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.

Streaming: FIRE OF LOVE

Coming to Disney+ today, Friday, November 11:
FIRE OF LOVE

Director:
Sara Dosa

World Premiere:
Sundance 2022

Select Festivals:
CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, True/False, SXSW, New Directors/New Films, Docaviv, Visions du Reel, Docville, Sydney, Seattle, San Francisco, Cleveland, Ashland, RiverRun, Sun Valley, Provincetown

About:
This story of the doomed love triangle between intrepid scientists and lovers Katia and Maurice Krafft and the volcanoes they captured in their explosive archival footage.

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

Streaming: SANTA CAMP

Coming to HBO Max tomorrow, Saturday, November 12:
SANTA CAMP

Director:
Nick Sweeney

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2022

About:
With Christmas looming, three unconventional new recruits join the jolly white, bearded, ranks of Santa Camp and shake up the image of Kris Kringle.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases

In Theatres: NOTHING LASTS FOREVER

Coming to theatres this Friday, November 4:
NOTHING LASTS FOREVER

Director:
Jason Kohn

World Premiere:
Berlin 2022

Select Festivals:
IDFA, SXSW, CPH:DOX, Docs Against Gravity, Camden, Bergen, Philadelphia, BAMcinemaFest

About:
This thriller-like investigation into the disruptive infiltration of synthetic diamonds into the jewelry market turns into an inquiry of the universal themes of value, the real, and the symbolic.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

On VOD: THE HUMAN TRIAL

Coming to VOD today, Friday, November 11:
THE HUMAN TRIAL

Director:
Lisa Hepner, Guy Mossman

World Premiere:
Theatrical release (June 2022)

About:
An intimate, unprecedented profile of the patients and scientists participating in a groundbreaking clinical trial to seek a cure for diabetes.

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Streaming: IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU?!?

Coming to Netflix tomorrow, Friday, November 11:
IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU?!?

Director:
Elvis Mitchell

World Premiere:
New York Film Festival 2022

Select Festivals:
Montclair, AFI Fest, Indie Memphis

About:
A definitive narrative of the Black revolution in 1970s cinema, from genre films to social realism.

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In Theatres: RETROGRADE

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, November 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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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