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.

February 28, 2018 · 1:31 PM

Special Screening: INTO THE NIGHT: PORTRAITS OF LIFE AND DEATH

Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction series tomorrow, Thursday, March 1:
INTO THE NIGHT: PORTRAITS OF LIFE AND DEATH

Director:
Helen Whitney

Premiere:
FilmColumbia 2017

Select Festivals:
Austin, Hamptons Take 2 Docs

About:
Nine diverse perspectives on dying, death, and the afterlife.

Through the varied experiences of her subjects, individuals who each either interact with death in their work or who have had confronted mortality in their personal lives, Whitney presents an intimate meditation on the fundamental mystery and certainty of our fleeting existence. Those interviewed – including a mortician, a Baptist minister, a heart surgeon, a cryonicist, and an ex-radical Islamist – share deeply personal and often affecting stories, spurring consideration of what it means to both live and die with dignity and purpose. While not without flaws – in particular, a surfeit of unnecessary narration, a too-long running time at over two hours, and the fatigue that often results from survey-driven projects – Whitney has crafted a thoughtful, and thought-provoking, film about a universal, but often deliberately avoided, topic.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

February 28, 2018 · 12:01 PM

In Theatres: DID YOU WONDER WHO FIRED THE GUN?

Coming to theatres today, Wednesday, February 28:
DID YOU WONDER WHO FIRED THE GUN?

Director:
Travis Wilkerson

Premiere:
Sundance 2017

Select Festivals:
True/False, Locarno, Camden, New York, Denver, Rotterdam

About:
The filmmaker interrogates an obscured incident from his family’s past involving the murder of an African American man.

I profiled the film before Sundance here.

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

February 27, 2018 · 3:02 PM

True/False 2018 Overview

Festival:
The 15th True/False Film Fest

Dates:
March 1-4

About:
Columbia MO’s crown jewel cultural event returns with more than 30 documentary features, a couple of narratives, some hybrids, secret screenings, retrospective presentations, game shows, and shorts. Continue reading →

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations

February 27, 2018 · 1:31 PM

On VOD: SPETTACOLO

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, February 27:
SPETTACOLO

Directors:
Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen

Premiere:
SXSW 2017

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Docs, Sheffield, Biografilm, AFI Docs, Provincetown, Melbourne, Cleveland, Dallas, Sarasota, Nashville, SF DocFest

About:
Italian villagers transform their lives into an annual play.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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February 27, 2018 · 12:01 PM

Neighboring Scenes 2018: Documentary Overview

Festival:
The 3rd Neighboring Scenes: New Latin American Cinema

Dates:
February 28-March 4

About:
This annual showcase of contemporary Latin American cinema is co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Cinema Tropical and includes five docs among its fourteen feature slate. Continue reading →

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations

February 26, 2018 · 1:31 PM

On DVD: QUEST

Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, February 27:
QUEST

Director:
Jonathan Olshefski

Premiere:
Sundance 2017

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, True/False, New Directors/New Films, Cleveland, RiverRun, Nashville, Ashland, Hot Docs, Dallas, DOXA,

About:
A longitudinal portrait of an African-American family in North Philly.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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

February 26, 2018 · 12:01 PM

On VOD: WINNIE

Coming to VOD via Netflix today, Monday, February 26:
WINNIE

Director:
Pascale Lamche

Premiere:
Sundance 2017

Select Festivals:
Encounters, Hot Docs, Sheffield, Doclisboa, Seattle, Sydney, Biografilm, Jerusalem, Melbourne, Vancouver, Warsaw

About:
A profile of polarizing South African political leader and activist Winnie Mandela.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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

February 23, 2018 · 1:31 PM

On TV: RAT FILM

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens this coming Monday, February 26:
RAT FILM

Director:
Theo Anthony

Premiere:
Locarno 2016

Select Festivals:
Rotterdam, True/False, SXSW, Florida, Maryland, Art of the Real, Docaviv, Doclisboa, Vancouver, Mar del Plata, Torino

About:
A provocative essay about Baltimore’s rodents emerges as a simultaneous cultural anthropology of race and class.

I previously wrote about the film here.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

February 23, 2018 · 12:01 PM

In Theatres: EL MAR LA MAR

Coming to theatres today, Friday, February 23:
EL MAR LA MAR

Directors:
Joshua Bonnetta and JP Sniadecki

Premiere:
Berlin 2017

Select Festivals:
New York, London, IDFA, Indielisboa, Dokfest Munich, Docaviv, Docs Against Gravity, AFI Docs, Camden, Chicago, Vienna, AFI Fest, San Francisco, Hong Kong

About:
An immersive exploration of life and death in a desert along the US/Mexico border.

Bonnetta and Sniadecki’s film draws the viewer into the Sonoran Desert, one of the most dangerous border crossing routes, and one sadly frequented by the most vulnerable, undocumented immigrants with the fewest resources or alternatives. Taking an experiential approach, the filmmakers convey the treacherous journey via offscreen testimony, never identifying individuals; an elaborate, unsettling sound design; and images of the scorched landscape and what travelers have left behind. While the project’s pace and poetic elements might limit its accessibility for some viewers, its stories of desperation, struggle, and death quietly yet hauntingly illuminate the continuing debate over border policies for those willing to listen.