Author Archives: basiltsiokos

Coming to Epix tonight, Wednesday, June 22: SERENA

Ryan White’s portrait of the tennis champion debuted at Sheffield earlier this month. It will also screen at the upcoming Nantucket Film Festival this weekend.

I previously wrote about the doc for the Nantucket program, saying:
Serena Williams won her first major championship tennis title in 1999, and she hasn’t stopped winning since. Seventeen years later, she has claimed more than 20 Grand Slam titles and four Olympic gold medals. How does the international sports icon, considered by many the greatest tennis player of all time, handle the pressure? In this revealing portrait of perseverance, Ryan White follows Serena as she looks poised to complete a calendar slam by winning four Grand Slams in a single year for the first time since Steffi Graf managed that feat in 1988.

Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, June 21: ORIENTED

Jake Witzenfeld’s profile of gay Palestinians in Tel Aviv had its world premiere at Sheffield last year. Screenings have followed at Los Angeles, Cleveland, Nashville, QDoc, Seattle Jewish, Other Israel, Chicago Palestine, Seret London, and Workers Unite, among other events. It now comes to DVD as well as to VOD platforms including iTunes, Indemand, Amazon, Google Play, and Dish.

I previously wrote about the film here.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, June 21: KING GEORGES

Erika Frankel’s exploration of a culinary legacy debuted at Full Frame last year. Other fest berths included DOC NYC, IFF Boston, Seattle, AFI Docs, Traverse City, San Diego, Philadelphia, Denver, Napa Valley, Portland, and Big Sky.

I previously wrote about the film here.

Coming to PBS’s America ReFramed tomorrow, Tuesday, June 21: THE HAND THAT FEEDS

Rachel Lears and Robin Blotnick’s chronicle of undocumented workers organizing for better treatment debuted at Full Frame in 2014. Additional screenings followed at DOC NYC, Traverse City, AFI Docs, Woodstock, Sidewalk, Cleveland, Workers Unite, Boulder, and Latino fests in San Francisco, Chicago, and San Diego.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to VOD this Sunday, June 19: DADDY DON’T GO

Emily Abt and Andrew Osborne’s repudiation of the deadbeat dad stereotype had its world premiere at DOC NYC last Fall. It has gone on to screen at Cleveland, American Black, Santa Cruz, and Twin Cities Black fests, among other events. It makes its VOD debut exclusively on Vimeo on Demand, appropriately tied to Father’s Day.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
What lies at the root of America’s fatherhood crisis? Emily Abt’s documentary takes an intimate look at the struggles of four diverse, disadvantaged NYC fathers to beat the odds stacked against them and defy the deadbeat dad stereotype. Fighting against homelessness, unemployment, bureaucracy, and, in some cases, a criminal past, Alex, Nelson, Roy, and Omar want nothing more than to honor their responsibilities and provide for their children. The film offers a moving portrait of what it means to be a good father, despite life’s circumstances.