POV alums Doug Hawes-Davis and Drury Gunn Carr (Libby, Montana, 2007) made their documentary short, Star Spangled Blues, as part of the International Documentary Challenge, a timed filming competition, held every year in March. The short won the best writing and best original song awards.
Star Spangled Blues (2006) is a contemplative and moving look at why we fight war. Narrated by Iranian-American Gita Saedi, the film uses archival materials, memoir and music to weave together Gita’s story of a once pacifist cousin serving in Iran, the rise and fall of two empires that span centuries, and hope as seen in her son and the next generation. The film is all the more startling when you take into consideration the fact that it was written, shot and edited in just five days.
Doug and Dru have worked together for more than fifteen years, directing both feature length and short documentaries. Learn more about their projects at the website of their production company, High Plains Films, and watch trailers and clips from their work at their YouTube channel.
We’ll have more on their latest projects and their favorite documentaries in the upcoming weeks here on the POV Blog.