Ten Must See Films at The Documentary Edge Festival 2014

Is it just me or does the Documentary Edge Festival just get better every year? This year's selection is full of films which are edgy, diverse, quirky, challenging and topical.

You'll find films about trying to make it big in the NBA, using social media as a revolutionary tool, an outlaw Baltimore bike club,  finding love in the most unexpected of places, male bonding in Belgium and using dance to break down barriers. Whatever your interests, you're bound to find something in the programme that's up your alley.

Here at Concrete Playground we've compiled a list of our top ten picks for your convenience.

1. 12 O'clock Boys

Rebellion is at the heart of 12 O'Clock Boys, Lotfy Nathan's exploration of Baltimore's outlaw dirt bike culture. Infamous for their on-road antics of popping wheelies and weaving through traffic at speed, the group spends much of its time evading the local police.

For three years the cameras track an adolescent boy who goes by the nickname Pug. He will do just about anything to be accepted into the group and we can only watch on as his desperate mother and other relatives despair over what they can or should do. If you're suffering from withdrawal from the HBO series The Wire, this is a must see.

*This film screens at Auckland's Q Theatre on Thursday May 22 at 5:15pm and Thursday May 29 at 6:30pm. In Wellington it screens at Roxy Cinema on Friday June 6 at 5:15pm and Thursday June 12 at 6pm.

2. God Loves Uganda

For more than a century, Western Christian churches have been sending missionaries to Africa. Originally intended as a campaign to "civilise", the evangelism has transformed into a politicised radical campaign to eliminate homosexuality and convert Ugandans to fundamentalist Christian values.

Director Roger Ross Williams allows interviewees from both sides of the debate to tell the story, but that's not to say it's an impartial view. God Loves Uganda approaches the blurring of religion and politics with some balance and a fair amount of anger.

*This film screens at Auckland's Q Theatre on Saturday May 24 at 6:45pm and Monday June 2 at 8:15pm. In Wellington it screens at Roxy Cinema on Saturday June 7 at 7pm and Sunday June 15 at 8:15pm.

3. The Revolutionary Optimists

The revolutionaries in the film are two 11-year-olds with no access to clean drinking water, a girl forced to labour inside a brick kiln and a teenage dancer considering marriage to escape her abusive family. Together with the lawyer turned change-agent Amlan Ganguly they build a small but inspiring revolution within their impoverished Indian community.

Ganguly assists the four protagonists to fight seemingly insurmountable odds in order to build a better future for themselves and their community, challenging the notion that their fate lies in the hands of destiny.

This film screens at Auckland's Q Theatre on Sunday May 25 at 6:30pm, Friday May 30 at 2pm and Monday June 2 at 12:15pm. In Wellington it screens at Roxy Cinema on Friday June 6 at 12:30pm and Tuesday June 10 at 3pm and Thursday June 12 at 5:45pm.

4. Hoop Dreams

Originally released in 1994, Steve James film Hoop Dreams is as relevant today as it was back then. The focus is on two inner city teens from Chicago called Arthur Agee and William Gates who desperately want to become basketball superstars. Both are recruited into the same privileged high school as their idol, former Detroit Piston player Isiah Thomas but that's only the beginning of the story.

In the almost five years it took to make the documentary we watch the boys grow into men and face plenty of challenges along the way. A revealing insight into the world of elite basketball.

This film screens at Auckland's Q Theatre on Saturday May 31 at 11am. In Wellington it screens at Roxy Cinema on Thursday June 12 at 7:45pm.

5. Chicago Girl

From her bedroom in the suburbs, American Arab teen Ala’a Basatneh is a digital revolutionary, using social media to help co-ordinate the revolution in Syria.

She used to be an ordinary student who would go to the mall with friends. Now armed with Facebook, Twitter, Skype and camera phones, the charismatic protagonist assists her social network in Syria to avoid snipers and shelling in the streets.

