Author Archives: basiltsiokos

basiltsiokos's avatar

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.

2023 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: A STILL SMALL VOICE

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

A STILL SMALL VOICE
An aspiring hospital chaplain begins a yearlong residency in spiritual care, only to discover that to successfully tend to her patients, she must look deep within herself.

Director/Producer:
Luke Lorentzen

Producer:
Kellen Quinn

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

Leave a comment

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

2023 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: NAM JUNE PAIK: MOON IS THE OLDEST TV

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

NAM JUNE PAIK: MOON IS THE OLDEST TV
The quixotic journey of Nam June Paik, one of the most famous Asian artists of the 20th century, who revolutionized the use of technology as an artistic canvas and prophesied both the fascist tendencies and intercultural understanding that would arise from the interconnected metaverse of today’s world.

Director/Producer:
Amanda Kim

Producers:
Jennifer Stockman, David Koh, Amy Hobby, Jesse Wann, Mariko Munro

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

Leave a comment

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

Streaming: MADOFF: THE MONSTER OF WALL STREET

Courtesy of Netflix

Coming to Netflix tomorrow, Wednesday, January 4:
MADOFF: THE MONSTER OF WALL STREET

Director:
Joe Berlinger

World Premiere:
Netflix (January 2023)

About:
A docuseries following the rise and fall of financier Bernie Madoff, who orchestrated one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in Wall Street history.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

2023 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING
This celebration of Little Richard reveals the Black queer origins of rock ’n’ roll, finally exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music. Through archival and performance footage, the revolutionary icon’s life unspools with all of its switchbacks and contradictions.

Director/Producer:
Lisa Cortés

Producers:
Robert Friedman, Liz Yale Marsh, Caryn Capotosto

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

Leave a comment

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

On DVD: LOWNDES COUNTY AND THE ROAD TO BLACK POWER

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, January 3:
LOWNDES COUNTY AND THE ROAD TO BLACK POWER

Director:
Geeta Gandbhir, Sam Pollard

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022

Select Festivals:
Camden, BlackStar, St Louis

About:
The story of the local movement and young Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) organizers who fought not just for voting rights, but for Black Power, in Lowndes County, Alabama. 

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

2023 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: JOONAM

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

JOONAM
Spurred by a provocative family memory and a lifetime of separation from the country her mother left behind, a young filmmaker delves into her mother and grandmother’s complicated pasts and her own fractured Iranian identity.

Director/Producer:
Sierra Urich

Producer:
Keith Wilson

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

Leave a comment

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

On DVD: GROUCHO & CAVETT

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, January 3:
GROUCHO & CAVETT

Director:
Robert S Bader

World Premiere:
Hamptons 2022

About:
A portrait of the enduring friendship between television personality Dick Cavett and his mentor, iconic comedian Groucho Marx.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

2023 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: GOING VARSITY IN MARIACHI

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

GOING VARSITY IN MARIACHI
In the competitive world of high school mariachi, the musicians from the South Texas borderlands reign supreme. Under the guidance of coach Abel Acuña, the teenage captains of Edinburg North High School’s acclaimed team must turn a shoestring budget and diverse crew of inexperienced musicians into state champions.

Directors:
Alejandra Vasquez, Sam Osborn

Producers:
James Lawler, Luis A Miranda Jr, Julia Pontecorvo

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

Leave a comment

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

2023 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI PROJECT

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI PROJECT
Intimate vérité, archival footage, and visually innovative treatments of poetry take us on a journey through the dreamscape of legendary poet Nikki Giovanni as she reflects on her life and legacy.

Directors/Producers:
Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson

Producer:
Tommy Oliver

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

Leave a comment

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

On TV: THE LIE DETECTOR

Coming to PBS’s American Experience tomorrow, Tuesday, January 3:
THE LIE DETECTOR

Director:
Rob Rapley

World Premiere:
American Experience (January 2023)

About:
A recounting of the often dark history of the polygraph machine.

Leave a comment

Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases