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Courtney fathom sell – China Hot Rolled Steel Plate – Cold Rolled Steel Strip

When Sell was sixteen years old, his Father was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Prostate Cancer and given only two months to live. After outliving his initial diagnosis by seven years, Rev. Bradley Sell died on June 16, 2007 at 54 years old. Before his passing, Bradley Sell asked his son to document the few months leading up to his death in hopes to raise awareness for prostate cancer. The footage soon became the basis of Sell’s award winning short documentary ‘My Dying Day’.

After leaving Pratt Institute at the age of 18, Sell began traveling the country with his Hi8 video camera documenting life on the road. Many times homeless while traveling, Sell lived in Washington Square Park for a brief amount of time.

“It was fun. It was the first place I went to. I got off the Chinatown bus after running away from home, in Boston. I came for a screening of my films at Cinema Classics on East 11th. This was the only place that said they could give me a real opportunity.”

In a separate interview with the Providence Phoenix, Sell spoke more of his homeless experience:

“I didn’t want to go home, I was stubborn and nave. It was a lonely feeling.”

While living in Northern California, Sell slept in a graveyard and played his guitar on the street for money.

By the age of twenty, he had produced a number of personal documentaries involving close friends or family members as main subjects. An advocate of D.I.Y. mentality, Sell went on to write an essay for his website describing a sub-genre of Documentary Filmmaking that promotes the idea of utilizing the many forms of modern video technology as well as any equipment available to the filmmaker in order for them to create a Documentary. He refers to this genre as ‘Crash’.

A compilation of Sell’s short documentary work is slated for official DVD release in November 2009 through Emphasis Entertainment. ‘Hi8 – The Short Documentaries of Courtney Fathom Sell’ will include ‘My Dying Day’, ‘Long Way Back To Paradise’, ‘Under the Bridge’ and a short entitled ‘White Clover’.

No Place Like Home

Main article: No Place Like Home

His debut film “No Place Like Home”, which documented the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast as well as the growth of New Orleans non-profit organization ‘Defend New Orleans’, went on to win ‘Best Picture’ at the 2006 ‘Blue November Film Festival’, in Tulsa Oklahoma, and screen at the Casablanca Theater in Dresden, Germany. The film depicts Defend New Orleans transition to a valid social aid project and features some of the earliest produced footage of Post Katrina Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans.

Officially released on DVD in 2008, all proceeds generated from sales of the documentary go directly towards Gulf Coast restoration and Hurricane Katrina relief funds. The DVD was the recipient of an Aegis Award in 2008.

The film is now recognized by the Danish Film Movement Dogme95 as Dogme95 #267

Main article: My Dying Day

His short documentary “My Dying Day”, which is a personal account of the last months of his late father Bradley Sell, went on to win “Best Short Documentary” at the 2007 ‘Evil City Film Festival’. Shot in a Direct Cinema style, the film includes personal scenes such as the main subject planning out his own funeral, plotting his grave site, and comforting those who also live in hospice care.

Regarding his late Father, Sell commented to a Journalist:

“He’s proven to me life is precious and the most unexpected terms can come about. You need to live life to the fullest. My father’s given me the courage to be a successful filmmaker to go out with no budget, no crew.

In 2009, Sell completed a short documentary entitled ‘Under the Bridge’, which is based around a community of homeless individuals from Providence, Rhode Island who created a shelter underneath the Crawford Street Bridge. Revisiting familiar subject matter such as homelessness and alienation, Sell’s film featured personal interviews with the residents of ‘Hope City’, as it was being referred to at the time, as well as document their extreme living conditions. The film is apparently the first in a series of short documentaries to be made by Sell, based around the homeless population in and around Rhode Island.

Long Way Back To Paradise

In 2007, Sell began work on one of his more mysterious documentary projects entitled ‘Long Way Back To Paradise – The Enigma of The Viennagram’. The film, which is based around Providence art-rock performance group ‘The Viennagram, was initially released in 2007 but pulled from the public eye by Sell almost immediately afterwards. No explanation has been given. The documentary includes interviews with each band member as well as footage from various live performances which the band has become locally recognized for. According to Sell’s website, the film was shot through much controversy and even banned from its hometown upon its initial release due to fear of riots.

Along with directing the controversial Xiu Xiu music video for their single ‘Master of the Bump’ from their album ‘Women as Lovers’, Sell directed the experimental concert documentary entitled ‘Xiu Xiu – You Can’t Hear Me’, which features a live performance by the band accompanied by various music video vignettes.

His short film entitled ‘The Distant Sounds of War’ was created as a two-part music video for Dublin based post-rock group ’3epkano’ for their tracks ‘Snowball’ and ‘Towers Open Fire’ off of their album ‘At Land’.

Recently, Sell directed and animated the music video ‘Seed of Life’ for ‘The Morning Birds’.

A contributing Journalist to various publications, Sell has gone on to interview many acclaimed filmmakers, artists, and performers who have influenced his career.

In December 2008, Sell launched an online publication entitled ‘Know Your Heroes!’ which concentrates on independent film and art

No Place Like Home

Documentary; Blue November Film Festival award for Best Picture. Released by Emphasis Entertainment

Short Documentary; Evil City Film Festival award for Best Short Documentary

Heaven is My Last Resort

Original cut of ‘My Dying Day’ – Currently unreleased

Long Way Back To Paradise

Documentary – Currently unreleased

Master of the Bump

Music Video; for Xiu Xiu’s single from their album ‘Women as Lovers’

Xiu Xiu – You Can’t Hear Me

Experimental Video; featuring live concert footage of Xiu Xiu and selected music videos. Released by MVD Entertainment

The Distant Sounds of War

Short Video; featuring music by 3epkano from their album “At Land”

Music Video; for Samuel Markus and his band ‘The Morning Birds’

Courtney Fathom Sell at the Internet Movie Database

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village voice nyclife Shelter: That’s My Bed by Toni Schlesinger

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SouthCoastToday.com – Living – Ordinary people – December 10, 2006

Blue November Film Festival Official Web page

Defend New Orleans Official Web page

No Place Like Home on Ellen

Your DOGME 95 Certificate!

Evil City Film Festival Official Web page

Xiu Xiu: Master of the Bump (Kurt Stumbaugh, I Can Feel the Soil Falling Over My Head) | Pitchfork.tv

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Categories: American film directors | Documentary film directors | 1985 births | Living people

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