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 4, 2019 · 12:01 PM

2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: PAHOKEE

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Patrick Bresnan

PAHOKEE
Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan follow four teenagers through their senior year of high school in the Florida Everglades.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance

January 3, 2019 · 3:02 PM

2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: ONE CHILD NATION

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Nanfu Wang

ONE CHILD NATION
Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang bravely expose the unseen consequences of China’s one-child policy.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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January 3, 2019 · 2:12 PM

In Theatres: COMMUNION

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, January 4:
COMMUNION

Director:
Anna Zamecka

Premiere:
Locarno 2016

Select Festivals:
IDFA, Warsaw, DOK Leipzig, Göteborg, True/False, Sarasota, Docaviv, Yamagata Doc

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

About:
A Polish teenager is forced to assume adult responsibilities.

Zamecka’s striking debut draws the viewer into the lives of Ola, a 14-year-old girl and Nikodem, her younger brother, who has autism. Their mother abandoned the family to begin a new one with another man, while their father is an alcoholic, leaving Ola to take on the burden of running the household while also attempting to keep up with her studies. If that wasn’t enough, the overwhelmed teen finds herself leading Nikodem in the frustrating task of studying Scripture for his first communion. While there appears to be some element of hybridized filmmaking here, Zamecka doesn’t explicitly foreground any artifice, resulting instead in a compelling, humanistic observational portrait of a remarkably adaptive young girl whose childhood and innocence is slipping away far too quickly.

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January 3, 2019 · 1:31 PM

2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: MOONLIGHT SONATA: DEAFNESS IN THREE MOVEMENTS

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Irene Taylor Brodsky

MOONLIGHT SONATA: DEAFNESS IN THREE MOVEMENTS
Irene Taylor Brodsky presents a personal meditation on deafness through the experiences of her son, her parents, and Beethoven.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance

January 3, 2019 · 12:01 PM

2019 Sundance Docs in Focus: MIKE WALLACE IS HERE

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by CBS News

MIKE WALLACE IS HERE
Avi Belkin explores the evolution of television journalism through the life and work of the legendary 60 MINUTES correspondent.

Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
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