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: KEDI

kedi_screen_shotComing to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, November 14:
KEDI

Director:
Ceyda Torun

Premiere:
!f Istanbul 2016

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Full Frame, Sheffield, Seattle, Melbourne, Vancouver, DocPoint, Goteborg, Salem, Palm Springs

About:
Istanbul through the eyes of its colorful street cats.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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On TV: ALMOST SUNRISE

Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, November 13:
ALMOST SUNRISE

Director:
Michael Collins

Premiere:
Telluride Mountainfilm 2016

Select Festivals:
Human Rights Watch NYC, AFI Docs, Wisconsin, Waimea Ocean Film Festival, SF Docfest, GI Film Festival

About:
Two suffering veterans cross the country by foot in an attempt to combat the persistent after-effects of war.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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On TV: JEREMIAH TOWER: THE LAST MAGNIFICENT

Coming to CNN this Sunday, November 12:
JEREMIAH TOWER: THE LAST MAGNIFICENT

Director:
Lydia Tenaglia

Premiere:
Tribeca 2016

Select Festivals:
Hamptons, Mill Valley, Denver, Sedona

About:
A look at the life and career of one of the pioneers of New American Cuisine.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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2017 DOC NYC in Focus: DOC NYC PRO – Law School Day

DOC NYC‘s industry programming series, DOC NYC PRO, comes to a close on Thursday, November 16 with a crash course in legal matters of vital interest to documentarians. Continue reading

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In Theatres: NO STONE UNTURNED

Coming to theatres today, Friday, November 10:
NO STONE UNTURNED

Director:
Alex Gibney

Premiere:
New York Film Festival 2017

Select Festivals:
London, Double Exposure, Cork

About:
An investigation into an unsolved 1994 murder in Northern Ireland.

In the waning years of the Troubles, masked gunmen entered a pub in the small village of Loughinisland, killed six Catholic men, and wounded several others who were watching the 1994 World Cup. Though promised swift justice, the survivors have remained without answers for over two decades, and no one was ever charged in the crime. Gibney revisits the cold case, in the process offering a review of the larger conflict between Irish Catholics and Protestants that informs the massacre, sadly one of many. Here, it serves as something of a symbolic representation of the complex and comprised systems of justice in play during and after the Troubles, chiefly in its focus on the charge of collusion between Northern Ireland police and the Ulster Volunteer Force, a loyalist paramilitary group that is suspected as being behind the attack. In his thorough investigation, Gibney details suspicious police behavior, including destroying or misplacing evidence, and is able to track down information that enables him to identify suspects who, until now, were kept under wraps. While the larger significance of the crime may not fully be conveyed to non-Irish audiences, robbing the project of some sense of urgency and outrage, it’s clear through the participation of some of the survivors that Gibney’s investigation has at least brought a long hoped for closure.

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2017 DOC NYC in Focus: Shorts & DOC NYC U

SHORTS: MOTHER EARTH


With DOC NYC opening today, my film spotlight ends with a look at the festival’s shorts programming, curated by Opal Hope Bennett: Continue reading

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On DVD: GUN RUNNERS

gun_runners_1New to DVD this week:
GUN RUNNERS

Director:
Anjali Nayar

Premiere:
Hot Docs 2016

Select Festivals:
Palm Springs, Aspen, Atlantic

About:
Two Kenyan men turn in their guns as part of a government disarmament program to pursue running instead.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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2017 DOC NYC in Focus: Short List

KEDI

My DOC NYC profiles begin to wind down with a closer look at the our picks for this year’s top nonfiction awards contenders: Continue reading

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RIDM 2017 Overview

Festival:
The 20th anniversary RIDM

Dates:
November 9-19

About:
Montreal’s well-regarded documentary event showcases more than 70 new documentary features in addition to shorts and retrospective programming. Continue reading

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On DVD: JULIAN SCHNABEL: A PRIVATE PORTRAIT

New to DVD this week:
JULIAN SCHNABEL: A PRIVATE PORTRAIT

Director:
Pappi Corsicato

Premiere:
Tribeca 2017

Select Festivals:
Long Beach, Art & Design

About:
An affectionate profile of the maverick artist and filmmaker.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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