Daily Kos

Beyond the Call on PBS

Tue Jan 23, 2007 at 05:42:36 PM PDT

Adrian Belic

Adrian Belic's excellent documentary Beyond the Call airs on many PBS stations starting on Tuesday, January 23rd.  More below.

In the spring of 2004 as he drove across the Bay Bridge, Adrian Belic was describing being
in Afghanistan as the US bombing began.  He was shooting a documentary on Knightsbridge International, a small relief organization which delivered humanitarian aid to places most other groups wouldn't go.  He  had given Weather Underground co-director Sam Green and I a ride home from a tribute to filmmaker Marlon Riggs.

A clean cut Adrian Belic in Ghenghis Blues

Adrian had been nominated along with his brother for an Oscar for best documentary for Genghis Blues.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>
                          <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LDor-ovsKnE"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LDor-ovsKnE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>  I bumped into him a year later at Input, an international public television conference.   He had started to edit the documentary.  And a year after that, I saw Beyond the Call at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Enric shot a video at the opening night party which includes a few questions I asked.

             </div>Beyond the Call action figure

At the screening, he displayed action figures of the people in the his film.                 

       

Adrian Belic talking to Walt on his cell phone

They weren't able to make it, but he did talk to Walt (who was somewhere on the other side of the world - I forget where) on a cell phone.  More photos.  It was one of the best documentaries I saw last year (and one of the most entertaining films).

 

And now, not quite a year later, an hour long version of Beyond the Call is airing on PBS stations as part of Independent Lens.  In San Francisco, it will be on KQED at 11 pm Tuesday, January 23rd (check local listings).

The full version will be available on DVD (it also was on Ironweed's December DVD - they have an interview with Adrian.  And Black Gold which is on their January DVD will be on Independent Len on April 10th).

Tags: PBS, documentary, documentaries, television (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

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  •  Tell us more! (1+ / 0-)

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    HiBob

    Sure, you have plenty of links, but you really should let on a bit more of what Beyond the Call is about, in the body of the diary - don't you think?

    Try our famous burgers and dogs.
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    by Eric S on Tue Jan 23, 2007 at 06:26:40 PM PDT

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