MEAD DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL TAKES VIEWERS AROUND THE WORLD

Circus Without Borders.

By Nancy Novick

The Margaret Mead Festival kicked off its 39^th year this Thursday with a screening of “Circus Without Borders”, directed by Susan Gray and Linda Matchan. The film, which played to a full house, depicts the work of Guillaume Saladin and Yamousssa Bangoura, friends with a common vision. Each man runs a small circus company and is devoted to training and inspiring young acrobats in their respective communities—the Canadian Arctic and Guinea, West Africa. Dramatic footage of the barren, snowy landscape of the remote Nunavit and the trash-strewn beaches of Guinea, contrast with the moving stories of the aspiring performers, for whom the circus may be a way out of poverty and isolation.

Other highlights of the festival—which features a record-breaking 31 films with female directors—include:

• “Driving with Selvi”, about a young woman who left an abusive marriage at 18 and later became South India’s first female taxi driver.
• “How to Dance in Ohio”, which allows viewers to share in the excitement and difficulties faced by a group of teenagers on the autism spectrum as they prepare for a spring formal dance.
• “Double Happiness”, a film that addresses issues of tradition, identity, and

innovation as it documents a visit by the residents of Hallstatt, Austria to Huizou, China, where an exact replica of the Austrian town is on display.

• “Love Marriage in Kabul”, the story of a Mahboba Rawi, the founder of Mahboba’s Promise which has helped thousands of orphans and widows,; the film focuses on her efforts to assist an orphan who longs to marry the girl next door.
• “The Ladies”, a documentary set in the East Village, about a group of Ukrainian women who prepare dumplings for their church—described as “an evocative snapshot of a small but enduring segment” of New York City.

The Margaret Mead Film Festival continues at the American Museum of Natural History through Sunday evening with a schedule of 57 films from more than 40 countries, as well as special events and performances. For more information and a complete schedule, visit https://www.amnh.org/explore/margaret-mead-film-festival.

Nancy Novick blogs about the literary life of the Upper West Side at www.westsidewords.com.