Festival:
The 79th Venice International Film Festival
Dates:
August 31-September 10
About:
Twenty documentaries appear as part of the approximately 75 feature offerings of this premier Italian event, while its autonomous sidebars present 14 docs among their 38 feature presentations, including the following.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, August 29 and to DVD via Criterion Collection tomorrow, Tuesday, August 30:
FAYA DAYI
Director:
Jessica Beshir
World Premiere:
Sundance 2021
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, BlackStar, True/False, Full Frame, Visions du Reel, Seattle, New Directors/New Films, Rotterdam, Melbourne
Notable Recognition:
The doc was shortlisted for the Academy Awards.
About:
A poetic, sensorial journey into the highlands of Harar in eastern Ethiopia, the birthplace of khat.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to theatres and VOD today, Friday, August 26:
THE YOUTH GOVERNOR
Director:
Matt Halmy, Jaron Halmy
World Premiere:
Cleveland 2022
About:
In the halls of California’s Capitol, 4,000 teenagers run a fully functioning government complete
with legislators, party bosses, and elections, with three candidates emerging in the
race for the 72nd Youth Governor.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, August 26:
LET THE LITTLE LIGHT SHINE
Director:
Kevin Shaw
World Premiere:
True/False 2022
Select Festivals:
Black Star, Full Frame, Doc 10, Minneapolis-St Paul, Doclands, Freep, Milwaukee, Ashland
About:
A high-achieving elementary school near downtown Chicago is a lifeline for Black children – until gentrification threatens its closure.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to Netflix tomorrow, Friday, August 26:
RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL: THE WILD WORLD OF JOHN MCAFEE
Director:
Charlie Russell
World Premiere:
Netflix (August 2022)
About:
Raw, revealing footage and interviews with fugitive tech pioneer John McAfee uncovers new layers of his wild years on the run.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to Topic tomorrow, Thursday, August 25:
GHOST FLEET
Directors:
Shannon Service, Jeffrey Waldron
World Premiere:
Telluride 2018
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Toronto, Berlin, Doc Edge, Seattle, El Gouna, Hamptons, Palm Springs, Cleveland
About:
A harrowing look at slavery on the high seas.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
New to DVD this week:
MONOBLOC
Director:
Hauke Wendler
World Premiere:
DOK.fest Munich 2021
Select Festivals:
Milano Design, Braunschweig, Kasseler Dokfest
About:
A film about a plastic chair that can be found throughout the world.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, August 23:
THE EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE
Director:
Iryna Tsilyk
World Premiere:
Sundance 2020
Select Festivals:
Berlin, IDFA, Hot Docs, Doc Fortnight, Thessaloniki Doc, ZagrebDox, Docs Against Gravity, Biografilm, Docudays UA, Reykjavik, Zurich, Dokufest, Adelaide, Seattle
About:
A Ukrainian family processes life in a war zone by making films about their experience.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to HBO and HBO Max tomorrow, Wednesday, August 24:
KATRINA BABIES
Director:
Edward Buckles Jr
World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022
Select Festivals:
Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival
About:
A first-person account of the short-term and long-term devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, as told by young people who were between the ages of 3 and 19 when the levees broke.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, August 23:
GALLANT INDIES
Director:
Philippe Béziat
World Premiere:
Bordeaux 2020
Select Festivals:
Sheffield, Hot Docs, FIPADOC, Doclisboa, Transilvania, Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, Havana, Shanghai
About:
A young filmmaker works with an acclaimed choreographer to stage a baroque masterpiece at Opéra national de Paris, combining urban dance such as hip-hop, krump, break, and voguing with classical music to challenge the cultural expectations of this venerable, four-century-old institution.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
what (not) to doc 