Local documentary premiere packs the Paramount

I was one of the many people who lined the Downtown Mall last night, hoping to get a ticket for the premiere of Chris Farina’s World Peace…and other Fourth Grade Achievements. I took my time getting there, figuring it wouldn’t be hard to get a ticket for a local documentary.

Was I ever wrong. A long line of people was turned away. Paramount volunteers were still canvassing the aisles for empty seats as the show got going. (For everyone who was turned away, there will be another World Peace screening at the Paramount at some point TBD. I’ll keep you posted.)

The one-hour documentary’s about the World Peace Game, which was invented by Venable School teacher John Hunter. Hunter divides the class into four imaginary countries and pits each against the other, throws in an imaginary United Nations, an indigenous tribe and some arms dealers, and tells the kids to solve the world’s problems.

More after the trailer.

One of the great things about Farina’s film is seeing the funny things fourth graders come up with when they’re asked to be creative. (The imaginary countries are called like Iceania, Paxland and Efstrom.) But the best part of the movie is probably Hunter, who looks as natural on camera as he does in the classroom. He’s clearly having fun. When two students come to him to resolve a tiff over oil rights, he smiles and says, "Well, what did the United Nations say?"

Last night’s showing comes before World Peace‘s official premiere next month at South by Southwest in Austin next month. Incidentally, Farina will appear at the festival in another capacity: as an employee at the Corner parking lot in Meghan Eckman’s Parking Lot Movie.

How do you think World Peace will fare at the festival?