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.
Coming to theatres this Friday, September 17: 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.
Coming to theatres this Friday, September 17: FERGUSON RISES
Director: Mobolaji Olambiwonnu
World Premiere: Tribeca 2021
About: Six years after the fatal shooting of an unarmed Michael Brown Jr by a white police officer, and the subsequent days of protest, a new portrait of the community of Ferguson.
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Thursday, September 16 and to virtual cinemas this Friday, September 17: I AM NOT ALONE
Director: Garin Hovannisian
World Premiere: Toronto 2019
Select Festivals: DOC NYC, AFI Fest, Palm Springs, Oxford, Thessaloniki Doc, Hong Kong
About: An exploration of the 2018 Armenian revolution through the citizen activists who refused to accept it.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read: In 2018, Armenia experienced a peaceful revolution that’s inspiring to anyone challenging power. Nikol Pashinyan—a former journalist and political prisoner turned Member of Parliament—begins a march by himself to protest Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan trying to extend the reach of his power. The film observes how Pashinyan’s campaign slowly grows from one person into a mass movement. Briskly paced and offering a balance of perspectives, Garin Hovannisian’s film is a feat of nonfiction storytelling.
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films tomorrow, Wednesday, September 15: WE ARE THE THOUSAND
Director: Anita Rivaroli
World Premiere: SXSW 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals: IDFA, Hot Docs, Melbourne, Docs Against Gravity
About: An uplifting, inspiring, and emotional music documentary about a seemingly impossible plan to record a song by the Foo Fighters with a thousand musicians.
Coming to HBO Max this Wednesday, August 15: A LA CALLE
Director: Nelson G Navarrete, Maxx Caicedo
World Premiere: DOC NYC 2020
Select Festivals: Docaviv, Human Rights Watch, Cleveland, Miamia, Movies That Matter, United Nations Association
About: An on-the-ground account of the extraordinary efforts of ordinary Venezuelans to reclaim their democracy from the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read: Venezuela’s recent political upheavals are made vivid in Maxx Caicedo and Nelson G Navarrete’s film, whose title translates to “to the street.” Covering multiple perspectives in the tradition of epic documentaries such as THE SQUARE and WINTER ON FIRE, the film captures history unfolding over several years. The filmmakers gain close access to Leopoldo López, whose arrest and imprisonment inspires a national movement against the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro. This vital chronicle not only helps us understand Venezuela, it also exemplifies a spirit of resistance against corruption that is universally inspiring.