PaleyDocFest 2011 celebrates cultural reach of documentaries

NEW YORK – Through October, the Paley Center for the Media will host PaleyDocFest 2011, an annual series of short documentaries and public programs devoted to the art of documentary filmmaking.

The center, located at 25 West 52nd St., was formerly the Museum of Television & Radio and is dedicated to the discussion of the cultural, creative and social significance of television, radio and emerging platforms for the media-interested public.

PaleyDocFest 2011 will feature premieres, works-in-progress, classic docs, workshops, and special events. Screenings will be introduced by the filmmaker and followed by the lively Q&A sessions that have become a hallmark of the festival.

The year’s program slate includes:

Thursday (Oct. 6) – “Rin Tin Tin: The Life and Legend” – Celebrated New Yorker writer Susan Orlean’s latest book is a documentary-like study of animal superhero Rin Tin Tin. New York Times columnist David Carr will interview Orlean about the myth versus the reality of the iconic TV and movie dog and discuss and upcoming documentary film to be based on her book.

Oct. 11 – “Wham! Bam! Islam! – An engaging documentary portrait of Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa—Kuwaiti psychologist, graduate of Columbia Business School, and father of five young boys—whose dream was to create a comic book with roots in Islam and its culture.

Oct. 12 – “Connected: An Autobiography About Love, Death and Technology” – A stream-of-consciousness documentary that charts the interdependence of nature, art, and consciousness throughout history.

Oct. 14 – “Miss Representation” – With ringing testimony and damning statistics, filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom interrogates the skewed image of women in media, from reality television to corporate and presidential politics.

Oct. 17 – “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey” – This heartwarming documentary charts the story of Kevin Clash’s passion for puppetry, which found full creative expression as the performer of the furry red “Sesame Street” character Elmo.

Oct. 19 – “Granito: How to Nail a Dictator” – This film dramatically illustrates how a documentary can impact history, thus becoming a true agent for social justice. Filmmaker Pamela Yates digs into the outtakes of her seminal 1982 film “When the Mountains Tremble” and produces tangible evidence that the Guatemalan government committed genocide against its indigenous Mayan populace.