Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, May 25:
THAT’S WILD
Director:
Michiel Thomas
World Premiere:
International Wildlife 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
Florida, San Francisco Black, BronzeLens, American Black, Crested Butte, Montreal Black, Wildscreen, Planet in Focus, SCAD Savannah, DocUtah, Kansas, Los Angeles Pan African
About:
A group of underserved Black Atlanta teens go on a backpacking summer adventure in the Colorado wilderness.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to The WORLD Channel’s America ReFramed today, Tuesday, May 25:
HAMTRAMCK, USA
Director:
Razi Jafri, Justin Feltman
World Premiere:
SXSW 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, DOXA, Sarasota, St Louis, CAAMFest, Melbourne Doc, Virginia
About:
An election in America’s first majority Muslim city splits the community along ethnic lines.
The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Formerly a solid Polish Catholic town, Hamtramck MI is America’s first majority Muslim city. During one election cycle, popular incumbent Karen Majewski faces Muslim challenger Mohammed Hassan for mayor, and the typically harmonious, culturally commingling community begins to split along ethnic lines. Going behind the scenes of small-town politics to explore the beauty and challenges that come with multiculturalism, Razi Jafri and Justin Feltman’s film is a heartwarming reminder that civility and respect can coexist in our political races.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to MUBI today, Monday, May 24:
THE TRIAL
Director:
Sergei Loznitsa
World Premiere:
Venice 2018
Select Festivals:
Toronto, IDFA, Haifa, Busan, Mar del Plata, Cinema du Reel, Docs Against Gravity
About:
An archival exploration of the public spectacle of Stalin-era Soviet show trials.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, May 24:
THE DONUT KING
Director:
Alice Gu
World Premiere:
SXSW 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
Sidewalk, Nashville, Milwaukee, San Diego Asian, Los Angeles Asian Pacific, Philadelphia Asian, Calgary Underground
About:
A Cambodian refugee escapes genocide to build a donut empire on the West Coast, and a legacy for other immigrants to emulate.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to MUBI today, Friday, May 21:
STATE FUNERAL
Director:
Sergei Loznitsa
World Premiere:
Venice 2019
Select Festivals:
Toronto, New York, Minsk, Stockholm, Vienna, Rio, Glasgow, Sofia, Indielisboa, Docaviv, Hong Kong, Docs Against Gravity
About:
An exploration of Stalin’s cult of personality through the Soviet leader’s funeral.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, May 21:
FINAL ACCOUNT
Director:
Luke Holland
World Premiere:
Venice 2020
Select Festivals:
IDFA
About:
Interviews with the last living generation of Germans to have participated in Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich – not the infamously chilling names in history books, but the everyday citizens who carried out the plans made by the architects of mass-scale genocide.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to Apple TV+ today, Friday, May 21:
1971: THE YEAR THAT MUSIC CHANGED EVERYTHING
Director:
Asif Kapadia
World Premiere:
Apple TV+ release (May 2021)
About:
A docuseries exploring how the popular musicians and soundtracks of 1971 shaped culture and politics.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to MUBI tomorrow, Friday, May 21:
BLOCKADE
Director:
Sergei Loznitsa
World Premiere:
Rotterdam 2006
Select Festivals:
Krakow, Reykjavik, Sydney, Mar del Plata, Thessaloniki Doc
About:
Rarely seen silent images found in Soviet film archives retell the story of the 900-day siege of Leningrad during WWII.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Friday, May 21:
THE PENNY BLACK
Director:
Joe Saunders
World Premiere:
Slamdance 2020
Select Festivals:
St Louis, Newport Beach
About:
A man searches for his shady neighbor, who entrusted him with a valuable stamp collection before mysteriously vanishing.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to virtual cinemas tomorrow, Friday, May 21:
TWO GODS
Director:
Zeshawn Ali
World Premiere:
Full Frame 2020 (unscreened)
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, BlackStar, Montclair, Hot Docs, Camden
About:
A Black Muslim casket maker mentors two boys.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
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