Year: 2016
Country:
United States
Language:
English
Run Time:
98 minutes
The city of Modesto lies in California’s Central Valley, a region with some of the highest poverty levels in the nation. One area in particular is the notorious South Ninth Street, a desolate wasteland ravaged by crime and destitution. On paper that description may seem inflated, but when you actually see it up close in Katy Grannan’s THE NINE, it’s pretty jarring. South Ninth is a modern day Wild West, with each person desperately trying to survive another day. To do so often means resorting to egregious methods—prostitution is incredibly rampant. The film follows Kiki, who, despite the madness around her, remains optimistic about life. Her childlike hope is unchanged, even though she’s been failed by the system. Her bright light shines through the darkness, providing a balance to an otherwise bleak, but forthright, portrait of South Ninth. This raw and staggering documentary honors America’s forgotten souls—beautiful but forever scarred by the depredation that surrounds them. —E.F.
Tuesday, April 04, 2017 at 8:40 PM
Thursday, April 06, 2017 at 1:20 PM
Genre
Recommended for High School Students +
Competitions
Nesnadny + Schwartz Portrait Documentary Competition
Reel Women Direct Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman
Director
Katy Grannan
Filmography
THE NINE (2016)
Producer
Marc Smolowitz
Screenwriting
Katy Grannan, Artimese Fairley
Cinematography
Katy Grannan, Hannah Hughes
Editing
Stephen Berger, Eli Olson
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