PRESS/MEDIA
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"Richardson's astounding skill is demonstrated in striking visuals and the themes of escape and flight that extend beyond the circus' aerial acts. Birds soar over the heads of three boys, who denigrate the circus for its childishness, despite the fact that they are merely 11 years old. Mothers stir pots of bubbling rice, uncertain of their children's next meal, but spouting soaring dreams of good fortune into the steam..." Read More...
"Taking a bold, "we determine our own destinies" approach (her favorite line from the film), Richardson follows the unpredictable, perilous lives..." Read More... |
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"When Kelly J. Richardson graduated with a Spanish degree from UC Berkeley, she ran off to join the circus. Six years later, Kelly completed her first feature-length documentary, "Without a Net," which enjoys an Oscar-qualifying DocuWeeks theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles this month, followed by a screening at the Mill Valley Film Festival in October..."
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"Incisive" - "Knowing firsthand the dangers of the streets, the kids are philosophical about the physical risks of trapeze and contortion. But as a postscript makes clear, Junior's worthy project is no sure antidote to hard knocks."
Read More... "Infectiously gleeful, are the first adjectives that come to mind ... As far as behind-the-scenes documentaries go, this is one of the best that I have seen. Director, Kelly J. Richardson makes the wise choice of keeping the focus on the performers, rather than delving into the politics of Rio, and/or the politics of the actual circus. " Read More... |
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Meet the Filmmaker - "Two years later, I was traveling a little bit after college and I was kind of on the lookout for a circus to join. I found one in Bahia in the Northeast of Brazil. In that circus [...] there was also a social project which was funded by various organizations inside and outside of Brazil. The goal was to [bring] children and youth living in poverty in the area to train for free at the circus. Through doing so, [the participants could] learn skills that they could transfer to other parts of their lives—things like cooperation, team building, how to set goals and achieve them, how to face their fears, those kinds of things which are really valuable and essential to getting along in society."
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"I also like another relatively short film showing this week, the hour-long feature Without a Net, which similarly deals in astonishing athletic feats...Set up in a tent illegally pitched in an abandoned parking lot, these slum kids wow audiences with their contortions, gymnastics, juggling and clowning around as an alternative to the usual life of drugs and violence...."
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"Most film festivals share a fairly generic, if admirable, goal: to showcase the best fare that falls under their banner/mission statement — be that indie, queer, experimental, diasporic African, etc. DocuWeeks' mission is simply to bring American audiences the best international documentaries — and to program films that, collectively, take the world's political pulse..."
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"The circus in the Rio de Janeiro slum of Praça Onze isn’t quite as polished as its Cirque du Soleil inspiration. Nonetheless, filmmaker Kelly J. Richardson finds great artistry in a place where it might not be expected to flourish. The camera primarily follows two exceptionally flexible teen women and the most graceful, heavy-set 21-year-old the circus-going public has ever seen..."
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Most film festivals share a fairly generic, if admirable, goal: to showcase the best fare that falls under their banner/mission statement—be that indie, queer, experimental, diasporic African, and so on. DocuWeeks' mission is simply to bring American audiences the best international documentaries—and to program films that, collectively, take the world's political pulse...
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"As our practice times regularly overlapped, I got to know the young performers and heard stories about their lives, rife with the typical dangers, and excitement of inner city poverty. Their tales were of close calls with the police and drug gangs, memories of incarcerated or deceased siblings, the manifold challenges of getting enough food to eat, clothes to wear and a safe enough place to sleep at night while constantly maintaining the street-wise appearance of ease..."
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"Without A Net, directed by Kelly J. Richardson, follows a group of slum kids from Rio de Janeiro who are accepted into the training program of a small circus. The circus itself is a bit mysterious: It just set up tent one night in a parking lot near their homes, and since they don’t exactly live in one of the wealthier neighborhoods in town, no one seems to be asking any questions..."
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"Premiering this month at the Atlanta Film Festival, the brazilian documentary Without A Net, helmed by Kelly J. Richardson follows a group of young men and women who, struggling to survive in the controlled drug slums of Rio de Janeiro, take their chances and prepare for the town's circus act..."
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