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 VOD: BEING THUNDER

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Friday, November 11:
BEING THUNDER

Director:
Stéphanie Lamorré

World Premiere:
Inside Out 2021

Select Festivals:
Frameline, American Indian, NewFest

About:
Two-Spirit teenager Sherente lives at the intersections—sometimes clashing, sometimes harmonious—of several identities.

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In Theatres: MIDWIVES

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Coming to theatres this Friday, November 11:
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

In Theatres: IN HER HANDS

Coming to theatres this Friday, November 11:
IN HER HANDS

Director:
Tamana Ayazi, Marcel Mettelsiefen

World Premiere:
Toronto 2022

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Camden, Hamptons

About:
In the months leading up to the Taliban takeover in 2021, Afghanistan’s youngest female mayor, Zarifa Ghafari, deals with danger, uncertainty, and personal turmoil.

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Streaming: WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON, ACTIVIST

photo by Pierre Verdy | Courtesy Sundance Institute

Coming to OVID tomorrow, Thursday, November 10:
WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON, ACTIVIST

Director:
Lorna Tucker

Premiere:
Sundance 2018

Select Festivals:
True/False, CPH:DOX, BAFICI, Docs Against Gravity, Provincetown, Cleveland

About:
A candid profile of the uncompromising British designer.

I profiled the doc before Sundance here.

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

DOC NYC 2022 Overview

Festival:
The 13th DOC NYC

Dates:
November 9-27

About:
More than 100 new and recent features are presented by America’s largest documentary festival.

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

IDFA 2022 Overview

Festival:
The 35th IDFA

Dates:
November 9-20

About:
Nearly 150 new and recent documentary features make up the lineup of the largest nonfiction event in the world.

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

On DVD: DEAR SANTA

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, November 8:
DEAR SANTA

Director:
Dana Nachman

World Premiere:
Heartland 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC

About:
Volunteers for the USPS’s Operation Santa answer letters to Santa.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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Streaming: KIMJONGILIA

Coming to OVID today, Tuesday, November 8:
KIMJONGILIA

Director:
NC Heikin

World Premiere:
Sundance 2009

Select Festivals:
San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Busan, Warsaw, Leeds, Stockholm, Palm Springs, Thessaloniki Doc, Reykjavik

About:
North Korean defectors tell their stories of repression, escape and hope.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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

On VOD: MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Rebecca Greenfield

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, November 8:
MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM

Director:
Dylan Southern, Will Lovelace

World Premiere:
Sundance 2022

Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Docaviv, BFI London, IndieLisboa, Sydney, Nashville, San Sebastián, Reykjavik, Athens, Brisbane

About:
An immersive journey through the New York music scene of the early 2000s. Set against the backdrop of 9/11, the film tells the story of how a new generation kickstarted a musical rebirth for New York City that reverberated around the world. Inspired by the book by Lizzy Goodman.

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

On TV & Streaming: SAY HEY, WILLIE MAYS!

Coming to HBO and HBO Max tomorrow, Tuesday, November 8:
SAY HEY, WILLIE MAYS!

Director:
Nelson George

World Premiere:
Urbanworld 2022

About:
A portrait of the baseball legend on and off the field over five decades as he navigated the American sports landscape and the country’s ever-evolving cultural backdrop.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases