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: LITTLE GIRL

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.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

In Theatres: FERGUSON RISES

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.

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In Theatres: MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY

Coming to theatres this Friday, September 17:
MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY

Director:
Betsy West, Julie Cohen

World Premiere:
Sundance 2021

Select Festivals:
Full Frame, Sheffield, Doc10, Provincetown, AFI Docs, Outfest

About:
A profile a long unheralded legal pioneer.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance

In Theatres/Virtual Release: I AM NOT ALONE

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.

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On VOD: HER SOCIALIST SMILE

Coming to MUBI tomorrow, Thursday, September 16:
HER SOCIALIST SMILE

Director:
John Gianvito

World Premiere:
New York Film Festival 2020

Select Festivals:
Docaviv, Jeonju, Viennale, Cinema du Reel, Hot Docs, Indielisboa

About:
A meditation on Helen Keller’s outspokenness on behalf of progressive causes.

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On VOD: OUR DEFEATS

Coming to MUBI tomorrow, Wednesday, September 15:
OUR DEFEATS

Director:
Jean-Gabriel Périot

World Premiere:
Berlin 2019

Select Festivals:
Visions du Reel, CPH:DOX, Jeonju, Istanbul, San Sebastian, Sao Paulo, Guanajuato

About:
A class of teenagers from a school outside Paris reenact scenes of strikes, resistance, and labor disputes from films from the May ‘68 era.

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On DVD: THE HUMAN FACTOR

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, September 14:
THE HUMAN FACTOR

Director:
Dror Moreh

World Premiere:
Telluride 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hamptons, Chicago, AFI Fest, Philadelphia, Cork, Jerusalem, Woodstock, Savannah

About:
A look back at peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine in 2000 through the memories of American diplomats.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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On VOD: FISH & MEN

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, September 14:
FISH & MEN

Director:
Darby Duffin, Adam R Jones

World Premiere:
New Hampshire 2019

Select Festivals:
Provincetown, Woods Hole, Sebastopol Doc, Newport Beach, St Louis, Virginia, Globe Docs,

About:
A revealing look at how consumer demand for five species of seafood has threatened fishing communities and public health.

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Special Screening: WE ARE THE THOUSAND

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.

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Streaming: A LA CALLE

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.

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