Which documentary film was released first, Dave Chappelle's Block Party or Mala Mala?
Mala Mala (film) Mala Mala is a 2014 Puerto Rican documentary film directed by Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles, starring Jason "April" Carrión, Samantha Close and Ivana Fred. This film shows several stories of the transgender community in Puerto Rico, including April Carrion, well-known drag queen who participated in the reality show RuPaul's Drag Race. Mala Mala also includes the historic victory of the LGBT community with the approval and signature of Law 238-2014 (in Puerto Rico), which prevents discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Mala Mala has been presented in festivals around the world, including London, Ukraine, Los Angeles, Austin, Costa Rica and Mexico. In addition to schools such as The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, University of Pennsylvania, New York University and Harvard University.
Are You Listening! Are You Listening! (Original title in Bengali: শুনতে কি পাও!: Shunte Ki Pao!), is a Bangladeshi documentary film written-directed by Kamar Ahmed Saimon and produced by Sara Afreen. It was the ‘Curtain-Opener’ of 55th DOK Leipzig in Germany (2012), one of the oldest documentary festivals of the world. Later the film won the ‘Grand Prix’ in the 35th Cinéma du Réel held in Paris (2013) and 'Golden Conch' in Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) 2014, India, as the best feature-length documentary. It was also in the ‘Official Selection’ of the 25th International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) in Netherlands (2012) and in the New Asian Current Competition (NAC) of 25th Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival in Japan (2013). Earlier the film was amongst the 9 selected projects invited for Editing Lab of Berlinale Talents programme in Berlin International Film Festival 2012. In a rare move as a documentary, it was released in theatre in Bangladesh on 21 February 2014 in Bashundhara Star Cineplex and successfully ran for four weeks. In 2015, the film was awarded with Bangladesh National Film Award as the Best Feature (Non-fiction) handed over by Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of People's Republic of Bangladesh. Written, directed and also filmed by Kamar over a span of 20 months living in a remote coastal village (Sundarbans) of Bangladesh, it is an observational cinema inspired in Cinema Vérité or Direct Cinema style, a genre almost missing until now in Bangladesh. Set against the backdrop of Aila, (a tidal surge) that swept over Bangladesh in 2009, the film celebrates the joy, dream and the resilience of the common people of Bangladesh.