimous praise from press and audiences in the festival's opening days." "When (the children) begin to see what they are able to produce these children become transformed. Interviews with each of them shows that there is some deep wisdom harbored in their young souls, and all profess to wanting a better life apart from the brothel neighborhoods." "This is the harsh reality that London-born, New York-based photographer Zana Briski captures in her documentary Born into Brothels. Yet what lingers is not the difficulty of the children's lives, but their resilience, wisdom, humour and talent." |
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