Oregon Movies, A to Z

News from Northern Ireland – Portland filmmakers Donal Mosher and Michael Palmieri have been awarded the Maysles Brothers Documentary Award by the Belfast Film Festival.

From the festival website:

“We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome the 2010 jury’s decision to award the Belfast Film Festival’s Maysles Brothers Award 2010 to Michael and Donal for their magnificent film October Country – a true gem of American cinema that overturns a lot of preconceived notions about an American obsession with violence and its impact on society. It covers some dark subject matter but the film has an intoxicating and dream-like fascination with family, a sense of slow-brewed wisdom and leaves you with a deep respect for the Mosher family and the courage and intelligence of America’s everyman. It’s equally pleasing that it is the first American film to win our Maysles Brothers Award considering it is a fitting tribute to the Maysles’ style of filmmaking, recognising their contribution to American cinema”.  Commented Cian Smyth, the Festival’s Documentary Programmer.

Shot over the course of a year from one Hallowe’en to the next, the film presents three generations of a working class American family in upstate New York. The film details many of the personal trials and tribulations of the Mosher family but, on a universal level, provides an honest insight into what is often too simply described as America’s obsession with violence. Engrossing, rich, multi-layered and stunning to watch, this first feature leaves you feeling like you’ve read a seriously good book.