Brian Lindstrom

An intimate documentary portrait of a one-of-a-kind singer-songwriter from 1970s LA – Judee Sill. It charts her life from a troubled adolescence of addiction, armed robbery and prison through her meteoric rise in the music world and early tragic death. In two years, Judee went from living in a car to a deal with Asylum Records and the cover of Rolling Stone. As told by David Geffen, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and Graham Nash -- along with Judee herself -- the film explores Judee’s unique musical style and the inspiring recent rediscovery of her singular music fostered by Shawn Colvin, Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes, Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek of Big Thief, and Weyes Blood.

David Atkins is a once successful writer-director who has left his family in New York and moved out to Los Angeles in hopes of kick-starting his professional life back on track. Following a request from his teenage neighbor, Gwen to film him for a high school class project, David begrudgingly allows her to expand the project into an internet series which she believes will not only be popular, but will also help revitalize his career. Gradually though, and by no fault of his own, David begins to bumble his way up and slowly revive his career.

Lindstrom’s powerful documentary takes an unflinching look at the daunting difficulties in overcoming addictions and the dynamic within Portland’s Central City Concern’s recovery mentor program. With a 70% success rate, the program’s strength lies in its ability to promote a strong sense of community and connectedness with peers and mentors, all former addicts committed to helping others as they help themselves. “The film is raw and real, filled with undeniable moments of pain and elation and human personality. It’s impossible to imagine a more honest look at this all-too-common world.”—Shawn Levy, The Oregonian.