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 DVD: THE BOOK KEEPERS

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, November 22:
THE BOOK KEEPERS

Director:
Phil Wall

World Premiere:
Austin 2020

Select Festivals:
Napa Valley, Savannah, Chagrin Doc, DocUtah

About:
A father and son crisscross the country to fulfill a dying wish, ensure a legacy, and find solace after tragic personal loss.

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In Theatres: ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED

Photo by Nan Goldin | courtesy NEON

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, November 23:
ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED

Director:
Laura Poitras

World Premiere:
Venice 2022

Select Festivals:
New York, Toronto, DOC NYC, Zurich, Athens, London, Hamptons, Bergen, Vienna, Chicago, Montclair, NewFest, Philadelphia, Leeds, Denver, Virginia, Hawaii, Stockholm, Belfast, Cork, Tallinn Black Nights

About:
A profile about photographer Nan Goldin and her battle against the Sackler family pharmaceutical dynasty.

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Streaming: GOOD NIGHT OPPY

Coming to Amazon Prime Video tomorrow, Wednesday, November 23:
GOOD NIGHT OPPY

Director:
Ryan White

World Premiere:
Telluride 2022

Select Festivals:
Toronto, Aspen, Vancouver, Rio, Hamptons, Heartland, Bergen, San Diego, St Louis, Philadelphia

About:
A team from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory create, launch, and guide Opportunity, a dazzlingly innovative and surprisingly personable Mars robotic explorer on an unprecedented 15-year adventure.

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On DVD: THE STORY OF FILM: A NEW GENERATION

Courtesy of Music Box Films

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, November 22:
THE STORY OF FILM: A NEW GENERATION

Director:
Mark Cousins

World Premiere:
Cannes 2021

Select Festivals:
BFI London, Chicago, Lumiere, Palm Springs, Taipei Golden Horse, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Biografilm

About:
An examination of the most powerful movie images of the last decade, including the pandemic, to create an epic and hopeful tale of cinematic innovation from around the globe.

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On TV: BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE: CARRY IT ON

Coming to PBS’s American Masters tomorrow, Tuesday, November 22:
BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE: CARRY IT ON

Director:
Madison Thomas

World Premiere:
Toronto 2022

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC

About:
Fierce and fearless, folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie—educator, Oscar winner, activist, and philanthropist—has always been a woman ahead of her time.

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On TV: MIDWIVES

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, November 21:
MIDWIVES

Director:
Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing

World Premiere:
Sundance 2022

Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, IDFA, Cleveland, San Francisco, Human Rights Watch, DMZ Docs, Docaviv, Zurich, Brisbane, Bergen, Cork

About:
Two midwives—one Buddhist, the other Muslim⁠—work side-by-side in a makeshift clinic in Myanmar.

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

On TV: GABBY GIFFORDS WON’T BACK DOWN

Coming to CNN this Sunday, November 20:
GABBY GIFFORDS WON’T BACK DOWN

Director:
Julie Cohen, Betsy West

World Premiere:
SXSW 2022

Select Festivals:
Minneapolis-St Paul

About:
A gunman ended her skyrocketing political career, but didn’t stop Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

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In Theatres & On VOD: BAD AXE

Coming to theatres and VOD today, Friday, November 18:
BAD AXE

Director:
David Siev

World Premiere:
SXSW 2022

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Freep, Los Angeles Asian Pacific, CAAMFest, Minneapolis/St Paul, Mountainfilm, Martha’s Vineyard, Bentonville, Provincetown, Sidewalk, Traverse City, Heartland, Hot Springs Doc, Montclair, Denver, Toronto Reel Asian, Hawai’i

About:
A real-time portrait of 2020 unfolds as an Asian-American family in Trump’s rural America fights to keep their restaurant and American dream alive in the face of a pandemic, Neo-Nazis, and generational scars from the Cambodian Killing Fields.

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In Theatres & On VOD: LOVE, CHARLIE

Coming to theatres and VOD today, Friday, November 18:
LOVE, CHARLIE

Director:
Rebecca Halpern

World Premiere:
Chicago 2021

Select Festivals:
Florida, Seattle, San Diego, St Louis

About:
The rise and fall of chef Charlie Trotter, who revolutionized American cuisine and paved the way for today’s celebrity chefs.

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In Theatres: SR.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, November 18:
SR.

Director:
Chris Smith

World Premiere:
Telluride 2022

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, New York, Camden, Montclair, Philadelphia, AFI Fest

About:
A tender and fittingly irreverent portrait of the life and career of Robert Downey Sr, the fearless, visionary American director who set the standard for counterculture comedy in the sixties and seventies. 

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