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 and VOD tomorrow, Friday, July 2: THE PHANTOM
Director: Patrick Forbes
World Premiere: Tribeca 2021
About: A searching examination of a Texas murder to determine whether or not an innocent man was put to death, exploring the prejudice and discrimination that persists today in America’s Hispanic community.
About: Three healthcare workers, two patients, and experts from across the hospital are followed as one of the world’s largest healthcare systems in the United States faces an unprecedented global pandemic.
Newly re-released on DVD this week: BLOODSISTERS: LEATHER, DYKES & SADOMASOCHISM
Director: Michelle Handelman
World Premiere: Frameline 1995
Select Festivals: Outfest, NewFest, BFI Flare
About: An immersive look at the San Francisco leather dyke scene of the 1990s, shattering assumptions about gender and lesbian sexuality, while broadening the discussion about personal expressions of eroticism and their political implications.
About: A career-spanning exploration of the notable cultural figure.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read: Turning trauma into precise and angry feminist rock, American singer, writer, and actress Lydia Lunch helped birth the No Wave music scene in the late 1970s and early ’80s—and she’s still killing it today. Fellow No Wave pioneer Beth B constructs a lively portrait of this innovative performer, whose confrontational artistry resonates loudly in today’s feminist landscape. Critics, filmmakers, musicians, and friends discuss the relevance of Lydia’s brilliantly vitriolic world.
Coming to Discovery+ today, Monday, June 28: RELENTLESS
Director: Christina Fontana
World Premiere: Discovery+ (June 2021)
About: A docuseries following the filmmaker as she searches for what happened to 21-year-old Christina Whittaker, who disappeared in the small town of Hannibal MO, leaving behind her 6-month-old daughter.