*This film screens at Auckland's Q Theatre on Thursday May 22 at 9:15pm, Thursday May 29 at 2pm and Sunday June 1 at 7:30pm at Q Theatre. In Wellington it screens at Roxy Cinema on Sunday June 8 at 6:15pm, Wednesday June 11 at 8:30pm and Thursday June 12 at 2:15pm.

6. Ne Me Quitte Pas

Male friendship, depression and alcoholism are the key themes of the surprisingly uplifting Beligium documentary Don't Leave Me (Ne me quitte pas). Bob is a retired cowboy who loves his freedom and the forest, while Marcel is desperately trying to keep his family together.

There's not a lot to do in the Belgian countryside. Fortunately, there’s wood to be chopped and sticky flypaper to be hung; and there are the occasional trips to the dentist. The remaining time is killed with drinking and banter. An off-the-wall crowd-pleaser.

*This film screens at Auckland's Q Theatre on Monday May 26 at 8:30pm and Thursday May 29 at 12:30pm. In Wellington it screens at Roxy Cinema on Monday June 9 at 7:45pm and Thursday June 12 at 2pm.

7. When I Walk

Film maker Jason DaSilva has multiple sclerosis but it's not until he falls over and can't get back up again that the reality of what that means sinks in.

DaSilva does what comes naturally; he picks up the camera and turns it on himself, partly as a form of distraction and also to try to take control of what is happening to him. A trip to India to find a cure is fruitless but the film takes on another dimension when he attends an MS support group. There he meets Alice Cook and falls in love. DaSilva's unbreakable spirit and clever direction makes this no ordinary love story.

*This film screens at Auckland's Q Theatre on Saturday May 24 at 7pm and Thursday May 29 at 4:30pm. In Wellington it screens at Roxy Cinema on Saturday June 7 at 7:15pm and Wednesday June 11 at 4:30pm.

8. Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me

Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me explores how global leaders interpret Nelson Mandela’s messages of freedom, forgiveness and reconciliation.

Trying to avoid creating a single interpretation, the film combines South African director Khalo Matabane’s personal reflections on living through apartheid with the thoughts of such people as the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan and Arundhati Roy. The narrative is structured around Mandela's three key principles and contemplates whether the ideals which Mandela fought for continue to hold value in contemporary South Africa.

*This film screens at Auckland's Q Theatre on Friday May 23 at 2pm, Sunday May 25 at 2:30pm and Saturday May 31 at 2:45pm. In Wellington it screens at Roxy Cinema on Friday June 6 at 2pm, Monday June 9 at 4:15pm and Saturday June 14 at 3pm.

9. Dancing in Jaffa

Renowned ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine returns to Jaffa, Tel Aviv to fulfil his lifelong dream of teaching dance to Jewish and Palestinian children in Israel. The kids selected take a fair bit of convincing that this is a good idea. Some flatly refuse but with Pierre's emcouragement children who would otherwise never associate with one another learn to dance together and trust each another.

Through the language of dance the children are forced to confront issues of identity, segregation and racial prejudice.

This film screens at Auckland's Q Theatre on Sunday May 25 at 4:30pm, Tuesday May 27 at 2pm and Sunday June 1 at 5:30pm. In Wellington it screens at Roxy Cinema on Thursday June 5 at 2pm, Saturday June 8 at 4:15pm and Thursday June 12 at 12pm.

10. A Brony Tale

A film about men obsessed with the My Little Pony television series. Seriously. This is an inside look into the niche world of The Bronies as told by voice actor Ashleigh Bell who provides the voice for two of the ponies on the show.

The documentary crew follow her as she travels to the annual fan convention called BronyCon to meet with these fans for the first time. An intimate look into the courage it takes to just be yourself even if that means worshipping a kid's cartoon show about magical ponies.

This film screens at Auckland's Q Theatre on Friday May 30 at 7:30pm and Sunday June 1 at 9:15pm. In Wellington it screens at Roxy Cinema on Sunday June 8 at 2:15pm and Friday June 13 at 7:30pm.