Author Archives: basiltsiokos

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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.

In Theatres & Streaming: THE VELVET UNDERGROUND

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, October 13 and to Apple TV+ this Friday, October 15:
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND

Director:
Todd Haynes

World Premiere:
Cannes 2021

Select Festivals:
New York Film Festival, Telluride, San Sebastian, Zurich, BFI London, Chicago

About:
An exploration of how The Velvet Underground became a cultural touchstone representing a range of contradictions.

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On DVD: THE BIG SCARY “S” WORD

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, October 12:
THE BIG SCARY “S” WORD

Director:
Yael Bridge

World Premiere:
Mill Valley 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Docs, AFI Fest, Big Sky Doc, Cleveland, Wisconsin, Mountainfilm, DOXA, Thessaloniki Doc, Melbourne Doc

About:
A comprehensive exploration of the ideology of socialism, increasingly attracting both supporters and detractors in a polarized America.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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Streaming: CONVERGENCE: COURAGE IN A CRISIS

Coming to Netflix tomorrow, Tuesday, October 12:
CONVERGENCE: COURAGE IN A CRISIS

Director:
Orlando von Einsiedel

Co-Director:
Hassan Akkad, Amber Fares, Alexander “Lali” Houghton, Guillermo Galdos, Juhi Sharma, Lieven Corthouts, Mauricio Montiero Filho, Mohammad Reza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Wenhua Lin

World Premiere:
Theatrical release (October 2021)

About:
While COVID-19 exacerbates vulnerabilities across the world, unsung heroes in all levels of society help the tide turn toward a brighter future.

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On VOD: WITKIN & WITKIN

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, October 12:
WITKIN & WITKIN

Director:
Trisha Ziff

World Premiere:
Morelia 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Los Cabos, San Francisco DocFest, Hot Docs, AFI Docs

About:
Gifted twin brothers—photographer Joel-Peter Witkin and painter Jerome Witkin—reunite for a joint show.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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On TV: CURED

Coming to Independent Lens today, Monday, October 11:
CURED

Director:
Bennett Singer, Patrick Sammon

World Premiere:
Outfest 2020

Select Festivals:
NewFest, Frameline, BFI Flare, Cleveland, Vancouver, Image+Nation

About:
The David-versus-Goliath struggle that led the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses in 1973.

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On TV: BURIED

Coming to Showtime this Sunday, October 10:
BURIED

Director:
Yotam Guendelman, Ari Pines

World Premiere:
Showtime (October 2021)

About:
A docuseries about Eileen Franklin, whose repressed memory of witnessing the rape and murder of her childhood best friend led to a re-opening of a case that had gone unsolved for nearly 20 years, while raising questions about the reliability of memory.

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In Theatres & On VOD: THE GIG IS UP

Coming to theatres and VOD today, Friday, October 8:
THE GIG IS UP

Director:
Shannon Walsh

World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2021

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Edinburgh, DOXA, IFF Boston, DokuFest, Melbourne, Docs Against Gravity

About:
App developers lured a massive labor force by promising flexible hours with no offices or bosses, but the human cost of disruption runs deep.

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In Theatres: ASCENSION

Coming to theatres today, Friday, October 8:
ASCENSION

Director:
Jessica Kingdon

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021

Select Festivals:
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.

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Streaming: MADAME X

Coming to Paramount+ tomorrow, Friday, October 8:
MADAME X

Director:
Ricardo Gomes, SKNX

World Premiere:
Paramount+ release (October 2021)

About:
A concert doc following Madonna’s most recent tour, named for her secret agent persona.

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In Theatres: CONVERGENCE: COURAGE IN A CRISIS

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, October 8:
CONVERGENCE: COURAGE IN A CRISIS

Director:
Orlando von Einsiedel

Co-Director:
Hassan Akkad, Amber Fares, Alexander “Lali” Houghton, Guillermo Galdos, Juhi Sharma, Lieven Corthouts, Mauricio Montiero Filho, Mohammad Reza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Wenhua Lin

World Premiere:
Theatrical release (October 2021)

About:
While COVID-19 exacerbates vulnerabilities across the world, unsung heroes in all levels of society help the tide turn toward a brighter future.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases