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 22, 2019 · 2:12 PM

In Theatres: THE 5 BROWNS: DIGGING THROUGH THE DARKNESS

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, January 23:
THE 5 BROWNS: DIGGING THROUGH THE DARKNESS

Director:
Ben Niles

Premiere:
Montclair 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, SF DocFest, Sedona

About:
A unique family musical group reckons with the revelation of past trauma.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Five close-knit siblings, all piano virtuosos trained at Juilliard, form The 5 Browns, a musical group that takes the world by storm, touring and recording best-selling albums. The facade of their happy, all-American family is shattered, however, with the revelation of a dark secret. Laced with brilliant musical performances, this is the compelling story of how the gifted siblings struggle to save themselves and their music while confronting their disturbing past.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

January 22, 2019 · 1:31 PM

2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: LEAVING NEVERLAND

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

LEAVING NEVERLAND
Dan Reed presents an intimate profile of two of Michael Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse victims.

Festival Section:
Special Events
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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance

January 22, 2019 · 12:46 PM

On TV: THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS

Coming to CNN this Sunday, January 27:
THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS

Director:
Tim Wardle

Premiere:
Sundance 2018

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, DOC NYC, Hot Docs, Miami, San Francisco, Sydney, Dallas, Montclair, Cleveland, Newport Beach

Notable Recognition:
The doc was shortlisted for the Academy Awards.

About:
The surprising, stranger than fiction tale of triplets separated at birth.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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

January 22, 2019 · 12:01 PM

2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: MAIDEN

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Tracy Edwards

MAIDEN
Alex Holmes tells the story of a pioneering all-female yacht racing team.

Festival Section:
Spotlight
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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance

January 22, 2019 · 8:50 AM

91st Oscars: Best Documentary Nominees

The Best Documentary Oscar finalists were announced this morning, together with all the other categories – the entire list of nominees has been posted by the Academy here. The documentaries are listed below. Congratulations to all the nominees – of which 4 were on the DOC NYC Short List, and the fifth part of the fest’s larger lineup – and good luck on Sunday, February 24!

FREE SOLO

HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING

MINDING THE GAP

OF FATHERS & SONS

RBG

Congrats also to the Documentary Shorts nominees, which includes two DOC NYC alumni:
BLACK SHEEP
END GAME
LIFEBOAT
A NIGHT AT THE GARDEN
PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE.

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January 21, 2019 · 3:02 PM

2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM
John Chester charts the ups and downs of starting a farm over eight years.

Festival Section:
Spotlight
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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance

January 21, 2019 · 2:12 PM

On TV: MAMA AFRICA: MIRIAM MAKEBA!

Coming to PBS’s AfroPop tonight, Monday, January 21:
MAMA AFRICA

Director:
Mika Kaurismäki

Premiere:
Berlin 2011

Select Festivals:
Tribeca, Hot Docs, Sheffield, Biografilm, Edinburgh, Jerusalem, Seattle, Midnight Sun, Vancouver, Athens, Milan

About:
A portrait of the celebrated South African musician and human rights activist.

Miriam Makeba emerged in the late 1950s as a singer with international crossover appeal, mentored by Harry Belafonte. She used her success as a platform to speak out against apartheid, forcing her into exile from South Africa for three decades. When she became involved with the American civil rights movement, marrying one of its high-profile leaders, Stokely Carmichael, US support waned for a time, but her career continued internationally and found a resurgence after the end of apartheid. Kaurismäki’s doc, which debuted a few years after Makeba’s death in 2008, is a conventional profile that feels too truncated to fully pay the icon her due, but is a respectable primer to encourage viewers to seek out more on their own.

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January 21, 2019 · 1:31 PM

2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: ANTHROPOCENE: THE HUMAN EPOCH

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Edward Burtynsky

ANTHROPOCENE: THE HUMAN EPOCH
Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, and Edward Burtynsky present a striking visual chronicle of human impact on the planet.

Festival Section:
Spotlight
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