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 & On VOD: HOMEROOM

Coming to theatres and to Hulu this Thursday, August 12:
HOMEROOM

Director:
Peter Nicks

World Premiere:
Sundance 2021

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, BlackStar, Hot Docs, True/False, Full Frame, San Francisco, IFF Boston, Ashland

About:
An intimate profile of an Oakland high school class in the tumultuous year of COVID and a widespread reckoning of racial injustice.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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

On VOD: MISHA AND THE WOLVES

Coming to Netflix tomorrow, Wedesday, August 11:
MISHA AND THE WOLVES

Director:
Sam Hobkinson

World Premiere:
Sundance 2021

Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, Docaviv, Thessaloniki Doc, RiverRun

About:
The fascinating tale of a woman’s self-mythologizing Holocaust survival story.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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

On DVD: WEED THE PEOPLE

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 10:
WEED THE PEOPLE

Director:
Abby Epstein

World Premiere:
SXSW 2018

Select Festivals:
Mill Valley, Nashville, Rocky Mountain Women’s, Heartland, Calgary Underground

About:
An exploration of the medical use – and the legal hurdles – of cannabis treatment of childhood cancer.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

On VOD: EAST PUNK MEMORIES

Coming to Ovid.tv this Wednesday, August 11:
EAST PUNK MEMORIES

Director:
Lucile Chaufour

World Premiere:
Cinema du Reel 2012

Select Festivals:
Margaret Mead, Indielisboa

About:
The filmmakers revisits a group of Hungarian punks, 20 years after she first filmed them, to explore life before and after communism.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

On VOD: MALICE AT THE PALACE

Coming to Netflix’s UNTOLD series tomorrow, Tuesday, August 10:
MALICE AT THE PALACE

Director:
Floyd Russ

World Premiere:
Netflix (August 2021)

About:
Key figures from an infamous 2004 incident between players and fans at an NBA game in Michigan discuss the fight, its fallout, and its lasting legacy.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

On VOD: GENERATIONS

Coming to MUBI today, Monday, August 9:
GENERATIONS

Director:
Lynne Siefert

World Premiere:
Berlin 2020

About:
Thirteen static shots of coal-fired power stations across the United States.

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On VOD: STYLE WARS

Coming to MUBI tomorrow, Saturday, August 7:
STYLE WARS

Director:
Tony Silver

World Premiere:
PBS broadcast (January 1984)

Select Festivals:
Sundance, Vancouver, Chicago

About:
A seminal portrait of the development of hip-hop in late 1970s/early 1980s NYC, focusing on graffiti and breakdancing.

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Special Screening: NOT GOING QUIETLY

Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films tomorrow, Saturday, August 7:
NOT GOING QUIETLY

Director:
Nicholas Bruckman

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
SXSW, Oxford, Cleveland, Annapolis, Provincetown, San Francisco Jewish

About:
When a young father chances to meet a powerful senator on an airplane, their exchange goes viral, sparking one of the most unlikely political movements in a generation.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

In Theatres: BRING YOUR OWN BRIGADE

Coming to theatres today, Friday, August 6:
BRING YOUR OWN BRIGADE

Director:
Lucy Walker

World Premiere:
Sundance 2021

About:
A compelling and comprehensive essay exploring the history and causes of wildfires.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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

On VOD: VAL

Coming to Amazon Prime Video today, Friday, August 6:
VAL

Director:
Ting Poo, Leo Scott

World Premiere:
Cannes 2021

About:
A portrait of Val Kilmer, constructed from more than 40 years of the actor’s self-documentation.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases