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.

On TV: THE FALCONER

Coming to The WORLD Channel’s America ReFramed tomorrow, Tuesday, June 1:
THE FALCONER

Director:
Annie Kaempfer

World Premiere:
Mill Valley 2020

Select Festivals:
Big Sky Doc, BendFilm, Thin Line, Washington DC Environmental, Atlanta

About:
A portrait of one of the few African-American falconers in the United States, as he passes on his love of the sport to the next generation.

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On DVD: STRAY

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, June 1:
STRAY

Director:
Elizabeth Lo

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Docs, London, Bergen, RIDM, Stockholm, San Diego Asian

About:
A dogs’-eye view of Istanbul.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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On TV: DREAMLAND: THE BURNING OF BLACK WALL STREET

Coming to CNN tonight, Monday, May 31:
DREAMLAND: THE BURNING OF BLACK WALL STREET

Director:
Salima Koroma 

World Premiere:
CNN broadcast (May 2021)

About:
An exploration of the history of the Black cultural renaissance that existed in the Greenwood district of Tulsa OK, and the race massacre of late May and June 1921 that that left an indelible, though too-long ignored, stain on American history.

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On TV: TULSA: THE FIRE AND THE FORGOTTEN

Coming to PBS tonight, Monday, May 31:
TULSA: THE FIRE AND THE FORGOTTEN

Director:
Jonathan Silvers

World Premiere:
Human Rights Watch online preview (April-May 2021)

About:
An examination of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre on the 100th anniversary of the crime and in the context of other racial massacres and police killings.

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In Theatres: AHEAD OF THE CURVE

Coming to theatres today, Friday, May 28:
AHEAD OF THE CURVE

Director:
Jen Rainin

Co-Director:
Rivkah Beth Medow

World Premiere:
Frameline 2020

Select Festivals:
NewFest, Outfest, Image+Nation, Athena, Cleveland

About:
A triumphant chronicle of historic lesbian publication Curve Magazine and its trailblazing founder.

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In Theatres: FIVE YEARS NORTH

Coming to theatres today, Friday, May 28:
FIVE YEARS NORTH

Director:
Zach Ingrasci, Chris Temple

World Premiere:
Full Frame 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Seattle, Mountainfilm

About:
An exploration of the complexity of the immigration debate through the stories of an undocumented Guatemalan teenager and a Cuban-American ICE agent.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
After making the dangerous journey from his native Guatemala to New York City, 15-year-old Luis struggles to balance attending school and finding work to support his family back home. Meanwhile, Judy, a Cuban-American ICE agent, faces her own internal conflict with the shifting enforcement priorities of her longtime career, from targeting criminals to nonviolent undocumented individuals. As these two worlds near a collision, their parallel tales present a complex and nuanced take on both immigration and civic duty.   

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In Theatres: SWIMMING OUT TILL THE SEA TURNS BLUE

SWIMMING OUT TILL THE SEA TURNS BLUE

Coming to theatres today, Friday, May 28:
SWIMMING OUT TILL THE SEA TURNS BLUE

Director:
Jia Zhangke

World Premiere:
Berlin 2020

Select Festivals:
New York, IDFA, Thessaloniki Doc, Docs Against Gravity, Busan, San Diego Asian

About:
Three prominent Chinese authors create a tapestry of testimonies about the drastic changes in Chinese life and culture that began with the social revolution of the 1950s.

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In Theatres & On VOD: MOBY DOC

Coming to theatres and to VOD tomorrow, Friday, May 28:
MOBY DOC

Director:
Rob Gordon Bralver

World Premiere:
Theatrical/VOD release (May 2021)

About:
An idiosyncratic portrait of the musician and activist Moby.

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In Theatres: DEREK DELGAUDIO’S IN & OF ITSELF

Coming to NYC’s IFC Center tomorrow, Friday, May 28:
DEREK DELGAUDIO’S IN & OF ITSELF

Director:
Frank Oz

World Premiere:
SXSW 2020 (unscreened)

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Montclair, Philadelphia

About:
The illusionist’s acclaimed one-man show.

I previously wrote about the film here.

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On VOD: APOCALYPSE ’45

Coming to Discovery+ tomorrow, Thursday, May 27:
APOCALYPSE ’45

Director:
Erik Nelson

World Premiere:
USS Intrepid/Pearl Harbor screenings (August 2020)

About:
Two dozen veterans recount the last months of combat in the Pacific theater of World War II.

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