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: OUR AMERICAN FAMILY

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, September 6:
OUR AMERICAN FAMILY

Director:
Hallee Adelman, Sean King O’Grady

World Premiere:
Woodstock 2021

Select Festivals:
Philadelphia

About:
An honest, unfiltered look at a close-knit Philadelphia family dealing with generational substance abuse.

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Streaming: THE RACE OF THE CENTURY

Courtesy of Netflix

Coming to Netflix’s UNTOLD series tomorrow, Tuesday, September 6:
THE RACE OF THE CENTURY

Director:
Chapman Way, Maclain Way

World Premiere:
Netflix (September 2022)

About:
The Australia II yacht crew looks back on the motivation, dedication, and innovation that led to their historic victory at the 1983 America’s Cup.

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On TV: NO ORDINARY LIFE

Coming to CNN tonight, Monday, September 5:
NO ORDINARY LIFE

Director:
Heather O’Neill

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021

Select Festivals:
Hamptons DocFest

About:
A spotlight on the esteemed careers of five courageous camera women who thrust themselves into dangerous circumstances—wars, calamities, and uprisings—to bear witness and give a platform to the most vulnerable.

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On TV: LOVE & STUFF

Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, September 5:
LOVE & STUFF

Director:
Judith Helfand

Co-Director:
David Cohen

World Premiere:
Hot Docs 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, New York Jewish, Docudays UA

About:
Faced with the loss of her beloved mother and becoming a first-time mom herself, the filmmaker has a lot of stuff to deal with.

The film screened at DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
In less than a year, filmmaker Judith Helfand goes through two major life moments: losing her beloved mother, Florence, and becoming a mom herself. As Judith prepares to welcome her adopted daughter, Theo, into her life, she must deal with literal and figurative “stuff:” endless boxes of her parents’ belongings, the promise she made to Florence to lose weight, reckoning with first-time motherhood at the age of 50, and moving on without her mother to help guide her.

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Streaming: PRIMERA

Coming to HBO Max this Sunday, September 4:
PRIMERA

Director:
Vee Bravo

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2021

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, OneWorld, SANFIC, Valparaiso

About:
An exploration of how a rising resistance movement—led by student protesters, activists, street artists, and community leaders—fought back against the Chilean government’s oppressive policies and militaristic implementation of force.

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On TV/VOD: MCENROE

Coming to Showtime on Demand today, Friday, September 2 and to Showtime this Sunday, September 4:
MCENROE

Director:
Barney Douglas

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022

About:
Legendary “bad boy of tennis” John McEnroe finally tells his side of his storied career and famously hot-tempered performances on the court.

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On VOD: KAEPERNICK & AMERICA

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Friday, September 2:
KAEPERNICK & AMERICA

Director:
Tommy Walker, Ross Hockrow

World Premiere:
Seattle 2022

Select Festivals:
Tribeca, Traverse City, Montreal Black

About:
An exploration of the political hysteria around the enigmatic quarterback’s fateful decision to protest, putting him at the center of an ever-exploding culture war.

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In Theatres: LOVING HIGHSMITH

Photo courtesy Zeitgeist Films/Highsmith Family Archives

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, September 2:
LOVING HIGHSMITH

Director:
Eva Vitija

World Premiere:
Solothurner 2022

Select Festivals:
Locarno, Docaviv, Biografilm, Outfest, Provincetown, Sydney

About:
Her thrilling best-sellers were adapted into hit films, but in her previously unpublished private journals, Patricia Highsmith is revealed as a woman who had to keep her love for women out of sight and away from her family.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases

Telluride 2022: Documentary Overview

Festival:
The 49th Telluride Film Festival

Dates:
September 2-5

About:
The US film industry will be flocking to this Colorado cinephile retreat this weekend, where once again nonfiction makes up well over 60% of its new feature presentations.

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

Streaming: AMERICAN RAPSTAR

Coming to Hulu tomorrow, Thursday, September 1:
AMERICAN RAPSTAR

Director:
Justin Staple 

World Premiere:
CPH:DOX 2020

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, SXSW, Doc’n Roll

About:
An eye-opening exploration of the SoundCloud rap phenomenon, a scene of troubled, young, lo-fi rappers that has used social media to develop a rabid fan base.

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases