what (not) to doc

Coming to theatres and VOD tomorrow, Friday, July 1:
ACCEPTED

Director:
Dan Chen

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021

Select Festivals:
New Orleans, Double Exposure, Hot Springs Doc, Full Frame, Cleveland, San Diego Asian, Los Angeles Asian Pacific, Sidewalk, Denver

About:
The ambitious students of the TM Landry Prep School enjoyed a remarkable 100% acceptance rate into the country’s most elite colleges until an explosive New York Times article exposed the controversial teaching methods of its dynamic founder.

Coming to OVID.tv today, Thursday, June 30:
THE SORROW AND THE PITY

Director:
Marcel Ophüls

World Premiere:
West German TV broadcast (1969)

Select Festivals:
New York, San Remo

About:
An in-depth exploration of the collaboration between the French government in Vichy and the Nazis during WWII.

Coming to MUBI today, Wednesday, June 29:
WE (NOUS)

Director:
Alice Diop

World Premiere:
Berlin 2021

Select Festivals:
IDFA, New Directors/New Films, BFI London, Karlovy Vary, Indieslisboa, Bergen, Cinéma du Réel, Taipei, Cairo, Bilbao, DOXA, Visions du Réel

About:
A nuanced, kaleidoscopic portrait of people from largely Black and immigrant communities in the Parisian suburbs.

New to DVD this week:
HELLO, BOOKSTORE

Director:
AB Zax

World Premiere:
Berkshire 2021

About:
In the shadow of the pandemic, a small town rallies to protect a beloved local bookstore. 

New to DVD this week:
ASCENSION

Director:
Jessica Kingdon

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021

Select Festivals:
Docaviv, DMZ Docs, Camden, Zurich, Warsaw, Hamptons

Notable Recognition:
The doc was nominated for the Academy Awards.

About:
An absorbing exploration of the pursuit of the “Chinese Dream,” which prioritizes productivity and innovation above all.

Coming to A&E beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, June 29:
RIGHT TO OFFEND: THE BLACK COMEDY REVOLUTION

Director:
Mario Diaz, Jessica Sherif

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022

About:
An exploration of the progression of Black comedy and the comedians who have used pointed humor to expose, challenge, and ridicule society’s injustices, as well as to articulate the Black experience in America.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, June 28:
FIDDLER’S JOURNEY TO THE BIG SCREEN

Director:
Daniel Raim

World Premiere:
Palm Springs 2022 (cancelled)

Select Festivals:
Miami Jewish, Toronto Jewish, Atlanta Jewish, Seattle Jewish, Rehoboth Beach

About:
The story behind director Norman Jewison’s quest to recreate the lost world of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia and re-envision the beloved stage hit FIDDLER ON THE ROOF as a wide-screen epic.

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, June 28:
PLAGUE AT THE GOLDEN GATE

Director:
Li-Shin Yu

World Premiere:
American Experience broadcast (May 2022)

About:
In San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1900, a deadly outbreak of bubonic plague, and the hunt to identify its source, leads to an all-too-familiar spate of violent anti-Asian sentiment.