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.

On TV & Streaming: PELOSI IN THE HOUSE

Coming to HBO and HBO Max tomorrow, Tuesday, December 13:
PELOSI IN THE HOUSE

Director:
Alexandra Pelosi

World Premiere:
HBO/HBO Max (December 2022)

About:
A candid, behind-the-scenes chronicle of the life of her mother and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, through her career milestones leading up to the inauguration of President Joseph Biden in January 2021.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

On TV: THE ADVENTURES OF SAUL BELLOW

Coming to PBS’s American Masters tonight, Monday, December 12:
THE ADVENTURES OF SAUL BELLOW

Director:
Asaf Galay

World Premiere:
Hot Docs 2021

Select Festivals:
Louisville, Hamptons DocFest, Jewish fests in San Francisco, Toronto, Austin, Philadelphia, UK, Miami

About:
An exploration of Nobel Prize winner Saul Bellow’s impact on American literature and how he navigated through issues of his time, including race, gender, and the Jewish immigrant experience.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

On TV: LET THE LITTLE LIGHT SHINE

Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, December 12:
LET THE LITTLE LIGHT SHINE

Director:
Kevin Shaw

World Premiere:
True/False 2022

Select Festivals:
Black Star, Full Frame, Doc 10, Minneapolis-St Paul, Doclands, Freep, Milwaukee, Ashland

About:
A high-achieving elementary school near downtown Chicago is a lifeline for Black children – until gentrification threatens its closure.

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In Theatres: HIDDEN LETTERS

Coming to theatres today, Friday, December 9:
HIDDEN LETTERS

Director:
Violet Du Feng

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022

Select Festivals:
BFI London, Hot Springs Doc, Adelaide, Bergen, Heartland, DocEdge

About:
In modern-day China, two women strive to preserve Nushu, an ancient secret language that bonded generations of Chinese women together through centuries of oppression.

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In Theatres: THE TREASURE OF HIS YOUTH: THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF PAOLO DI PAOLO

Coming to theatres today, Friday, December 9:
THE TREASURE OF HIS YOUTH: THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF PAOLO DI PAOLO

Director:
Bruce Weber

World Premiere:
Rome 2021

Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX

About:
A stylish and elegant film about the beauty and grandeur of post-war Italy, and about the photographer who portrayed it.

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In Theatres: BUNKER

Coming to theatres today, Friday, December 9:
BUNKER

Director:
Jenny Perlin

World Premiere:
Indie Memphis 2021

About:
A look at the lonely lives of American men who have decided to live in decommissioned military bunkers and nuclear missile silos,

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In Theatres: TO THE END

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, December 9:
TO THE END

Director:
Rachel Lears

World Premiere:
Sundance 2022

Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, Tribeca, Doclisboa, Cleveland, Wisconsin, Ji.hlava, Hawai’i,

About:
Stopping the climate crisis is a question of political courage, and the clock is ticking. Over three years of turbulence and crisis, four remarkable young women of color fight for a Green New Deal, igniting a historic shift in US climate politics.

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

In Theatres & On VOD: I AM DB COOPER

Coming to theatres and VOD tomorrow, Friday, December 9:
I AM DB COOPER

Director:
TJ Regan

World Premiere:
Seattle 2022

About:
Two bounty hunters meet an old man claiming to be hijacker DB Cooper. Can they help him dig up the cash he hid half a century ago? Documentary footage blends with period reenactments to tell the tangled tale.

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In Theatres: LOUDMOUTH

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, December 9:
LOUDMOUTH

Director:
Josh Alexander

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022

About:
A disruptive spotlight on Reverend Al Sharpton – the pastoral prodigy turned political firebrand turned media establishment figure.

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On TV & Streaming: RETROGRADE

Coming to NatGeo tomorrow, Thursday, December 8, to Disney+ this Friday, December 9, and to Hulu this Sunday, December 11:
RETROGRADE

Director:
Matthew Heineman

World Premiere:
Telluride 2022

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Busan, Hamptons, Vancouver, Antenna Doc, Heartland, Bergen, Philadelphia, Montclair, Cork, Denver

About:
The story of the last months of the 20-year war in Afghanistan through the intimate relationship between American Green Berets and the Afghan officers they trained.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases