Author Archives: basiltsiokos

basiltsiokos's avatar

About basiltsiokos

Basil Tsiokos is a Senior Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, focusing on nonfiction features. He was most recently with DOC NYC for nearly a decade, where he served as Director of Programming since 2014, and with the Nantucket Film Festival as its Film Program Director. Prior to those positions, Basil was the longtime Artistic and Executive Director of NewFest. He has been affiliated with Sundance since 2005 as a Programming Associate. Basil serves on the feature nominating committees for the International Documentary Association Awards and Cinema Eye Honors. He has written about documentaries daily since 2010 on what (not) to doc. Basil holds a Masters degree from New York University and two undergraduate degrees from Stanford University.

On DVD: KAREN DALTON: IN MY OWN TIME

New to DVD this week:
KAREN DALTON: IN MY OWN TIME

Director:
Robert Yapkowitz, Richard Peete

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2020

Select Festivals:
Docaviv, Minneapolis-St Paul, Melbourne

About:
A portrait of the forgotten figure from the 1960s NYC folk music scene.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

IDFA 2021 Overview

Festival:
The 34th IDFA

Dates:
November 17-28

About:
Amsterdam hosts the premier nonfiction event in the world, presenting approximately 140 new and recent documentary features, in addition to shorts, live performances, and interactive works.

Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations

In Theatres: CHILDREN OF THE ENEMY

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, November 17:
CHILDREN OF THE ENEMY

Director:
Gorki Glaser-Muller

World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2021

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Bergen, Krakow, Biografilm, Dokufest,

About:
The heart-rending story of a grandfather reclaiming his grandchildren from the neglect and hate that await the children of ISIS members.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

On VOD: CHOCOLATE ROAD

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, November 16:
CHOCOLATE ROAD

Director:
Tanya Chuturkova

World Premiere:
Greenwich 2021

About:
An exploration of chocolate, from cacao farmers to high end chocolatiers.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

On VOD: LITTLE GIRL

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, November 16:
LITTLE GIRL

Director:
Sébastien Lifshitz

World Premiere:
Berlin 2020

Select Festivals:
Karlovy Vary, Docs Against Gravity, Chicago, Ghent, Tokyo, Seville, MIX Brasil, Thessaloniki, Jerusalem, Seattle, Rendez-Vous with French Cinema

About:
A portrait of an eight-year-old who wants to express her true gender identity.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

On DVD: THE LOST LEONARDO

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, November 16:
THE LOST LEONARDO

Director:
Andreas Koefoed

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021

Notable Festivals:
AFI Docs

About:
The inside story behind the Salvator Mundi, the most expensive painting ever sold at $450 million, claimed to be a long-lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

Streaming: ASCENSION

Coming to Paramount+ today, Monday, November 15:
ASCENSION

Director:
Jessica Kingdon

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021

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

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

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

On TV & Streaming: SIMPLE AS WATER

Coming to HBO and HBO Max tomorrow, Tuesday, November 16:
SIMPLE AS WATER

Director:
Megan Mylan

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
Montclair, AFI Fest

About:
A meditation on the elemental bonds of family told through portraits of four Syrian families in the aftermath of war.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

On TV & Streaming: A CHOICE OF WEAPONS: INSPIRED BY GORDON PARKS

Coming to HBO and HBO Max today, Monday, November 15:
A CHOICE OF WEAPONS: INSPIRED BY GORDON PARKS

Director:
John Maggio

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021

About:
A chronicle of renaissance man Gordon Parks’ stellar career from staff photographer for LIFE magazine, through his artistic development photographing everyday Americans, through his evolution as a novelist and groundbreaking filmmaker.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

On TV: STORM LAKE

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens today, Monday, November 15:
STORM LAKE

Director:
Jerry Risius, Beth Levison

World Premiere:
Full Frame 2021

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, AFI Docs, Provincetown, Woods Hole, Berkshire, Freep, Woodstock

About:
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Art Cullen and his family and colleagues at Iowa’s Storm Lake Times fight for the survival of their biweekly small-town newspaper and for an informed electorate and functioning democracy.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases