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.
January 2, 2023 · 10:30 AM

On VOD: SIRENS

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Rita Baghdadi

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, January 3:
SIRENS

Director:
Rita Baghdadi

World Premiere:
Sundance 2022

Select Festivals:
True/False, CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, Thessaloniki Doc, BFI Flare, Cleveland, Sun Valley, Florida, BAFICI, Krakow, Guadalajara, Sydney, Frameline, Outfest, BAMcinemaFest

About:
On the outskirts of Beirut, Lilas and Shery, co-founders and guitarists of the Middle East’s first all-female metal band, wrestle with friendship, sexuality, and destruction in their pursuit of becoming thrash metal rock stars.

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

December 30, 2022 · 12:01 PM

2023 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs

The 39th Sundance Film Festival will run January 19-29, returning to in-person screenings in Utah, with a robust selection of titles also available online. So far, we have announced 101 features, 4 indie episodic projects, and 64 new short films as part of the lineup.

In my role as a Senior Programmer for the Festival, I’m looking forward to sharing this slate with audiences next month. As I did last year, I’m devoting the next few weeks of this space to spotlighting each of our feature docs and long-form episodic nonfiction offerings with simple, individual pointers to each of these projects. Sundance Don’t Miss Docs begins this coming Monday.

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

December 29, 2022 · 1:31 PM

On TV: DIONNE WARWICK: DON’T MAKE ME OVER

Coming to CNN this Sunday, January 1:
DIONNE WARWICK: DON’T MAKE ME OVER

Director:
Dave Wooley, David Heilbroner

World Premiere:
Toronto 2021

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Montclair, Santa Barbara, Annapolis

About:
In this career-spanning portrait, richly illustrated with vintage musical performances, Dionne Warwick is a marvelous raconteur sharing candid stories behind her hit songs.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

December 29, 2022 · 12:01 PM

On VOD: MCCURRY: THE PURSUIT OF COLOUR

Coming to VOD this Sunday, January 1:
MCCURRY: THE PURSUIT OF COLOUR

Director:
Denis Delestrac

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2021

Select Festivals:
Glasgow, Málaga, Docs Against Gravity

About:
Travel the world through Steve McCurry’s eyes and discover what these journeys can teach us about our place in the universe.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

December 28, 2022 · 1:31 PM

Streaming: THIS PLACE RULES

Coming to HBO Max this Friday, December 30:
THIS PLACE RULES

Director:
Andrew Callaghan

World Premiere:
HBO Max (December 2022)

About:
A gonzo style investigation into the undercurrents that led to the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

December 28, 2022 · 12:01 PM

In Theatres: TURN EVERY PAGE: THE ADVENTURES OF ROBERT CARO AND ROBERT GOTTLIEB

Coming to theatres this Friday, December 30:
TURN EVERY PAGE: THE ADVENTURES OF ROBERT CARO AND ROBERT GOTTLIEB

Director:
Lizzie Gottlieb

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022

Select Festivals:
Philadelphia, Hot Springs Doc, Hawai’i, AFI Fest, Palm Springs

About:
An exploration of the remarkable 50-year relationship between two literary legends, writer Robert Caro and his longtime editor Robert Gottlieb.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

December 27, 2022 · 1:31 PM

On VOD: BROADWAY RISING

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, December 27:
BROADWAY RISING

Director:
Amy Rice

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022

About:
Charting the Broadway community’s journey from the almost overnight shut down due to the pandemic to the paths essential theater workers took on their road back to the stage.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

December 27, 2022 · 12:01 PM

Streaming: WILDCAT

Coming to Amazon Prime Video this Friday, December 30:
WILDCAT

Director:
Melissa Lesh, Trevor Beck Frost

World Premiere:
Telluride 2022

Select Festivals:
IDFA, Montclair, Heartland, St Louis, Hawai’i, AFI Fest

About:
A British war vet crippled by depression and PTSD attempts to find healing by raising an orphaned baby ocelot to maturity deep in the Peruvian jungle.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

December 26, 2022 · 12:01 PM

On TV: GROUCHO & CAVETT

Coming to PBS’s American Masters tomorrow, Tuesday, December 27:
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.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

December 23, 2022 · 12:01 PM

On VOD: THE SUPER 8 YEARS

New to VOD this week:
THE SUPER 8 YEARS

Director:
David Ernaux-Briot, Annie Ernaux

World Premiere:
Cannes 2022

Select Festivals:
New York, IDFA, Busan, Zurich, São Paulo, Rome, Ji.hlava

About:
Super 8 films, shot between 1972 and 1981, reveal not only a family archive but a testimony to the pastimes, lifestyle, and aspirations of a social class in the decade after 1968.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases