Author Archives: basiltsiokos

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.

January 9, 2020 · 1:31 PM

2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENEZUELA

ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENEZUELA | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by John Marquez

ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENEZUELA
Anabel Rodríguez Ríos views the socioeconomic and political crisis of Venezuela through the microcosm of a dying village.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition

Country:
Venezuela/United Kingdom/Brazil/Austria
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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance

January 9, 2020 · 12:01 PM

2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: THE MOLE AGENT

THE MOLE AGENT | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Alvaro Reyes

THE MOLE AGENT
Maite Alberdi follows an 83-year-old undercover spy in a Chilean retirement home.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition

Country:
Chile/USA/Germany/Netherlands/Spain
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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance

January 8, 2020 · 3:02 PM

2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: INTO THE DEEP

INTO THE DEEP | Courtesy of Sundance Institute

INTO THE DEEP
Emma Sullivan presents a chilling, up-close profile of a notorious murder case in Denmark.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition

Country:
Denmark
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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance

January 8, 2020 · 2:12 PM

On VOD: RED DOG

New to VOD this week:
RED DOG

Directors:
Luke Dick and Casey Pinkston

World Premiere:
SXSW 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Lone Star, deadCENTER, Nashville, San Antonio

About:
A musician explores the history of the infamous Oklahoma City strip club in which he grew up.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Once upon a time, in downtown Oklahoma City, a seedy strip club called the Red Dog Saloon was an emblem of the 1970s oil boom. It also served as the childhood home of award-winning musician Luke Dick and his infamous go-go dancing mother Kim. Combining funky animation, archival footage, and interviews with Red Dog regulars, this quirky, high-spirited film reconstructs the culture and times of the strip club, as well as the circumstances that led to Kim and Luke’s unorthodox life there.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

January 8, 2020 · 1:31 PM

2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: INFLUENCE

INFLUENCE | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Mark Bugyra

INFLUENCE
Diana Neille and Richard Poplak detail the rise and fall of disgraced PR/reputation management firm Bell Pottinger.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition

Country:
South Africa/Canada
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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance

January 8, 2020 · 12:01 PM

2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: EPICENTRO

EPICENTRO | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Hubert Sauper

EPICENTRO
Hubert Sauper offers a meditation on postcolonial Cuba.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition

Country:
Austria/France/USA
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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance

January 7, 2020 · 3:02 PM

2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: THE EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE

THE EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE | Courtesy of Sundance Institute

THE EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE
Iryna Tsilyk observes a Ukrainian family as they process life in a war zone by making films about their experience.

Festival Section:
World Cinema Documentary Competition

Country:
Ukraine/Lithuania
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