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.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
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.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
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.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
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.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
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.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
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.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHERE HITE
Shere Hite’s 1976 bestselling book, The Hite Report, liberated the female orgasm by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents. Her findings rocked the American establishment and presaged current conversations about gender, sexuality, and bodily autonomy. So how did Shere Hite disappear?
Director/Producer:
Nicole Newnham
Producers:
Molly O’Brien, RJ Cutler, Elise Pearlstein, Kimberley Ferdinando, Trevor Smith
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.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens today, Monday, January 2:
CHILDREN OF LAS BRISAS
Director:
Marianela Maldonado
World Premiere:
Sheffield 2022
Select Festivals:
DMZ Docs, DOC NYC
About:
Nine years in the lives of young Venezuelans whose musical talent offer a chance for them to escape poverty.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
BAD PRESS
When the Muscogee Nation suddenly begins censoring its free press, a rogue reporter fights to expose her government’s corruption in a historic battle that will have ramifications for all of Indian country.
Directors:
Rebecca Landsberry-Baker, Joe Peeler
Producers:
Conrad Beilharz, Garrett F Baker, Tyler Graim
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.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
AUM: THE CULT AT THE END OF THE WORLD
On the morning of March 20, 1995, a deadly nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway sent the nation and its people into chaos. This exploration of Aum Shinrikyo, the cult responsible for the attack, involves the participation of those who lived through the horror as it unfolded.
Directors/Producers:
Ben Braun, Chiaki Yanagimoto
Producers:
Dan Braun, Josh Braun, Rick Brookwell
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.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
what (not) to doc 