Pioneering

SHERIFF, directed by Chicago-based filmmaker Daniel Kraus, was one of our hidden treasures this year. The documentary portrait features Sheriff Ronald E. Hewett, a tough but focused North Carolina lawman, whose lines include something like, "I'm a tough boss, but that's because I demand excellence" - a line that many disliked bosses may feel some affinity for.

We showed it for a week in March, and attendance was miniscule. The Star News of Brunswick County, Sheriff Hewett's hometown paper, even poked fun at that fact. Sigh. So it goes sometimes.

Yet in a modest, steadfast way, recalling the style in which he directed the film, filmmaker Kraus has continued to find outlets for this very good movie. And it's a pleasure to pass on a few notes:

• This week, U.S. public broadcaster PBS shows a truncated, 52 minute version of the movie. Click here to see the schedule for U.S. cities and states.
  
• PBS' interactive guide to the movie is here
  
• Noel Murray in THE ONION has written a strong year-end appreciation of the movie, which you can read here. A brief preview, though you should click on the link, is as follows:
  

  ". . . out of all the docs I’ve seen this year, SHERIFF is the one that's stuck with me most. Without getting too political here, this little character sketch - following a North Carolina country sheriff who’s fashioned a benevolent mini-kingdom in the sticks - says more about the current power structure in this country than a dozen hot-button 'issue docs.'"

Congratulations to Dan Kraus, and congratulations to Sheriff Hewett. Keep making movies, and keep fighting crime!