The Witness From the Balcony of Room 306 - Oscar Nom on HBO February 18

The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306, filmmaker Adam Pertofsky's stirring documentary about the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., premieres on February 18 on HBO2, as part of the cable network's Black History Month programming. The 32-minute Oscar-nominated nonfiction short features eyewitness testimony by Reverend Samuel "Billy" Kyles, a close friend and colleague of Dr. King's, who was standing beside Dr. King on the balcony outside room 308 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, when the beloved civil rights leader was slain on April 4, 1968.
Reverend Kyles, a powerful preacher and compelling orator in his own right, tells of events preceding Dr. King's death, including his arrival in Memphis to support local garbage men in their strike for higher wages and the hour of light-hearted conversation with Dr. King that preceded their fateful appearance on the balcony.
Pertovsky actually interviewed Kyles on that very balcony and includes archival footage and photographs from the day of the fatal shooting, which gives the film an almost eerie sense of immediacy and place.

Also interviewed for the film, Maxine Smith and Benjamin Hooks speak soulfully of the ironies of circumstance and timing, and remind us of the emotionally devastating effects of Dr. King's death. But the most effective reminders of all are the archival clips we see of Dr. King's last speech, the famous "dream" address in which he actually predicts his own assassination--"I may not live to see it," he comments--but passionately proclaims that the movement for equal rights will be triumphant. Reverend Kyles' emotionally-charged comment that "you can kill the dreamer, but the dream lives on" stands as the strong message of this moving documentary--and it's a message that has tremendous resonance as we celebrate Black History Month and the election of the first African-American president of the United States.

You can see The Witness From the Balcony of Room 306 on HBO2 on Wednesday, February 18 at 8pm (ET/PT). And watch the 81st Academy Awards on February 22 on ABC to see whether The Witness From the Balcony of Room 306 takes home an Oscar for Best Documentary Short. Meanwhile, you can view the trailer.

(PHOTO: Reverend Samuel Kyles on the balcony of room 306, courtesy of Margaret Hyde Photography).

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Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto

I am currently watching the Oscars, and the most unexpectedly funny moment so far was when the winner for Best Animated Short, Kunio Kato with “La Maison en Petits Cubes”, ended his speech with Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto. In case you are too young to know the reference, it comes from the Styx song Mr. Roboto:

And those Wikipedia folks are ajavascript:void(0)lready at it:

“Mr. Roboto” is a song written by Dennis DeYoung and performed by the band Styx on their 1983 concept album Kilroy Was Here. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the band their first notable hit since “Too Much Time on My Hands” in 1981. Mr. Roboto is one of Styx’s most popular songs. It was also released as a 45 RPM single, with the song Snowblind as the B-Side. Was quoted in the 2009 Academy Awards.

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto translates to Thank you very much Mr. Roboto. So since Kunio Kato was thanking several people in his speech, he used the phrase in perfect context.
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The Bagger at the Oscars: ‘Smile Pinki’ Wins for Best Documentary Short Subject

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

“The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
“The Final Inch” Vermilion Films in association with Google.org, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
“Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
“The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

The Bagger was doing really well with his late changes, but he blew it on this one, switching from “Smile Pinki” to the “The Witness.” He falls to 10 for 13.


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