Guest: Doug Block

US documentary filmmaker Doug Block will be at Arsenal to present his last two films. 51 BIRCH STREET (USA 2005, July 17) What do adult children really know about their parents? And how much do they want to know anyway? This question presents itself in tangible fashion for Doug Block when, three months after his mother’s sudden death, his father announces that he is going to marry his old secretary and move with her to Florida. The parental house has to be cleared out and decades of memories grappled with, all at lighting speed. His picture of his parents and their marriage is fundamentally shaken up in the process. Block’s daughter Lucy is at the heart of his next film THE KIDS GROW UP (USA 2009, July 18). He has captured her life on film since her early childhood and has continued to train the camera on her as she grows up. But as Lucy gets old, she become increasingly uneasy at being constantly filmed and starts questioning his methods.